The breastplate and the Urim and Thummim

I just read Exodus 28:30

And thou shalt put in the breastplate of judgment the Urim and the Thummim; and they shall be upon Aaron’s heart, when he goeth in before the Lord: and Aaron shall bear the judgment of the children of Israel upon his heart before the Lord continually.

Aaron and his sons, the priests of the tabernacle, wore a breastplate in which they put the Urim and Thummim. Some scholars believe that there was some sort of pouch on the breastplate that could fit the two stones. We know that Joseph Smith also had a breastplate and a Urim and Thummim. According to his younger brother, William, the breastplate had a

pocket [that] was prepared in the [Nephite] breastplate on the left side, immediately over the heart. When not in use the [interpreters were] placed in this pocket, the rod being of just the right length to allow it to be so deposited.

Admittedly this is a late account. But if William remembers correctly, the similarities to Exodus and the way Aaron and his sons anciently used the breastplate and Urim and Thummim, are striking. More information on this topic is given in this article. What the article does not mention, is that Joseph Smith did not seem to know about the Urim and Thummim at the time when he translated the Book of Mormon. Otherwise, critics could claim that Joseph simply read Exodus 28:30 and imitated that as he fabricated a story (except the witnesses actually saw the breastplate and interpreters too). But Joseph Smith never once mentioned the Urim and Thummim before, during or shortly after the Book of Mormon translation. They are not mentioned in the Book of Mormon either. Joseph consistently referred to the stones as "the Nephite interpreters". In the Book of Mormon itself, they are described as "interpreters" (Mosiah 8:13), "two stones which were fastened into the two rims of a bow" (Mosiah 28:13) or simply "two stones" (Ether 3:23).

Not until 1833, the name Urim and Thummim starts being used. Someone, and it does not even seem to be Joseph Smith, made the connection between the Nephite interpreters and the ancient Urim and Thummim mentioned in the Bible. The earliest account that we have where this name is being used and this connection is being made is found in the January edition of the Evening and Morning Star

It was translated by the gift and power of God, by an unlearned man, through the aid of a pair of Interpreters, or spectacles-(known, perhaps, in ancient days as Teraphim, or Urim and Thummim)

This was written by W. W. Phelps. The "perhaps" seems to indicate personal speculation rather than information from Joseph Smith. But this seemed to gain traction since numerous accounts after this use "Urim and Thummim" as names for both the Nephite Interpreters and Joseph Smith's seer stone. I don't know how critics would explain the fact that the Nephite Interpreters seem to be carrying on an ancient Israelite tradition and knowledge of the Urim and Thummim. Joseph just copying the Bible does not hold up to scrutiny, unless we believe that he purposely did not say anything and hoped that someone else like W.W.Phelps would make the connection later on. Seems far fetched to me.

Another parallel between the word of God and the covenant people

14 And it shall come to pass that my people, which are of the house of Israel, shall be gathered home unto the lands of their possessions; and my word also shall be gathered in one. And I will show unto them that fight against my word and against my people, who are of the house of Israel, that I am God, and that I covenanted with Abraham that I would remember his seed forever. (2 Nephi 29)

Writing about the miraculous preservation of a remnant of Joseph of Egypt's coat (see here) got me thinking about the verse above.

The preservation of the coat is a symbol of both the promises made by God about His seed and also about His word. Both would be miraculously preserved by the hand of God until the day comes when they shall be gathered in one. We live in the day when that has begun. The covenant people are the ones who make sacred promises to live by the word of God. Both are miraculously preserved by the Word of God, who came into the world to be a light unto it.

12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name (John 1)

In this post, I will review some of the key verses which detail how these promises are written about in the Book of Mormon.

The Words of Jacob/Israel

Here are the words of Jacob as quoted by Moroni as he rallied an army (by covenant) to defend the liberty of the Nephites:

24 Yea, let us preserve our liberty as a remnant of Joseph; yea, let us remember the words of Jacob, before his death, for behold, he saw that a part of the remnant of the coat of Joseph was preserved and had not decayed. And he said—Even as this remnant of garment of my son hath been preserved, so shall a remnant of the seed of my son be preserved by the hand of God, and be taken unto himself, while the remainder of the seed of Joseph shall perish, even as the remnant of his garment.

