Alma 29

Alma 29:1

1 O that I were an angel, and could have the wish of mine heart, that I might go forth and speak with the trump of God, with a voice to shake the earth, and cry repentance unto every people!

The words of this speech by Alma are sufficiently beautiful that they have been set to inspirational music. The context is the meeting between Alma and the sons of Mosiah (confirmed in verses 14-17 below). This speech appears to be Alma’s response to Ammon’s joyful testimony recorded in Alma 26. It is important for the context of this sermon that we remember the events of the meeting of the sons of Mosiah and Alma:

Alma 27:16-19

16 And it came to pass that as Ammon was going forth into the land, that he and his brethren met Alma, over in the place of which has been spoken; and behold, this was a joyful meeting.

17 Now the joy of Ammon was so great even that he was full; yea, he was swallowed up in the joy of his God, even to the exhausting of his strength; and he fell again to the earth.

18 Now was not this exceeding joy? Behold, this is joy which none receiveth save it be the truly penitent and humble seeker of happiness.

19 Now the joy of Alma in meeting his brethren was truly great, and also the joy of Aaron, of Omner, and Himni; but behold their joy was not that to exceed their strength.

When Mormon recounts these events he does not specifically mention this speech by Alma, but the conditions will be seen to have sufficient parallels to this discourse that we may, with some assurance, assign this speech to that time.

Textual: This is an inserted soliloquy by Alma. Since the rest of the material appears to come from Ammon’s records, the placing of this speech and the locator indicates a change in source material. It is much more likely that Alma found this discourse in Alma’s record than that it would have been found with Ammon’s. It is clearly related to this occasion of the meeting of the old friends, but the sources and speakers are different. Mormon inserts the speech here with no introduction whatsoever. He has concluded the basic story of the mission of the sons of Mosiah, and has given his typical historical introduction. Then we get this speech with no introduction.

Most of the time we have seen Mormon create a new chapter when he switches sources, or inserts a speech from a different speaker. Here we learn that these guidelines that we can deduce were not hard rules. The content of Alma’s soliloquy clearly belongs with the story of the sons of Mosiah, and so he includes it here. Nevertheless, we may still presume that it is a different source from the abrupt addition. While there is no real proof of they hypothesis, it is almost as though he finished with the account of the sons of Mosiah, and when he returned to Alma’s sources, found this beautiful sermon, and decided to include it.

Alma 29:2

2 Yea, I would declare unto every soul, as with the voice of thunder, repentance and the plan of redemption, that they should repent and come unto our God, that there might not be more sorrow upon all the face of the earth.

S. Kent Brown has made a very perceptive study of Alma’s sermons, noting that they tend to have echoes of Alma’s transformational conversion experience. Specifically concerning this verse, he notes:

“Alma's soliloquy in chapter 29 also exhibits reminiscences of his three-day experience. First, he wishes that he were an angel and, like the angel of the Lord who confronted him, he wishes he could "go forth and speak . . . with a voice to shake the earth, . . . as with the voice of thunder" (Alma 29:1-2). The descriptions of the appearance of the angel of the Lord to Alma and his friends are compelling. In his own words, Alma recounted that "God sent his holy angel to stop us by the way. And behold, he spake unto us, as it were the voice of thunder, and the whole earth did tremble beneath our feet" (Alma 36:6-7). The account from other witnesses says that "the angel of the Lord appeared unto them; and he spake as it were with a voice of thunder, which caused the earth to shake upon which they stood" (Mosiah 27:11). The similarities cannot be missed. They combine mention of the angel with reference to his thundering voice and the resulting earthquake.”

(S. Kent Brown. “Alma’s Conversion: Reminiscences in His Sermons.” In: Monte S. Nyman and Charles D. Tate, Jr., eds. Alma, the Testimony of the Word [Provo: BYU Religious Studies Center, 1992], 149.)

As noted in this commentary following Mosiah 27:11, the imagery of “voice of thunder” in this verse, and particularly the “voice to shake the earth” in verse 1 have an even greater connotation in Alma’s Mesoamerican context. This is not simply a verbal imagery, but a reminiscence of the physical event, and the particulars of that physical event were structured to highlight the event as belonging to the realm of the sacred. The voice of thunder and the shaking of the earth were elements that marked the sacred in Mesoamerica.

