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Sam is a minor character in the early part of the Book of Mormon narrative. He is the third son of Lehi and the older brother of Nephi, the narrator of the Book of Mormon's first two books. Sam is almost always allied with Nephi in conflicts with their older brothers, Laman and Lemuel. In the later books of the Book of Mormon, Sam's descendants are combined with Nephi's descendants and simply called "Nephites." [1]
| Lehi | Sariah | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Laman | Lemuel | Sam | Nephi | Jacob | Joseph | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The Book of Mormon presents Sam as a Nephi's constant ally against their older brothers, Laman and Lemuel. When the original Lehite colony splits into Nephites and Lamanites, Sam and his family side with the Nephites. In their 1992 article "Seven Tribes, and Aspect of Lehi's Legacy," John L. Sorenson, John A. Tvedtnes, and John W. Welch point out that, while tribes of Nephites, Lamanites, and Lemuelites persist throughout the text, as do Jacobites and Josephites (Lehi's younger sons born in the desert), there are never Samites in the Book of Mormon, which Grant Hardy suggests could mean that Sam "only had daughters." [2]
In a 1996 article, Ken Haubrock notes the paucity of information that the Book of Mormon provides about Sam. "We have only the barest sketch of him as a person," laments Haubrock. "This would not seem out of the ordinary except when we realize that Sam was witness to early Nephite history. Almost every hardship and adventure that Lehi's family went through . . . [was] probably also experienced by Sam." [3] Haubrook also suggests that, by directing that Sam's posterity be combined with Nephi's, Lehi "implies that Nephi is receiving a double portion--just as his ancestor Joseph did through Ephraim and Manasseh--and that Sam and his decedents are to be the second half of that double portion." [3]
Sam is the only one of Nephi's brothers who partakes of the Tree of Life in Lehi's Dream sequence in 1 Nephi 8. [1] Grant Hardy identifies him as "an early believer in Nephi's revelations and a close ally." [2] Brant Gardner refers to him as "Nephi's first convert" and argues that Nephi and Sam represent the two gifts of the spirit identified in Doctrine and Covenants 46:13-14: "To some it is given by the Holy Ghost to know that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, and that he was crucified for the sins of the world. To others it is given to believe on their words." In this case, Nephi's gift was to receive "direct confirmation" of Lehi's vision of the Tree of Life, while Sam's gift was to hear and believe Nephi's testimony. "Both are gifts of the Spirit, and neither is superior to the other," Gardner concludes. "Both methods lead to the same end. Both Nephi and Sam remain faithful and follow their father. Sam receives the same blessing as Nephi." [4]
Writing in Understanding the Book of Mormon, Hardy suggests that Nephi flattens all of his brothers into collective characters who either help or hinder his own efforts. "The only time that Laman does anything independently is when he goes to Laban's house to ask for the plates," Hardy writes, "otherwise, he always speaks and acts in conjunction with Lemuel. Lemuel, in turn, never opposes Laman in any way, and never appears without Laman close by." Similarly, Nephi portrays Sam as "a rather passive ally of Nephi's in family dynamics-who is bland to the point of being nearly a nonentity." Hardy calls this "selective characterization" that Nephi likely uses as a narrative strategy "in order to sharpen the main conflict between himself and Laman and Lemuel." [5]
In most poetic and novelistic representations of the Book of Mormon, Sam is portrayed as Nephi's loyal sidekick with very little personality of his own—much as he is portrayed in the text of the Book of Mormon. However, several Latter-day Saint poets have described Sam in poetry. Mildred Tobler Hunt's poem "Sam Speaks," for example, portrays Sam's willingness to leave his beloved city of Jerusalem when his father and brother confirmed that it was God's will:
The Book of Helaman is one of the books that make up the Book of Mormon, a text held sacred by churches within the Latter Day Saint movement, including the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The book continues the history of the Nephites and the Lamanites from approximately 50 BC to 1 BC. It discusses political unrest among the Nephites and the formation of a group of secret dissenters called the Gadianton Robbers. Helaman, son of Helaman leads the Nephites for a time, and his sons Nephi and Lehi go on a successful mission to the Lamanites. When Nephi returns home, he correctly identifies the murderer of the chief judge using his prophetic powers, and sends a famine to the Nephite which lasts three years. After a digression from Mormon, the book of Helaman ends with Samuel the Lamanite's prophecy of the signs that will precede Christ's birth and death. Helaman deals with themes of external and internal conflict, hidden information, Nephite racism, and Mormon's views of history as deduced by his redaction of it.
The Book of Jarom is the fifth book in the Book of Mormon. According to the text it was written by Jarom, who was the son of Enos and a descendant of Jacob, the brother of the prophet Nephi.
The Book of Jacob: The Brother of Nephi, usually referred to as the Book of Jacob, is the third of fifteen books that make up the Book of Mormon, a sacred text within the Latter Day Saint movement.
The First Book of Nephi: His Reign and Ministry, usually referred to as First Nephi or 1 Nephi, is the first book of the Book of Mormon, the sacred text of churches within the Latter Day Saint Movement, and one of four books with the name Nephi. First Nephi tells the story of his family's escape from Jerusalem prior to the exile to Babylon, struggle to survive in the wilderness, build a ship and sail to the "promised land," commonly interpreted by Mormons as the Americas. The book is composed of two intermingled genres; one a historical narrative describing the events and conversations that occurred and the other a recounting of visions, sermons, poetry, and doctrinal discourses as shared by either Nephi or Lehi to members of the family.
