"Left by the hands of those who slew them to molder" versus "grafted into the true vine" (Creation-in-reverse)

My last post ended with a brief discussion of "creation-in-reverse," which is my term for a process described in the scriptures in two different ways.

Here is a very brief summary of each type:

1. Covenant makers experience "creation-in-reverse" by "rend[ing] that veil of unbelief" (see Ether 4:15) and experiencing the "light of the glory of God" (see Alma 19:6). This joyful process is symbolically represented in ancient temple worship. 
2. Covenant breakers experience "creation-in-reverse" of a different sort, in that their wickedness leaves them unprotected and "cut off" from God's presence. The decay of their bodies is often described in detail, often emphasizing the return to dust (see Alma 16:10-11; Alma 28:11; Mormon 6:15) or being buried in the deep (see Alma 44:22). 

Compare Genesis 1:2-4

Let's review the earliest description of the creation process:

2 And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.

3 And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.

4 And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness. (Genesis 1)

Before the addition of light, and the division of light and darkness, the creation was:

• without form (tohu)
• void (bohu)
• dark (choshek)

When we reject the covenant, we simultaneously reject the purpose of the creation. In a sense, our soul becomes formless, void, and dark. The creation spoils around us.

And when thou art spoiled, what wilt thou do? (Jeremiah 4:30)

Jeremiah preaches against Israel's wickedness and connects their covenant-breaking with a spoiling of the creation around them:

22 For my people is foolish, they have not known me; they are sottish children, and they have none understanding: they are wise to do evil, but to do good they have no knowledge.
23 I beheld the earth, and, lo, it was without form, and void; and the heavens, and they had no light.
24 I beheld the mountains, and, lo, they trembled, and all the hills moved lightly.
25 I beheld, and, lo, there was no man, and all the birds of the heavens were fled.
26 I beheld, and, lo, the fruitful place was a wilderness, and all the cities thereof were broken down at the presence of the Lord, and by his fierce anger.
27 For thus hath the Lord said, The whole land shall be desolate; yet will I not make a full end.
28 For this shall the earth mourn, and the heavens above be black: because I have spoken it, I have purposed it, and will not repent, neither will I turn back from it. (Jeremiah 4)

Notice how Jeremiah uses those same three descriptors for the earth from Genesis 1:2, positioned between a description of the covenant people's wickedness and the description of the creation's response. (Notice also that in verses 25-28, there is a mention of the elements of creation in reverse order -- "man" then "bird" then "fruitful place" then "land" then "heavens" becoming "black.")

Connecting "creation-in-reverse" and scriptural descriptions of hell

This leads into a bigger topic of study, one that I've been working on for several weeks. It began as I was working in my yard. My wife and I had lopped off some dead branches from a tree we are trying to revive (using Jacob 5 as our instruction manual, of course, even though it isn't an olive tree).

One Saturday, my task was to decide the fate of this pile of dead branches.  I chose fire. For about an hour, I stood in front of the firepit, gradually feeding in these dead branches. As I worked I entertained two thought processes at once: chemistry and scripture. The chemical reaction we call fire involves the breaking down of the "organized" hydrocarbon elements of the wood into more fundamental elements: water vapor, carbon dioxide, and, well, dust. 

At the same, I thought of Mormon lamenting the fate of his people:

...and their flesh, and bones, and blood lay upon the face of the earth, being left by the hands of those who slew them to molder upon the land, and to crumble and to return to their mother earth. (Mormon 6:15)

I hadn't ever thought of this description of the fate of the bodies of the wicked as a symbol of hell, but it fits. 

Consider other related phrases, such as "hewn down and cast into the fire." King Benjamin (and others) describe the result of rejecting the word: 

25 ... if they be evil they are consigned to an awful view of their own guilt and abominations, which doth cause them to shrink from the presence of the Lord into a state of misery and endless torment, from whence they can no more return; therefore they have drunk damnation to their own souls.
26 Therefore, they have drunk out of the cup of the wrath of God, which justice could no more deny unto them than it could deny that Adam should fall because of his partaking of the forbidden fruit; therefore, mercy could have claim on them no more forever.
27 And their torment is as a lake of fire and brimstone, whose flames are unquenchable, and whose smoke ascendeth up forever and ever.