Alma 29:3

3 But behold, I am a man, and do sin in my wish; for I ought to be content with the things which the Lord hath allotted unto me.

Alma’s declaration that he is a man should be seen as a parallel to King Benjamin’s similar declaration in Mosiah 2:10. In Benjamin’s case there was the implication that Benjamin’s status as king might elevate him to the status of god, and therefore he declares his humanity. For Alma, he has just wished that he were an angel, or a person from the realm of God, someone who was more than a man. Alma quickly comes back to the essentiality of his humanity. He is a man, and not a being that is more than a man (recall the exchange between Lamoni and Ammon, Alma 18:17-18). This is yet another indication that the world of the spirit was not considered far away, and that there was popular though that beings from that world might be present on this earth. Of course Alma knows that the sons of Mosiah do not consider him more than a man, still he is careful to acknowledge his humanity as part of the process of separating the great experiences he has had from those things that he has done of himself. While a man, yet God worked through him. Alma is recognizing that distinction.

Alma 29:4

4 I ought not to harrow up in my desires, the firm decree of a just God, for I know that he granteth unto men according to their desire, whether it be unto death or unto life; yea, I know that he allotteth unto men, yea, decreeth unto them decrees which are unalterable, according to their wills, whether they be unto salvation or unto destruction.

Understanding this verse requires that we return it to the context of the previous verse. Alma has just said; “for I ought to be content with the things which the Lord hath allotted unto me.” This is the precursor to “I ought not to harrow up….” Alma is continuing the theme of being content with what is, rather than wishing that God had allotted him something else.

The verse is a little difficult to understand both because of the less familiar word “harrow,” and a somewhat convoluted syntax. First, a harrow is a farm implement that turns the soil. Secondly, the phrase “in my desires” might appear to be related to the “harrow up” due to its proximity. It is not, but rather a descriptive insert. The verse might be better understood by relocating the “in my desires” concept. We might “retranslate” this verse as “My desires ought not harrow up the firm decree of a just God.” It is the firm decree that is being harrowed, not the desires. It is rather the desires that would do the harrowing.

Why is it that Alma believes that his desires might even have the possibility of harrowing up the firm decree of God? Apparently Alma has some sense that it is actually possible for him to alter a decree of God. This may be due to a revelation similar to the one to which Joseph Smith alluded when he said: “The Lord once told me that what I asked for I should have. I have been afraid to ask God to kill my enemies, lest some of them should, peradventure, repent.” (Joseph Smith, Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, selected and arranged by Joseph Fielding Smith [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1976], 340).

If Alma had the same kind of gift given him, he would be similarly conscious of his responsibility to make righteous choices, and in this case, to school his desires.

The second part of the verse deals with the varying decrees of God to man. Alma proclaims that God’s decrees come to men “according to their wills.” While he doesn’t elaborate it here, this is a foreshadowing of Alma’s doctrine of restoration which we shall see in Alma chapter 41. Most directly, Alma is setting up his argument for the next verse.

Translation: While the instrument known as a harrow would have been unknown to the Nephites, the idea of turning the soil would certainly be part of their agrarian background. Thus the metaphorical use of the term is accurate, even if this cannot have been an absolutely accurate translation of the original term.

Alma 29:5

5 Yea, and I know that good and evil have come before all men; he that knoweth not good from evil is blameless; but he that knoweth good and evil, to him it is given according to his desires, whether he desireth good or evil, life or death, joy or remorse of conscience.

The first phrase picks up on the last phrase of the previous verse, “whether they be unto salvation or unto destruction.” The duality of salvation/destruction is transmuted into the duality of good/evil. Taking the one opposite pair, he extends his meaning with a related and correspondingly opposite pair. Thus salvation or destruction come upon men, and all men have placed before them both good and evil. Since Alma has declared that God’s decrees are unalterable (verse 4), he now needs to show how the unalterable decrees apply to mankind that has the options of good and evil.

Alma notes that “he that knoweth not good from evil is blameless.” The salvation/destruction pairing is not applicable where men are not accountable for the good/evil pairing. Without being able to separate good from evil, they are not liable to be separated into saved or destroyed.

For the person who knows the difference between good and evil, to that person the full option of salvation/destruction applies. The person will receive the reward he selects, with good, life, and joy being equated, and evil, death, and remorse of conscience being the opposite conditions.