The Second Book of Nephi, usually referred to as Second Nephi or 2 Nephi, is the second book of the Book of Mormon, the primary religious text of the Latter-day Saint Movement. Narrated by Nephi, son of Lehi, unlike the first Book of Nephi, 2 Nephi contains little history of the Nephite people and focuses predominately on visions and prophecies of Nephi himself and other prophets, particularly Isaiah.
The Lamanites are one of the four peoples described as having settled in the ancient Americas in the Book of Mormon, a sacred text of the Latter Day Saint movement. The Lamanites also play a role in the prophecies and revelations of the Doctrine and Covenants, another sacred text in the Latter Day Saint movement.
Nephi is one of the central figures described in the Book of Mormon. In the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, he is described as the son of Lehi, a prophet, and the founder of the Nephite people. He is also the author of the first two books of the Book of Mormon, First and Second Nephi.
In the Book of Mormon, Laman and Lemuel are the two eldest sons of Lehi and the older brothers of Sam, Nephi, Jacob, and Joseph. According to the text, they lived around 600 BC. They were notable for their rebellion against Lehi and Nephi, becoming the primary antagonists of the First and Second Books of Nephi. Their descendants became known as the Lamanites and Lemuelites, while the descendants of Nephi and their other brothers became the Nephites. Disputes over the proper order of succession fueled disputes between the two peoples over the course of the Book of Mormon's narrative.
Zarahemla is a land in the Book of Mormon that for much of the narrative functions as the capital of the Nephites, their political and religious center. Zarahemla has been the namesake of multiple communities in the United States, has been alluded to in literature that references Mormonism, and has been portrayed in artwork depicting Book of Mormon content.
According to the Book of Mormon, Sariah was the wife of Lehi, and the mother of Laman, Lemuel, Sam, and Nephi. She traveled with her husband from Jerusalem, into the wilderness, and eventually, across the ocean to the "promised land". She is noted for the story in First Nephi where she complains to Lehi for sending her sons back to Jerusalem thinking that they may have died. Once they return, Sariah testifies that her husband is truly a prophet. In Lehi's vision of the tree of life, Sariah chooses to eat the fruit representing God's love. She has two more sons, Jacob and Joseph, while traveling in the wilderness and almost dies of grief while crossing the ocean when Laman and Lemuel try to kill Nephi.
Laban is a figure in the First Book of Nephi, near the start of the Book of Mormon, a scripture of the Latter Day Saint movement. Although he only makes a brief appearance in the Book of Mormon, his brass plates play an important role when they are taken by Laman and Nephi and are used by the Nephites.
Zeniff is a king in the Book of Mormon whose personal account is recorded in the Book of Mosiah. He is the father of King Noah and the grandfather of King Limhi. Zeniff is the first king of Nephite colonists who come from Zarahemla and settle in the land of Lehi-Nephi. The Nephites believe this land to be rightfully theirs by inheritance, even attempting to reclaim the land by force. In an expedition in which he spies for the Nephites, Zeniff claims to see good in the Lamanite inhabitants. He argues against a militaristic approach and causes an internal battle among the Nephite army. Zeniff later leads a group of Nephites back to Lehi-Nephi and establishes a peace treaty with the Lamanite king whose people inhabit the land. Zeniff’s people prosper with him as king, but the Lamanite king betrays their treaty and attempts to exploit them. Zeniff and his people successfully fight off the Lamanites’ multiple aggressions, and Zeniff's reign lasts about forty years, after which he passes the kingship to one of his sons, Noah. Scholarly interpretations have highlighted Zeniff's shifting perceptions of Lamanites, such as how his opinion changes when his people contends with the Lamanites and the role that Zeniff's narration plays in racializing Lamanites in the Book of Mormon.
In the Book of Mormon, Limhi is the third and final king of the second Nephite habitation of the land of Lehi-Nephi. He succeeds his father, Noah. Led by Ammon, Limhi and his people escape from the Lamanites with his people to the land of Zarahemla.
In the Book of Mormon, chapters 9 through 22 of the Book of Mosiah are identified as the Record of Zeniff. These chapters contain the story of a group of Nephites, led by Zeniff, who leave the land of Zarahemla and return to their former land, known as the land of Nephi, which was then occupied by the Lamanites, their traditional enemies. Although the attempt to establish themselves among the Lamanites is successful for a short time, the people of Zeniff are ultimately enslaved and forced to pay tribute to the Lamanite king. They are later rescued by an expedition from Zarahemla sent to discover their fate. The Record of Zeniff records the reigns of Zeniff, his son Noah and grandson Limhi. The timespan is approximately 75 years.
This chronology outlines the major events in the history of the Book of Mormon, according to the text. Dates given correspond to dates in the footnotes of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints edition of the Book of Mormon and to a Jaredite timeline proposed by Latter-Day Saint scholar John L. Sorenson.
The Book of Mormon Movie, Volume 1: The Journey is a 2003 American adventure drama film directed by Gary Rogers and written by Rogers and Craig Clyde. A film adaptation of the first two books in the Book of Mormon, the film was given a limited theatrical release on September 12, 2003.
Aminadab is a person in the Book of Mormon who appears in the Book of Helaman. He had been a member of the Nephite church but left it and became associated with the Lamanites. In the Book of Helaman, after Nephi abdicates the Chief Judgment Seat to Cezoram, he and his brother Lehi go to preach to the Lamanites, who imprison them. After a heavenly incident, Aminadab clarifies to the surrounding Lamanite captors that Nephi and Lehi are conversing with angels.
The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to the Book of Mormon:
According to the Book of Mormon, Coriantumr (/ˌkɒriˈæntəmər/) was a Nephite dissenter and Lamanite captain. Coriantumr led the Lamanite armies against the Nephites in an attempt to conquer the land. He was countered by Moronihah and Lehi, eventually dying in battle.