There is a lot to unpack in these verses, including references to justice and Adam.   I'll pick this up in a future post, but for now it's enough to point out that the fire of guilt and torment that afflicts the wicked who knowingly reject the word is a result of their decision to reject the plan of mercy. Thus we can reinforce that the purposes of mortality have much to do with the plan of mercy.

Connection to 'The Two Ways'

Mormon also summarizes the contrast between the righteous and the wicked very nicely after describing the aftermath of a war:

10 And from the first year to the fifteenth has brought to pass the destruction of many thousand lives; yea, it has brought to pass an awful scene of bloodshed.
11 And the bodies of many thousands are laid low in the earth, while the bodies of many thousands are moldering in heaps upon the face of the earth; yea, and many thousands are mourning for the loss of their kindred, because they have reason to fear, according to the promises of the Lord, that they are consigned to a state of endless wo.
12 While many thousands of others truly mourn for the loss of their kindred, yet they rejoice and exult in the hope, and even know, according to the promises of the Lord, that they are raised to dwell at the right hand of God, in a state of never-ending happiness.
13 And thus we see how great the inequality of man is because of sin and transgression, and the power of the devil, which comes by the cunning plans which he hath devised to ensnare the hearts of men.
14 And thus we see the great call of diligence of men to labor in the vineyards of the Lord; and thus we see the great reason of sorrow, and also of rejoicing—sorrow because of death and destruction among men, and joy because of the light of Christ unto life. (Alma 28)

Light versus darkness

The symbolism here boils ties in with the very fundamental elements of creation -- light versus darkness. This fundamental contrast is emphasized multiple times in the scriptures.  Here is a notable example:

23 And that which doth not edify is not of God, and is darkness.

24 That which is of God is light; and he that receiveth light, and continueth in God, receiveth more light; and that light groweth brighter and brighter until the perfect day.

25 And again, verily I say unto you, and I say it that you may know the truth, that you may chase darkness from among you;

26 He that is ordained of God and sent forth, the same is appointed to be the greatest, notwithstanding he is the least and the servant of all.

27 Wherefore, he is possessor of all things; for all things are subject unto him, both in heaven and on the earth, the life and the light, the Spirit and the power, sent forth by the will of the Father through Jesus Christ, his Son. (Doctrine & Covenants 50)

See also Doctrine & Covenant 88:6-13.

Choosing the light is the way of life. Jesus Christ, of course, is both the light and life of the world (John 8:12 and John 1:4).

Conclusion

Once again we connect the temple covenant with the creation, quite directly. God created the light as He separated the light from the darkness. "Let there be light" may be seen by us as a divine injunction in addition to a declaration by God during the creation process. Mortality is all about seeking the light and cleaving to it. When we do, God promises to send us more and more, until the day comes when we can rend the veil of unbelief and experience the "marvelous light of [God's] goodness—yea, this light [which] infuse[s] such joy into [our] soul, ... that the light of everlasting life [becomes] lit up in [our] soul ... overcom[ing] [our] natural frame, and [we are] carried away in God" (Alma 19:6).

"Not one soul .. lost" versus "every living soul ... destroyed"

We get a very interesting parallel in Alma 16 between the fate of the Nephite captives and the covenant-breakers of Ammonihah. In the process, we also learn about two other groups who facilitate the action of the story (the Nephite deliverers and the Lamanite armies).

8 And [the Nephite deliverers] came upon the armies of the Lamanites, and the Lamanites were scattered and driven into the wilderness; and they took their brethren who had been taken captive by the Lamanites, and there was not one soul of them had been lost that were taken captive. And they were brought by their brethren to possess their own lands.

