Helaman 9

Helaman 9:4 They Were Astonished, Insomuch That They Fell to the Earth:

Hugh Nibley notes that following the prophecy of Nephi, the men ran to the judgment-seat, and sure enough, “the chief judge had fallen to the earth, and did lie in his blood” (Helaman 9:3). Then it says that “when [the men} saw this they were astonished exceedingly, insomuch that they fell to the earth . . . (Helaman 9:4)

Now this falling to earth is a thing to notice in the Book of Mormon. Every time you’re afraid do you fall flat on your face? Does fear have that effect on you? I’ve remained standing when I’ve been scared stiff. How come these people all fall down when they’re afraid? Well, this is routine. They have to do this particular thing. This is a very interesting arrangement we have here–what the Egyptians call sh t3, your nose on the ground. Remember, [they lived] in a religious world, a sacral state. And it’s true that we’re surrounded with these powers, these marvelous things around us all the time. They’re real. So if something unexpected absolutely bowls you over, what happens? You’re in the presence of some great or divine influence. You don’t know whether it’s good or bad, but you know it’s powerful. It’s more powerful than you are, so what do you do? You play safe. You take the position of complete submission. You fall on your face, and it becomes quite automatic. Women, children–everybody does it, because in the presence of someone who can smite you or anything else, that’s a defensive position. You go flat on your face and you stay there until it’s safe for you to move, until everything is in order. ¹

Helaman 9:10 The People Did Assemble . . . to Mourn and to Fast at the Burial of the Great Chief Judge:

Apparently it was the custom of the Nephites to “assemble . . . to mourn and to fast at the burial of the chief judge” (Helaman 9:10). Bishop Diego DeLanda, a sixteenth century Mesoamerican historian, says of the Mayas:

“But when in time they came to die, it was indeed a thing to see the sorrow and the cries which they made for their dead, and the great grief it caused them. During the day they wept for them in silence; and at night with loud and very sad cries, so that it was pitiful to hear them. And they passed many days in deep sorrow. They made their abstinences and fasts for the dead, especially the husband or wife; and they said that the devil had taken him away, since they thought that all evils came to them from him, and above all death. [Milton R. Hunter and Thomas Stuart Ferguson, Ancient America and The Book of Mormon, p. 327]

Helaman 9:10 The People Did Assemble Themselves Together to Mourn and to Fast, at the Burial of the Great Chief Judge:

According to Stephen Ricks, both the Bible and the Book of Mormon record instances of fasting as a sign of mourning following a death. After the defeat and death of Saul and his sons, the men of Jabesh Gilead fasted seven days (1 Samuel 31:13; 1 Chronicles 10:12), as did David and his companions (2 Samuel 1:12). Similarly, public fasting occurs in the Book of Mormon in conjunction with prayer and mourning after the murder of the chief judge Seezoram (Helaman 9:10). No specific reason is mentioned in the Book of Mormon for these prayers, but they may have been to obtain solace for the living rather than mercy for the dead. Individual fasting following a death is also attested in ancient Israel (2 Samuel 3:35).

The practice of fasting as a sign of mourning following a death appears to have been a customary feature of pre-exilic Israelite religion (cf. 1 Samuel 31:13; 2 Samuel 1:12; 3:35; 1 Chronicles 10:12). However, the practice is not recorded for the post-exilic period or in the New Testament. It is also of importance that fasting as a sign of mourning is recorded in the Book of Mormon only in pre-Easter passages (so Helaman 9:10), but never following the appearance of the risen Christ to the Nephites.²

Helaman 9:23 Seezoram:

Hugh Nibley notes that the judges name was “Seezoram” (Helaman 9:23) and we had a Zeezrom before. This is the Egyptian word zsr, a very popular name, founded the third dynasty of Egypt. The name means holy, sacred. Our word Deseret comes from that. The land of Egypt, “the holy land, the red land” is called Deseret. And, of course, the symbol of the lowland is the bee. This is the Deseret name, the Zeezrom name. It pops up throughout the Book of Mormon. ³

Helaman 9:38 He [Seantum] Was Brought to Prove That He Himself Was the Murderer:

According to John Welch, Seantum’s self-incriminating admission would normally not be admissible in a Jewish court of law. Under the Talmud, no man could be put to death on his own testimony, especially in a capital case. Nevertheless, there were four exceptions: [1] Aachan (see Joshua 7); [2] The man who admitted that he had killed Saul (see 2 Samuel 1:10-16); [3] The two assassins of Ishbosheth (see 2 Samuel 4:8-12); and [4] The voluntary confession of Micah (see Judges 17:1-4). These 4 exceptions gave rise to three conditions necessary to override to 2 witness rule: [1] The self incriminating confession would need to occur outside of court; [2] God’s will would need to be evidenced (prophecy, casting of lots, etc.); and [3] Physical evidence would need to be produced.

Seantum’s self-incriminating confession satisfied all three of these requirements precisely: [1] Seantum immediately confessed his guilt (out of court) [2] God’s will was manifest when Nephi prophesied to the people that Seantum would say specific things to the investigators when they said specific things and ask him specific questions, and [3] the investigators found blood on the skirts of Seantum’s cloak.

Given the complicated and important ancient legal issues, it is especially interesting that the Book of Mormon makes special note of the fact that Seantum was “brought to prove that he himself was the very murderer” (Helaman 9:38) ⁴