According to the

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 ...

and other

Latter Day Saint movement The Latter Day Saint movement (also called the LDS movement, LDS restorationist movement, or Smith–Rigdon movement) is the collection of independent church groups that trace their origins to a Christian Restorationist movement founded by Jo ...

sources, the Liahona () is a brass ball that operated as a type of

compass A compass is a device that shows the cardinal directions used for navigation and geographic orientation. It commonly consists of a magnetized needle or other element, such as a compass card or compass rose, which can pivot to align itself with ...

with two spindles. One of the spindles was said to point the direction Lehi and his party should travel after their escape from

Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...

, but it only worked when they were faithful. The Book of Mormon states that the Liahona also contained periodic written instructions from God. According to some sources, the Liahona was among the Book of Mormon artifacts

Joseph Smith Joseph Smith Jr. (December 23, 1805June 27, 1844) was an American religious leader and founder of Mormonism and the Latter Day Saint movement. When he was 24, Smith published the Book of Mormon. By the time of his death, 14 years later, he ...

said were found with the

golden plates According to Latter Day Saint belief, the golden plates (also called the gold plates or in some 19th-century literature, the golden bible) are the source from which Joseph Smith translated the Book of Mormon, a sacred text of the faith. Some acco ...

In the Book of Mormon

In the

, the Liahona was found one morning at Lehi's tent door. It is described as a round brass ball of "curious workmanship" with "two spindles", one of which indicated the direction that his party should travel (). It is sometimes referred to as a compass, although the context makes it clear that it did not function like a

magnetic compass A compass is a device that shows the cardinal directions used for navigation and geographic orientation. It commonly consists of a magnetized needle or other element, such as a compass card or compass rose, which can pivot to align itself with ...

. On occasion there was also writing on the ball that displayed additional instructions from God (). Using the Liahona, Lehi and his party were directed through the wilderness and across the ocean to the Americas. The Liahona worked "according to the faith and diligence" () with which they heeded its direction, and ceased functioning at times when the members of the party demonstrated a loss of faith in God's commandments, notably when Nephi's brothers rebelled against Lehi during their ocean crossing (). The only place in the Book of Mormon where the word "Liahona" is used is 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 ...

, when

Alma Alma or ALMA may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Alma'' (film), a 2009 Spanish short animated film * ''Alma'' (Oswald de Andrade novel), 1922 * ''Alma'' (Le Clézio novel), 2017 * ''Alma'' (play), a 1996 drama by Joshua Sobol about Alma ...

, speaking to his son

Helaman The Book of Mormon mentions three men named Helaman ( ). The first was the son of King Benjamin, king of the united Nephite-Zarahemla kingdom who lived in the 2nd century BC. Besides his genealogy, information about the first Helaman is limite ...

, explains "our fathers called it Liahona, which is, being interpreted, a compass" (). Alma tells his son that "it is as easy to give heed to the word of Christ ... to eternal bliss, as it was for our fathers to give heed to this compass ... to the promised land" ().

Meaning of the word ''Liahona''

According to the Book of Mormon, the word ''Liahona'' means "a compass" (). Latter-day Saint scholar

Hugh Nibley Hugh Winder Nibley (March 27, 1910 – February 24, 2005) was an American scholar and an apologist of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) who was a professor at Brigham Young University (BYU) for nearly 50 years. He was a ...

also provided two additional possibilities for the meaning based on perceived Hebrew roots. He attributed the theory that it refers to a "queen bee" to a Hebrew University scholar named Shunary, and added his own speculation that ''Liyahhona'' might be translated "To God is the guidance." Nibley, Hugh. Teachings of the Book of Mormon, Semester 1, p.216.

Covenant Communications Deseret Book () is an American publishing company headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah, that also operates a chain of bookstores throughout the western United States. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Deseret Management Corporation (DMC), the ...

(2004). Jonathan Curci suggested that the word means "the direction of the Lord".Jonathan Curci, "Liahona: 'The Direction of the Lord': An Etymological Explanation", ''

Journal of Book of Mormon Studies The ''Journal of Book of Mormon Studies'' is an annual peer-reviewed academic journal covering topics surrounding the Book of Mormon. It is published by the University of Illinois Press on behalf of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scho ...

'' 16(2) (2007): 60–67.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Liahona (Book Of Mormon) Book of Mormon artifacts Book of Mormon words and phrases Navigational equipment

In the Book of Mormon

Meaning of the word ''Liahona''

See also

References

Further reading

External links