9 And thus ended the eleventh year of the judges, the Lamanites having been driven out of the land, and the people of Ammonihah were destroyed; yea, every living soul of the Ammonihahites was destroyed, and also their great city, which they said God could not destroy, because of its greatness. (Alma 16)

You won't be surprised to learn that when I read these verses, I see covenant metaphors throughout.

First of all, the Nephite captives are gathered in with their deliverers. This is such a potent and oft-repeated theme in the Book of Mormon it almost slips by unnoticed. "Not one soul of them had been lost." We see this theme repeated with the stripling warriors as well.

The Nephite deliverers sought out the will of God through His prophet and followed his directions precisely (see verses 5-7).  As a result, they were able to "[bring] their brethren to possess their own lands" and "not one soul of them had been lost." In the covenant metaphor, these deliverers are the angels. 

Next, the Lamanite armies, who had been holding the Nephite captives, were "scattered" and "driven out of the land" "into the wilderness." Very clear covenant symbols here.

Finally, the people of Ammonihah, having recently "cast out" or killed every last believer from their midst, had been destroyed in a day, an outcome they had (ironically) refused to believe (see Alma 9:4) possible.

The rest of the description of the fate of these people is gory and bleak. 

• "Desolate"
• "every living soul ... was destroyed"
• "carcasses mangled by dogs and wild beasts of the wilderness"
• "dead bodies heaped up upon the face of the earth"
• "covered with a shallow covering"
• "remained desolate"

As Stisa and I communicated about these verses (we frequently compare notes), he pointed out two details that are pretty fascinating: 

1. The contrasting fates of the covenant-breakers and captive Nephites mirror the Two Ways. 
• The Way of Life through Jesus Christ leads us to be gathered into to a land of promise.
• The way of death causes us to fall victim to the devil's "cunning plan ... to ensnare the hearts of men." (See Alma 28:13.) 
2. In addition, the fate of Ammonihah presents the dark a "creation-in-reverse" pattern. This is a really interesting concept that will be the subject of my next post..

What is the opposite of being "led ... down to destruction"?

In a recent post I asked this question and pointed out that in Alma 12:9-11, each element is presented in contrast to an opposing element, except for the eternal consequence of rejecting the word.  I hinted that this is one of the mysteries of God.

In this post, I'll be outlining other passages which present the same contrast between the fate of the righteous and the fate of the wicked. By doing so, my hope is to spell out the blessings of receiving the word with a heart that is not hardened.

What is the opposite of being "led ... down to destruction"?

Intuitively, the opposite of being led down to destruction is to be led up to salvation. The idea that we are led one way or the other fits nicely with this interpretation of Lehi's tree of life dream. 

Many other passages offer a glimpse at what this eternal reward is:

"The resurrection of everlasting life"

4 And even unto the great and last day, when all people, and all kindreds, and all nations and tongues shall stand before God, to be judged of their works, whether they be good or whether they be evil—
5 If they be good, to the resurrection of everlasting life; and if they be evil, to the resurrection of damnation; being on a parallel, the one on the one hand and the other on the other hand, according to the mercy, and the justice, and the holiness which is in Christ, who was before the world began. (3 Nephi 26)

"The greater things shall be made manifest unto them"

8 And these things have I written, which are a lesser part of the things which he taught the people; and I have written them to the intent that they may be brought again unto this people, from the Gentiles, according to the words which Jesus hath spoken.
9 And when they shall have received this, which is expedient that they should have first, to try their faith, and if it shall so be that they shall believe these things then shall the greater things be made manifest unto them.
10 And if it so be that they will not believe these things, then shall the greater things be withheld from them, unto their condemnation. (3 Nephi 26)

A reader offered these four passages as examples of what the Book of Mormon teaches us about the contrast between the fate of the wicked and righteous:

"Dwell with God in a state of never-ending happiness"

