A story told twice

The Book of Mormon sometimes describes different groups splitting or merging, creating complex storylines where we follow different groups and jump back and forth in time. Sometimes this results in the same story told twice. This is the case in Omni and Mosiah 9. I think it's a fascinating story as it is told from two different people in different situations. Here is what I have learned from studying this closely.

In the Book of Omni, Amaleki tells about Mosiah who was warned by the Lord and left the land of Nephi, along with others who would follow the Lord's commandment, found the land and people of Zarahemla and became king. He also tells about a group who left Zarahemla to go back to the land of Nephi. I have been wondering why they would be going back so soon after the Lord had warned them to leave. Then I realized it might not have been so soon. When Amaleki tells the story of Mosiah and his group he does not include himself. He never says "we". The only logical explanation is that he wasn't born yet. His father, Abinadom (Omni 1:10-11), was probably in that group but he wrote two verses and didn't mention it. My guess is that Mosiah was quite young when this happened. Amaleki was born in Zarahemla and lived there until he was old before a group wanted to return to the land of Nephi. By this time, Mosiah is dead and "Benjamin, his son, reigneth in his stead." (Omni 1:23).

Anyway, here is the story from Amaleki's perspective:

27 And now I would speak somewhat concerning a certain number who went up into the wilderness to return to the land of Nephi; for there was a large number who were desirous to possess the land of their inheritance.

28 Wherefore, they went up into the wilderness. And their leader being a strong and mighty man, and a stiffnecked man, wherefore he caused a contention among them; and they were all slain, save fifty, in the wilderness, and they returned again to the land of Zarahemla.

29 And it came to pass that they also took others to a considerable number, and took their journey again into the wilderness.

30 And I, Amaleki, had a brother, who also went with them; and I have not since known concerning them. And I am about to lie down in my grave; and these plates are full. And I make an end of my speaking.

Amaleki never heard anything about the second group that left and were it not for the fact that their leader, Zeniff, wrote a record and a few decades later the group came back to Zarahemla again, we probably wouldn't know anything either. The Book of Mormon keeps following the storyline from the Zarahemla perspective, but when King Benjamin's son, Mosiah II has reigned for 3 years, they are so curious about what happened to this group that Amaleki talks about that they there is a new expedition to find them. At the point where they meet Zeniff's grandson, Limhi, who is now a Nephite king under Lamanites rule, the Book of Mormon jumps back in time to give us the record of Zeniff.

The interesting part is that Zeniff was part of the first group what Amaleki talked about and became the leader of the second group that Amaleki's brother was part of. We get the story again from Zeniff's perspective in Mosiah 9:

1 I, Zeniff, having been taught in all the language of the Nephites, and having had a knowledge of the land of Nephi, or of the land of our fathers’ first inheritance, and having been sent as a spy among the Lamanites that I might spy out their forces, that our army might come upon them and destroy them—but when I saw that which was good among them I was desirous that they should not be destroyed.

2 Therefore, I contended with my brethren in the wilderness, for I would that our ruler should make a treaty with them; but he being an austere and a blood-thirsty man commanded that I should be slain; but I was rescued by the shedding of much blood; for father fought against father, and brother against brother, until the greater number of our army was destroyed in the wilderness; and we returned, those of us that were spared, to the land of Zarahemla, to relate that tale to their wives and their children.

3 And yet, I being over-zealous to inherit the land of our fathers, collected as many as were desirous to go up to possess the land, and started again on our journey into the wilderness to go up to the land; but we were smitten with famine and sore afflictions; for we were slow to remember the Lord our God.

4 Nevertheless, after many days’ wandering in the wilderness we pitched our tents in the place where our brethren were slain, which was near to the land of our fathers.

We learn some interesting things from Zeniff that we don't learn from Amaleki:

• The first group was an army and the intention was to attack the Lamanites and conquer the land of Nephi. Zeniff was supposed to spy out their forces. 
• Omni 1:28 talks about their stiffnecked leader and a contention. Zeniff talks about this same unnamed leader but explains that the reason for this contention was whether they should attack the Lamanites or make a treaty with them. Their leader wanted to attack and Zeniff wanted to make a treaty.
• Zeniff is "over-zealous" to inherit the land and leads another group a second time. Probably a group who agree that they will only try to make a treaty and not go to war, as there is no contention this second time
• The second group that Amaleki had heard nothing about was "smitten with famine and sore afflictions"
• The first group that had most people killed had almost come all the way to their destination as the contention started (the second group found the dead bodies of the first group close to the Land of Nephi). It makes sense because it was after Zeniff had seen "that which was good among" the Lamanites that the fighting started.

Things we learn from Amaleki that we don't learn from Zeniff:

• After the fight among the first group, there were 50 survivors. Zeniff must have been one of them.
• Amaleki had a brother who went with the second group. If I'm correct about Amaleki's father coming to the land of Zarahemla with Mosiah I, perhaps Amaleki's unnamed brother wanted to inherit the land of his father, but only on the premise of making a treaty with the Lamanites, like they intended to this second time? It doesn't seem like he was part of the first group.

It makes sense that Zeniff has more details than Amaleki as Zeniff had first hand experience, whereas Amaleki was in Zarahemla this whole time and could only write what he was told, which would give him knowledge of the first group that returned only, and not the second. 

I just wrote a post about internal consistency between Omni and Mosiah. This is another example. The remarkable part is that Joseph Smith dictated Mosiah first and Omni last, even though chronologically, Omni was first. Because of the jumping back and forth in time he also told the same story twice, but still managed to tie this all together. I'm writing this as if I believe Joseph Smith did all this, but of course I believe that he just dictated what God revealed to him and this also explains the lack of any contradictions in all this complexity.