The Record of Zeniff
Encyclopedia
In the Book of Mormon
, chapters 9 through 22 of the Book of Mosiah
are identified as The Record of Zeniff. These chapters contain the story of a group of Nephite
s, led by Zeniff
, who leave the land of Zarahemla
and return to their former land, known as the land of Nephi
, which was then occupied by the Lamanites, their traditional enemies. Although the attempt to establish themselves among the Lamanites is successful for a short time, the people of Zeniff are ultimately enslaved and forced to pay tribute to the Lamanite king. They are later rescued by an expedition from Zarahemla sent to discover their fate. The Record of Zeniff records the reigns of Zeniff, his son Noah
and grandson Limhi
. The timespan is approximately 75 years.
and his family left Jerusalem and travelled "in the wilderness" for a number of years before building a boat and sailing to "the promised land". The name of the land in which they first settled is not given (though perhaps it was called the land of Lehi). Following Lehi's death, his older sons, Laman and Lemuel, rebelled against their younger brother Nephi
, who had been appointed by their father as their leader. Fearing for their safety, Nephi and his followers travelled "for many days" to a new land which they called Nephi (2 Ne. 5:7-8). Afterward, in the Book of Mormon, the descendants of Laman, Lemuel and their followers are known as Lamanites, while the descendants of Nephi and his followers are called Nephites.
Centuries later, after many wars and contentions between the Nephites and the Lamanites, a new prophet, Mosiah
, gathered as many Nephites as would follow and fled "into the wilderness", where they discovered the land of Zarahemla
, inhabited by a people known as Mulekites (Omni 1:12-13). The Mulekites joined with the Nephites (the two peoples together now being called Nephites) and Mosiah was appointed their king.
Grant Hardy says:
, was sent to warn Noah to repent and to call his people to repentance. Abinadi prophesied the destruction of Noah and his people if they did not repent. One of the priests, Alma
, believed Abinadi but was forced to flee when he tried to defend him. Noah refused to listen to Abinadi and had him put to death by fire.
Alma began to preach Abinadi's message to the people of King Noah and attracted about 450 believers (Mosiah 18:35). When the movement was discovered by King Noah he sent his army to destroy Alma and his followers, but they escaped "into the wilderness". Noah continued his wicked practices, and, because he was more concerned with maintaining his lavish lifestyle than defending his people, he failed to maintain an adequate guard on his kingdom. When the Lamanites attacked Noah's people once again, his priests and many Nephite men fled, allowing the Lamanites to conquer those who remained. When the men who fled with Noah overcame their cowardice and resolve to return, Noah tried to prevent them. He was killed, though the wicked priests escaped.
The account of King Noah is contained in Mosiah 11-19, including an extended discourse by Abinadi in Mosiah 13-16.
They were ultimately rescued by a group of Nephites from Zarahemla, led by Ammon
. Ammon and his companions were searching for the people of Zeniff, whose fate was unknown to them. Limhi and Ammon knew that escape by force was impossible and so resorted to a stratagem. After preparing the people for flight, they tricked the Lamanite guards into drinking a tribute of strong wine and escaped while the guards were drunken. Ammon then led them back to Zarahemla.
The account of King Limhi's reign and the rescue of his people is contained in Mosiah 20-22.
Book of Mormon
The Book of Mormon is a sacred text of the Latter Day Saint movement that adherents believe contains writings of ancient prophets who lived on the American continent from approximately 2600 BC to AD 421. It was first published in March 1830 by Joseph Smith, Jr...
, chapters 9 through 22 of the Book of Mosiah
Book of Mosiah
The Book of Mosiah is one of the books which make up the Book of Mormon. The title refers to Mosiah II, a king of the Nephites at Zarahemla. The book covers the time period between ca 130 BC and 91 BC, except for when the book has a flashback into the Record of Zeniff, which starts at ca 200 BC,...
are identified as The Record of Zeniff. These chapters contain the story of a group of Nephite
Nephite
According to the Book of Mormon, a Nephite is a member of one of the four main groups of settlers of the ancient Americas. The other three groups are the Lamanites, Jaredites and Mulekites. In the Book of Mormon, the Nephites were a group of people descended from or associated with Nephi, the...
s, led by Zeniff
Zeniff
Zeniff is a minor but pivotal person in the Book of Mormon. He is a Nephite. He left Zarahemla with a group of Nephites to go to the land of Nephi. This is remarkable since the Nephites had previously abandoned the land of Nephi. At the time of Zeniff's journey to the land of Nephi, it was...