38 Therefore if that man repenteth not, and remaineth and dieth an enemy to God, the demands of divine justice do awaken his immortal soul to a lively sense of his own guilt, which doth cause him to shrink from the presence of the Lord, and doth fill his breast with guilt, and pain, and anguish, which is like an unquenchable fire, whose flame ascendeth up forever and ever.
39 And now I say unto you, that mercy hath no claim on that man; therefore his final doom is to endure a never-ending torment.
40 O, all ye old men, and also ye young men, and you little children who can understand my words, for I have spoken plainly unto you that ye might understand, I pray that ye should awake to a remembrance of the awful situation of those that have fallen into transgression.
41 And moreover, I would desire that ye should consider on the blessed and happy state of those that keep the commandments of God. For behold, they are blessed in all things, both temporal and spiritual; and if they hold out faithful to the end they are received into heaven, that thereby they may dwell with God in a state of never-ending happiness. O remember, remember that these things are true; for the Lord God hath spoken it. (Mosiah 2)

"Have that which is good restored unto you"

30 And now remember, remember, my brethren, that whosoever perisheth, perisheth unto himself; and whosoever doeth iniquity, doeth it unto himself; for behold, ye are free; ye are permitted to act for yourselves; for behold, God hath given unto you a knowledge and he hath made you free.
31 He hath given unto you that ye might know good from evil, and he hath given unto you that ye might choose life or death; and ye can do good and be restored unto that which is good, or have that which is good restored unto you; or ye can do evil, and have that which is evil restored unto you. (Helaman 14)

"Peace and life eternal"

7 For the time cometh, saith the Lamb of God, that I will work a great and a marvelous work among the children of men; a work which shall be everlasting, either on the one hand or on the other—either to the convincing of them unto peace and life eternal, or unto the deliverance of them to the hardness of their hearts and the blindness of their minds unto their being brought down into captivity, and also into destruction, both temporally and spiritually, according to the captivity of the devil, of which I have spoken. (1 Nephi 14)

"Dwell at the right hand of God, in a state of never-ending happiness"

11 And the bodies of many thousands are laid low in the earth, while the bodies of many thousands are moldering in heaps upon the face of the earth; yea, and many thousands are mourning for the loss of their kindred, because they have reason to fear, according to the promises of the Lord, that they are consigned to a state of endless wo.
12 While many thousands of others truly mourn for the loss of their kindred, yet they rejoice and exult in the hope, and even know, according to the promises of the Lord, that they are raised to dwell at the right hand of God, in a state of never-ending happiness.
13 And thus we see how great the inequality of man is because of sin and transgression, and the power of the devil, which comes by the cunning plans which he hath devised to ensnare the hearts of men.
14 And thus we see the great call of diligence of men to labor in the vineyards of the Lord; and thus we see the great reason of sorrow, and also of rejoicing—sorrow because of death and destruction among men, and joy because of the light of Christ unto life. (Alma 28)

Summary

To recap, here are the descriptions of the reward

• "The resurrection of everlasting life"
• "The greater things shall be made manifest unto them"
• "Dwell with God in a state of never-ending happiness"
• "Have that which is good restored unto you"
• "Peace and life eternal"
• "Dwell at the right hand of God, in a state of never-ending happiness"

I find it very interesting how often the eternal reward (in green in the passages above) is directly contrasted with its alternative (in red above).

Lehi's dream

Getting back to elements from Lehi's dream, we see contrasting elements in the paths leading to each of two destinations:  We can enter in at the strait, narrow gate being led by the iron rod which runs along the river of living water (implying a gain in altitude as we travel), until we reach the tree of life (presumably on Mount Zion). Alternatively, we can choose the broad road which takes us down to the gulf of filthy water and then to the great and spacious building, which stands upon no foundation at all. It's powerful imagery.