Alma’s teaching that “he that knoweth not good from evil is blameless” is a direct descendant of father Lehi’s instruction on the opposition in all things. As Lehi taught in 2 Nephi 2, if there is no opposition all things must be a compound in one (2 Nephi 2:11. See the commentary after that verse for a discussion of what a “compound in one” means). Very specifically, Lehi also notes:

2 Nephi 2:13

13 And if ye shall say there is no law, ye shall also say there is no sin. If ye shall say there is no sin, ye shall also say there is no righteousness. And if there be no righteousness there be no happiness. And if there be no righteousness nor happiness there be no punishment nor misery…

Flowing from Lehi’s teachings, a man who does not know good from evil must be blameless, for he would be unaware of the opposition. For a man who does not know good from evil, he must be as innocent as Adam and Eve before partaking of the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. Of course Alma is aware that all men must have some knowledge of good and evil as a result of the fall, but his argument is in the realm of the theoretical and verbally symbolic rather than the literal. He is creating the extreme position so that we will better understand the issue he is explaining. For Alma, once we know the decrees, we are firmly accountable to them.

Knowing the difference between good and evil does not guarantee salvation, however. Knowing good from evil we must actively choose good, so that good will be returned to us. This is the essential lesson that Paul was attempting to teach in Romans chapter 2:

Romans 2:12-13

12 For as many as have sinned without law shall also perish without law: and as many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law;

13 (For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified.

In Paul, the “law” refers to the law of Moses by which the life of the Jews was governed. Paul is intent on making sure that the Jews understood that it was not the law itself that saved, but rather the “doers of the law.” Similarly, modern members of the church may take false comfort in the rituals of a social gospel. We might assume that our baptism into the church will make all of the difference for us. Just like the Jews, we may assume that the wonderful law that we have been given will, in and of itself, be our salvation. Paul reminds us that this is not so. We may have the law, we may (per Alma) understand good from evil, but it is what we do with that knowledge that will lead us to life and joy, or death and remorse.

Alma 29:6

6 Now, seeing that I know these things, why should I desire more than to perform the work to which I have been called?

Alma 29:7

7 Why should I desire that I were an angel, that I could speak unto all the ends of the earth?

Alma 29:8

8 For behold, the Lord doth grant unto all nations, of their own nation and tongue, to teach his word, yea, in wisdom, all that he seeth fit that they should have; therefore we see that the Lord doth counsel in wisdom, according to that which is just and true.

These three verses should be considered together to understand that while verse 6 appears to flow out of verse 5, it is actually a transition that leads to verse 8. Verse 8 is an expansion of the ideas in verse 4. Alma has set up a condition in verse 5, and then combined the idea that he should not desire to be an angel with the amplification of the idea that god grants to all nations “all that he seeth fit that they should have.”

This idea that God grants to all nations some portion of his truth is the logical expansion of verse 4’s statement that: “he allotteth unto men, yea, decreeth unto them decrees which are unalterable, according to their wills.” In verse 4 the emphasis was on the principle of agency. Here in verse 8 the emphasis is on the mercy of God to give to all men that which they are able to understand.

These truths of God have come to men through several means, and not only through the ordained prophets of God. As Orson F. Whitney notes:

“All down the ages men bearing the authority of the Holy Priesthood—patriarchs, prophets, apostles and others, have officiated in the name of the Lord, doing the things that he required of them; and outside the pale of their activities other good and great men, not bearing the Priesthood, but possessing profundity of thought, great wisdom, and a desire to uplift their fellows, have been sent by the Almighty into many nations, to give them, not the fulness of the Gospel, but that portion of truth that they were able to receive and wisely use. Such men as Confucius, the Chinese philosopher; Zoroaster, the Persian sage; Gautama or Buddha, of the Hindus; Socrates and Plato, of the Greeks; these all had some of the light that is universally diffused, and concerning which we have this day heard. They were servants of the Lord in a lesser sense, and were sent to those pagan or heathen nations to give them the measure of truth that a wise Providence had allotted to them.” (Elder Orson F. Whitney, Conference Report, April 1921, Afternoon Session 33.)

