Is the Small and Narrow Neck of Land Misunderstood? Part I

George Potter begins his article on the Narrow Neck of Land by saying it is “one of the most misunderstood features of Book of Mormon geography. As a result, there have developed over time many popular misconceptions about its nature and location.” 
    While it is true that different theorists like to play games with Mormon’s simple descriptions and make the narrow neck into something different than described, it is far from misunderstood if one simply relies on Mormon’s descriptions and the scriptural record without trying to make it fit a pre-determined location.
    First of all, Mormon describes the narrow neck as:
1. “…there being a small neck of land between the land northward and the land southward” (Alma 22:32). That is simple enough and places the narrow neck without question.
2. This narrow neck “…was only the distance of a day and a half’s journey for a Nephite on the line Bountiful and the land Desolation, from the east to the west sea” (Alma 22:32). Again, a simple explanation that is pretty clear.          
3.  Hagoth…”went forth and built him an exceedingly large ship, on the borders of the land Bountiful, by the land Desolation, and launched it forth into the west sea, by the narrow neck which led into the land northward” (Alma 63:5). 
    All three of these statements are clear enough to understand the most basic information about the narrow neck of land.

The Narrow Neck of Land led into the Land Northward (from the Land Southward). Thus, the narrow neck must be between the two larger land masses, i.e., Land Southward and Land Northward

From this and other descriptions we find that in the Land of Promise there were two major land masses: 1) the Land Southward, which included the Land of Nephi, the Land of Zarahemla, and the Land of Bountiful, plus other smaller lands connected to cities, and 2) the Land Northward, which contained the Land of Desolation, the Land of Cumorah, and the Land of Many Waters, plus other smaller lands connected to cities. These two land masses were divided in part by a sea (Ether 10:20), and connecting these two major land masses was a small or narrow neck of land.
    This narrow neck of land separated the two named lands of Desolation on the north and Bountiful on the south (Alma 22:31), and there was a line (boundary or border) somewhere along this narrow neck of land (in the middle, or at or toward the north or south end) that ran east and west, separating these two lands of Desolation and Bountiful (Alma 22:31).
    In addition, at least the Land Southward was surrounded by water, except for this narrow neck of land (Alma 22:32), so it was evidently the only land between the Land Southward and the Land Northward.

A narrow pass exists between the Land of Desolation an thnre Land of Bountiful that in history was called the Pass of Huayna Capac, after an Inca battle that took place there

Now, between these two lands is also a narrow pass or passage, that led into the Land of Desolation: “by the narrow pass which led by the sea into the land northward, yea, by the sea, on the west and on the east” (Alma 50:34). Thus, a narrow pass ran from the Land Southward (where Morianton was fleeing from Teancum and the Nephite Army), “into the land northward,” which means it ran through the narrow neck of land from south to north—it being the only land between the Land Southward and the Land Northward. Thus, this “narrow pass, which led into the land northward” (Alma 52:9), connected the Land of Bountiful to the Land Northward.
    We also learn that the narrow neck of land, running between the two major land masses, had a sea on both sides, so the water that surrounded the Land Southward extended to the shores of the Land Northward.
    So far, this is pretty simple. Between the Land Northward and the Land Southward was a small, narrow neck of land, the only connection between the two lands. And within this narrow neck of land ran a narrow pass, which allowed movement between these two major land masses. The narrow neck of land was narrow enough that a Nephite could cross it in a day and a half, from the Sea West to the Sea East, since it had a sea on both sides as stated.

In addition, we learn that not only Hagoth had his shipyard in the Land of Bountiful at the southern end of the narrow neck of land (Alma 63:5), but that the Jaredites built a city on the northern end of the narrow neck of land (Ether 10:20), which city was probably called Desolation (Mormon 3:5).
    In addition, this narrow neck of land was the dividing line between the Nephites and the Lamanites when Mormon arranged a treaty with the Lamanite king in 350 A.D. (Mormon 2:28).
    To make sure we understand that this narrow pass or passage (Mormon 2:28) ran through the narrow neck of land, we find that it ran from the Land Northward into the Land Southward (Mormon 2:29; 3:5), also this pass led into the Land Northward (Alma 50:34; 52:9). Thus, the pass, like the narrow neck of land, ran between the two major land masses.

Now, let’s take a look at Alma 50:34 one more time: “And it came to pass that they did not head them until they had come to the borders of the land Desolation; and there they did head them, by the narrow pass which led by the sea into the land northward, yea, by the sea, on the west and on the east” (Alma 50:34). Stated simply:
1. They (Nephites) headed (cut off) them (Morianton) from reaching the Land Northward;
2. This occurred by the borders of the Land Desolation—the land Desolation was north of Bountiful and had a common border, i.e., the narrow neck of land in between these two lands—Bountiful and Desolation;
3. Through this common border, which was a narrow neck of land, was a narrow pass;
4. The narrow pass ran by the sea into the Land Northward—this narrow pass was flanked by the Sea East and the Sea West, i.e., on either side of the narrow pass through the narrow neck of land were two seas—the Sea East and the Sea West.

The narrow neck of land was bordered on the east and on the west by the sea. Morianton was coming northward along the eastern coast in the Land Southward (yellow arrow) toward this narrow neck, where he was cut off by Moroni (white arrow) before Morianton could reach the Land Northward

The statement is simple: the narrow pass led by the sea that was on the east and on the west, and into the land Desolation (in the Land Northward). Thus the statement by the sea is “affirmed” to be running between the Sea East and the Sea West; or the statement by the sea is “indeed” running between the Sea East and the Sea West, or the statement by the sea is “even” running between the Sea East and the Sea West.
    Since the statement “by the narrow pass which led by the sea” is not a parenthetical clause, and the statement, “yea, by the sea,” is also not a parenthetical clause, and the statement “on the west and on the east” is also not a parenthetical clause, these cannot be said to modify the Land of Desolation. In fact, it should be obvious that we are dealing with two connected sentences here, hence the use of the semi-colon:
1. And it came to pass that they did not head them until they had come to the borders of the land Desolation.
2. They did head them, by the narrow pass which led by the sea into the land northward, yea, by the sea, on the west and on the east.
    Thus, the article’s comment: “The land Desolation is by the Sea West, so the phrase 'narrow pass which led by the sea' indicates the narrow pass is also by the Sea West.  The phrase 'yea, by the sea' modifies the object directly in front of the term 'yea.'  So, the Land Northward is by the sea.  The phrase 'on the west, and on the east' is a simple statement referring to the sentence before, i.e., the sea.
    Thus, the narrow pass ran between two seas, the Sea East and the Sea West. So it cannot be said, as Potter does, that "the Narrow Neck of Land...is “one of the most misunderstood features of Book of Mormon geography." Consequently, as Potter goes on to say, "As a result, there have developed over time many popular misconceptions about its nature and location,” can be understood in the light that the only reason theorists have developed misconceptions is because they fail to follow Mormon's simple and clear explanations and descriptions in order to justify their own pre-determined ideas.
    This is not rocket science, simply English 101. And it is simple and easy to understand.
(See the next post, “Is the Small and Narrow Neck of Land Misunderstood? Part II,” for more of George Potter’s comments about how one theorist twists the scriptural record to meet his own pre-determined location for the Land of Promise)