Jerry D. Grover, Jr., on Alma 52:33 and 56:9

Interacting with John L. Sorenson, "The Significance of the Chronological Discrepancy Between Alma 52:33 and Alma 56:9" (FARMS, 1990), Jerry D. Grover wrote the following, arguing that there is no discrepancy between these two passages:

 

Potential Defugalty of Helaman’s epistle and Mormon’s Abridgment

 

In 1990, John Sorenson pointed out what, on first impression, appears to be a chronological discrepancy involving an epistle written by Helaman in the latter part of the 29th year (Reign of the Judges) inserted into the Book of Mormon and the associated abridgement by Mormon involving the same time period. Namely, in the epistle to Moroni₁, Helaman indicates that in the 26th year (Alma 56:7) Helaman marched at the head of two thousand young men originating from Lamanites converted previously by Ammon “to the city of Judea, to assist Antipus, whom ye had appointed a leader over the people of that part of the land” (Alma 56:9). In Mormon’s abridgment Alma 53:22-23, he indicated that Helaman:

 

“did march at the head of his two thousand stripling warriors, to the support of the people in the borders of the land on the south by the west sea. And thus ended the twenty and eighth year of the reign of the judges over the people of Nephi.”

 

Thus, it would appear that the same event is being recounted by Mormon as occurring in the latter part of the 28th year, while Helaman recounts it as happening in the 26th year, so if this event is the same, then there is at least a 2-year discrepancy in the chronology.

 

Miner (2020) rebuts this apparent discrepancy by indicating that the mention of the movement of Helaman’s army prior to the end of the 28th year was, in summary, just a retrospective summary of military activity along the west coast (including Alma 53:8), as it was preceded fairly close in the text by a summary of activity along the east coast (Alma 53:6-7).

 

Book of Mormon Central (2021) characterized Alma 53:10–22 as a digression/flashback that lets readers know about some key events that were happening on another war front, which events began in the 26^th year but clearly continued into the 28th year—the very year which Mormon was discussing before and after the digression (Alma 52:19; 53:23). While Helaman’s initial march to the southwest war front occurred in the 26th year (Alma 56:9), his efforts “to support” the war effort in this area (including lots of additional marching to and from locations in this region) continued into the 28th year and even beyond (Alma 57:5–6).

 

While the retrospective theory is a reasonable interpretation to explain the proposed discrepancy, it is also constructive to look in some detail as to whether the march by Helaman in the 26th year is potentially consistent with Mormon’s record, and to see if there is a possible movement by Helaman before the end of the 28th year that is also consistent with Mormon’s record, therefore not requiring the retrospective theory.

 

The period of time bracketed in Mormon’s abridgment as the 26th year runs from Alma 52:1-15. During that time on the east front, Amalickiah, the head of the Lamanites, was killed, and initially Moroni₁was not on the east coast front (presumably in Zarahemla). Ammoron (who replaced Amalickiah) gathered a large number of men and “marched forth against the Nephites on the borders by the west sea,” thus Moroni₁could not go to the east coast front as he had to go against the Lamanites who were upon them “in the borders of the land by the west sea.” No mention is made of the specific battles or engagements involving Moroni₁on the borders of the land by the west sea. It is indicated that prior to Moroni1 departing from that area to the land of Bountiful, at the latter end of the 26th year he had “established armies to protect the south and the west borders of the land” and Mormon writes that at the end of the 26th year the Nephites were “in dangerous circumstances.”

 

The period of time bracketed in Helaman’s epistle for the 26th year is found in Alma 9:7-20 and involves him first assembling and marching with his 2000 warriors to the city of Judea to assist Antipus at the city of Judea, whom Moroni₁had appointed leader of the people in that part of the land. Antipus had recently been involved in battles and lost men, and in the process lost the land and city of Manti, Zeezrom, Cumeni, and Antiparah. Ammoron had commanded the Lamanites to maintain the cities that they had taken, and to take no further action against Judea. Judea is not located on the west seashore, as it is later indicated that the Nephite armies had to march towards the seashore from Judea, with the city of Antiparah between Judea and the west coast. Judea does appear to be in some proximity to the southern border (as the city of Manti is known to be located close to the southern border).