Alma 29:9

9 I know that which the Lord hath commanded me, and I glory in it. I do not glory of myself, but I glory in that which the Lord hath commanded me; yea, and this is my glory, that perhaps I may be an instrument in the hands of God to bring some soul to repentance; and this is my joy.

This statement is very similar to Ammon’s statement in his own declaration about the success of the missionary work of the sons of Mosiah. See Alma 26:11. In this verse and in the declaration by Ammon, the word “joy” is used. For both of these men, the work of the Lord leads to joy. See the discussion following 2 Nephi 2:25 in this commentary for a discussion of the meaning of joy in the Book of Mormon.

Brown sees this verse as intimately connected with Alma’s conversion experience. The aspect of joy is a certain touchpoint, but Brown suggests that the concept of missionary work also flows from that original experience:

“Similarly, in his personal recounting Alma told his son Helaman that from the time of his three-day ordeal until that moment, "I have labored without ceasing, that I might bring souls unto repentance; that I might bring them to taste of the exceeding joy of which I did taste" (Alma 36:24). He continued by speaking metaphorically of his success in his missionary endeavors as if it were fruit of agricultural labors: "The Lord doth give me exceedingly great joy in the fruit of my labors; For because of the word which he has imparted unto me, behold, many have been born of God, and have tasted as I have tasted, and have seen eye to eye as I have seen" (vv 25-26; compare Alma 29:13-15). (S. Kent Brown. “Alma’s Conversion: Reminiscences in His Sermons.” In Monte S. Nyman and Charles D. Tate, Jr., eds., Alma, the Testimony of the Word [Provo: BYU Religious Studies Center, 1992], 149 - 150.)

Alma 29:10

10 And behold, when I see many of my brethren truly penitent, and coming to the Lord their God, then is my soul filled with joy; then do I remember what the Lord has done for me, yea, even that he hath heard my prayer; yea, then do I remember his merciful arm which he extended towards me.

This verse makes Brown’s hypothesis explicit. Alma himself connects the conversion of his brethren to his own conversion. When Alma sees the change in others, he is reminded of the change in his own soul.

Alma 29:11

11 Yea, and I also remember the captivity of my fathers; for I surely do know that the Lord did deliver them out of bondage, and by this did establish his church; yea, the Lord God, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, did deliver them out of bondage.

This verse creates yet another tie to Alma’s conversion experience:

“At this point, we recall the angel's instructions to Alma: "Go, and remember the captivity of thy fathers. . . . For they were in bondage, and [God] has delivered them" (Mosiah 27:16). (S. Kent Brown. “Alma’s Conversion: Reminiscences in His Sermons.” In: Monte S. Nyman and Charles D. Tate, Jr., eds., Alma, the Testimony of the Word [Provo: BYU Religious Studies Center, 1992], 149.)

Alma 29:12

12 Yea, I have always remembered the captivity of my fathers; and that same God who delivered them out of the hands of the Egyptians did deliver them out of bondage.

An angel told Alma to remember the captivity of their fathers (Mosiah 27:16). While the angel on that occasion specifically mentioned Alma’s New World fathers, clearly Alma extended his understanding to the captivity of Israel in Egypt as well. Why should these captivity’s be so important that an angel would remind Alma of them, and that he would associate the concept with more than what the angel required?

The captivity of the fathers was physical, but the captivity of his brethren was no less real for being spiritual. The fathers were delivered by God from their physical captivity, providing a clear model for the ability of God to deliver from spiritual captivity as well. The angel pointed Alma in the direction of remembering the captivity of the fathers to provide the model for the way that the Lord might save his children from such captivity.

Alma 29:13

13 Yea, and that same God did establish his church among them; yea, and that same God hath called me by a holy calling, to preach the word unto this people, and hath given me much success, in the which my joy is full.

Much as we do, Alma is using the term church to equate with the gospel. The Nephite world had the gospel before it had churches as the Book of Mormon defines them. Similarly, the Israelites would have had the gospel, but not the churches with which Alma was familiar.

Alma 29:14

14 But I do not joy in my own success alone, but my joy is more full because of the success of my brethren, who have been up to the land of Nephi.

