Helaman 14

Helaman 14:2-8 Five Years More Cometh (Prophecy of the Time of Christ’s Birth):

See the commentary on Alma 13:25

Helaman 14:3 In the Night before He Cometh There Shall Be No Darkness:

See the commentary on 3 Nephi 1:19

Helaman 14:5 There Shall a New Star Arise:

See the commentary on 3 Nephi 1:21

Helaman 14:12 Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Father of Heaven and of Earth, the Creator of All Things from the Beginning:

According to John Welch, the distinctive name spoken by the angel to King Benjamin identified the coming Messiah as “Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Father of heaven and of earth, the Creator of all things from the beginning” (Mosiah 3:8). Significantly, these exact words were used by Samuel the Lamanite at the center of his prophetic judgment speech, given from the walls of the city of Zarahemla . . . 116 years after Benjamin’s speech. Samuel declared that his intent was to preach “that ye might know of the coming of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Father of heaven and of earth, the Creator of all things from the beginning,” and believe on his name (Helaman 14:12). Although Samuel did not mention the name of Benjamin . . . this formulaic use of words from Benjamin’s speech provides strong evidence that these sacred words, introduced by Benjamin into the Nephite religious idiom, probably became standard confessional language among the believing generation that succeeded him. . . . On hearing these most sacred words repeated by Samuel, some of the Nephites in Zarahemla must have been struck to the core, recognizing them as the very words King Benjamin had spoken years before in the same city.¹

Helaman 14:12 Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Father of Heaven and Earth, the Creator . . .:

It is interesting that in addressing and warning the Nephites, Samuel uses a rather lengthy title for the Lord: “Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Father of heaven and earth, the Creator of all things from the beginning” (Helaman 14:12). This title appears only one other time in the Book of Mormon, in Mosiah 3:8. Remarkably, that verse is in the middle of King Benjamin’s words concerning what was made known unto him by an angel from God concerning the coming of Christ. Readers should take time here to review chapter 3 of Mosiah, for Samuel the Lamanite might be trying to get the people to remember that prophecy, and also the covenants that were made by the people at that time.²

Helaman 14:13 If Ye Believe . . . Repent:

According to Raymond Treat, the word “believe” is one of the most commonly used words in the Christian vocabulary. “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved” is frequently heard–“only believe.” It seems that no other action is required according to the way some use the word “believe.” However, Helaman 14:13 gives us a different definition: “And if ye believe on his name, ye will repent of all your sins, that thereby ye may have a remission of them through his merits.” According to this definition, if we do not repent of all our sins we cannot honestly say we believe. This verse adds a dimension to the word “believe” that goes far beyond the popular use of this word.³

Helaman 14:20 He Shall Suffer Death, for the Space of Three Days to the Time That He Shall Rise Again:

In Helaman 14:20, Samuel the Lamanite prophesies concerning the Lord’s death:

But behold, as I said unto you concerning another sign, a sign of his death, behold, in that day that he shall suffer death the sun shall be darkened and refuse to give his ⁴ light unto you; and also the moon and the stars; and there shall be no light upon the face of this land, even from the time that he shall suffer death, for the space of three days, to the time that he shall rise again from the death.

The concept of “the space of three days” seems to correlate with what is recorded in the Bible. According to John Pratt, on many occasions the Savior prophesied that he would rise on “the third day” from his death (see Matthew 16:21; 17:23; 20:19; Mark 9:31; 10:34; Luke 9:22; 13:32; 18:33), while at other times the phrase “after three days” or “in three days” was used (see Mark 8:31; Matthew 27:63; John 2:19). It is clear that these phrases were equivalent in meaning because they were used interchangeably. (Compare Mark 8:31 with 9:31 and 10:34; also Matthew 27:63 and 64). On one occasion the Savior stated that he would be “three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.” (Matthew 12:40) It is clear from many passages in the Old Testament and rabbinic literature that the Jews counted inclusively — that is, in counting three days after a Friday death, they would have counted Friday as the first day, Saturday as the second, and Sunday as the third. (See Luke 13:32-33; 24:7, 21, 45-48) Moreover according to Jewish custom, any part of a day was reckoned as an entire day (including the night); hence, part of Friday, all of Saturday, and part of Sunday would have been counted as three days and three nights. . . . Thus, it is proposed that the day of the Crucifixion was probably a Friday. ⁵

Helaman 14:20 There Shall Be No Light . . . For the Space of Three Days:

