Book of Mormon
The Book of Mormon is a religious text of the Latter Day Saint movement, which, according to Latter Day Saint theology, contains writings of ancient prophets who lived on the American continent from 600 BC to AD 421 and during an interlude date ...
, the Amlicites () were a break-off group of
Nephites
According to the Book of Mormon, the Nephites () are one of four groups (along with the Lamanites, Jaredites, and Mulekites) to have settled in the ancient Americas. The term is used throughout the Book of Mormon to describe the religious, po ...
in the
Book of Alma
The Book of Alma: The Son of Alma (), usually referred to as the Book of Alma, is one of the books that make up the Book of Mormon. The title refers to Alma the Younger, a prophet and "chief judge" of the Nephites. Alma is the longest book in the ...
, in 87 B.C.
Origins
After the murder of
Gideon
Gideon (; ) also named Jerubbaal and Jerubbesheth, was a military leader, judge and prophet whose calling and victory over the Midianites are recounted in of the Book of Judges in the Hebrew Bible.
Gideon was the son of Joash, from the Abiez ...
mentioned in the book of Alma and the execution of
After the division took place among the Nephites, there unfolded a war between the Amlicites and the Nephites (Alma 2:11). The Nephites were aware of their intentions and prepared for war, building up arms and appointing captains, higher captains and chief captains (Alma 2:12-13).
Amlici prepared the Amlicites in much the same way, building up arms and appointing rulers and leaders of his people. The Amlicites distinguished themselves from the Nephites by marking themselves with red in their foreheads ().
The Amlicites came up to the land of
Zarahemla
According to the beliefs of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Zarahemla () refers to a large city in the ancient Americas which is described in the Book of Mormon. Archaeologists and historians have not been able to archaeological ...
over the hill Amnihu which was east of the river
Sidon
Sidon ( ; he, צִידוֹן, ''Ṣīḏōn'') known locally as Sayda or Saida ( ar, صيدا ''Ṣaydā''), is the third-largest city in Lebanon. It is located in the South Governorate, of which it is the capital, on the Mediterranean coast. ...
and began to wage war. Alma the younger was the chief commander of the Nephite forces. Though many Nephites died in the battle, the Nephites overcame them due to the strengthening of the Lord and drove them with a great slaughter and pursued for the rest of the day until Alma and his forces could no longer. The Nephites broke camp in the valley of
Gideon
Gideon (; ) also named Jerubbaal and Jerubbesheth, was a military leader, judge and prophet whose calling and victory over the Midianites are recounted in of the Book of Judges in the Hebrew Bible.
Gideon was the son of Joash, from the Abiez ...
land of Nephi
In the Book of Mormon, the land of Lehi-Nephi (; also referred to as the land of Nephi) is the homeland of the Nephites in the early times of the Book of Mormon. The land is later conquered by the Lamanites, and the remaining Nephites flee to the ...
, by a huge host of
Lamanites
The Lamanites () are one of the four ancient peoples (along with the Jaredites, the Mulekites, and the Nephites) described as having settled in the ancient Americas in the Book of Mormon, a sacred text of the Latter Day Saint movement. The Lamani ...
. They were already making their way back towards Zarahelma. (Alma 2:21-25)
Alma and his armies then left the valley of Gideon and moved across the river Sidon. They then were set upon by the hosts of Lamanites and Amlicites. A great battle ensued and the Nephites with the aid of God drove them back. Alma slew first Amlici and then drove back the king of the Lamanites and cleared the bank of the west side of Sidon and the joint army of Lamanites and Amlicites fled before the Nephites and went off into the wilderness (called Hermounts) out of the borders of Nephite Lands. ()
After the battle, the dead were buried but not numbered due to the greatness of the number that were slain. (Alma 3:1 also see ''Book of Mormon: Student Manual 121'', chapter 22 section 13)
Other references
In chapter three, from verses four to eighteen, there is an explanation of how the Amlicites were now cursed with the
Lamanites
The Lamanites () are one of the four ancient peoples (along with the Jaredites, the Mulekites, and the Nephites) described as having settled in the ancient Americas in the Book of Mormon, a sacred text of the Latter Day Saint movement. The Lamani ...
due to their marking themselves, just like God had set a mark upon the Lamanites. ''The Book of Mormon: Student Manual 121'' suggests in chapter 22 section 14 that this may have been done so that the Lamanites could know who was an Amlicite ally and a Nephite.
Some scholars, including Professor
Royal Skousen
Royal Jon Skousen (; born August 5, 1945) is a retired professor of linguistics and English at Brigham Young University (BYU), where he is editor of the Book of Mormon Critical Text Project. He is "the leading expert on the textual history of th ...
, have proposed, based on spelling variations in the original manuscripts, that the "
Amalekite
Amalek (; he, עֲמָלֵק, , ar, عماليق ) was a nation described in the Hebrew Bible as a staunch enemy of the Israelites. The name "Amalek" can refer to the nation's founder, a grandson of Esau; his descendants, the Amalekites; or the ...
" group appearing in the Book of Mormon is an alternative spelling of "Amlicite". Thus, Skousen's research into the original manuscripts used as the source for printing the Book of Mormon clarifies that the "Amalekites" and the "Amlicites" are not two separate groups, rather are apparently one and the same group. The original manuscripts provide evidence that this confusion arose due to human error in transcribing the Book of Mormon into English, as unfamiliar names were at times spelled inconsistently as the contents of the Book of Mormon were verbally dictated to the scribes. This confusion, while not having doctrinal implications for the book's contents, still exists in the Book of Mormon as of this 2016 writing.