Domesticated and wild animals

I am breaking up the gospel dispensation series with some further thoughts on Lord Wilmore's post discussing one of the temple pattern elements: flocks and herds. Reading that, it struck me that the Book of Mormon connects the Nephites with domesticated animals and Lamanites with wild animals. I may be wrong, but at least I could only think of one example where the Lamanites are described having flocks and herds. This is when Ammon is set to watch King Lamoni's flocks. So it is actually a Nephite doing what Nephites are often described doing in the Book of Mormon: Watching flocks of domesticated animals.

Lamanites as wild animals

We know there is powerful symbolism in the shepherd, the person who watches and protects domesticated animals, like Ammon does in the story. This is only one of many deeper symbols of that story by the way. But realizing the connection between Nephites and domesticated animals and Lamanites and wild animals, indicates that this symbolism extends beyond "the good shepherd" and his flocks. It would be reasonable to assume that Lamanites also had domesticated animals, but I think it is telling that the Book of Mormon authors avoid mentioning that and focus on the wild animals instead. Here are some examples of how the Lamanites are described:

And because of their cursing which was upon them they did become an idle people, full of mischief and subtlety, and did seek in the wilderness for beasts of prey. (2 Nephi 5:24)

And I bear record that the people of Nephi did seek diligently to restore the Lamanites unto the true faith in God. But our labors were vain; their hatred was fixed, and they were led by their evil nature that they became wild, and ferocious, and a blood-thirsty people, full of idolatry and filthiness; feeding upon beasts of prey (Enos 1:20)

And they were scattered upon much of the face of the land, and the Lamanites also. And they were exceedingly more numerous than were they of the Nephites; and they loved murder and would drink the blood of beasts. (Jarom 1:6)

Notice that the Lamanites are described as "wild and ferocious", similar to how you would typically describe wild animals. Nephites, on the other hand, have flocks and herds, a detail that is especially brought up when the establishment of a covenant people is described. They listen to the voice of the good shepherd and become shepherds themselves. This ties back to the post I linked in the beginning where the domesticated animals, symbolizing the covenant people, hear the shepherd's words [Hebr. dabar] in the wilderness [Hebr. midbar].

Covenant breakers as flock without shepherd

It also adds context to another previous post on shepherd symbolism. The quoted passage from Helaman 7 in particular:

17 O repent ye, repent ye! Why will ye die? Turn ye, turn ye unto the Lord your God. Why has he forsaken you?

18 It is because you have hardened your hearts; yea, ye will not hearken unto the voice of the good shepherd; yea, ye have provoked him to anger against you.

19 And behold, instead of gathering you, except ye will repent, behold, he shall scatter you forth that ye shall become meat for dogs and wild beasts.

Normally, a prophetic warning like this to the Nephites would threaten with destruction by the hand of the Lamanites, but wild beasts is used instead, perhaps both literally and metaphorically. It is also interesting to note that whereas those who had never entered into the covenant are linked to wild beasts, those who have broken their covenants are like sheep without a shepherd. This is also evident in Alma 25:12

And he said unto the priests of Noah that their seed should cause many to be put to death, in the like manner as he was, and that they should be scattered abroad and slain, even as a sheep having no shepherd is driven and slain by wild beasts; and now behold, these words were verified, for they were driven by the Lamanites, and they were hunted, and they were smitten.

When the Nephites break the covenant, they are no longer protected by their covenant and by their shepherd, leaving them vulnerable and an easy prey for the "wild beasts".

The inversion - lion symbolism

In light of all this, comparisons between the righteous and lions may be confusing (see Alma 14:29; 3 Nephi 20:16; 3 Nephi 21:12; Mormon 5:24). But it is not uncommon in Hebrew symbolism with these dual and opposite meanings. Take water as symbol, for instance. It can be positive (living waters, fountain of all righteousness) or negative (a chaos motif like the flood, the filthy water in Lehi's dream). Similarly, the role of wild animal is sometimes taken by the wicked and sometimes by the righteous. But for the righteous, it is always the lion that is used as symbol. It represents power and is connected to the atonement in the Hebrew language. (see this post). 

Remember the Lord's words to Nephi

And if it so be that they (Nephites) rebel against me, they (Lamanites) shall be a scourge unto thy seed, to stir them up in the ways of remembrance. (1 Nephi 2:24, parenthesis added for context/clarification)

If there is no wild beast lurking, the sheep worry less about protection and are in less need of a shepherd. So in a way, the wild beast is there to fulfill God's purposes and stir the sheep up to remembrance or execute judgment. Sometimes, the wicked assume that role ("it is by the wicked that the wicked are punished", according to Mormon 4:5), and sometimes the righteous. The story of Ammonihah is a great example of that. In Alma 14:29, Alma and Amulek are the lions

Now the people having heard a great noise came running together by multitudes to know the cause of it; and when they saw Alma and Amulek coming forth out of the prison, and the walls thereof had fallen to the earth, they were struck with great fear, and fled from the presence of Alma and Amulek even as a goat fleeth with her young from two lions; and thus they did flee from the presence of Alma and Amulek.

In Alma 16:10, the city of Ammonihah has just been destroyed by the Lamanites and Mormon makes another connection to wild beasts.

But behold, in one day it was left desolate; and the carcasses were mangled by dogs and wild beasts of the wilderness.

Returning to the paradisaical state

As we have discussed numerous times on this blog, a lot of the covenant symbolism in the scriptures refers back to the creation. Isaiah talks about a time when

6 The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid, and the calf and the young lion and fatling together; and a little child shall lead them.

7 And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.

Notice how the domesticated and wild animals are described living together in harmony. This will happen in the millennium and describes a return to the paradisaical state of the Garden of Eden. A similar state is described in 4 Nephi

There were no robbers, nor murderers, neither were there Lamanites, nor any manner of -ites; but they were in one, the children of Christ, and heirs to the kingdom of God. (1 Nephi 1:17)

"Neither were there Lamanites" surely does not mean there were no descendants of Laman among the people, but there was no reason to distinguish between groups because they were all "in one". Similarly, there are wolves, bears and lions in the millennium, but they behave like domesticated animals.