Alma 4

1 Now it came to pass in the sixth year of the reign of the judges over the people of Nephi, there were no contentions nor wars in the land of Zarahemla;

Historical: The sixth year of the reign of the judges would be approximately 87 BC. The first year of the reign of the judges occurs 509 years after the departure from Jerusalem. Apparently, that year is also termed the first year of the reign of the judges as that is the only way that the time frame fits with the birth of Christ (which this correlation presumes to have occurred in 4 BC). In this case, the historical information is that in the sixth year of the reign of the judges we have a contrast to the previous year. Where the previous year was full of contentions and wars, in this year, there are no contentions nor wars. Once again, we should remember that Mormon uses contentions for internal strife and wars as external conflicts.

Textual: The marking of the year and the presentation of some information of what happened in that year has been a technique Mormon has used before, and as was previously noted, is a technique known in later Mesoamerican documents (the most obvious example being the “Anales de Cuauhtitlan.” In: Codice Chimalpopoca Instituto de Investigaciones Historicas, UNAM 1975).

Verse 1 sets up a contrast to the conditions listed in verse 2. Mormon has finished a chapter on wars and contentions, and then notes that in the next year there are no wars nor contentions. While this might be seen to be a very good thing, and it was, it nevertheless does not adequately describe the conditions in Zarahemla. This verse gives the good news of the year, to be contrasted with the bad news beginning in verse 2.

Alma 4:2

2 But the people were afflicted, yea, greatly afflicted for the loss of their brethren, and also for the loss of their flocks and herds, and also for the loss of their fields of grain, which were trodden under foot and destroyed by the Lamanites.

In spite of the reprieve from contentions and wars, the people of Zarahemla nevertheless suffered the consequences of the past years contentions and wars. They suffered for the loss of their loved ones, and perhaps even more to the point, they suffered directly because of the damage to their foot supplies. This particular battle apparently took place before they had gathered their harvest (or at least the full harvest). Thus when the war was over, one of the direct effects was a decreased food supply for the land of Zarahemla in the next year.

Alma 4:3

3 And so great were their afflictions that every soul had cause to mourn; and they believed that it was the judgments of God sent upon them because of their wickedness and their abominations; therefore they were awakened to a remembrance of their duty.

The famine is sufficiently great that “every soul had cause to mourn.” Some would have added grief for lost family members to the famine-borne afflictions. Under such conditions, the people begin to look for a source of hope, and they begin to examine themselves before God, and begin to repent.

These people are supposed to be Nephites, of what are they repenting? Of course we could presume that they considered their individual sins, and repented of those, and that surely happened. However, most of the time, personal sins do not take the form that would be described as “wickedness and their abominations.” What we must remember is that the tension between the way of God and the way of the world was always present in Zarahemla society. Recently the contention between the two was sufficient that the Amlicites actually broke away from the Nephites and warred with them. We should not presume that every person having some sympathy for the more extreme form of the Amlicites went with the Amlicites, and there were still those in Zarahemla who harbored some of the desires for the world that led to the Amlicite apostasy. This is most likely the nature of the abomination, and the repenting of that abomination would be the most obvious reason why the contentions were eliminated in this year of famine where people were humbled to return to their God.

Alma 4:4

4 And they began to establish the church more fully; yea, and many were baptized in the waters of Sidon and were joined to the church of God; yea, they were baptized by the hand of Alma, who had been consecrated the high priest over the people of the church, by the hand of his father Alma.

How shall we read this statement that the church was more fully established and that many were baptized? We might assume that there was great missionary work, but that is not what the text says. In fact, in the context of the verses leading up to this statement, it is clear that we are looking at the effects of the repentance of those mentioned in verse 3.

Still, this brings up an important issue about Nephite society. Weren’t these people, as Nephites, already baptized? There are two possible answers to the nature of these baptisms following the great repentance. The first is that they had already been baptized, and that this was a baptism of recommitment. This type of baptism for renewal or refreshing of covenants was practiced among the Utah saints for many years, and did not begin to be officially discouraged until 1894 when the First Presidency instructed stake presidents that rebaptism was not required for temple attendance, and that repentance was the key, not the rebaptism (Allen, James B., Glen M. Leonard. The Story of the Latter-Day Saints. 1976, pp. 430-431).