According to Glen A. Ricks, Dr. Bruce Warren’s articles in the Archaeological Digest (Volume II, issues II and III) and Dr. John Pratt’s articles from the June/July 1985 Ensign present a convincing rationale in favor of the Friday Crucifixion. However, the possibility that the Savior was crucified on Thursday might be deduced from the Book of Mormon verses describing the relationship between the death and resurrection (which occurred on Sunday). In Helaman 14:4 Samuel is explaining the sign that will be given at the Savior’s birth, wherein he says the light “shall be one day and a night and a day, as if it were one day and there were no night.” I interpret this to mean that Samuel defined the terms “day” and “night” like we use them today–“day” is a period of light and “night” is the period of darkness. In other words, Samuel did not interpret the term “day” like the Jews wherein a few hours could describe a 24-hour period of light and dark. In Helaman 14:21 we find that Samuel says, “at the time that he shall yield up the ghost there shall be thunderings and lightnings,” which can be interpreted to mean that the beginning of the great storm will coincide with the Savior’s death. Helaman 14:20 supports this by saying that “in that day that he shall suffer death the sun shall be darkened and refuse to give his light unto you.” But the key point is the last part of verse 20 wherein it states that “there shall be no light upon the face of this land, even from the time that he shall suffer death, for the space of three days, to the time that he shall rise again from the dead.” I believe this means that there were three periods of daylight (defined as “days” to the Nephites) that were darkened, and they coincided with the time that the Savior was in the grave. The time difference between Central America and Jerusalem is about 8 hours, and when the Savior died at about 3:00 p.m. in Jerusalem it was about 7:00 a.m. in Central America (the same day of the week). Thus the Nephites may have started to see the first light of the sky in the east when the great storm commenced. When the Savior arose early on Easter Sunday “while it was yet dark,” it would have been Saturday evening in Central America. Thus the volcanic clouds and CO2 could have dissipated Saturday night, allowing them to finally light their fires and observe the dawn Sunday morning. A Thursday death allows Thursday, Friday, and Saturday to be the three days (periods of light) darkened as prophesied by Samuel. I cannot figure a way to make a Friday death satisfy Samuel’s criteria of three days darkness if a “day” means the period that should have light and there was light in America on Sunday. Another point not expanded upon by Drs. Warren and Pratt is John 19:31:

The Jews therefore, because it was the preparation, that the bodies should not remain upon the cross on the sabbath day, (for that sabbath day was an high day) besought Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away.

It appears that the Brethren who reviewed and approved the LDS edition footnotes also favored the Thursday death date, as evidenced by footnote 31c :

Cp. Lev. 23:7; Ex. 12:16; Mark 15:42. Jesus arose on the first day of the week. The previous day was the weekly Sabbath. The day before the Sabbath, being also the day after the Passover meal, could be the ‘high’ day. (although it is noted that a key word is “could.”)

One last trivial point to pursue. I have always understood the Savior’s triumphal entry to be on Sunday (the day after the Sabbath or “Palm Sunday”). The texts that support a Friday crucifixion are at a loss for Wednesday’s activities, supposing that the Savior was “in seclusion in Bethany” or some other place. A Thursday death also allows documented activities for all of the days of the Savior’s last week. (It is noted that Dr. Pratt lists the triumphal entry on Monday, which fills the entire week’s activities and supports the Friday death date. Also, a day of solitude is not an unreasonable activity for the last week of the Savior’s life.) ⁶

Helaman 14:20 From the Time That He Shall Suffer Death, for the Space of Three Days, to the Time That He Shall Rise Again from the Dead:

According to Verneil Simmons, if Jesus died on the cross at midafternoon in Jerusalem, as recorded in the Gospels, and we allow for the eight [or nine] hours difference in time for this hemisphere, the hour of his death would have been 7:00 a.m. [or 6:00 a.m.] in Zarahemla. Samuel had said the darkness would last from the moment of His death until He arose three days later. This would require darkness for all of Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, with light returning on Sunday morning.⁷

Helaman 14:21-22 The Rocks . . . Shall Ever After Be Found in Seams and in Cracks, and in Broken Fragments:

Samuel the Lamanite foretold a great cataclysm on the American continent 38 years in advance of the event. Samuel prophesied:

Yea, at the time that he shall yield up the ghost there shall be thunderings and lightnings. . . and the earth shall shake and tremble. And the rocks which are upon the face of this earth . . . shall be broken up. Yea, they shall be rent in twain, and shall ever after be found in seams and in cracks, and in broken fragments upon the face of the whole earth . . . (Helaman 14:21-22)

Comparing interestingly to this prophecy of Samuel the Lamanite are the words of Ralph L. Roys who toured the land of Yucatan in about 1940 and observed the following:

The remains of many ancient cities, already long deserted at the time of the conquest, are found in the region of Campeche, Yucatan, and Lundell suggests the possibility that these savannas are, in part at least, the result of soil exhaustion from excessive cultivation. In spite of the flatness of the northern plain, it is so broken by limestone reefs and depressions that it can be described only as choppy and there are great quantities of loose stone lying everywhere.

