Orientation of River Sidon
Briefly, the Sidon River
“originates near the south wilderness and the land of Manti and flows northward
past the eastern boundary of Zarahemla, eventually reaching the sea.”508 The
Hill Amnihu is on the east of the Sidon (Alma 2:15). How do we know this, and
how does the direction of flow for the River Sidon tie everything together?
Assuming that up means rise in elevation (Alma 43:34, III Nephi
4:1), Kirk Magleby
demonstrates systematically the correct direction of flow for the Sidon River:
1. Manti is south of
Zarahemla (Alma 17:1), the Narrow Strip of Wilderness separates Zarahemla from
Nephi (22:27), while the head of Sidon and borders of Manti are by NSW (22:27,
43:22); one goes from head of Sidon down to Zarahemla (56:25); thus,
Sidon River flows north from Manti to Zarahemla.
2. Land of Nephi is south of
Land of Zarahemla (Alma 50:7); east/west line running by head of Sidon
separated Nephi from Zarahemla (50:11); from Zarahemla to Nephi was up (2:24);
River Sidon bordered Zarahemla (2:15); thus, Sidon flows north from
Nephi and NSW to Zarahemla.
3. Mulekite first landfall in
Land Northward (Alma 22:30); Mulekite capital, Zarahemla, in Land Southward
(Mormon 1:6); City of Zarahemla along Sidon (Mormon 1:10); Mulekites up from
seacoast south to City Zarahemla (Alma 22:31); thus, River Sidon flows northward
downhill.
4. East bank of River Sidon in
wilderness, and wilderness south of Manti (Alma 16:6); Wilderness up from
and beyond borders of Manti (16:6); thus, River Sidon flows northward from
wilderness to Manti.
5. Wilderness south of
borders of Manti (Alma 16:6); wilderness down to borders of Manti
(43:32); thus, River Sidon flows northward from wilderness to Manti.
6. Nephi was south of
Zarahemla (Alma 22:29,33-34, 50:7); Minon between Zarahemla on the north and
Nephi on the south (2:24); Minon west of Sidon same as Zarahemla
(2:27,34); Minon above Zarahemla (2:24); thus, River Sidon flowed downhill
northward from Minon to Zarahemla.
7. Head of Sidon was near the NSW
(Alma 22:27) separating the Land of Nephi on the south (22:33, 50:7)
from the Land of Zarahemla on the north (22:29, 50:11); River Sidon
flowed through the Land of Zarahemla (Alma 2:15, Mormon 1:10) and from there to
the sea (Alma 3:3); thus, from the Head of Sidon to the land of Zarahemla is north,
which means Sidon flows north. (Robert F. Smith, The Metanarrative of
the Book of Mormon & Associated Features [The Ethnological Foundations
of the Book of Mormon 1; Provo, Utah: Deep Forest Green Books, 2026], 106)