Being led to Zion along the covenant path leads us to this promise:

...I am Messiah, the King of Zion, the Rock of Heaven, which is broad as eternity; whoso cometh in at the gate and climbeth up by me shall never fall; wherefore, blessed are they of whom I have spoken, for they shall come forth with songs of everlasting joy. (Moses 7:53)

Nephite splinter groups and Book of Mormon wars

A few years ago I started making an overview of all the wars in the Book of Mormon: When they occurred, who was involved, how it was initiated, etc. It was a bit difficult since there are so few details sometimes, like Enos just saying that "I saw wars between the Nephites and Lamanites in the course of my days." (Enos 1:24). I don't know exactly what I expected to get out of it, I just thought it could be interesting. Although I didn't really finish it, I made at least one observation that I thought was interesting: Every single war during the reign of the judges until the coming of Christ (Alma, Helaman, 3 Nephi up to chapter 11) is initiated by Nephite dissenters and never the Lamanites. And these are a lot of wars too. Here is an overview:

87 B.C. - Amlici wants to be king, the Nephites vote against him, he gets mad and mixes goes to the Lamanites along with his followers. They go to war against the Nephites. See Alma 2.

81 B.C. - The Sons of Mosiah had been preaching among the Lamanites and had much success. Many Lamanites converted but none of the Nephite dissenters among them (Amalicites and Amulonites) except for one. Instead they stirred up the others that had not converted to anger against the converts and later the Nephites and went to war against them. See Alma 16 and 28.

74 B.C. - In the aftermath of the Zoramite mission, those who believe are cast out and those who don't believe are mad at the Nephites for giving them refuge and land. They mix with the Lamanites and go to war. See Alma 43-44.

73-57 B.C. - Amalickiah is another one who seeks to become king. When it doesn't work he goes to the Lamanites and eventually even becomes their king. But he is not happy with that and goes to war against the Nephites. There is at least one period of peace in-between, but all the wars going on in this period are initiated by Amalickiah and perpetuated by his brother, Ammaron, when he dies. This is a long one and is covered in Alma 46-62.

52 B.C. - We get little information about this one but enough to know that it is caused by Nephite dissenters stirring up the Lamanites to anger. See Alma 63:14-15

50 B.C. - We don't know much about the background for this war, just that the Lamanites came. But we learn that their armies were led by someone called Coriantumr who was a Nephite dissenter and that the king stirred them up. The Lamanite king at the time was Ammaron's son and Amalickiah's nephew, i.e. a Nephite by birth. See Helaman 1:14-34

38-30 B.C. - History repeats itself. Nephite dissenters go to the Lamanites, and manage after some persuation to stir them up to anger against the Nephites and go to war. They capture a lot of Nephite land, but give it back after a lot of them convert through miraculous events. See Helaman 4-5.

15-16 A.D. - This is the longest period without wars between Nephites and Lamanites in the reign of judges. But there has been much unrest at times and the Gadianton robbers have been established and have taken over much of the government and caused murders and plundering. It is hard to pinpoint a war in this period until 15-16 A.D. where more of a battle is described between the Nephites and the Gadianton robbers. Not surprisingly, the Gadianton robbers originate from Nephites. See 3 Nephi 2:17-18.

19-22 A.D. - Another battle with the Gadianton robbers. At this point, the terms "Nephite" and "Lamanite" seem to have little to do with who their forefathers were. "And it came to pass that those Lamanites who had united with the Nephites were numbered among the Nephites" (3 Nephi 2:14). Considering all the Nephite dissenters who have joined the Lamanites before this, a genetic test would probably fail to determine who is who. See 3 Nephi 4. 

Depending on how we count, we have about 9 distinct wars in this period of judges. Every single one is initiated by people who were Nephites by birth. In fact, at least in two of these accounts, there were Lamanites who refused to go to war and had to be persuaded by Nephite dissenters. See Alma 47:2 and Helaman 4:3.

