Where Was the East Wilderness?

We have received several questions regarding the East Wilderness lately and are writing his blog article in response. Specifically, “What exactly is the East Wilderness in the layout scheme of the Book of Mormon that Mormon writes about in Alma 22?”

As we have mentioned before, Mormon describes this east wilderness as a “round about”(Alma 22:27) curvature of the narrow strip of wilderness, which narrow strip extends or runs in a straight course across the Land of Promise from the Sea East to the Sea West, dividing the Land of Nephi (Lamanite lands) from the Land of Zarahemla (Nephite lands).
    As an example: “Now the words that Alma spake unto Zeezrom were heard by the people round about; for the multitude was great, and he spake on this wise” (Alma 12:2)
    “And it came to pass that they were many; for they did flock in from all the region round about Sidom, and were baptized” (Alma 15:14
    “And the establishment of the church became general throughout the land, in all the region round about, among all the people of the Nephites” (Alma 16:15)
    “And those men again stood to scatter their flocks; but Ammon said unto his brethren: Encircle the flocks round about that they flee not; and I go and contend with these men who do scatter our flock” (Alma 17:33)
    “Aaron and a certain number of his brethren were taken and cast into prison, and the remainder of them fled out of the land of Middoni unto the regions round about” (Alma 21:13)
    “His father had granted unto him that he might reign over the people who were in the land of Ishmael, and in all the land round about” (Alma 21:21)“Yea, he had been strengthening the armies of the Nephites, and erecting small forts, or places of resort; throwing up banks of earth round about to enclose his armies, and also building walls of stone to encircle them about, round about their cities and the borders of their lands; yea, all round about the land” (Alma 48:8).
    In fact, the word “round about” is used 48 times in Alma alone, and in all cases, the use is the same of land or area around. As Noah Webster in his 1828 American Dictionary of the English Language states: “Roundabout is an adjective meaning round and about.”
    As Mormon wrote: “In all the regions round about, which ran from the sea east even to the sea west, and round about on the borders of the seashore” (Alma 22:27), and also “the Nephites had taken possession of all the northern parts of the land bordering on the wilderness, at the head of the river Sidon, from the east to the west, round about on the wilderness side; on the north, even until they came to the land which they called Bountiful (Alma 22:27).

The Narrow Strip of Wilderness curves upward (round about) in both the east and west, forming the south, east and west wildernesses

As this narrow strip of wilderness reaches both coasts, it curves upward (round about) along the coast toward the north, encroaching into Nephite-controlled lands. At one time, Lamanites lived in tents in this basically unoccupied land along both seashores (Alma 50:11). How far into Nephite lands this “round about” curvature of the east and west wildernesses ran, is not described, but evidently further on the east coast than the west coast.
    Finally, Moroni gets fed up with this encroachment of the Lamanites into Nephite territory and droves them out of both wildernesses into the south or into their own land, the Land of Nephi. Moroni then causes Nephites from the land of Zarahemla to move into the East Wilderness to keep the Lamanites from returning and along the east coast, close to the narrow strip of wilderness and the Lamanite lands (Alma 50:9.

And the city of Moroni did sink into the depths of the sea…and the earth was carried up upon the city of Moronihah that in the place of the city there became a great mountain

 

Here the people built a city and called it the city of Moroni (Alma 50:13). It is not likely that Moroni ever lived there, since we find him a lot along the west seashore or coast fighting the Lamanites and camping there to keep the Lamanites out of the West Wilderness. They also built a city between Moroni and Aaron and called it Nephihah (50:14).
    Not following a short direct route; circuitous or indirect. The opposite of circuitous is in a direct, straight or straightforward manner. Therefore, Mormon, in describing the land of the Nephites, indicates that there was a narrow strip of wilderness, that is unoccupied and unimproved land, between the Land of Nephi and the Land of Zarahemla, that ran in a straight line from the East Sea to the West Sea except for the area near each sea, where it curves upward along the coast to create a strip of land on both seashores that penetrate the Land of Zarahemla.
    Thus, the Land of Promise was, at this point, divided by the wilderness at the south (narrow strip of wilderness) and both the east and west wildernesses; and in the west and east wilderness were located settlements of Lamanites living in tents.
    Moroni drove the Lamanites out of the east wilderness (Alma 50:7), and drove them back into their own lands, that is, the Land of Nephi, which was to the south of the east wilderness and south of the Land of Zarahemla (Alma 50:7), driving the Lamanites out of the Land of Zarahemla (Alma 50:11).
    “Thus Moroni, with his armies, which did increase daily because of the assurance of protection which his works did bring forth unto them, did seek to cut off the strength and the power of the Lamanites from off the lands of their possessions, that they should have no power upon the lands of their possession” (Alma 50:12).

The East Wilderness was overrun by Lamanites whom Moroni drove out and back to their home (Land of Nephi) and caused numerous Nephites to move into the wilderness area

In this former east wilderness area, besides building the city of Moroni, which was by the east sea; and it was on the south by the line of the possessions of the Lamanites” (Alma 50:13), they built another city between Moroni and Aaron. This new city was called Nephihah, which joined the borders of the lands of Moroni and Aaron (Alma 50:14)
    “While Moroni was thus making preparations to go against the Lamanites to battle, behold, the people of Nephihah, who were gathered together from the city of Moroni and the city of Lehi and the city of Morianton, were attacked by the Lamanites (Alma59:5).

    This all took place in the East Wilderness, which after Moroni drove out the Lamanites and moved Nephites into the area, the East Wilderness ceases to be mentioned.