, who leave the land of Zarahemla
Zarahemla
Zarahemla is the name of a prominent land, a capital city, and a leader in the Book of Mormon. The Book of Mormon is revered by members of various Latter Day Saint churches as sacred scripture....
and return to their former land, known as the land of Nephi
Nephi
According to the Book of Mormon, Nephi was the son of Lehi, a prophet, founder of the Nephite people, and author of the first two books of the Book of Mormon, First and Second Nephi.- Early life :Nephi was the fourth of six sons of Lehi and Sariah...
, which was then occupied by the Lamanites, their traditional enemies. Although the attempt to establish themselves among the Lamanites is successful for a short time, the people of Zeniff are ultimately enslaved and forced to pay tribute to the Lamanite king. They are later rescued by an expedition from Zarahemla sent to discover their fate. The Record of Zeniff records the reigns of Zeniff, his son Noah
King Noah
According to the Book of Mormon, King Noah was a wicked monarch best known for burning the prophet Abinadi at the stake. King Noah, described in the Book of Mosiah, is said to have presided over a wicked kingdom guided by false priests...
and grandson Limhi
Limhi
In The Book of Mormon, Limhi was the third and final king of the second Nephite habitation of the land of Lehi-Nephi. He succeeded his father, Noah. Led by Ammon, he escaped from the Lamanites with his people to Zarahemla.-See also:* King Noah...
. The timespan is approximately 75 years.
Background
According to the Book of Mormon, the prophet LehiLehi (Book of Mormon prophet)
According to the Book of Mormon, Lehi was a prophet who lived in Jerusalem during the reign of king Zedekiah . Lehi was an Israelite of the Tribe of Manasseh, and father to Nephi, another prominent prophet in the Book of Mormon...
and his family left Jerusalem and travelled "in the wilderness" for a number of years before building a boat and sailing to "the promised land". The name of the land in which they first settled is not given (though perhaps it was called the land of Lehi). Following Lehi's death, his older sons, Laman and Lemuel, rebelled against their younger brother Nephi
Nephi
According to the Book of Mormon, Nephi was the son of Lehi, a prophet, founder of the Nephite people, and author of the first two books of the Book of Mormon, First and Second Nephi.- Early life :Nephi was the fourth of six sons of Lehi and Sariah...
, who had been appointed by their father as their leader. Fearing for their safety, Nephi and his followers travelled "for many days" to a new land which they called Nephi (2 Ne. 5:7-8). Afterward, in the Book of Mormon, the descendants of Laman, Lemuel and their followers are known as Lamanites, while the descendants of Nephi and his followers are called Nephites.
Centuries later, after many wars and contentions between the Nephites and the Lamanites, a new prophet, Mosiah
King Mosiah I
According to the Book of Mormon, Mosiah I was a Nephite prophet who led the Nephites from the land of Nephi to the land of Zarahemla and was later appointed king. He was the father of King Benjamin, the first of two individuals in the Book of Mormon with that name...
, gathered as many Nephites as would follow and fled "into the wilderness", where they discovered the land of Zarahemla
Zarahemla
Zarahemla is the name of a prominent land, a capital city, and a leader in the Book of Mormon. The Book of Mormon is revered by members of various Latter Day Saint churches as sacred scripture....
, inhabited by a people known as Mulekites (Omni 1:12-13). The Mulekites joined with the Nephites (the two peoples together now being called Nephites) and Mosiah was appointed their king.