I guess Mormon was right:

And thus we can plainly discern, that after a people have been once enlightened by the Spirit of God, and have had great knowledge of things pertaining to righteousness, and then have fallen away into sin and transgression, they become more hardened, and thus their state becomes worse than though they had never known these things. (Alma 24:30)

Fasting in the Book of Mormon -- Part 1

Reading a passage in the Book of Mormon about fasting, I had this idea to explore further how fasting was practiced among the Nephites and how it might compare with the Old Testament. That led me to this article that has explored the subject in the Old Testament. The article is rather long and I didn't even read all of it. But it lists five reasons for fasting in the Old Testament and provides some examples for each. I thought it could be interesting to find the Book of Mormon passages mentioning fasting and compare with these reasons and examples from the Old Testament.

Here they are

1. Fasting as a sign of grief or mourning, 
2. as a sign of repentance and seeking forgiveness for sin,
3. as an aid in prayer,
4. as an experience of the presence of God that results in the endorsement of his messenger, and
5. as an act of ceremonial public worship.

I will make a five-part series and kick this off with "fasting as a sign of grief and mourning". As for this aspect, the linked article states

When tragic events struck in ancient biblical communities, fasting was often an expected response. When the Israelites lost a battle to the Philistines, “all the people went up and came to Bethel and wept; thus they remained there before the LORD and fasted that day until evening” (Judg 20:26, NASB). When David and his men heard of the death of Saul and the loss of the battle, they tore their clothes, “They lamented and wept and fasted until evening because Saul, his son Jonathan, the Lord’s people, and the house of Israel had fallen by the sword.” (2 Sam 1:12)

It doesn't necessarily have to be death. Sorrow and suffering, drought and locust plagues are also mentioned. But it is particularly for these two examples in the above quote that we find parallels in the Book of Mormon.

Alma 28:5-6

5 Yea, the cry of widows mourning for their husbands, and also of fathers mourning for their sons, and the daughter for the brother, yea, the brother for the father; and thus the cry of mourning was heard among all of them, mourning for their kindred who had been slain.

6 And now surely this was a sorrowful day; yea, a time of solemnity, and a time of much fasting and prayer.

This is after a major battle with many losses resulting in fasting, similar to the example with the Israelites and the Philistines. After these verses, Mormon interrupts the narrative with some "thus we see" statements and Alma's expressed desire to be an angel. When he returns to the narrative in chapter 30, the fasting is brought up again

Now their dead were not numbered because of the greatness of their numbers; neither were the dead of the Nephites numbered—but it came to pass after they had buried their dead, and also after the days of fasting, and mourning, and prayer, (and it was in the sixteenth year of the reign of the judges over the people of Nephi) there began to be continual peace throughout all the land.

I find the expression, "the days of fasting and mourning" particularly interesting. According to Jewish custom, there is a specific mourning period, or rather periods, that last for a given number of days. The shiva that lasts for 7 days, the sheloshim that lasts for 30 days and the aveilut that lasts for 11 months, each with certain restrictions and obligations.

Another example is Helaman 9:10

And it came to pass that on the morrow the people did assemble themselves together to mourn and to fast, at the burial of the great chief judge who had been slain.

Again we see similarities to one of the Old Testament examples quoted above. Just as the people mourned Saul's death and fasted, so the Book of Mormon people mourned and fasted when the chief judge had died.

Devilish Details in the Book of Mormon -- Part 3

Part 3
Description of the devil or those who follow him:

The series continues, today we'll look at words that describe the devil and those who follow him.  The first number is how many times the word (or related variants) show up in the Book of Mormon text.  The second number is how many times the words shows up in the same sentence with "devil."

