The Book of Mormon

Mosiah 2:4

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~124 BC

1830 Edition

and also, that they might give thanks to the Lord their God, who had brought them out of the land of Jerusalem, and who had delivered them out of the hands of their enemies, and had appointed just men to be their teachers; and also, a just man to be their king, who had established peace in the land of Zarahemla, and who had taught them to keep the commandments of God, that they might rejoice, and be filled with love towards God, and all men.

Influences

1 Corinthians 7:19 (KJV)
Circumcision is nothing, and uncircumcision is nothing, but the keeping of the commandments of God.

Changes

aAnd also, that they might give thanks to the Lord their God, who had brought them out of the land of Jerusalem, and who had delivered them out of the hands of their enemies, and had appointed just men to be their teachers;, and also, a just man to be their king, who had established peace in the land of Zarahemla, and who had taught them to keep the commandments of God, that they might rejoice, and be filled with love towards God, and all men.

Simple English

They also wanted to give thanks to the Lord their God. He had brought them out of Jerusalem. He had saved them from their enemies. He had chosen good men to be their teachers and a good man to be their king. The king had made peace in the land of Zarahemla. He had taught them to obey God’s commandments so they could be happy and filled with love toward God and all people.

Paraphrase

They also came to thank the Lord their God—the one who had brought them out of Jerusalem, rescued them from their enemies, given them good teachers, and appointed a righteous king who had brought peace to Zarahemla. He had taught them God’s commandments so they could live with joy, filled with love for God and everyone around them.

Notes

2:1-5

King Benjamin's speech, given in approximately 124 B.C., has much similarities to nineteenth century revival meetings that Joseph Smith attended. -Vogel, Making of a Prophet, pp. 147-162.

Captain Frederick Marryat wrote, as cited in Uncommon Americans, "The camp was raised upon...a piece of tableland...at one end... was a raises tand, which served as a pulpit for the preachers...Outside of the area, which may be designated as the church, were hundreds of tents pitched...In front of the pulpit was a space railed off...which I was told was the anxious seat... girl after girl dropped down upon the straw on one side, and men on the other... Every minute the excitement increased; some wrung their hands and called for mercy..."

Famous nineteenth century revival preacher, Charles G. Finney, described the response from attenders in the following way: "I had not spoken to them... more than a quarter of an hour when all at once an awful solemnity seemed to settle down upon them; the congregation began to fall from their seats in every direction, and cried for mercy... nearly the whole congregation were either on their knees or prostrate..." -Charles G. Finney, Memoirs of Rev. Charles G. Finney, p. 103.

LDS historian B. H. Roberts noted, "It will not be necessary to further repeat the scenes, nor describe again the manner of these 'religious' manifestations. It is clearly established now that these scenes of religious frenzy were common in the vicinage where Joseph Smith resided in his youth and early manhood... The question is, did his knowledge of these things lead to their introduction into the Book of Mormon narrative? I think it cannot be questioned but where there is sufficient resemblance between the Book of Mormon instances of religious emotionalism and those cited in the foregoing quotations from the works of Edwards et al. to justify the thought that the latter might well have suggested and indeed become the source of the former." -B. H. Roberts, Studies of the Book of Mormon, ed. Brigham D. Madsen (Salt Lake City: Signature Books, 1992), p. 308.