Helaman
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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 ...
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 limited. His brother, Mosiah, became heir to the throne.Book of Mormon, The second was a
Nephite 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 ...
prophet In religion, a prophet or prophetess is an individual who is regarded as being in contact with a divine being and is said to speak on behalf of that being, serving as an intermediary with humanity by delivering messages or teachings from the s ...
and military leader who lived around the 1st century BC. He was the grandson of Alma and the oldest son of Alma (the younger), and was entrusted with maintaining a record of their people, the Nephites, as found in the Book of Alma. In LDS theology, he led into battle an army of two thousand young male warriors, which he referred to as his two thousand sons (two thousand stripling warriors). Most of the parts of the narrative involving Helaman come from the latter half of 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 ...
. The third Helaman was the son of the above mentioned Helaman. He was a chief judge over the Nephites and was also responsible for maintaining a record of this people. The account that Helaman kept was recorded on the same records as his father. This record, however, was first given by Helaman (the father) to his brother Shiblon, who then handed the record down to his nephew, Helaman. The writings of this second Helaman are contained within the Book of Helaman.


Etymology

Brigham Young University Brigham Young University (BYU, sometimes referred to colloquially as The Y) is a private research university in Provo, Utah. It was founded in 1875 by religious leader Brigham Young and is sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day ...
proposes several etymologies for the name ''Helaman'', including "Hammer of God".HELAMAN
/ref>


Known genealogy


Early life

Helaman was the eldest son of Alma the Younger, another Nephite prophet. The exact time and place of his birth are unknown. The house of his father, Alma, was in
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 ...
, the Nephite capital land, and Helaman may also have lived in Zarahemla. The Book of Mormon first mentions Helaman in Alma 31:7,''The Book of Mormon''. . and little is known of his life prior to this brief allusion. In this verse Helaman's father, Alma, and two younger brothers, Shiblon and Corianton, embark on a
missionary A missionary is a member of a Religious denomination, religious group which is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Tho ...
journey to the
Zoramites In the Book of Mormon, the Zoramites () were one of three major Nephite sects, existing during the administration of Alma the Younger as the High Priest over the Church of God (). Zoram, the leader of this group, is first mentioned in as being th ...
, but Helaman does not accompany them. This journey occurred towards the end of the 17th year of the " reign of the judges", which probably corresponds to about 75 BC.It can be concluded from the following verses that the journey took place in the 17th year of the reign of the judges: states that
Korihor Korihor () is an anti-christ described in in the Book of Mormon. Life Korihor is directly referred to in the Book of Mormon as Anti-Christ, because he claimed there will be no Christ. Korihor was able to preach his views to the people becaus ...
came into the land of Zarahemla in the latter end of the 17th year of the reign of the judges. show unambiguously that it was after Korihor's demise that the mission to the Zoramites took place. In , the mission concludes with the missionaries withdrawing from the Zoramites, the converts being cast out, and the Zoramites preparing for war. states that the 17th year ended in this manner.