25 Now behold, this giveth my soul sorrow; nevertheless, my soul hath joy in my son, because of that part of his seed which shall be taken unto God.

26 Now behold, this was the language of Jacob. (Alma 46)

(The phrase "taken unto himself" in red is interesting and related, but outside the scope of this post, It will be the subject of a post in the next few days.)

Notice how Israel describes the remnant: "preserved and not decayed." He prophesies that the same will happen to a remnant of his son's seed.  What will make the difference between decaying and being preserved?  The word of God, of course. Having it and "keeping" it. In a magnificent and directly relevant sermon to his son Joseph, Lehi teaches this very clearly:

23 Wherefore, because of this covenant thou art blessed; for thy seed shall not be destroyed, for they shall hearken unto the words of the book. (2 Nephi 3)

As I read the words of Joseph of Egypt in Alma 46, I was immediately reminded of two key phrases in the Book of Mormon which revolve around the same theme, which equally apply to the people of God and the word of God and which have been the subject of several previous posts:

• "Kept and Preserved" (see this post)
• "Retain their Brightness" (see this post)

"Kept and Preserved"

Summarizing from the post linked above, we find various contexts in which the phrase "kept and preserved" appears in the Book of Mormon:

• the plates of brass (see Mosiah 1:3-5, Mosiah 28:11, Alma 37:3-4 and 14)
• the plates of Nephi (see 2 Nephi 25:21, Mosiah 28:11)
• righteous leaders (see Mosiah 2:11)
• God's people (see Omni 1:6, Mosiah 2:20, Mosiah 7:20, Alma 9:22, Alma 44:4)
• the Urim and Thummim (Mosiah 28:14)

The express purpose of the word of God is to bring about covenants (see 1 Nephi 13:40-41), thereby creating a covenant people.  Keep in mind that the word of God goes far beyond the written word.  It includes all that is necessary to walk to the tree of life.

"Retain their brightness"

Another phrase/symbol that can be applied to the word of God and the people of God is the concept of brightness. 

• Nephi's brother Jacob knew the things which were written upon plates "must remain" (Jacob 4:1), whereas anything written "upon anything save it be upon plates must perish and vanish away."
• Lehi, upon receiving the plates of brass, states: "these plates of brass should never perish; neither should they be dimmed any more by time." (1 Nephi 5:19)
• King Benjamin says this about the words he was commanded to deliver to his people by an angel: "They shall stand as a bright testimony against this people, at the judgment day" (Mosiah 3:24)
• Alma-2 tells his son Helaman that "if they are kept they must retain their brightness; yea, and they will retain their brightness; yea, and also shall all the plates which do contain that which is holy writ." (Alma 37:5)

Conclusion

This promise given by God to the ancient patriarchs underscores the intimate connection between God's covenant people and His word.  The connection between covenant-making and the scriptures is emphasized in our modern temples, too, in several important ways. I'll close this post with a prophecy of Joseph in Egypt about a Latter-day Joseph who restore this everlasting covenant to the earth and begin the final gathering of Israel:

7 Yea, Joseph truly said: Thus saith the Lord unto me: A choice seer will I raise up out of the fruit of thy loins; and he shall be esteemed highly among the fruit of thy loins. And unto him will I give commandment that he shall do a work for the fruit of thy loins, his brethren, which shall be of great worth unto them, even to the bringing of them to the knowledge of the covenants which I have made with thy fathers. (2 Nephi 3)

"Kept and preserved"

One of the many beautiful symbols of God's work is that of gathering.  It's a concept that President Nelson recently acknowledged studying throughout his time as an Apostle.

I love the concept, too.  There is so much to learn about it, and so many deep related concepts.

One of these is that in the latter days, the word of God will be gathered in order to gather Israel.  Stisa has posted about this on several occasions, most notably here. 

The angel's words to Nephi sum up the purpose of the gathering of the word. The records "shall make known to all kindreds, tongues, and people, that the Lamb of God is the Son of the Eternal Father, and the Savior of the world; and that all men must come unto him, or they cannot be saved. And they must come according to the words which shall be established by the mouth of the Lamb..." (1 Nephi 13:40-41)

Kept and preserved

If the purpose of the records is to bring about the grand latter-day gathering of Israel, then it's no wonder they must be preserved for that purpose. 

