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]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. … Continue reading 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]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 … Continue reading

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]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 … Continue reading

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]Hugh Nibley, Lehi in the Desert and the World of the Jaredites, pp. 217-18.

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]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 … Continue reading 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]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 … Continue reading

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]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 … Continue reading 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]The Stick of Joseph: In the Hand of Ephraim, Restoration Scriptures Foundation, 2019, p. 163.

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]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. 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]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 … Continue reading

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]David Butler, The Goodness and the Mysteries:On the Path of the Book of Mormon’s Visionary Men, p. 183-184. 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]Ibid., p. 185, emphasis added.