Later life

After their missionary labors among the Zoramites, Alma, his sons, and the rest of their company returned to
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 ...
.''The Book of Mormon''. . At this time Alma gathered his sons together to give each of them a charge.Book of Mormon., . In his charge to Helaman,Book of Mormon., Alma 36-37. Alma's charge to Helaman is contained in these two chapters. Alma recounts his own conversion, exhorts Helaman to
righteousness Righteousness is the quality or state of being morally correct and justifiable. It can be considered synonymous with "rightness" or being "upright". It can be found in Indian religions and Abrahamic traditions, among other religions, as a theologi ...
, and confers stewardship of the sacred records and other artifacts (including the "interpreters", or
Urim and Thummim In the Hebrew Bible, the Urim ( he, ''ʾŪrīm'', "lights") and the Thummim ( he, ''Tummīm'', meaning uncertain, possibly "perfections") are elements of the ''hoshen'', the breastplate worn by the High Priest attached to the ephod. They are ...
).Book of Mormon to Helaman.Book of Mormon, . Alma had previously tried to give the records and artifacts to Nephihah, but Nephihah refused to take them. These sacred records were passed down from generation to generation throughout the history of the Nephites, with each generation adding the story of their own time. It was these records which
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 ...
and Moroni drew from and abridged when compiling 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 ...
. Helaman accepted the records and continued the record-keeping tradition. The section of the Book of Alma beginning at chapter 45 states that it is, "The account of the people of Nephi, and their wars and dissensions, in the days of Helaman, according to the record of Helaman, which he kept in his days."Book of Mormon, . This section may possibly continue as far as chapter 62, wherein Helaman dies.Book of Mormon, . Following Alma's words to his sons, he and his sons (including, presumably, Helaman) went among the people for a time, preaching the word of God.Book of Mormon, . Shortly afterward, in the 19th year of the reign of the judges (c. 73 BC), Alma approached Helaman for an important conversation. In what some consider a good model for child-parent interviews, LDS leader Carlos Asay uses the example of the relationship of Alma and Helaman to instruct concerning parent-child interviews. Alma questioned Helaman, praised him for his beliefs, and blessed him. Alma also dictated to him a
prophecy In religion, a prophecy is a message that has been communicated to a person (typically called a ''prophet'') by a supernatural entity. Prophecies are a feature of many cultures and belief systems and usually contain divine will or law, or prete ...
of the destruction of the Nephites, which Alma commanded him to record but not to make known until it was fulfilled.''The Book of Mormon''. . Not long after his charge to Helaman, Alma departed and was never heard of again.Book of Mormon, . After this, Helaman and his brethren went among the people declaring the word of God and appointing "
priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particu ...
s and teachers throughout all the land, over all the churches."Book of Mormon, . Dissension arose, allegedly due to the people's
pride Pride is defined by Merriam-Webster as "reasonable self-esteem" or "confidence and satisfaction in oneself". A healthy amount of pride is good, however, pride sometimes is used interchangeably with "conceit" or "arrogance" (among other words) wh ...
and riches, and the people thus would not heed the words of Helaman and his brethren.Book of Mormon, . For the next several years, Helaman worked as a
high priest The term "high priest" usually refers either to an individual who holds the office of ruler-priest, or to one who is the head of a religious caste. Ancient Egypt In ancient Egypt, a high priest was the chief priest of any of the many gods rever ...
in the Church, though not necessarily as ''the'' high priest over the Church. Helaman's work suffered major set-backs during
Amalickiah In the Book of Mormon, Amalickiah (; Ameleckiah as a frequent scribal variant in the original manuscript) was a Nephite leader of a movement to reestablish a king, specifically himself, as the king of the Nephites. When he failed to gain power ...
's rise,Book of Mormon, . but then prospered in the years following Amalickiah's departure from the Nephites to 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 ...
.Book of Mormon, and .


Ministering to the Anti-Nephi-Lehies

Helaman next appears in Alma 53, in the 26th year of the reign of the judges (c. 66 BC), trying to persuade the
Anti-Nephi-Lehies According to the Book of Mormon, the Anti-Nephi-Lehies () were an ethnic group of Lamanites formed around 90 BC, after a significant religious conversion. They made a covenant that they would not participate in war, and buried their weapons. Eventu ...
, also known as
Ammonites Ammonoids are a group of extinct marine mollusc animals in the subclass Ammonoidea of the class Cephalopoda. These molluscs, commonly referred to as ammonites, are more closely related to living coleoids (i.e., octopuses, squid and cuttlefish) ...
, not to take up arms.Book of Mormon, . Years earlier, upon their conversion to the gospel of Christ, the Anti-Nephi-Lehies had made an
oath Traditionally an oath (from Anglo-Saxon ', also called plight) is either a statement of fact or a promise taken by a sacrality as a sign of verity. A common legal substitute for those who conscientiously object to making sacred oaths is to ...
to
God In monotheism, monotheistic thought, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator deity, creator, and principal object of Faith#Religious views, faith.Richard Swinburne, Swinburne, R.G. "God" in Ted Honderich, Honderich, Ted. (ed)''The Ox ...
that they "never would use
weapons A weapon, arm or armament is any implement or device that can be used to deter, threaten, inflict physical damage, harm, or kill. Weapons are used to increase the efficacy and efficiency of activities such as hunting, crime, law enforcement, s ...
again for the shedding of man's blood."Book of Mormon, . The Nephites and the Lamanites were embroiled in
war War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militias. It is generally characterized by extreme violence, destruction, and mortality, using regular o ...
, and the Anti-Nephi-Lehies wished to join the conflict and fight alongside the Nephites. However, to do so would mean breaking the oath which they had made. Helaman "feared lest by so doing they should lose their souls."Book of Mormon, . Overpowered by the persuasions of Helaman, the Anti-Nephi-Lehies resigned themselves to being spectators in the conflict. However, the Anti-Nephi-Lehies had many sons who, unlike their fathers, had never entered into a
covenant Covenant may refer to: Religion * Covenant (religion), a formal alliance or agreement made by God with a religious community or with humanity in general ** Covenant (biblical), in the Hebrew Bible ** Covenant in Mormonism, a sacred agreement b ...
not to take up weapons of war. These sons also wished to fight for the Nephites and have Helaman as their leader. With no oath restricting them and the Nephites in desperate circumstances, they were permitted to do so. There is no indication prior to this in the text that Helaman had any
military A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distinct ...
training whatsoever, and indeed he may not have. Certainly, the sons of the
Anti-Nephi-Lehies According to the Book of Mormon, the Anti-Nephi-Lehies () were an ethnic group of Lamanites formed around 90 BC, after a significant religious conversion. They made a covenant that they would not participate in war, and buried their weapons. Eventu ...
had no fighting experience.Book of Mormon, . Regardless, the interesting turn of events made Helaman have the Anti-Nephi-Lehies marching at the head of an
army An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...
of two thousand soldiers. LDS leader Richard J. Maynes cited the entire episode in a General Conference as containing good examples of covenant-keeping behavior.