I was reminded of this beautiful doctrine as I studied the phrase "kept and preserved" in the Book of Mormon.  Notice what is explicitly described as having been "kept and preserved" by the Lord:

• the plates of brass (see Mosiah 1:3-5, Mosiah 28:11, Alma 37:3-4 and 14)
• the plates of Nephi (see 2 Nephi 25:21, Mosiah 28:11)
• righteous leaders (see Mosiah 2:11)
• God's people (see Omni 1:6, Mosiah 2:20, Mosiah 7:20, Alma 9:22, Alma 44:4)
• the Urim and Thummim (Mosiah 28:14)

We could lump these into two big categories:  God's people and God's word (including the records, the seers, and the instruments given to seers).

The missionary companions of the Sons of Mosiah

The mission of the Sons of Mosiah among the Lamanites might be my favorite story in the Book of Mormon. We talk about the Sons of Mosiah a lot and tend to forget that they were not alone. In Alma 17:8 we read about the beginning of their mission

And thus they departed into the wilderness with their numbers which they had selected, to go up to the land of Nephi, to preach the word of God unto the Lamanites.

This is another example of an internally consistent reference. Compare with Mosiah 28:1

Now it came to pass that after the sons of Mosiah had done all these things, they took a small number with them and returned to their father, the king, and desired of him that he would grant unto them that they might, with these whom they had selected, go up to the land of Nephi that they might preach the things which they had heard, and that they might impart the word of God to their brethren, the Lamanites

So the Sons of Mosiah did not go on a mission alone. Later, we even learn some of their names. In Alma 21:11, we read about Muloki, Ammah and "his brethren".

Similarly, we tend to think of a group of 5 going around to destroy the church and being stopped by an angel: Alma + the 4 Sons of Mosiah. A careful reading of Mosiah 27:32, 34 suggests otherwise.

And now it came to pass that Alma began from this time forward to teach the people, and those who were with Alma at the time the angel appeared unto them...And four of them were the sons of Mosiah.

It seems that Book of Mormon authors often focus on certain people that are important for the narrative and leave out the rest. It may just be the custom or culture. Another example is Nephi mentioning his sisters once in passing in 2 Nephi 5:6. If he had not done that, many would be inclined to believe that he had no sisters.

This is one reason why I don't find it unlikely that the group who left Jerusalem was larger than we think. For instance that Lehi had a household with servants who came along. Or they encountered people on the way. Or they met and even mixed with other people after they arrived in America. But the Book of Mormon is just very focused on certain people that have a certain role to play in the way the history is related to achieve the real purpose of the book.

"Quaking" and "trembling" in the Book of Mormon

I've looked up as many references to "quaking" and "trembling" as I can find in the Book of Mormon, and I saw an interesting pattern.

Both terms arise most often in the following contexts:

1. A person quakes/trembles as a result of a spiritual or visionary experience.
2. The earth quakes/trembles during a miraculous event.

This theme is a variant of the concept of dust, and also relates to the creation-covenant connection.  Our mortal bodies are formed of the dust and are subject to the Creator's purposes. Below you'll find a few examples of each context.

Quaking/trembling as a result of a spiritual or visionary experience.

1 Nephi 1:6 -- Lehi "quake[s] and tremble[s] exceedingly" because of the things he saw and heard.
3 Nephi 11:3 -- "notwithstanding it being a small voice it did pierce them that did hear to the center, insomuch that there was no part of their frame that it did not cause to quake;"
Mosiah 28:3-4 -- "yea, even the very thoughts that any soul should endure endless torment did cause them to quake and tremble. And thus did the Spirit of the Lord work upon them..."

The Quaking and Trembling of the Earth

Alma 36:7 -- "7 And behold, he spake unto us, as it were the voice of thunder, and the whole earth did tremble beneath our feet; and we all fell to the earth, for the fear of the Lord came upon us."

Helaman 12:8-9 -- "For behold, the dust of the earth moveth hither and thither, to the dividing asunder, at the command of our great and everlasting God. Yea, behold at his voice do the hills and the mountains tremble and quake."

