Ether 6-11 Quotes and Notes

Ether 6-11 take readers on a journey of the violent and turbulent world of the Jaredite kings. It is almost like the Book of Mormon in miniature: we have a heavenly ocean crossing, prophetic peoples ruled by kings, a series of wicked and righteous kings, secret Gadianton-esque societies, wars and dissensions, all leading to the ultimate disintegration of what the Lord would call the greatest nation to be up to this point in history (see Ether 1.43).

Ether 3 and 6: The Veil and the Crossing of Waters

Ether 3.1-21 is a temple experience, very similar to Isaiah 6 and 1 Nephi 1. Note the name of the mountain – Mount Shelem (the mountain of the shalems, or the peaceful ones, the Melchizedek ones). Note the number of stones – 16, the exact number of stones worn by the high priest as he stood in front of Israel representing the Lord to them (see Exodus 28). On his chest (the breastplate) he had 12 for representing the 12 tribes, he had 2 onyx stones on his shoulders (one on each shoulder), and in a special pouch he had two stones called the Urim and Thummim. Evidence exists that in the First Temple period prophets and visionaries used stones that were both illuminating and oracular. Recent scholarship has uncovered evidence that this persisted into the Second Temple period as well, perhaps as far as the Hellenistic and Roman periods.₁ Readers can see that this whole experience is concerned with darkness and our fallen natures. Both Moses and the Brother of Jared are overcome as they witness the finger of the Lord, whether touching the stone tables of the testimony, or the stones, both touched by the finger of the Lord as his hand penetrates the veil separating him from the Lord. Both Moses and the Brother of Jared are brought into God’s presence through a cloud.

Remember that the word for water is rooted inside the word for heaven. The word for water is mayim מַיִם, and the word for heaven is shamayim שָׁמַיִם. To cross the heavens is to cross the waters. Both are veil metaphors, and both have temple liturgical significance. The crossing are multivalent in these texts! Watch for them and see how they apply to your journey back home.

The 2-1 Principle and the Crossing of the Great Sea in Ether 6

Both Moses and the Brother of Jared symbolically and physically cross over the sea to the promised land. Both have a 2-1 return experience. We see this in the return from Egypt to Canaan in the Hebrew characters associated with the return. From Mitzrayim (Egypt) to Canaan is a return of 380 (the total of the Hebrew characters in Mitzrayim) to Canaan, which is totaled at 190. Hence, even in the names of the locations where Israel travels teaches us about the 2-1 principle: the two must become one in order to come into God’s presence.₂

Similarly, Adam, the one, is split into two as Eve is metaphorically created from his rib. The one become two. But God instructs the two to become one as they are unified in marriage in the Garden, the world outside of time. In this way, eternal marriage takes place in the very beginning of the Bible. Hence, what God hath joined, let no man put asunder. The two have become one, part of our eternal return to the one, the holy presence. Similarly, we see in the narrative of Ether 1-6 that the Jaredites place 2 stones into each boat, hence the two become one in each “vessel.” In this way we have 8 vessels, the same number of souls that were on the ark built by Noah (1 Peter 3.20). As Noah placed a stone in his ark, so did the Brother of Jared (Genesis 6.16a states “HEB tsohar; some rabbis believed it was a precious stone that shone in the ark.”)₃

Captivity versus Freedom in Ether 7-11

Note all the captivity verses in these chapters: 8.1-4; 10.30-31; 11.6, 9, 18. See how Ether 9.28-35 is a parable for captivity. We will see more on this and the serpents later in this post.

The Plan of Salvation in Miniature Ether 7.8-10

We see in 3 short verses the entire plan of salvation shown by Moroni as a king is defended by his son Shule, working to overthrow his wicked brother (Ether 7.8). Shule makes swords out of a mountain or hill named Ephraim, and with these cherubs, or swords, he overthrows Corihor at the city of Nehor, and thus restores peace. Moroni informs readers that Shule, after restoring peace, is, like Jesus, enthroned. We read that Shule “began to reign in the stead of his father” (Ether 7.10). The parallels to those who understand the cosmic war between light and darkness are obvious.