Commander of the Stripling Warriors

Helaman's army of two thousand young men is often referred to as the
two thousand stripling warriors The two thousand stripling warriors, also known as The Army of Helaman, are an army of young men in the Book of Mormon, first mentioned in the Book of Alma.''The Book of Mormon''. . "Stripling" is an archaic word meaning adolescent youth. They ar ...
, or the sons of Helaman. Theirs is one of the most well-known stories from the Book of Mormon. In brief, Helaman and his band marched in the 26th year of the reign of the judges (c. 66 BC) to the western part of the land of the
Nephite 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 ...
s and there joined the existing Nephite forces.''The Book of Mormon''. . There they played a pivotal role in some crucial Nephite victories. As a result of those victories, the Nephites regained possession of all of the western cities which had been taken by 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 ...
.Book of Mormon, . Although two of their battles were very bloody, the army of Helaman did not incur a single fatality.Helaman's epistle to Moroni in The Book of Mormon describes two particularly severe battles in which Helaman's army was involved. The first was outside the city of
Antiparah According to the Book of Mormon, Antiparah ()churc ...
(described in ). The second was in defense of the city of Cumeni (described in ) in the 29th year of the reign of the judges (c. 63 BC), ).
Helaman attributed this to divine preservation.''The Book of Mormon''. . Helaman wrote an epistle to the captain of the Nephite armies, Moroni, informing him of their success and expressing confusion that the government did not send more troops and support to the western front.Book of Mormon, Alma 56-58. Moroni received the epistle in the 30th year of the reign of the judges (c. 62 BC).Book of Mormon, . The next year the Nephites successfully drove the Lamanites back into the land southward and thus the war ended at last.Book of Mormon, , and .


Last years

After the war ended in the 31st year of the reign of the judges (c. 61 BC), Helaman first briefly "returned to the place of his inheritance".Book of Mormon, . He then went forth with his brethren, preaching the word of God and establishing the Church.Book of Mormon, . About four years later, in the 35th year of the reign of the judges (c. 57 BC), Helaman died. At the time of his death, Helaman had not yet formally conferred stewardship of the sacred records and artifacts to his son, Helaman, as would have been traditional. Instead Shiblon "took possession of those sacred things" following Helaman's death.Book of Mormon, .


See also

*
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 ...
*
Two thousand stripling warriors The two thousand stripling warriors, also known as The Army of Helaman, are an army of young men in the Book of Mormon, first mentioned in the Book of Alma.''The Book of Mormon''. . "Stripling" is an archaic word meaning adolescent youth. They ar ...


Notes and references


Further reading

*


External links

* The ''Book of {{Sourcetext, source=Book of Mormon, book=Alma'' on
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Book of Mormon Index entry on Helaman
Book of Mormon prophets