Two additional points:

1) Both of these contexts have very clear precedents in the story of Enoch in the Book of Moses:

47 And as Enoch spake forth the words of God, the people trembled, and could not stand in his presence. (Moses 6)

13 ...so great was the faith of Enoch that he led the people of God, and their enemies came to battle against them; and he spake the word of the Lord, and the earth trembled... (Moses 7)

2) The Doctrine and Covenants uses these terms in the same context quite extensively:

6 Yea, thus saith the still small voice, which whispereth through and pierceth all things, and often times it maketh my bones to quake while it maketh manifest... (D&C 85)

23 Wherefore, be not deceived, but continue in steadfastness, looking forth for the heavens to be shaken, and the earth to tremble and to reel to and fro as a drunken man, and for the valleys to be exalted, and for the mountains to be made low, and for the rough places to become smooth—and all this when the angel shall sound his trumpet. (D&C 49)

The welfare of our souls

In a secular society, well-being or welfare is largely defined by the fulfillment of physical or temporal needs. Also for Christians, to feed the hungy, clothe the naked, etc. has always been an important part of discipleship and is brought up in several Book of Mormon passages like Alma 34:28, Mosiah 4:14-26 and Jacob 2:19. Yet it seems that the Book of Mormon in general is even more concerned about our spiritual well-being.

The word, "welfare" is found 20 times in the Book of Mormon. 7 of these is part of the expression, "welfare of your/their souls". There is also "your own eternal welfare", "welfare of Zion" and "welfare of the covenant people". The Book of Mormon is a frequent reminder to us of what is really "the most desirable above all things" and "the most joyous to the soul" (1 Nephi 11:22-23).

Another expression found 10 times in the Book of Mormon and nowhere in the Bible is "great worth". It is interesting to note the only time out of those 10 where this refers to something secular. It's in Alma 11:25 when Zeezrom is trying to trick Amulek into denying God by offering him "six onties, which are of great worth". Amulek doesn't fall for that because he knows of other things of greater worth that would be compromised if he denied God. The other 9 "great worth" expressions in the Book of Mormon refer the scriptures/prophecies/commandments/word of God or the marvelous work in the latter days

Some of my favorite examples of Book of Mormon prophets emphasizing what really is of greatest importance and their concern for the welfare of the souls of others:

2 Nephi 2:30

And I have none other object save it be the everlasting welfare of your souls.

1 Nephi 8:37

And he did exhort them then with all the feeling of a tender parent, that they would hearken to his words

 1 Nephi 15:25

Wherefore, I, Nephi, did exhort them to give heed unto the word of the Lord; yea, I did exhort them with all the energies of my soul, and with all the faculty which I possessed

Enos 1:9

I began to feel a desire for the welfare of my brethren, the Nephites; wherefore, I did pour out my whole soul unto God for them

2 Nephi 1:16

And I desire that ye should remember to observe the statutes and the judgments of the Lord; behold, this hath been the anxiety of my soul from the beginning.

2 Nephi 33:3

But I, Nephi, have written what I have written, and I esteem it as of great worth, and especially unto my people. For I pray continually for them by day, and mine eyes water my pillow by night, because of them

Mosiah 28:3

Now they were desirous that salvation should be declared to every creature, for they could not bear that any human soul should perish; yea, even the very thoughts that any soul should endure endless torment did cause them to quake and tremble.

...and so on. We need to worry about the right things and the Book of Mormon reminds us what those are.

Additional examples of repetitive resumption

Lord Wilmore explains the concept of repetitive resumption in this post. Here are some additional examples

1 Nephi 10:17 - 1 Nephi 11:1

17 And it came to pass after I, Nephi, having heard all the words of my father, concerning the things which he saw in a vision, and also the things which he spake by the power of the Holy Ghost, which power he received by faith on the Son of God—and the Son of God was the Messiah who should come—I, Nephi, was desirous also that I might see, and hear, and know of these things, by the power of the Holy Ghost, which is the gift of God unto all those who diligently seek him, as well in times of old as in the time that he should manifest himself unto the children of men.

18 For he is the same yesterday, today, and forever; and the way is prepared for all men from the foundation of the world, if it so be that they repent and come unto him.

19 For he that diligently seeketh shall find; and the mysteries of God shall be unfolded unto them, by the power of the Holy Ghost, as well in these times as in times of old, and as well in times of old as in times to come; wherefore, the course of the Lord is one eternal round.