 

So thus, the information from Helaman is consistent with Mormon, namely that there had been an encroachment by the Lamanites and the taking of some cities, Mormon was not specific in his description of where, but battles against the Lamanites were indicated. He had established and sent armies (one of which was Helaman) to the south and west borders of the land to help protect the area. Thus, it would seem that Helaman’s arrival in Judea was towards the end of the 26th year, after there had been battles with the Lamanites.

 

There is no record from Mormon involving the western front for the 27th year as Moroni₁had arrived and was active on the east sea front. Thus, there could be no potential discrepancies with Helaman’s record.

 

Moroni₁remained on the eastern front during the 28th year. The commentary that may relate to the 28th year in the west area in Mormon’s abridgment is Alma 53:8-23. Mormon commented that on the “west sea, south, while in the absence of Moroni₁,” because of some “intrigue amongst the Nephites, which caused dissensions among them, [the Lamanites] had gained some ground…, [and] had obtained possession of a number of cities in that part of the land” (Alma 53:8). This geographic reference is a bit awkward textually and may be better interpreted as a specific recognized area such as “West Sea South” as there was no capitalization and punctuation in the original Book of Mormon dictation. This statement by Mormon does seem to be a retrospective statement that goes back to the time that Moroni₁had departed, which was sometime likely in the middle of the 26th year. It would seem to also be consistent with the Lamanites taking the land and city of Manti (which land would include “some ground”) which is on the south border, and Zeezrom, Cumeni, Antiparah, and an unnamed city on the seashore after Moroni₁left, and prior to the arrival by Helaman. The named cities all appear to be at elevation as the Lamanites would have to march “down” from there to Zarahemla (Alma 56:25) so were also probably considered on the southern boundary area, and not on the seashore like the unnamed city. So, these would seem to be the cities that Mormon was referring to that fell to the Lamanites just after Moroni₁had left for the eastern area. Further evidence that these were the cities referred to is that when Antiparah fell (actually abandoned), the “people” from there fled to other Lamanite held cities, indicating the people of this Nephite city had allegiance to the Lamanites, consistent with Mormon’s statement of “intrigue amongst the Nephites which caused dissensions among them.” Sorenson interprets this statement to not be retrospective, and that these cities must have fallen sometime in the middle or latter part of the 28th year, which clearly would not make sense, and would force one to look for an error in chronology. It does seem fairly clear that the statement regarding the fall of the cities at least is retrospective.

 

After the brief retrospective statement, Mormon proceeds to give a brief history of the people of Ammon, their pacifistic oath, and the covenant of their 2000 sons to fight for liberty. It is after this discussion that Mormon makes his statement that Helaman and the 2000 stripling soldiers marched “to the support of the people in the borders of the land on the south by the west sea” prior to indicating the end of the 28th year.

 

Thus, it does seem that this discussion by Mormon is retrospective and is looking at events earlier than the 28th year. However, it is useful to see if there was a potential march by Helaman in the 28th year that might satisfy a non-retrospective approach to the interpretation of this portion of the text. For Helaman’s epistle the 27th and 28th year are not differentiated and runs from Alma 56:20 to Alma 57:5. Just prior to the end of the 28th year, Helaman had returned to the city of Judea and prepared to attack the city of Antiparah. The people of Antiparah ended up abandoning the city and it “fell into our hands.”

 

Thus, there may have been a march of Helaman and his men to “support the people” and the city of Antiparah was located in the proper location, namely on the borders of the land south by the west sea. Thus, there does not appear to be an unresolvable chronological disparity involving Mormon’s abridgment and the epistle of Helaman. (Jerry D. Grover, Jr., Calendars and Chronology of the Book of Mormon [Tecumseh, Mich.: Challex Scientific Publications, 2023], 156-58)