While it is possible that the Nephites practiced some form of rebaptism, there is no clear record of that in the Book of Mormon. It is equally as likely that this spate of baptisms were for those of Zarahemla who were part of the land, and simply not a part of the church. As one of the reforms of Alma the Elder, the church had been separated from the state, and we began to have a distinction between those who were politically of Zarahemla and those who were baptized into the church. Since this verse specifically speaks of expanding the presence of the church, it is most likely that it is the acceptance into the church of those who were previously part of the land of Zarahemla, but had not been baptized into the church. These would be the precise people who would have had the sympathies with those who opposed the plan of God, and therefore were those who would have seen themselves as committing “wickedness and abominations.”

Alma 4:5

5 And it came to pass in the seventh year of the reign of the judges there were about three thousand five hundred souls that united themselves to the church of God and were baptized. And thus ended the seventh year of the reign of the judges over the people of Nephi; and there was continual peace in all that time.

The result of the continued expansion of the church and the repentance of the people resulted in the addition of around three thousand five hundred people to the church. As noted above, these are probably people living in the land of Zarahemla who have not been baptized into the church. Particularly in a time of famine, which was the physical impetus to this spiritual revival, the people of Zarahemla would not want to increase the numbers of mouths to feed. Thus we can be fairly certain that this was a baptism of people from inside the land, and not converts brought in to Zarahemla.

Alma 4:6

6 And it came to pass in the eighth year of the reign of the judges, that the people of the church began to wax proud, because of their exceeding riches, and their fine silks, and their fine-twined linen, and because of their many flocks and herds, and their gold and their silver, and all manner of precious things, which they had obtained by their industry; and in all these things were they lifted up in the pride of their eyes, for they began to wear very costly apparel.

The eighty year of the judges would be 85 BC. Just two years after the famine of the sixth year of the reign of the judges we have a description of people becoming rich, and then listing a very specific set of descriptors. They have “fine silks,” they have “fine-twined linen,” and they have “many flocks and herds,” and “gold and their silver, and all manner of precious things…” all of which is capped off by that particularly Book-of-Mormon-sin; wearying “very costly apparel.” What is happening here?

First, and very clearly, the famine has ended. This makes sense because the cause of the famine was the destruction of the crops in the war. This was not a famine caused by drought or poor soil. The planting and harvesting of the next season would have returned to the normal food production, and the famine was effectively over in the seventh year.

How does the society rise from famine in one year to great wealth only two years later? The answer is that they were not that far from wealth during the famine, and that it was the return to full food production that could feed the industry that led to the riches described. As has been noted several times in this commentary, the riches described in the Book of Mormon make it certain that trade was involved to acquire them. What had always happened is that along with the trade came the importation of the ideology of the world. One of the signs of the spiritual apostasy from the church in the Book of Mormon is the wearing of costly apparel, because that was a sign of the adoption of the culture that was antithetical to the church.

What Mormon is describing here is not so much the rapid rise to wealth, but a return to the good conditions. The reason for the increase in the baptisms and the establishment of the church had been the famine and the repentance of those who had previously been believers in the philosophy of the world. When the conditions of famine were broken, and the prosperity returned, it is human nature to forget the bad times, and return to the personal pleasures that preceded the hard times. In this case, everyone clearly returns to the way they were before, and those who had previously wanted to adopt the lifestyle of the world apparently returned to that lifestyle.

There is a humorous anecdote about a man holding on for his life on a branch jutting from a cliff over which he has fallen. He prays to the Lord and promises a righteous life if the Lord would only save him. Just then someone comes, finds him, and pulls him to safety. As he leaves, now out of harm’s way, he prays again to the Lord, and says “Forget that request, I’m OK now.” It is an unfortunate aspect of human nature to remember God in the bad times and forget him when things go well. So it was with these converts in Zarahemla. The famine brought them to repent and be baptized, but that was insufficient to truly convert them. When life returned to good times, they forgot the means of their salvation, and returned to their old ways.

Alma 4:7

7 Now this was the cause of much affliction to Alma, yea, and to many of the people whom Alma had consecrated to be teachers, and priests, and elders over the church; yea, many of them were sorely grieved for the wickedness which they saw had begun to be among their people.

The particular signs given in verse 6 are not just signs of wealth. In the Mesoamerican context of the Book of Mormon, they were signs of apostasy. Alma clearly read these signs, as did others of the church. They were “the cause of much affliction to Alma” precisely because Alma saw in them a return to the apostasy and divisions that had resulted in the Amlicite apostasy and defection.

Alma 4:8

8 For they saw and beheld with great sorrow that the people of the church began to be lifted up in the pride of their eyes, and to set their hearts upon riches and upon the vain things of the world, that they began to be scornful, one towards another, and they began to persecute those that did not believe according to their own will and pleasure.