20 Therefore remember, O man, for all thy doings thou shalt be brought into judgment.

21 Wherefore, if ye have sought to do wickedly in the days of your probation, then ye are found unclean before the judgment-seat of God; and no unclean thing can dwell with God; wherefore, ye must be cast off forever.

22 And the Holy Ghost giveth authority that I should speak these things, and deny them not.

1 For it came to pass after I had desired to know the things that my father had seen...

 Mosiah 28:17-20

17 Now after Mosiah had finished translating these records, behold, it gave an account of the people who were destroyed, from the time that they were destroyed back to the building of the great tower, at the time the Lord confounded the language of the people and they were scattered abroad upon the face of all the earth, yea, and even from that time back until the creation of Adam.

18 Now this account did cause the people of Mosiah to mourn exceedingly, yea, they were filled with sorrow; nevertheless it gave them much knowledge, in the which they did rejoice.

19 And this account shall be written hereafter; for behold, it is expedient that all people should know the things which are written in this account.

20 And now, as I said unto you, that after king Mosiah had done these things...

Helaman 14:14-20

14 And behold, again, another sign I give unto you, yea, a sign of his death.

15 For behold, he surely must die that salvation may come; yea, it behooveth him and becometh expedient that he dieth, to bring to pass the resurrection of the dead, that thereby men may be brought into the presence of the Lord.

16 Yea, behold, this death bringeth to pass the resurrection, and redeemeth all mankind from the first death—that spiritual death; for all mankind, by the fall of Adam being cut off from the presence of the Lord, are considered as dead, both as to things temporal and to things spiritual.

17 But behold, the resurrection of Christ redeemeth mankind, yea, even all mankind, and bringeth them back into the presence of the Lord.

18 Yea, and it bringeth to pass the condition of repentance, that whosoever repenteth the same is not hewn down and cast into the fire; but whosoever repenteth not is hewn down and cast into the fire; and there cometh upon them again a spiritual death, yea, a second death, for they are cut off again as to things pertaining to righteousness.

19 Therefore repent ye, repent ye, lest by knowing these things and not doing them ye shall suffer yourselves to come under condemnation, and ye are brought down unto this second death.

20 But behold, as I said unto you concerning another sign, a sign of his death...

Internal Consistency in Alma 19

There are many examples of internal consistency in the Book of Mormon, many of which draw little or no attention to themselves.

One such example is found in Alma 19.  A miraculous conversion of the Lamanite king is taking place, and in the process, the queen and Ammon are both overcome with the Spirit and fall to the earth.  Some men arrive and see the situation. The story continues:

22 Now, one of them, whose brother had been slain with the sword of Ammon, being exceedingly angry with Ammon, drew his sword and went forth that he might let it fall upon Ammon, to slay him; and as he lifted the sword to smite him, behold, he fell dead.
23 Now we see that Ammon could not be slain, for the Lord had said unto Mosiah, his father: I will spare him, and it shall be unto him according to thy faith—therefore, Mosiah trusted him unto the Lord. (Alma 19)

These two verses contain references to other parts of the Book of Mormon.  The passage highlighted in red refers to Alma 17:35-38, in which we learn that Ammon slays 6 men with his sling, but only slew one man -- the leader of the group -- with his sword. Thus, the man who tries to slay him in Alma 19 must have been the brother of the group's leader.

35 Therefore they did not fear Ammon, for they supposed that one of their men could slay him according to their pleasure, for they knew not that the Lord had promised Mosiah that he would deliver his sons out of their hands; neither did they know anything concerning the Lord; therefore they delighted in the destruction of their brethren; and for this cause they stood to scatter the flocks of the king.
36 But Ammon stood forth and began to cast stones at them with his sling; yea, with mighty power he did sling stones amongst them; and thus he slew a certain number of them insomuch that they began to be astonished at his power; nevertheless they were angry because of the slain of their brethren, and they were determined that he should fall; therefore, seeing that they could not hit him with their stones, they came forth with clubs to slay him.
37 But behold, every man that lifted his club to smite Ammon, he smote off their arms with his sword; for he did withstand their blows by smiting their arms with the edge of his sword, insomuch that they began to be astonished, and began to flee before him; yea, and they were not few in number; and he caused them to flee by the strength of his arm.
38 Now six of them had fallen by the sling, but he slew none save it were their leader with his sword; and he smote off as many of their arms as were lifted against him, and they were not a few. (Alma 19)