evil -- 114, 13

4 And if their works are evil they shall be restored unto them for evil. Therefore, all things shall be restored to their proper order, every thing to its natural frame—mortality raised to immortality, corruption to incorruption—raised to endless happiness to inherit the kingdom of God, or to endless misery to inherit the kingdom of the devil, the one on one hand, the other on the other—
5 The one raised to happiness according to his desires of happiness, or good according to his desires of good; and the other to evil according to his desires of evil; for as he has desired to do evil all the day long even so shall he have his reward of evil when the night cometh. (Alma 41)

carnal -- 19, 5

3 For they are carnal and devilish, and the devil has power over them; yea, even that old serpent that did beguile our first parents, which was the cause of their fall; which was the cause of all mankind becoming carnal, sensual, devilish, knowing evil from good, subjecting themselves to the devil. (Mosiah 16)

sensual -- 2, 2

10 Therefore, as they had become carnal, sensual, and devilish, by nature, this probationary state became a state for them to prepare; it became a preparatory state. (Alma 42)

sin -- 280, 5

13 And thus we see how great the inequality of man is because of sin and transgression, and the power of the devil, which comes by the cunning plans which he hath devised to ensnare the hearts of men. (Alma 28)

rebellion* -- 52, 1

5 But remember that he that persists in his own carnal nature, and goes on in the ways of sin and rebellion against God, remaineth in his fallen state and the devil hath all power over him. Therefore he is as though there was no redemption made, being an enemy to God; and also is the devil an enemy to God. (Mosiah 16)

angry* -- 166, 1 (2 Nephi 33:5)

5 And it speaketh harshly against sin, according to the plainness of the truth; wherefore, no man will be angry at the words which I have written save he shall be of the spirit of the devil. (2 Nephi 33)

Devilish Details in the Book of Mormon -- Part 2

The devil is a very common topic in the Book of Mormon.  In yesterday's post, we looked at names for the devil used in the Book of Mormon.  Today's list contains words that describe Satan's tactics.

Part 2
Description of the devil's ways:



lie -- 41, 7

42 Behold, I know that thou believest, but thou art possessed with a lying spirit, and ye have put off the Spirit of God that it may have no place in you; but the devil has power over you, and he doth carry you about, working devices that he may destroy the children of God. (Alma 30)

subtle -- 3, 1

4 And thou seest that we know that thy plan was a very subtle plan, as to the subtlety of the devil, for to lie and to deceive this people that thou mightest set them against us, to revile us and to cast us out-- (Alma 12)

cunning -- 22, 2

29 Yea, we see that whosoever will may lay hold upon the word of God, which is quick and powerful, which shall divide asunder all the cunning and the snares and the wiles of the devil, and lead the man of Christ in a strait and narrow course across that everlasting gulf of misery which is prepared to engulf the wicked—
30 And land their souls, yea, their immortal souls, at the right hand of God in the kingdom of heaven, to sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and with Jacob, and with all our holy fathers, to go no more out. (Helaman 3)

10 But behold, the life of my servant shall be in my hand; therefore they shall not hurt him, although he shall be marred because of them. Yet I will heal him, for I will show unto them that my wisdom is greater than the cunning of the devil. (3 Nephi 21)

deceive -- 14, 1

18 And he spake plainly unto them, that he had been deceived by the power of the devil. And he spake of hell, and of eternity, and of eternal punishment. (Jacob 7)

flattery* -- 21, 2

22 And behold, others he flattereth away, and telleth them there is no hell; and he saith unto them: I am no devil, for there is none—and thus he whispereth in their ears, until he grasps them with his awful chains, from whence there is no deliverance. (2 Nephi 28)

device* -- 4, 2

42 Behold, I know that thou believest, but thou art possessed with a lying spirit, and ye have put off the Spirit of God that it may have no place in you; but the devil has power over you, and he doth carry you about, working devices that he may destroy the children of God. (Alma 30)

snare* -- 12, 1

13 And thus we see how great the inequality of man is because of sin and transgression, and the power of the devil, which comes by the cunning plans which he hath devised to ensnare the hearts of men. (Alma 28)

"Cunning" in the Book of Mormon

In light of the Hebrew connection between "naked" and "shrewd" or "cunning" in the word arum, I decided to look at how the word cunning is used in the Book of Mormon.

First, a little background on the word itself and what it meant at the time of the publication of the Book of Mormon.  Webster's 1828 dictionary is helpful, offering us two definitions -- "skillful" and curious/ingenious" which are "quite obsolete." We then get three more definitions which are apparently more contemporary: "Shrewd," "deceitful," and "assumed with subtilty."

