Monday, July 20, 2020

"...the way is prepared that whosoever will may walk therein and be saved." (Part 2)

This post is part 2 of a series.  Part 1 is here, where I gave a brief overview of how "walk" is used in other books of scripture to signify faithfulness to a covenant.

Almost without exception, the word "walk" is used in a covenant context in the Book of Mormon.  Let's start with the exceptions:


  1. In Mosiah 3:5, King Benjamin prophecies of Christ working miracles, including "causing the lame to walk."
  2. 4 Nephi 1:5, the disciples of Jesus perform miracles, including "caus[ing] the lame to walk."
  3. Ether 15:28 -- "when the men of Coriantumr had received sufficient strength that they could walk"




Obvious Covenant connections:


Most of the uses of the word "walk" fall into this category.  I've included associated covenant language/symbols in highlighted bold italics when applicable.


  1. Mosiah 6:6 -- "king Mosiah did walk in the ways of the Lord, and did observe his judgments and his statutes, and did keep his commandments in all things whatsoever he commanded him."
  2. Mosiah 7:19 -- "...lift up your heads, and rejoice, and put your trust in God, in that God who was the God of Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob; and also, that God who brought the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt, and caused that they should walk through the Red Sea on dry ground..."
  3. Mosiah 18:29 -- "they did walk uprightly before God..."
  4. Mosiah 23:14 -- "trust no one to be your teacher nor your minister, except he be a man of God, walking in his ways and keeping his commandments."
  5. Mosiah 26:37-38 -- "they began again to have peace and to prosper exceedingly in the affairs of the church, walking circumspectly before God, receiving many, and baptizing many...walking in all diligence..."
  6. Mosiah 29:43 -- "Alma did walk in the ways of the Lord, and he did keep his commandments."
  7. Alma 1:1 -- "king Mosiah having gone the way of all the earth, having warred a good warfare, walking uprightly before God..."
  8. Alma 5:27, 54 -- "Have ye walked, keeping yourselves blameless before God? ...will ye persist in the persecution of your brethren, who humble themselves and do walk after the holy order of God ... ?"
  9. Alma 7:9 -- "Repent ye, and prepare the way of the Lord, and walk in his paths, which are straight..."
  10. Alma 7:20 -- "he cannot walk in crooked paths;"
  11. Alma 7:22 -- "I have said these things unto you that I might awaken you to a sense of your duty to God, that ye may walk blameless before him, that ye may walk after the holy order of God, after which ye have been received."
  12. Alma 25:14 -- "they began to be a righteous people; and they did walk in the ways of the Lord, and did observe to keep his commandments and his statutes."
  13. Alma 41:8 -- "Now, the decrees of God are unalterable; therefore, the way is prepared that whosoever will may walk therein and be saved."
  14. Alma 45:24 -- "But they grew proud, being lifted up in their hearts, because of their exceedingly great riches; therefore they grew rich in their own eyes, and would not give heed to their words, to walk uprightly before God."
  15. Alma 53:21 -- "Yea, they were men of truth and soberness, for they had been taught to keep the commandments of God and to walk uprightly before him."
  16. Alma 63:2 -- "...he was a just man, and he did walk uprightly before God; and he did observe to do good continually, to keep the commandments of the Lord his God;"
  17. Helaman 3:20 -- "he did walk after the ways of his father, insomuch that he did prosper in the land."
  18. Helaman 6:33 -- "they did begin to keep his statutes and commandments, and to walk in truth and uprightness before him..."
  19. Helaman 12:5 -- "how slow to walk in wisdom's paths!"
  20. Helaman 15:5 -- "they do walk circumspectly before God, and they do observe to keep his commandments and his statutes and his judgments according to the law of Moses."
  21. Helaman 16:10 -- "the lesser part walking more circumspectly before God."
  22. 3 Nephi 24:14 -- "Ye have said: It is vain to serve God, and what doth it profit that we have kept his ordinances and that we have walked mournfully before the Lord of Hosts?" (This belongs here...this Malachi 3 passage has direct reference to keeping covenants.)
  23. 4 Nephi 1:12 -- "they did not walk any more after the performances and ordinances of the law of Moses; but they did walk after the commandments which they had received from their Lord and their God,"
  24. Ether 6:17 -- "they were taught to walk humbly before the Lord; and they were also taught from on high."
  25. Ether 9:23 -- "...Coriantum did walk in the steps of his father, and did build many mighty cities, and did administer that which was good unto his people in all his days."
  26. Ether 10:2 -- "Shez did remember the destruction of his fathers, and he did build up a righteous kingdom; for he remembered what the Lord had done in bringing Jared and his brother across the deep; and he did walk in the ways of the Lord; and he begat sons and daughters."
  27. 1 Nephi 16:3 -- "if ye were righteous and were willing to hearken to the truth, and give heed unto it, that ye might walk uprightly before God"
  28. 1 Nephi 16:5 -- "they did humble themselves before the Lord; insomuch that I had joy and great hopes of them, that they would walk in the paths of righteousness."
  29. 2 Nephi 33:9 -- "But behold, for none of these can I hope except they shall be reconciled unto Christ, and enter into the narrow gate, and walk in the strait path which leads to life, and continue in the path until the end of the day of probation."




Anbiguous Covenant connections:



  1. Mosiah 2:27 -- "walking with a clear conscience before God."
  2. Mosiah 4:15 -- "teach them to walk in the ways of truth and soberness"
  3. Mosiah 4:26 -- "that ye may walk guiltless before God"
  4. Mosiah 11:1-2 -- "Noah ... did not walk in the ways of his father...he did walk after the desires of his own heart."
  5. Alma 15:11 -- "Zeezrom leaped upon his feet, and began to walk;" (I place this here for good reason: immediately prior, Zeezrom states he believes according to Alma's words and Alma prays for mercy for him; then after he "began from that time forth to preach unto the people.")
  6. Helaman 3:37 -- "he did ... walk in the ways of his father."
  7. Helaman 13:27 -- "But behold, if a man shall come among you and shall say: Do this, and there is no iniquity; do that and ye shall not suffer; yea, he will say: Walk after the pride of your own hearts; yea, walk after the pride of your eyes, and do whatsoever your heart desireth"
  8. Mormon 8:36 -- "I know that ye do walk in the pride of your hearts;"
  9. Ether 6:30 -- "Orihah did walk humbly before the Lord, and did remember how great things the Lord had done for his father..."
  10. Moroni 7:4 -- "because of your peaceable walk with the children of men."
  11. 2 Nephi 4:32 -- "I may walk in the path of the low valley..."