Questions about Cureloms and Cumoms – Ether 9

Ether 9.19 Speaks of Cureloms and Cumoms. What are these? I have no idea! Hugh Nibley writes:

“They have plenty of iron, accarum, and andanicum,” says Marco Polo of the people of Kobian. “Here they make mirrors of highly polished steel, of large size and very handsome.” The thing to note here is not primarily the advanced state of steelworking in Central Asia, though that as we have seen is significant, but the fact that no one knows for sure what accarum and andanicum are. Marco knew, of course, but since the things didn’t exist in Europe there was no western word for them and so all he could do was to call them by their only names. It is just so with the cureloms and cumoms of Ether 9:19. These animals were unknown to the Nephites, or else though known to the Nephites, they are out of our experience so that our language has no name to call them by. They were simply breeds of those “many other kinds of animals which were useful for the food of man.”₄

Riplakish as King Noah Redux – Ether 10

It is good to note the parallels between Riplakish and King Noah in Ether 10.4-8. Taxes, taxes and more taxes! I find it interesting that a 20% rate of King Noah was considered unrighteous (Mosiah 11.3), something John Welch calls a “double tithe.”₅ Moroni cites his “whoredoms and abominations,” (Ether 10.7), and his “spacious buildings,” all woven in a few verses, portraying the captivity of these people. You could say that the Book of Mormon is demonstrating that history has a way of repeating itself. Anyone visiting the capitals of great first world nations today can witness similar construction and morals today. The text has perpetual relevance.

The Secret Combinations – Gadiantonism in Ether 7-11

What they want: power (Ether 11.15), gain (Ether 11.15), whoredoms (E10.7)- see also Ether 9.11.

Who is their father? That same being – Ether 8.25… Both groups, the visionaries and the robbers, have a “father.”

They prove our destruction! – Ether 8.21

Jared and Akish and the daughter 8.7-18 – the oath = Ether 8.14 – cross reference this with Helaman 1.11 … notice how the oath goes against what Jesus teaches in Matt 5.33-37, these people are the antithesis of the chemmarim in the Book of Mormon. Remember the chemmarim כְּמָרִ֗ים are the priests Josiah throws out out the temple in 640-600 BCE in 2 Kings 23.5. The KJV calls them “idolatrous,” but my contention is that these are the komers, the Melchizedek visionary priests thrown out during the Jewish apostasy and revision of their entire theology, essentially rewriting Yahweh, and creating all kinds of problems with their texts, things I have written about in other posts.₆

What They Want

Both the visionaries in the BOM and the Gadiantons want to achieve “the throne” – Helaman 2.4-5 (political power – the throne), and 1 Nephi 1.8-14 (the throne of God). Note that in Isaiah’s attack of the Son of the Morning, Lucifer want to sit on the throne of God “above the stars of God.”

Both want to attain the “mysteries”… Alma 37.21 – the “mysteries of the works of darkness” and “the goodness and the mysteries of God” in 1 Nephi 1.1.

The Gadianton’s are the exact opposite of the visionaries in the Book of Mormon!

The Gadiantons follow what Hugh Nibley calls “The Mahan principle.” This is essentially the belief that I can convert your life into my property.

They Were Ripe for Destruction

Ether 9.20 tells us that they should be destroyed when they were “ripened in iniquity,” something that is a thread throughout the text of the Book of Mormon. We read that one definition of this state is when it is the voice of the people to choose wickedness (Alma 10.19). The outcome is always captivity and destruction (see: Alma 10.19, 37.31, Helaman 5.2, 6.40, 8.26, 11.37, 13.14).