Further to this, considering the land of Guatemala we find the Spanish conqueror Pedro de Alvarado, in a letter to Cortes dated the 15th of October, 1522, expressing a lively frustration over the broken up state of the land, as follows: “This land is very full of gullies. There are gullies two hundred estados (about 1,000 feet) in depth, and on account of them, one cannot carry on war and punish these people as they deserve.” [Ammon O’Brien, Seeing beyond Today with Ancient America, p. 364]

Helaman 14:25 Many Saints Shall Appear unto Many:

In a future part of the text of the Book of Mormon, during the second day of his visit to the Nephites, the Lord will ask Nephi to bring forth the records which had been kept. He will remind Nephi he had commanded Samuel to testify that many would arise from the dead and appear to many at the time of his resurrection and will note this had not been recorded (3 Nephi 23:7-13). Accordingly, the missing scripture will be added to the record. According to Lynn Johnson, on the surface, this account seems straightforward enough. The Savior shows his concern that the scriptures be complete, and a prior omission is rectified. But what was omitted? Was it a record of the prophecy, or a record of the fulfillment of the prophecy? Two aspects of the structure of the text in the record of Samuel’s prophecy provide strong evidence that it was the prophecy that had been left out:

(1) First, the prophecy of the resurrection of the saints (Helaman 14:25) is out of chronological order in the reiteration of the events connected with the death of the Savior. It is placed in the midst of the description of the natural violence of that time, rather than after the darkness lifted, which is when it would have occurred. Indeed, McConkie and Millet point out the problem by noting, “The rise of many Saints from the graves was not, strictly speaking, a sign of his death, but rather took place at the time of the Lord’s resurrection.” Placing verse 25 after verse 27 would restore the proper order. The inconsistency can be explained by assuming that verse 25 was inserted years later in response to the Savior’s reminder. (see illustration)

(2) An even more compelling argument that the prophecy was inserted later lies in the literary structure of verses 20-27. Substantial portions of the recorded words of Samuel from the city wall are in an inverse parallel order known as chiasmus that pervades the Book of Mormon. Verse 25 disrupts the symmetry of a chiasm concerning the signs of the death of the Savior.

In light of the discussion above, we gain insight into the writing, abridging, and translation of the Book of Mormon. Among other things, we know Samuel did not write the record, for he jumped from the wall, fled, and was never seen again among the Nephites (Helaman 16:8). Moreover, he would not have omitted the prophecy. Whether the passage was spoken in chiastic form or not, whoever wrote the account took great pains to write it so, but he forgot the one prophecy. The younger Nephi did not rewrite the account, but simply wrote in the margin or between the lines. He probably was constrained by the availability of space on the plates. Even if he understood the literary structure of the passage, he may not have been able to find room to preserve it when inserting the missing scripture. Furthermore, this finding helps us understand how Mormon abridged the records in writing the Book of Mormon. In at least this case he obviously copied the corrected account verbatim into his abridgment for, if he had paraphrased or otherwise written the text himself, he could have balanced the passage quite simply as shown above. Mormon apparently was quite familiar with chiastic style, since much of his abridgment is so written, including the record of the dialogue in question (3 Nephi 23:6-14). Joseph Smith followed the original language in his translation, preserving the modified structure. Moreover, when he translated Helaman 14 he could not have yet known that the Savior would later direct Nephi to insert the missing scripture. Finally, it can be concluded that Helaman 14:20-27 was not the product of a single author of any age.⁸

Helaman 14:30  “Whoever perisheth, perisheth unto himself”:

I was studying Helaman 14 the other day and came across some intriguing words of Samuel the Lamanite.  In verse 30 he contrasts the willingness to serve others recorded in Mosiah 18:8-10 with the condition of destruction where “whoever perisheth, perisheth unto himself.”  I had never quite thought about the gift of true service to others as being such a sign regarding the spiritual condition of an individual.⁹