Zeniff
Encyclopedia
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 inhabited by the Nephite's arch-enemies, the Lamanites. Zeniff became the king of the group of Nephites with whom he went to the land of Nephi
.
He is the first of three kings whose story is recounted in The Record of Zeniff
. The record concerns a group of Nephite
s who returned for a time to the land of Nephi
but who were ultimately driven out by the Lamanites.
and the land of Nephi was occupied by the Lamanites.
After a short time, Zeniff, who describes himself as "over-zealous to inherit the land of our fathers", gathered another group of Nephites and returned to the land of the Lamanites. This time Zeniff went to the king of the Lamanites and, pledging peace, persuaded him to let them stay in the land. The Lamanite king, Laman, gave them the land of Lehi-Nephi and the land of Shilom, after commanding the Lamanites in those lands to depart.
Grant Hardy says:
. (Zeniff's death is not specifically recorded.) King Noah "did not walk in the ways of his father" (Mosiah 11:2), but was sinful and idle. He taxed the people heavily to support himself and his corrupt supporters. Though warned by the prophet Abinadi
that if he did not repent he would be destroyed, he continued his wicked practices and, as prophesied, he was killed and his people were conquered by the Lamanites. Noah's son Limhi
became king, but he was subject to the Lamanite king and his people were forced to pay a tribute of one-half of all their possessions to the Lamanites.
The people of King Limhi were ultimately rescued by Ammon
, who journeyed from the land of Zarahemla, helped them to escape and led them back to Zarahemla.
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...
. He is a 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...
. He left 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....
with a group of Nephites to go to the land of Nephi
Lehi-Nephi
In the Book of Mormon, the land of Lehi-Nephi is the homeland of the Nephites in the early times of the Book of Mormon. The land is later conquered by the Lamanites and the remaining Nephites flee to the land of Zarahemla, home of the Mulekites...
. This is remarkable since the Nephites had previously abandoned the land of Nephi
Lehi-Nephi
In the Book of Mormon, the land of Lehi-Nephi is the homeland of the Nephites in the early times of the Book of Mormon. The land is later conquered by the Lamanites and the remaining Nephites flee to the land of Zarahemla, home of the Mulekites...
. At the time of Zeniff's journey to the land of Nephi
Lehi-Nephi
In the Book of Mormon, the land of Lehi-Nephi is the homeland of the Nephites in the early times of the Book of Mormon. The land is later conquered by the Lamanites and the remaining Nephites flee to the land of Zarahemla, home of the Mulekites...
, it was inhabited by the Nephite's arch-enemies, the Lamanites. Zeniff became the king of the group of Nephites with whom he went to the land of Nephi
Lehi-Nephi
In the Book of Mormon, the land of Lehi-Nephi is the homeland of the Nephites in the early times of the Book of Mormon. The land is later conquered by the Lamanites and the remaining Nephites flee to the land of Zarahemla, home of the Mulekites...
.
He is the first of three kings whose story is recounted in The Record of Zeniff
The Record of Zeniff
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 Nephites, 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 record concerns 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 who returned for a time to the land of Nephi
Lehi-Nephi
In the Book of Mormon, the land of Lehi-Nephi is the homeland of the Nephites in the early times of the Book of Mormon. The land is later conquered by the Lamanites and the remaining Nephites flee to the land of Zarahemla, home of the Mulekites...
but who were ultimately driven out by the Lamanites.
Background
The Record of Zeniff contains a synopsis of the history of the Nephites up to the time of Zeniff . At the time of Zeniff, the Nephites were living in the land of ZarahemlaZarahemla
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 the land of Nephi was occupied by the Lamanites.
The Return to the Land of Nephi
After Mosiah's death, during the reign of his son, King Benjamin, an army of Nephites determined to return to the land of Nephi and "possess the land of their inheritance" (Omni 1:27). Zeniff was among this group. When they drew near to the land of Nephi, Zeniff was sent to spy on the Lamanites, so that their army could destroy them. After seeing the Lamanaties, Zeniff felt that they should not be destroyed but that the Nephites should enter into a treaty with them. The (unnamed) leader of the Nephite army, "an austere and blood-thirsty man", viewed this report as treasonous and tried to have Zeniff put to death. Fighting broke out among the Nephites, "the greater part of their army was destroyed", and "those that were spared" returned to the land of Zarahemla (Mosiah 9:1-2).After a short time, Zeniff, who describes himself as "over-zealous to inherit the land of our fathers", gathered another group of Nephites and returned to the land of the Lamanites. This time Zeniff went to the king of the Lamanites and, pledging peace, persuaded him to let them stay in the land. The Lamanite king, Laman, gave them the land of Lehi-Nephi and the land of Shilom, after commanding the Lamanites in those lands to depart.
Contention with the Lamanites
The people of Zeniff lived peacefully for twelve years, but Zeniff began to realize that King Laman had deceived him and did not intend for them to live in peace, but intended to exploit them and take, by force, the goods they produced. At first the Lamanite aggressions were limited to small pillaging raids, but soon a major battle was fought, with the Nephites victorious. Another ten years of watchful peace followed, until the death of king Laman, when Laman's son and successor again tried to drive the Nephites out of their land, but the Lamanites were once again defeated.An Uneasy Peace
After these two great battles, Zeniff realized that their continued existence among the Lamanites would always be precarious. He ascribes their success in battle to their faith in God, and exhorts his people to always be faithful, since God alone can continue to deliver them from the Lamanites. His people enjoyed an uneasy peace throughout the rest of his reign and for some time afterward.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
Aftermath
After a reign of about forty years, Zeniff grew old and conferred the kingdom on his son, NoahKing 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...
. (Zeniff's death is not specifically recorded.) King Noah "did not walk in the ways of his father" (Mosiah 11:2), but was sinful and idle. He taxed the people heavily to support himself and his corrupt supporters. Though warned by the prophet Abinadi
Abinadi
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...
that if he did not repent he would be destroyed, he continued his wicked practices and, as prophesied, he was killed and his people were conquered by the Lamanites. Noah's son 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...
became king, but he was subject to the Lamanite king and his people were forced to pay a tribute of one-half of all their possessions to the Lamanites.
The people of King Limhi were ultimately rescued by Ammon
Ammon (Book of Mormon explorer)
Ammon was the leader of a Nephite expedition from Zarahemla, sent to discover the fate of Zeniff and his people who had not been heard from for 75 years, according to the Book of Mormon. Zeniff and his followers left Zarahemla and travelled to Nephi, their ancestral home, which was then in...
, who journeyed from the land of Zarahemla, helped them to escape and led them back to Zarahemla.