The Poisonous Serpents – Ether 9

What is going on with the serpents? See Ether 9.30-33

In the podcast I talk about a practical application of this story and relate it to the similarities between this account of the serpents in Ether 9 and the Prodigal Son in Luke 15.

What about “serpents” is going on here? Before going further, I will make mention that many commentaries, if they do mention this account, focus on the historicity or plausibility of this story.₇ It is not my goal here to address these issues, as they have been addressed elsewhere, and I do not think Moroni included this in the record to be associated with those ideas.

Numbers 21 as seen through the lens of Ether 9.28-35

God sent הַנְּחָשִׁים haneh-chashiym “the serpents,” a word that comes from the word “serpent” nachash נָחָשׁ H5175 that were “fiery” הַשְּׂרָפִים has-rahphiym (from the word “seraph” שָׂרָף H8314, meaning fiery or divine, burning, or poisonous)

Note that the people put prophets in pits (Ether 9.29). These pits remind me of the pit Joseph was placed in before the famine in the land of Israel. It caused the children of Israel to repent, submit to Joseph, and finally acquire bread in his presence and be redeemed. We see the same pattern in Ether 9.28-35. Note that four times we read that the serpents were “poisonous,” a word that can also be read as “fiery” or “divine” (see above). In one way, these are divinities, showing the children of Israel their way, forcing them south into Zarahemla, which one author identifies as a city that has symbolism relevant to our story. One author states that Zarahemla reads as a combination of two words: zera (seed/dispersed) and ch’mla (gathered in).₈

Both stories (Numbers 21 and Ether 9) utilize the serpent motif to bring the children of Israel to their knees in humility. Both texts demonstrate that this works. Both texts illustrate that their path is blocked until they repent. Clearly there is something significant going on here.

My friend David Butler shared a connection with this story that may very well unlock part of this narrative. He brought to my attention that in the account of Zacharias’ encounter with the angel Gabriel, that the author of Luke notes the specific location of the angel in the temple. David suggests this location has significance with the cardinal directions. In Luke 1.11 we read the following: “There appeared unto him (Zacharias) an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense.” The Greek text of Luke 1.11 reads as follows:

ὤφθη δὲ αὐτῷ ἄγγελος κυρίου ἑστὼς ἐκ δεξιῶν τοῦ θυσιαστηρίου τοῦ θυμιάματος.

I have chosen to translate ἐκ δεξιῶν τοῦ θυσιαστηρίου to read as follows: “out from the right side of the altar,” meaning that the angel is coming to him “from” the door to the right of the altar. I see him coming ek, out from the world outside of time. This is one way of reading the text. Mythically, there are two doors in the temple: The Broad Way (we don’t want that, see Matthew 7.13), and The Straight and Narrow Way. Note that the straight and narrow way here is “on the right side” of the altar. If we are in the second room of the temple, the Hekal, and if it is facing east (which it was), and we are (in Zacharias’ case) facing the veil (which he was), we are facing the world outside of time. And the path to it is “on the right side.” This would have been the cardinal direction of north. This is also the meaning of the Greek word δεξιῶν.₉ It is striking to note that the way north to the Jaredites was “hedged up” so that they “could not pass” (Ether 9.33). Is this Moroni’s intent or is this just happenstance? I don’t know. But it looks like we are on to something here. I see these verses as riddled with temple significance.

After we read that these children are “hedged up,” note that they “devour the carcasses”… “which fell by the way.” The way is a code word. It is the halak or halakah, or the path back to God. And it leads straight into the Holy of Holies. So they are on the path, but they are going in the wrong direction! This could also be read that they are outside the presence of God, fallen (like Adam and Eve) and are forced to eat “the things of this world,” i.e., death. Once they realize their circumstance, they repent and kneel at the altar of grace and are humbled (Ether 9.35).