The yellow passage (as well as Alma 17:35) refers to the Lord's assurance to Mosiah:

6 And king Mosiah went and inquired of the Lord if he should let his sons go up among the Lamanites to preach the word.
7 And the Lord said unto Mosiah: Let them go up, for many shall believe on their words, and they shall have eternal life; and I will deliver thy sons out of the hands of the Lamanites.
8 And it came to pass that Mosiah granted that they might go and do according to their request. (Mosiah 28)

Keeping track of the timeline

Many posts have been written about the internal consistency of the Book of Mormon. Those who believe that a poor young farmer invented it and dictated it at record speed without notes or manuscript, would need to answer why he made it so complicated for himself. A collection of revelations of the type "thus saith the Lord" should do. But in addition to the theology, we get complex interwoven stories, about 200 personal names, a consistent geography with an additional 100 names, internal references and a timeline. Some examples of the latter are given in this post. We have seen some examples of long side stories resuming. Another one of those is the flashback to the Lamanite mission of the Sons of Mosiah. In Alma 16:21

thus ended the fourteenth year of the reign of the judges over the people of Nephi.

In the next chapter, Alma meets the sons of Mosiah. In 17:4

And they had been teaching the word of God for the space of fourteen years among the Lamanites

This is consistent with Mosiah 28, where the Sons of Mosiah leave on a mission to the Lamanites, right before the start of the reign of the judges in Mosiah 29, i.e. the first year. In Alma 17, when Alma meets his old friends, the flashback starts and we follow them on their mission to the Lamanites. This story is told over 10 chapters and in Alma 27, we get a second account of their meeting. After that, in Alma 28:7:

And thus endeth the fifteenth year of the reign of the judges over the people of Nephi

Since the fifteenth year ends after they meet and the fourteenth year ends before they meet, this is all consistent, but due to the flashback, these two are 12 chapters apart. In order to keep the timeline straight, the author needs to not only know what happened in previous chapters but when.

Some other examples:

Mosiah's reign

Mosiah 6:4: 

And Mosiah began to reign in his father’s stead. And he began to reign in the thirtieth year of his age, making in the whole, about four hundred and seventy-six years from the time that Lehi left Jerusalem

Then 33 years later in Mosiah 29:46

And it came to pass that Mosiah died also, in the thirty and third year of his reign, being sixty and three years old; making in the whole, five hundred and nine years from the time Lehi left Jerusalem

These are not numbers just thrown out there. Anything else in Mosiah 29 would make it inconsistent with Mosiah 6.

The reign of judges

The reign of judges started in Mosiah 29 and with it a new time reckoning. Mosiah 29:46:

making in the whole, five hundred and nine years from the time Lehi left Jerusalem

So the reign of the judges started 509 years after Lehi left Jerusalem. Then in 3 Nephi 1:1, 80 chapters later:

Now it came to pass that the ninety and first year [of the judges] had passed away and it was six hundred years from the time that Lehi left Jerusalem

509+91=600

Mormon's age

4 Nephi 1:48

when three hundred and twenty years had passed away, Ammaron, being constrained by the Holy Ghost, did hide up the records which were sacred

Mormon 1:2

about the time that Ammaron hid up the records unto the Lord, he came unto me, (I being about ten years of age…)

So Mormon was about 10 years old when 320 years had passed, and in Mormon 2:2

In my sixteenth year… 326 years had passed

And it adds up again. It always does. The Book of Mormon authors have been thorough with their time-keeping. Or was it just Joseph Smith making this up without notes or manuscript? Ummm, no!

Consistent Geography in the Book of Mormon

"Go up" and "go down"

A person travels "down" to Zarahemla and "up" to the Land of Nephi:

