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 andContinue Reading

3 Nephi 20 These chapters (3 Nephi 20-26) is the story of the victory of Zion at the end of the world. This is one of the places where Jesus shares his favorite story. Elder Jeffrey R. Holland put it this way: In fact, I have a theory about thoseContinue Reading

3 Nephi 12-14 is very similar to the Sermon on the Mount in the Gospel of Matthew. This text is a temple ascension text, or what modern Saints call an endowment. In this podcast, we worked to demonstrate the depth and breadth of this sermon, with the hopes that thoseContinue Reading

According to the Book of Mormon Onomasticon, Lachoneus is the masculine form of the hypothetical Greek word *lakonios, “Spartan, Laconian”; cf. the attested forms lakonion (neuter) and lakonia (feminine).1 Λακεδαιμόνιος = an inhabitant of Sparta, or Lacedaemon. Λακωνία = Laconia is a regional unit in Greece, and the genitive of this word is Lakonias =Continue Reading

Jezebel/Isabel Jezebel/Isabel אִיזֶבֶל ‘Iyzebel, pronounced e·zeh’·vel is a word that combines a couple of ideas. אִי ‘iy, meaning “not” (H336), or אַי ‘ay, meaning “where?” or “which” or “how?” (H335) and זְבֻל zebul, pronounced zev·ül’, meaning “exalted” (H2083). זְבוּל zebuwl can mean a dwelling or habitation (H2073). The Oxford GuideContinue Reading

Seeing another layer to these puns Marvin Sweeney shows readers in this post that the names of the individuals in Genesis 25-35 reflect both geographical and cultural realities that existed and were understood anciently by the hearers of these stories. Later when these stories were textualized, many of these namesContinue Reading

Podcasting certainly expands an audience. Teaching in this format brings so many more people to the discussion, which then lends to more thoughtful questions. We recently had this question from a listener of the podcast: Emily writes: I’d like to learn more about the significance of baptism in the timesContinue Reading

This article contains links to a few books that have helped me understand the context and content of the scriptures. As an Amazon Affiliate, I do earn a small commission from qualifying purchases (at no extra cost to you). Click here to see all of my favorite books on Amazon. As IContinue Reading

I always like to go through the narrative of David’s call to kingship as found in 1 Samuel. Right off the bat, we see three different narratives: He is chosen and anointed king by Samuel (1 Samuel 16.1-13). David is chosen due to his musical skill in healing King Saul’sContinue Reading