After they repent and humble themselves before God they are cleansed as the Lord send rain. They “revive again,” a resurrection symbol, they “stand up” and prepare to partake of the fruit of the Tree of Life that existed in the Holy of Holies in the First Temple (Ether 9.35). Note Moroni tells readers that “The Lord did show forth his power (think strength or arm) unto them” at this time. They are “preserved,” meaning, their seed will live. They will have life. This is all temple and it is all happening in 7 verses. Moroni is packaging a ton in a short space in this narrative.

Another way to read Ether 9.28-35

Another (more complicated) way of looking at the serpent is in the guise of holy men of God. Isaiah 14 is usually read as a warning to not rejoice over the one that is broken to refer to the might of the Assyrian leader who could not penetrate into the southern capital of Jerusalem and its environs.₁₀

Another (and unique) way to examine this is through the lens of temple and Melchizedek related motifs. David Butler explains: Compare all of this to the killed holy priest in Isaiah 14 and Isaiah 5.23. Palestina is told not to rejoice over the rod of him that has been broken, and a cockatrice, or a poisonous serpent will replace the killed priest (Isa. 14.28). This killed priest could be alluded to in Isaiah 5.23 and 2 Kings 18.4-5. The murdered Melchizedek priest can be equated with the broken Nehushtan.₁₁ A successor will rise who will cause that the needy will “lie down in safety”…

When the Lord comes again, we read in Isaiah 9.5 that, “For every battle of the warrior is with confused noise, and garments rolled in blood; but this shall be with burning and fuel of fire.” Note the phrase used for burning: liys-rayhpah or serephah if we take away the preposition. This word comes from saraph, שָׂרַף H8313, the word almost identical to H8314, “seraph.”

Butler theorizes that these burning ones or seraphs could be Melchizedek priests. He writes:

Since Isaiah seems to have believed the Day of Vengeance was imminent (or immanent), the saraph might also be Yahweh himself, the flaming sun about to rise behind the morning star. This is consistent with Isaiah 9:5, which shows the son of the Virgin coming with “burning,” serepha. On that reading, these verses again provide three witnesses on the model of the three priests in the Worship of the Shalems. The first is the serpent, associated with Moses because Moses made it, who is the Melchizedek priest described as “take[n] away” in Isaiah 5:23 and “broken” in Isaiah 14:29. The second is the poisonous serpent, who I think is Isaiah himself, as the Elias priest full of vitriolic chastisement in his calls to repentance. The third is the saraph, the burning one, who is the Lord who will come forth in glory.₁₂