Zeniff
About 200 B.C., according to Book of Mormon chronology, Zeniff led a group of people from Zarahemla to the land of Nephi so that they might "possess the land of their inheritance" (Omni 1:27). Rather than attempting to take the land from the Lamanites by force, Zeniff sought to establish peaceful relations by treaty. The Lamanite king, Laman, agreed to give them land previously occupied by his people but Zeniff later realized that the king intended to enrich himself by taking the goods the Nephites have produced. After a few years of peace, the Lamanites began raiding the Nephite settlements, finally leading to two great battles which end in victory for the Nephites. The Lamanites did not attack the Nephites again during the reign of Zeniff, but his people were forced to guard their lands and goods. After a reign of about forty years, Zeniff grew old and conferred the kingdom on his son, Noah. The first person account of the reign of Zeniff is contained in chapters 9 and 10 of the Book of Mosiah.Grant Hardy says:
- Zeniff has a remarkable ability to see the good in others, for earlier record keepers [in the Book of Mormon] such as EnosEnosEnos or Enosh, may refer to:-People in religious scripture:* Enos , a genealogical figure in the Bible.* The Book of Enos, one of the books that make up The Book of Mormon...
and JaromJaromAccording to the Book of Mormon, Jarom was a Nephite prophet, the son of the prophet Enos, who lived from about 420 BC to about 361 BC. Jarom is thought to have authored the Book of Jarom, which comprises 15 verses in the Book of Mormon....
found nothing of value in LamaniteLamaniteAccording to the Book of Mormon, a Lamanite is a member of a dark-skinned nation of indigenous Americans that battled with the light-skinned Nephite nation...
culture... Yet Zeniff, as a man of peace, argues that the Nephites should make a treaty with the Lamanites and regain the land of their inheritance through negotiation rather than conquest
King Noah, Abinadi and Alma
The account of King Noah's reign emphasizes his failure to obey God's commandments. Noah "did not walk in the ways of his father" (Mosiah 11:2), but lived a sinful, idle life surrounded by cronies, including a group of corrupt priests, all supported by heavy taxes on his people. A prophet, AbinadiAbinadi
According to the Book of Mormon, Abinadi was a prophet who lived on the American continent about 150 BC. In the Book of Mormon account, Abinadi visited the court of King Noah at Lehi-Nephi, and pled for them to repent of their iniquity. Abinadi gave Noah the message of the coming of the Lord...
, was sent to warn Noah to repent and to call his people to repentance. Abinadi prophesied the destruction of Noah and his people if they did not repent. One of the priests, Alma
Alma the Elder
According to the Book of Mormon, Alma was a Nephite prophet who established the Church of Jesus Christ in the Americas during the reign of the wicked King Noah...
, believed Abinadi but was forced to flee when he tried to defend him. Noah refused to listen to Abinadi and had him put to death by fire.
Alma began to preach Abinadi's message to the people of King Noah and attracted about 450 believers (Mosiah 18:35). When the movement was discovered by King Noah he sent his army to destroy Alma and his followers, but they escaped "into the wilderness". Noah continued his wicked practices, and, because he was more concerned with maintaining his lavish lifestyle than defending his people, he failed to maintain an adequate guard on his kingdom. When the Lamanites attacked Noah's people once again, his priests and many Nephite men fled, allowing the Lamanites to conquer those who remained. When the men who fled with Noah overcame their cowardice and resolve to return, Noah tried to prevent them. He was killed, though the wicked priests escaped.
The account of King Noah is contained in Mosiah 11-19, including an extended discourse by Abinadi in Mosiah 13-16.
Limhi
Limhi, Noah's son, became a tributary monarch, subject to the king of the Lamanites. After unsuccessful attempts to drive the Lamanites off by force, Limhi and his people became resigned to their captivity and were effectively enslaved by the Lamanites.They were ultimately rescued by a group of Nephites from Zarahemla, led by Ammon
Ammon (Book of Mormon)
This article is about the prominent Book of Mormon missionary. For the Book of Mormon explorer, see Ammon Ammon is a missionary in the Mormon religious text, Book of Mormon and a contemporary of Alma the Younger. The Book of Mosiah describes his original antipathy toward the Nephite Church of God...
. Ammon and his companions were searching for the people of Zeniff, whose fate was unknown to them. Limhi and Ammon knew that escape by force was impossible and so resorted to a stratagem. After preparing the people for flight, they tricked the Lamanite guards into drinking a tribute of strong wine and escaped while the guards were drunken. Ammon then led them back to Zarahemla.
The account of King Limhi's reign and the rescue of his people is contained in Mosiah 20-22.