The word cunning appears 23 times in the Book of Mormon, in the following contexts:

1 Nephi 16:38 -- Laman and Lemuel murmur against their father and accuse him of "work[ing]
many things by his cunning arts"

2 Nephi 9:28, 37 -- 28 O that cunning plan of the evil one! O the vainness, and the frailties, and the foolishness of men! When they are learned they think they are wise, and they hearken not unto the counsel of God, for they set it aside, supposing they know of themselves, wherefore, their wisdom is foolishness and it profiteth them not. And they shall perish. ... 39 O, my beloved brethren, remember the awfulness in transgressing against that Holy God, and also the awfulness of yielding to the enticings of that cunning one. Remember, to be carnally-minded is death, and to be spiritually-minded is life eternal.
2 Nephi 13 -- [quoting Isaiah] "the cunning artificer"

Mosiah 7:21 -- King Zeniff was "deceived by the cunning and craftiness of king Laman"

Mosiah 9:10 -- King Laman was "cunning" and crafty and brought the people of Zeniff into bondage.

Mosiah 10:18 -- King Laman deceived the Nephites "by his cunning, and lying craftiness."

Mosiah 24:7 (x2) -- The Lamanites began to be a "cunning and a wise people, as to the wisdom of the world, yea, a cunning people, delighting in all manner of wickedness."

Alma 2:1-2 (x2) -- Amlici was a "very cunning man, yea, a wise man as to the wisdom of the world." He drew people away "by his cunning."

Alma 10:13 -- "cunning devices" designed to catch someone in their words and have them cast into prison or slain as a result.

Alma 20:13 -- Lamoni senior chastises Lamoni junior for associating with the Nephite missionaries and accuses them of attempting to deceive them "by their cunning."

Alma 28:13 -- 13 And thus we see how great the inequality of man is because of sin and transgression, and the power of the devil, which comes by the cunning plans which he hath devised to ensnare the hearts of men.

Alma 44:9 -- Zarahemnah claims it is the Nephites' cunning and not their faith that delivered them.

Alma 46:10/47:35 -- Amalickiah "was a man of cunning device and a man of many flattering words," and obtained the Lamanite kingdom "by the assistance of his cunning servants."

Alma 51:27 -- The Lamanites obtained cities by the "cunning" of Amalickiah.

Helaman 3:29-30 -- 29 Yea, we see that whosoever will may lay hold upon the word of God, which is quick and powerful, which shall divide asunder all the cunning and the snares and the wiles of the devil, and lead the man of Christ in a strait and narrow course across that everlasting gulf of misery which is prepared to engulf the wicked—30 And land their souls, yea, their immortal souls, at the right hand of God in the kingdom of heaven, to sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and with Jacob, and with all our holy fathers, to go no more out.

Helaman 16:21 -- the people suppose that believing in the prophecies of Christ will bring the into servitude "by the cunning and the mysterious arts of the evil one."

3 Nephi 21 -- 9 For in that day, for my sake shall the Father work a work, which shall be a great and a marvelous work among them; and there shall be among them those who will not believe it, although a man shall declare it unto them. 10 But behold, the life of my servant shall be in my hand; therefore they shall not hurt him, although he shall be marred because of them. Yet I will heal him, for I will show unto them that my wisdom is greater than the cunning of the devil.

Ether 8:2 -- Jared flattered many people "because of his cunning words" to gain half of the kingdom.

Ether 13:16 -- Coriantumr had studied "in all the arts of war and cunning of the world."

The usage of this word seems to fall into three categories, both negative: (1) crafty, deceptive individuals are described as "cunning" and use their skills for their own selfish purposes. (2) Righteous people/efforts are mischaracterized as attempt to decieve by cunning.
(3) Satan's tactics are described as "cunning" and meant to bind us and subject us to misery and endless woe.