Notes

1. Matthew J. Grey, Priestly Divination and Illuminating Stones in Second Temple Judaism, The Prophetic Voice at Qumran: The Leonardo Museum Conference on the Dead Sea Scrolls, 11-12 April 2014. Studies on the Texts of the Desert of Judah, volume 120. Brill, 2017. Grey writes, “Whereas the Hebrew Bible describes Israel’s high priest as being in possession of illuminating and oracular stones – such as the engraved gems of the breastplate and the enigmatic Urim and Thummim – rabbinic literature and traditional scholarship has claimed that these items exclusively belonged to the First Temple period and were not in operation among the priests of the Second Temple. Recent studies, however, have noted that traditions of priestly divination through the Urim, Thummim, and other oracular stones persisted in the Hellenistic and Roman periods. See also Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews 3.8.9, where he says, “I will now treat of what I before omitted, the garment of the high priest: for he [Moses] left no room for the evil practices of [false] prophets; but if some of that sort should attempt to abuse the Divine authority, he left it to God to be present at his sacrifices when he pleased, and when he pleased to be absent. And he was willing this should be known, not to the Hebrews only, but to those foreigners also who were there. For as to those stones, which we told you before, the high priest bare on his shoulders, which were sardonyxes, (and I think it needless to describe their nature, they being known to every body,) the one of them shined out when God was present at their sacrifices; I mean that which was in the nature of a button on his right shoulder, bright rays darting out thence, and being seen even by those that were most remote; which splendor yet was not before natural to the stone. This has appeared a wonderful thing to such as have not so far indulged themselves in philosophy, as to despise Divine revelation. Yet will I mention what is still more wonderful than this: for God declared beforehand, by those twelve stones which the high priest bare on his breast, and which were inserted into his breastplate, when they should be victorious in battle; for so great a splendor shone forth from them before the army began to march, that all the people were sensible of God’s being present for their assistance. Whence it came to pass that those Greeks, who had a veneration for our laws, because they could not possibly contradict this, called that breastplate the Oracle. Now this breastplate, and this sardonyx, left off shining two hundred years before I composed this book, God having been displeased at the transgressions of his laws. Of which things we shall further discourse on a fitter opportunity; but I will now go on with my proposed narration.
2. Friedrich Weinreb, Roots of the Bible: An Ancient View for a New Outlook, Merlin Books, 3rd edition, 2013, p. 125-126. He writes, “The word for Egypt, Mitsrayim, is spelled 40-90-200-10-40. The sum total of the components is 380. The word for Canaan is spelled kaf-nun-ayin-nun, so in numbers 20-50-70-50, with a sum total of the components being 190… For indeed we see that the proportion Egypt-Canaan is 380:190, hence exactly 2:1.
3. First on zohar: Shaul Yosef Leiter writes, “Noah’s ark is described in detail in the Torah as an enclosed four sided structure with only one opening to the outside, on the very top, as the verse says, “make a window for the ark.” (Genesis 6.16). The Hebrew word that the Torah uses for ‘window/tzohar‘ refers to something that shines. Some of the commentaries suggest that it was a skylight; others describe it as a type of precious stone that emitted light. How was it possible that one small opening, either a single window or a precious stone was able to light up the entire ark, especially since each type of animal had its own compartment (Rashi on 6:14) and each floor was separate from the next? Also, we know that the light of the sun and the moon did not penetrate during the Flood (see Rashi 8:22) so how could a window have helped anyway? There had to have been other light sources… What is the difference between a window and a light producing stone? A window’s light comes from outside, while a tzohar stone shines from within… What does the shining stone mean for us? Though a person must remove the concealment, he can also transform the world until the physical reality itself will shine with the divine light. We must cause the “stone” (i.e. the dormant and inanimate) to shine with holiness. See: The Shining Stone of Noah’s Ark, Chabad.org. Accessed 11.01.2020.
4. Hugh Nibley, Lehi in the Desert and the World of the Jaredites, pp. 217-18.
5. John Welch, Counting to Ten, Journal of Book of Mormon Studies 12/2 (2003), p. 47. See also Welch’s article: The Trial of Abinadi, The Legal Cases in the Book of Mormon, Provo, UT; BYU Press/Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship, 2008, p. 146.
