Ether 6:13-7:3
The Book of Mormon > Ether > Chapters 1b-6 > Verses 6:13-7:3
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Contents
Outline and brief summary
The relationship of verses 6:13-7:3 to the rest of chapters 1b-6 is discussed at Chapters 1b-6. Verses 6:13-7:3 can be outlined as follows:
- A. Doings on the promised land (6:13-7:3)
- a. multiply, walk humbly, and prosperous (13-18)
- b. stewardship accounting of leadership (19-21)
- b. allowing the people to choose a king (22-27)
- a. prosperous, walk humbly, and multiply (6:27-7:3)
- a. multiply, walk humbly, and prosperous (13-18)
Detailed discussion
Verses 6:19-21
Other final stewardship accountings include Adam at Adam-ondi-Ahman where he blessed his posterity, Jacob blessing his sons at the end of Genesis, King Benjamin preaching to his people in Mosiah 2-5, and Alma the Younger to his sons in Alma 36-42. Here the story is silent about blessing or telling, and instead recounts the significant fact that Jared and his Brother asked what the people wanted.
Verses 6:22-27
Here (6:22-27) the people request a king. The Brother of Jared, the prophet, warns that this will lead to captivity. But the political leader Jared for the first time rejects the prophet's advice and the people choose a king. The opening narrative has shown the people travel to and establish themselves in the promised land under very favorable conditions as they make requests of the Lord and follow his instructions. But at the end of the opening narrative they ask a person, albeit the prophet, and then reject his warning. That single ignored warning establishes a principal difference between the Jaredite experience with monarchy (in Ether) and the Nephite experience rejecting unaccountable monarchy in favor of accountable democracy (in Mosiah-Helaman). It is interesting that the people surrender their personal accountability to a king on the same occasion at which Jared and his Brother appear to be making their final accounting of their mortal stewardships.
Here (6:23) the Brother of Jared warns that monarchy leads to captivity. In the central passage of Ether (8:20-26) Moroni will warn that secret combinations lead to destruction. In the central division of Ether (chapters 7-11) the Jaredites will suffer repeated destructions as a result of secret combinations. They will also on occasion rise up and hold their monarchs accountable when their captivity to a king becomes too oppresive.
Questions for further study and reflection
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Footnotes
Additional resources
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