Book of Mormon Commentary CofC - Odessa, Missouri Community ...

Book of Mormon Commentary
Ether Chapter 4
A PROCESSION OF KINGS, INTRIGUES, AND WARNINGS, VER. 1-46
Ether 4:3 And the Lord warned Omer in a dream that he should depart out of the land; wherefore
Omer departed out of the land with his family, and traveled many days, and came over and
passed by the hill of Shim,
"Akish and his friends, . . . did overthrow the kingdom of Omer," but "the Lord was merciful unto
Omer" and enabled him to escape with his family (2).
They "came over by the place where the Nephites were destroyed" (4). Moroni was commenting
on an event which had occurred many centuries before the Nephite nation came into existence.
However, he had witnessed their destruction and could testify of this as a. historical fact. Omer
with his daughters and in-law, and had him murdered while he sat upon his throne (7). Thus
instead of the head of Omer, which Jared and his daughter connived to get, Jared himself paid for
his wickedness with his life, and Akish reigned in his stead.
Ether 4:8 And it came to pass that Akish began to be jealous of his son, therefore he shut him
up in prison, and kept him upon little or no food, until he had suffered death.
This angered Nimrah, a brother of the dead man, so that he gathered a small group and fled to
Ablom, where they dwelt with Omer (10). By bribery the sons of Akish drew away the greater part
of the people, and "there began to be a war" which lasted many years, "unto the destruction of
nearly all the people of the kingdom" (13). Only thirty souls survived, in addition to those who
fled to Omer. Omer was then restored in the land of his inheritance (14). His son, Emer, was the
next king. He saw peace for two years, and then Omer died (16).
Ether 4:18 And the Lord began again to take the curse from off the land, and the house of
Emer did prosper exceedingly under the reign of Emer;
In sixty-two years they became strong and very rich, having all manner of fruit, grain, silks, fine
linen, gold, silver, and precious things (19). They also had "all manner of cattle, of oxen, and
cows," of sheep, swine, goats, and other animals "useful for the food of man" (20). They also had
horses, asses, elephants, cureloms, and cumoms, all useful to man, especially the last three named
(21).
These statements have caused much controversy. Many scientists question the evidence or
attribute the culture to other ages. There are certain testimonies from men of science which give
support and perhaps evidence that Moroni's account of the Jaredite culture is based on fact.
As a matter of fact, ancient Andean weaving, as developed by the Incas, was one of the greatest
arts the world has ever seen. We depend on silk and linen for our finest textiles. They did not
know of the silkworm or of the flax plant. They had cotton and the soft wool of the Alpaca, but
they also used the extremely fine and rare wool of the vicuna, the smallest American camel. . . .
Examples of early Peruvian textiles amaze the beholder. Fine specimens may be seen in various
museums of art in Boston, New York, and Washington. They are worthy of admiration as the
finest specimens of Egyptian or Chinese weaving.,