6. Many authors have addressed the Jewish Apostasy that took place from 640-600 BCE. See for example, Margaret Barker, The Older Testament: The Survival of Themes from the Ancient Royal Cult in Sectarian Judaism and Early Christianity, Sheffield Phoenix Press, 2005. Kevin Christensen, Prophets and Kings in Lehi’s Jerusalem and Margaret Barker’s Temple Theology, Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship 4 (2013): 177-193. See also: Kevin Christensen, The Deuteronomist De-Christianizing of the Old Testament, Review of Books on the Book of Mormon, 1989–2011: Vol. 16 : No. 2 , Article 5. Richard E. Friedman, Who Wrote the Bible? Harper One, 1997. Bernard Levinson, Deuteronomy and the Hermeneutics of Legal Innovation, Oxford University Press, 2002. Daniel C. Peterson, Nephi and His Asherah ,Journal of Book of Mormon Studies 9/2 (2000): 16–25, 80–81.
7. Hugh Nibley writes: The description of how people were driven out of a land by a plague of serpents that then “hedge up the way that the people could not pass” (Ether 9:31-35) may put a strain on your scientific credulity. I hasten to relieve it. Pompey the Great, we are told, could not get his army into Hyrcania because the way was barred by snakes along the Araxes, a stream that still swarms with the creatures. 65 One of the chief philanthropic activities of the Persian magi was to make war on the snakes—a duty which must go back to a time when the race was sorely pressed by them. 66 The Absurtitani were said to have been driven from their country by snakes, and Esarhaddon of Assyria recalls the horror and danger of a march by his army through a land “of serpents and scorpions, with which the plain was covered as with ants.” 67 In the thirteenth century A.D. Shah Sadrudin set his heart on the building of a capital which should surpass all other cities in splendor; yet the project had to be abandoned after enormous expense when during a period of drought the place so swarmed with serpents that no one could live in it. 68 It is interesting in this connection that the plague of serpents in Ether is described as following upon a period of extreme drought (Ether 9:30). See: Lehi in the Desert and the World of the Jaredites, 1952, p 219-220.
8. The Stick of Joseph: In the Hand of Ephraim, Restoration Scriptures Foundation, 2019, p. 163.
9. The genitive plural of δεξιός is δεξῐῶν, a word meaning the right, or the right hand side, fortunate, or northward. It can also mean able, or courteous.
10. Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers. From this commentary we read the following: Rejoice not thou, whole Palestina.—Better, Rejoice not thou, Philistia, all of thee; i.e., give not thyself wholly to rejoicing. Here, as in Exodus 15:14, “Palestina” is used, not in the wider meaning with which we are familiar, but specifically as the country of the Philistines. The historical circumstances connected with the “oracle” before us are found in 2Chronicles 18:18. The Philistines had invaded the low country (Shetphēlah), and the district known as the Negeb, or “south” of Judah, in the reign of Ahaz. He had called in the help of Tiglath-pileser, the Assyrian king, to assist him as against Rezin and Pekah (Isaiah 7), so probably against these new invaders. Sargon (who succeeded Tiglath-pileser, B.C. 723) invaded Ashdod in B.C. 710 (Isaiah 20:1; Records of the Past, vii. 40). Sennacherib records a like attack on Ashkelon and (according to Rawlinson’s interpretation) Ekron (Records of the Past, vii. 61). With these data we are able to enter on the interpretation of Isaiah’s prediction. Because the rod of him that smote thee is broken.—The “rod,” as in Isaiah 10:24, is the power of Tiglath-pileser. The Philistines were exulting in his death, or in that of Ahaz as his ally, as though their peril was past. They are told that their exultation was premature. Out of the serpent’s root.—The three forms of serpent life …may represent the three Assyrian kings named above, from whose invasions the Philistines were to suffer. Each form was more terrible than the preceding. The fiery flying serpent (Isaiah 30:6; Numbers 21:6), which represented Sennacherib, was the most formidable of the three. So in Isaiah 27:1, the “piercing serpent,” the “crooked serpent,” and the “dragon” are symbols of the Assyrian power. Some critics, however, led chiefly by the first words of the next verse, find in the three serpents—(1) Ahaz, (2) Hezekiah, (3) the ideal king of Isaiah 11:1-9. Richard Lederman writes, “It is commonly assumed that Isaiah is warning the Philistines of an Assyrian advance, in effect, addressing the Philistines in absentia that the Assyrians are flying serpents poised to attack. J.J.M. Roberts, however, understands this passage as a response to the Philistines’ desire to have the Kingdom of Judah join their anti-Assyrian coalition. Isaiah warns the Philistines, in absentia, that although Hezekiah will indeed join the rebellion, he also has designs on Philistine territory. Indeed, 2 Kings 18:8 informs us that Hezekiah does eventually wage war against the Philistines. If this is the case, then Hezekiah is the aggressive and dangerous “flying serpent.” See: What is the Biblical Flying Serpent?, TheTorah.com, accessed 11.01.20.
11. David Butler, The Goodness and the Mysteries, p. 183-184.
12. Ibid., p. 185, emphasis added.