1. Omni 1:13 -- Mosiah lead the Nephites "down" into the land of Zarahemla.
2. Mosiah 7:2, 3, 4 -- King Mosiah allows 16 men to "go up" to the land of Lehi-Nephi.
3. Mosiah 8:2 -- King Limhi asks Ammon to tell his people everything that had happened since his grandfather Zeniff "went up" out of Zarahemla.
4. Mosiah 9:3 -- Zeniff leads a group and "go[es] up" from Zarahemla to possess the lands of the Nephites' first inheritance.
5. Mosiah 20:7, 9 -- The Lamanite king send his armies "up" to the Land of Nephi from the wilderness to attack Limhi's people.
6. Mosiah 28:1, 5, 6, 7, 9 -- The sons of Mosiah desire to "go up" to preach to the Lamanites.
7. Mosiah 29:3 -- The people wanted Aaron as their king but he had "gone up" to the land of Nephi.
8. Alma 17:8 -- The sons of Mosiah "go up" to the land of Nephi.
9. Alma 27:8-9 -- Ammon convinced the King of the Anti-Nephi-Lehis to "go down" to Zarahemla to escape persecution from other Lamanites.
10. Alma 47:1 -- Amalickiah the Nephite dissenter loses a battle then flees into the wilderness and then "went up" to the land of Nephi.
11. Alma 49:10 -- If the Lamanite king had "come down" out of the land of Nephi with his army, they might have attacked despite the fortifications.
12. Alma 57:28 -- Nephites lead Lamanite prisoners "down" to Zarahemla. (See also verses 15, 16, 29, and 30.)

There is a wilderness between Zarahemla and the Land of Nephi that is thick enough for a person to become lost.

1. Omni 1:12 -- Mosiah lead the Nephites into the wilderness out of the land of Nephi.
2. Mosiah 7:4-5 -- Ammon and a group of 16 men wander in the wilderness for 40 days trying to find the descendants of Zeniff.
3. Mosiah 8:7 -- King Limhi sent 43 of his people into the wilderness to find Zarahemla bu they got lost and found the land of Desolation instead. (This is also referenced in Mosiah 21:25).
4. Mosiah 9:3-4 -- Zeniff's group journeys into the wilderness to the lands of their first inheritance.
5. Mosiah 18:4, 34 -- Alma-1 hides from King Noah by hiding in the borders of the lands. He is warned of the Lord to hide and departs into the wilderness.
6. Mosiah 22:8, 11, 12, 13, 15, 16 -- Ammon and King Limhi's people sneak into the wilderness by night and escape to the land of Zarahemla. Lamanites pursue them but get lost in the wilderness (these armies end up finding Alma and his people (see Mosiah 23:30).
7. Mosiah 23:1, 3 -- Alma and his people flee the armies of king Noah into the wilderness (8 days' journey).
8. Mosiah 24:20, 24, 25 -- Alma and his people escape from bondage and travel 12 days' journey to Zarahemla.
9. Alma 16:1 -- The Lamanites come into the borders of the land of Zarahemla from the wilderness side and destroy Ammonihah.
10. Alma 17:7, 9 -- The sons of Mosiah took weapons to provide food for themselves while in the wilderness on their way to preach to the Lamanites.
11. Alma 27:14 -- Ammon and the Anti-Nephi-Lehis travel through the wilderness to get to Zarahemla.
12. Alma 47:1 -- Amalickiah the Nephite dissenter loses a battle then flees into the wilderness and then "went up" to the land of Nephi.

King Mosiah-2 as a seer

King Mosiah was a seer.  We learn this in Mosiah 8 from the first Ammon (not Mosiah's son) who visits the land of Nephi and meets King Limhi:

13 Now Ammon said unto him: I can assuredly tell thee, O king, of a man that can translate the records; for he has wherewith that he can look, and translate all records that are of ancient date; and it is a gift from God. And the things are called interpreters, and no man can look in them except he be commanded, lest he should look for that he ought not and he should perish. And whosoever is commanded to look in them, the same is called seer.
14 And behold, the king of the people who are in the land of Zarahemla is the man that is commanded to do these things, and who has this high gift from God.

In Mosiah 28:11-17, 20 chapters later, we find out that King Mosiah (near the end of his life) translates the records. A summary of the translation of these records becomes the Book of Ether (compiled by Moroni).  They are referred to several times prior to that, perhaps most notably in Alma 37 (see verse 21 for example).

In fact, an editorial promise to give an account of this record is found in verse 19:

19 And this account shall be written hereafter; for behold, it is expedient that all people should know the things which are written in this account.

Thus, the author of the book needs to remember to include this record in order to fulfill this promise. There are dozens of editorial promises in the Book of Mormon. The author of this book clearly had a lot of time and a lot of notes.