Alma 29:15

15 Behold, they have labored exceedingly, and have brought forth much fruit; and how great shall be their reward!

Textual: These verses demonstrate that this soliloquy is triggered by the return of the sons of Mosiah. There are two possibilities for the original of this heartfelt exclamation. Alma might have written it as a personal testimony after hearing the stories of the sons of Mosiah, or it was publicly delivered and then written down. While the text itself gives no indication, I prefer the idea that this was a publicly delivered speech. The nature of the text, and these references suggest that it is so closely tied to the events of the mission of the sons of Mosiah that it would appear most likely that it was triggered by the meeting and the exchange of information, and then written later. This is the pattern of the vast majority of known public discourse, where the discourse was given, and then recorded. It appears most logical to accept this soliloquy as similar to the rest of the recorded sermons in Mormon’s work.

Alma 29:16

16 Now, when I think of the success of these my brethren my soul is carried away, even to the separation of it from the body, as it were, so great is my joy.

This verse is another indication that this is a speech given in the presence of the sons of Mosiah. While it is quite possible that Alma really could have such great joy just by remembering the success of his brethren, it is more likely that this describes the powerful spirit that must have been present when these old friends are discussing the events. In addition to Alma’s own spirituality, the great spirit of the sons of Mosiah would also be present, and would increase the intensity of the spiritual atmosphere.

Cultural: Alma makes an interesting statement that his “soul is carried away, even to the separation of it from the body.” Of course this brings to mind not only his own experience during his conversion (Mosiah 27:19) and the conversions of Lamoni and his father (Alma 18:42; Alma 22:18). In the Mesoamerican cultural context in which we are placing the story of the Book of Mormon, this statement may have an even wider implication.

Mesoamerican religions are built upon a religious cosmology known as shamanism. The volume Maya Cosmos is subtitled “Three Thousand Years on the Shaman’s Path” (David Freidel, Linda Schele, Joy Parker. William Morrow and Company, Inc. New York 1993). Shamanic religions have as one of the major underpinnings the idea that the shaman may communicate with the world of the spirits through some type of ecstatic experience. That ecstatic experience may be triggered in many ways, but is frequently described as the soul leaving the body.

In some cases, the departure of the soul leaves the body quiescent as the spirit travels (note an example of a shamanic initiation in Mircea Eliade, Shamanism. Princeton University Press, Princeton, 1964, p. 53). In a world embued with the cosmology of shamanism, it is possible that the separation of spirit and body was understood as a supreme act of spiritual communion, and the trance-like, death-like states of Lamoni and his father may have been cultural interpreted as such a trance. This would be particularly true since it was expected of shamanic kings that they perform such ecstatic rituals.

While Alma is certainly not a shaman, nevertheless it would not be surprising if his vocabulary were colored by the worldview in which he grew up. We must remember that prior to his conversion he was apparently quite taken with the non-gospel worldview. When he discusses a spiritual experience in terms of separation from his body, it is not impossible that this would be an echo of the cultural understanding of the shamanic ecstatic journey.

Alma 29:17

17 And now may God grant unto these, my brethren, that they may sit down in the kingdom of God; yea, and also all those who are the fruit of their labors that they may go no more out, but that they may praise him forever. And may God grant that it may be done according to my words, even as I have spoken. Amen.

Alma’s conclusion focuses on the sons of Mosiah and the Anti-Nephi-Lehies who were the results of that missionary journey. Alma first desires that his brethren, the sons of Mosiah should “sit down in the kingdom of God.” By this Alma means that the sons of Mosiah should receive their exaltation in the heavenly kingdom of God.

Alma then discusses “all those who are the fruit of their labors.” This refers to the Anti-Nephi-Lehies. For them Alma wishes that “they may go no more out, but that they may praise him forever.” This language is not completely clear, as we do not have a clear picture of what it meant to Alma to “go out.” It appears that he is referring to “going out” as leaving the gospel and their belief in God. Thus the desire that they “go no more out” would indicate that Alma desires that they remain steadfast in the gospel. This reading is supported by the phrase “but that they may praise him forever.” Clearly God is the one that they would praise, and since this phrase is linked with the former clause with “but,” we may expect that it presents a condition that contrasts with the former clause. That reaffirms the idea that “going out” would create a situation that would lead to the Anti-Nephi-Lehies not praising God forever.

Textual: This is the end of a chapter in the 1830 edition.

: This is the end of a chapter in the 1830 edition.