Along with the physical trappings of wealth, the next aspect of the particular cultural code that competed with the gospel was the division into ranks. This is precisely what is being described here. The pride leads to a desire for the world, and this leads them to begin to see themselves as better than others who do not bear the trappings of the world that they do.

Alma 4:9

9 And thus, in this eighth year of the reign of the judges, there began to be great contentions among the people of the church; yea, there were envyings, and strife, and malice, and persecutions, and pride, even to exceed the pride of those who did not belong to the church of God.

It is in this year, the second year of prosperity, a year in which the miracle of the recovery from famine was past and they were now able to return to the idea that this level of wealth was normal: it is in this year that “there began to be great contentions among the people of the church.” There were certainly those in Zarahemla who had not been members of the church prior to the famine who remained apart from the church. As previously noted, those people tended to follow the mode of worldly thought. Thus even for those who had joined the church, the evidence of their old ways was continually before them, and there were still those in the community who believed that way.

In this case, there are those in the church who are returning to the worldly ways, even though they are in the church. Their return is sufficient that it appears to even exceed those who had not joined the church. This division between the desire to follow the world and the desire to continue to follow God is the heart of internal Nephite social problems. Those problems are beginning again, and heating up fast.

Alma 4:10

10 And thus ended the eighth year of the reign of the judges; and the wickedness of the church was a great stumbling-block to those who did not belong to the church; and thus the church began to fail in its progress.

The progress of the church slows down. Mormon attributes it to the pride of some of the members. While that is certainly possible, the end of the famine and return to prosperity that is the impetus to the pride of the members is equally to blame. That adoption of the trappings of the world would tell those outside the church that the real goal of many was to follow the same worldly way that these people outside the church were following in any case. It is little wonder that the progress of the church halts when the famine that forced humility is abated, and those inside the church begin to be more worldly than those who do not join. The church would have ceased to offer anything to these people, who could get the trappings of the world without the church.

Alma 4:11

11 And it came to pass in the commencement of the ninth year, Alma saw the wickedness of the church, and he saw also that the example of the church began to lead those who were unbelievers on from one piece of iniquity to another, thus bringing on the destruction of the people.

Notice that Alma equates this apostasy from the church to “the destruction of the people.” This is a theme that he has raised in the past:

Alma 1:12 But Alma said unto him: Behold, this is the first time that priestcraft has been introduced among this people. And behold, thou art not only guilty of priestcraft, but hast endeavored to enforce it by the sword; and were priestcraft to be enforced among this people it would prove their entire destruction.

In this verse Alma is discussing Nehor, but the teachings of Nehor are essentially those that the Amlicites adopted, and are most likely those that are leading to the wearing of “costly apparel” and that accompanies that sin. Alma indicates that these teachings would lead to their “entire destruction.”

Similarly, Alma notes:

Alma 3:8 And this was done that their seed might be distinguished from the seed of their brethren, that thereby the Lord God might preserve his people, that they might not mix and believe in incorrect traditions which would prove their destruction.

The mixing with the Lamanites would lead to believing what the Lamanites believed, and that would “prove their destruction.” Clearly, what Alma is referring to is not the physical eradication of the people, but a loss of their culture/religion. In believing as the Nehors, or believing as did the Lamanites, the Nephites would have to abandon their religion which was their way of life. With the removal of this religion that holds them together, they would be effectively destroyed as a separate people.

This fear of destruction through the adoption of the ways of the world is not unique to Alma. We find a similar fear in Enos:

Enos 1:23And there was nothing save it was exceeding harshness, preaching and prophesying of wars, and contentions, and destructions, and continually reminding them of death, and the duration of eternity, and the judgments and the power of God, and all these things—stirring them up continually to keep them in the fear of the Lord. I say there was nothing short of these things, and exceedingly great plainness of speech, would keep them from going down speedily to destruction. . .

It has been a characteristic of the Nephites from the earliest times that they were seduced by the ways of the world. Ultimately, the adoption of those ways would destroy them as a separate people.

Alma 4:12

12 Yea, he saw great inequality among the people, some lifting themselves up with their pride, despising others, turning their backs upon the needy and the naked and those who were hungry, and those who were athirst, and those who were sick and afflicted.

Inequality was another of the classic hallmarks of the apostate religion. It is another of the features of Mesoamerican religion that shows as the competing religious system in the Book of Mormon. This people who, with Benjamin, covenanted to become the people of Christ and to do away with these inequalities are not back at it again, only a couple of generations after that great event (see Mosiah 4:14-26).

