Book of Mormon Commentary

prepared by Don R. Hender

BOOK of MORMON

[Small Plates] [Mormon's Abridgement] [Mormon] [Ether] [Moroni] [Audio]

[Title Page] [Introduction] [3 Witnesses] [8 Witnesses] [Joseph Smith Testimony]
[A Brief Explanation About the Book of Mormon] [Contents]

1 Nephi               1    2    3    4    5    6    7    8    9   10  11  12  13  14  15  16  17  18  19  20  21  22
2 Nephi               1    2    3    4    5    6    7    8    9   10  11  12  13  14  15  16  17  18  19  20  21  22  23  24  25
                          26  27  28  29  30  31  32  33
Jacob                  1    2    3    4    5    6    7
Enos                   1  
Jarom                 1  
Omni                  1  

(Nephi's Small Plates Record)
Book of Mormon Structure 
   Upon arriving in the promised land of America, Nephi was commanded of the Lord to start to produce a record of his people, which Nephi began to do upon metal plates which Nephi would come to refer to as the 'Large Plates of Nephi'. It contained a record of the people, their leaders and kings down to the time of Mormon. Joseph Smith first translated from the plates of Mormon which for the most part was a condensation of those 'Large Plates of Nephi'. The Lost 116 pages were the 'beginnings' of that translation. When Joseph Smith resumed translation, the Lord commanded him not to translate again from the abridgement of Mormon, but rather to translate a more religious based 'small plate' record which Nephi was also commanded to prepare. Thus the first six books of the Book of Mormon are actualy that 'small plates' record.
Words of Mormon    1    (Mormon's Trasitional Introduction to Nephi's Small Plates)
Mormon's summary 'introduction'to Nephi's small plates and where they fit in relationship to his abridged condensation of Nephi's Large plates.
 
(Second 'Half' of Mormon's Abridgement of the Large Plates of Nephi)

Mosiah                      1   2   3   4   5   6   7   8   9  10  11  12  13  14  15  16  17  18  19  20  21  22  23  24  25
                        26  27  28  29
Alma                         1   2   3   4   5   6   7   8   9  10  11  12  13  14  15  16  17  18  19  20  21  22  23  24  25
                        26  27  28  29  30  31  32  33  34  35  36  37  38  39  40  41  42  43  44  45  46  47  48  49  50
                        51  52  53  54  55  56  57  58  59  60  61  62  63 
Helaman                  1   2   3   4   5   6   7   8   9  10  11  12  13  14  15  16
3 Nephi                    1   2   3   4   5   6   7`   8   9  10  11  12  13  14  15  16  17  18  19  20  21  22  23  24  25
                        26  27  28  29  30
4 Nephi                    1  

The lost 116 pages contained that portion of Mormon's abridgement of the large plates of Nephi called the 'Book of Lehi'. After Joseph Smith translated the small plates of Nephi and Mormon's introduction to them, the Lord had Joseph Smith return to translate from the Mormon's abridgement of the large plates of Nephi, but not where Joseph Smith had left off. Joseph Smith was directed to that translation at the point where the small plates had left off, at the time of King Benjamin. Thus it is quite likely that a sizable portion of the abridged plates of Mormon were never translated, from the end of the Book of Lehi to the beginning of the Book of Mosiah.
Mormon                  1   2   3   4   5   6   7   8   9 
Ether                       1   2   3   4   5   6   7   8   9  10  11  12  13  14  15
Moroni                    1   2   3   4   5   6   7   8   9  10 
Mormon's condensation of Mormon's complete record of the days of Mormon contained with the Large Plates of Nephi. And Moroni's writings and extremely condensed version of the Jaredite record.