The Words of Mormon is one of the books that make up 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 ...

. It is the only one of them which is not titled as a 'book' and consists of a single chapter of eighteen verses. According to the text, it is a comment inserted by the prophet

Mormon Mormons are a religious and cultural group related to Mormonism, the principal branch of the Latter Day Saint movement started by Joseph Smith in upstate New York during the 1820s. After Smith's death in 1844, the movement split into several ...

while compiling the records which became the Book of Mormon. Textually, Words of Mormon serves to link the

Small Plates of Nephi According to the Book of Mormon, the plates of Nephi, consisting of the large plates of Nephi and the small plates of Nephi, are a portion of the collection of inscribed metal plates which make up the record of the Nephites. This record was later a ...

, which precede it in our current printed version, but which would have been placed after Mormon's full record in 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 ...

, with the rest of the Book of Mormon. Mormon explains that, while abridging the history of the

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 ...

, he came across the Small Plates of Nephi and chose to append them to the end of his finished work. He then briefly summarises the reign of

King Benjamin According to the Book of Mormon, King Benjamin, son of King Mosiah the first, was the second Nephite king to rule over Zarahemla. An account of his life and teachings are recorded in both the Words of Mormon and the Book of Mosiah. He was consid ...

, the last king named in the Small Plates. Mormon writes that

stood against the Lamanites wielding the very sword of Laban which had been captured by Nephi after he killed

Laban Laban is a French surname. It may refer to: Places * Laban-e Olya, a village in Iran * Laban-e Sofla, a village in Iran * Laban, Virginia, an unincorporated community in the United States * 8539 Laban, main-belt asteroid People Surname *Ahm ...

to obtain from him the brass plates that contained the

Law of Moses The Law of Moses ( he, תֹּורַת מֹשֶׁה ), also called the Mosaic Law, primarily refers to the Torah or the first five books of the Hebrew Bible. The law revealed to Moses by God. Terminology The Law of Moses or Torah of Moses (Hebrew ...

. With his efforts, and wisdom, and the help of the prophets, King Benjamin established peace in the land. Words of Mormon verses 12–18 have continuity with the first part of Mosiah, and some scholars have even suggested that it was originally part of a now missing portion of the

Book of Mosiah The Book of Mosiah () is one of the books which make up the Book of Mormon. The title refers to Mosiah II, a king of the Nephites at Zarahemla. The book covers the time period between ''ca'' 130 BC and 91 BC, except for when the book has a flashb ...

. Others have suggested that Joseph Smith was inspired to write verses 12–18 as a summary/bridge back into the large plates, and that those verses are not contained in the

.See Brant A. Gardner, "When Hypotheses Collide: Responding to Lyon and Minson's 'When Pages Collide'," Interpreter: A Journal of Mormon Scripture 5 (2013): 105–119.

References

External links

*
The Book of Mormon: The Words of Mormon
{{s-end Mormon, Words