Alma 4:13

13 Now this was a great cause for lamentations among the people, while others were abasing themselves, succoring those who stood in need of their succor, such as imparting their substance to the poor and the needy, feeding the hungry, and suffering all manner of afflictions, for Christ's sake, who should come according to the spirit of prophecy;

The contrast presented between verses 12 and 13 show the extreme differences of those who had been baptized. Those noted in verse 12 are reverting to their non-Christian-covenant ways of social stratification, and ignoring those in need to dwell on their own wealth. Those noted in verse 13 are those who are not only baptized, but who follow the covenant to Christ to be egalitarian and care and feed those in need. These are the ones who follow the covenant made under Benjamin.

Mormon clearly notes that these people are doing these things as part of their covenant. This is very specifically done “for Christ’s sake, who should come…” These are those who believe in the coming Atoning Messiah.

Alma 4:14

14 Looking forward to that day, thus retaining a remission of their sins; being filled with great joy because of the resurrection of the dead, according to the will and power and deliverance of Jesus Christ from the bands of death.

On a social level, the contention between the church and the opposing religion focuses on social stratification manifested in the costly apparel and personal wealth. On the purely religious level, the contention is between those who believe in the Atoning Messiah and those who deny the Atoning Messiah. It is in that context of conflicts that Mormon describes these good members of the church. Those who believed in economic egalitarianism also did believe in the coming of the Atoning Messiah. That is how Mormon is describing them here.

Alma 4:15

15 And now it came to pass that Alma, having seen the afflictions of the humble followers of God, and the persecutions which were heaped upon them by the remainder of his people, and seeing all their inequality, began to be very sorrowful; nevertheless the Spirit of the Lord did not fail him.

Here ends the description of the problem. Mormon has been laying the foundation for the coming contentions that will lead up to the tremendous apostasy prior to the birth of Christ. These inequalities begin to persecute those who truly believed in the way of God. Now Mormon will begin to describes the steps Alma took to combat this encroaching evil.

Alma 4:16

16 And he selected a wise man who was among the elders of the church, and gave him power according to the voice of the people, that he might have power to enact laws according to the laws which had been given, and to put them in force according to the wickedness and the crimes of the people.

Alma 4:17

17 Now this man's name was Nephihah, and he was appointed chief judge; and he sat in the judgment-seat to judge and to govern the people.

Alma 4:18

18 Now Alma did not grant unto him the office of being high priest over the church, but he retained the office of high priest unto himself; but he delivered the judgment-seat unto Nephihah.

Alma’s solution to this impending religious crisis is to separate once again the positions of government of the land and government of the church, much as happened with his father and King Mosiah. Alma appoints Nephihah to be the chief judge and Alma retains his position as the chief high priest over the church. Nephihah was therefore to deal with the matters concerning the land, and Alma concentrated on the matters of the soul. The rapid disintegration of the church into the ways of the world prompts this action, and Alma wants to be able to give this problem his full attention.

As noted in the discussion of the voice of the people (see following Alma 2:5), Alma has the power to appoint, but Nephihah still rules according to the voice of the people. Nephihah is appointed, not elected.

Alma 4:19

19 And this he did that he himself might go forth among his people, or among the people of Nephi, that he might preach the word of God unto them, to stir them up in remembrance of their duty, and that he might pull down, by the word of God, all the pride and craftiness and all the contentions which were among his people, seeing no way that he might reclaim them save it were in bearing down in pure testimony against them.

Alma 4:20

20 And thus in the commencement of the ninth year of the reign of the judges over the people of Nephi, Alma delivered up the judgment-seat to Nephihah, and confined himself wholly to the high priesthood of the holy order of God, to the testimony of the word, according to the spirit of revelation and prophecy.

Textual: We know that these are the words of Mormon abridging information from his sources, but we don’t have a clear indication of what the text on the plates might have been. Consequently, it is not completely certain that Mormon is reciting Alma’s reasoning, or imputing that reasoning to him. It is likely, however, that Alma did leave some justification for his action in the original record, and of the two options it would appear safe to assume that Mormon is accurately reflecting Alma’s reasons for giving up the judgment seat.

This is the end of a chapter in the 1830 edition of the Book of Mormon. It is also the end of a literary unit where Mormon was primarily an abridger rather than a copyist. This division in chapters between 4 and 5 is a separation between abridgement and quotation. Mormon has set up the conditions which led to Alma’s journey to save the church, and he will now embark on a much longer section where he primarily copies from his source material.