The Land of David, Jashon and Other Cities

We received a comment from a reader not long ago stating: “I a post you mentioned that the land of David was in the Land Northward. And that the city of Laman and the city of Kiskuman were in the land of Nephi. I do not remember ever reading in the Book of Mormon anything that even hints that this was so.”
    This is one of the problems we get into when trying to identify a Land of Promise city or town that is poorly defined with little, if any, descriptive information in order to make a placement. While most theorists make wild guesses and place cities and lands willy-nilly throughout their models, we have tried to stay away from opinions, guesses, and assumptions on such matters. On the other hand, once in a while the circumstances seem to warrant at least a noted guess. Regarding the article singled out by this reader, it appears to have been “More comments from Readers - Part V,” posted on Friday, June 2, 2017.
    It should be noted that this particular article, in answer to a reader’s question, began with our response: “The problem in answering such a question, as we have stated many times, is that there is insufficient information in the scriptural record to place most cities, and even lands.”

Red Circle encompasses the area where these cities would have been located with some definitely in the Land Northward, others in or very close to that land

However, in this particular case, since a question was asked, we gave our opinion on the matter, which we stated was a very close understanding of where these cities were—though it is only an opinion, it is stated with years of reading and placing what we can within the Land of Promise. Thus, it seems likely that the city of David was in the Land Northward from the locations Mormon describes, in connection with the events surrounding it. Also, we might add that the city of Jordan was further northward from Boaz, and very possibly inland, away from the coast where Teancum was located (Mormon 5:3).
    These latter cities must have been stretched out across the landscape, north of the narrow neck of land, and deeper and deeper into the old Jaredite lands, for the Nephites were continually being “driven” and “marched forth before the Lamanites” (Mormon 6:1) in their retreat northward, yet always seemed to keep the Lamanites south of them so “they could not get into the country which lay before us, to destroy the inhabitants of our land” (Mormon 5:4). All the while, the Nephites kept retreating away from the invading Lamanites from the south, for they continued “to take to flight” before the Lamanites (Mormon 5:7).
    As for the land of David, it is always hard to know exactly where some of these areas are from the limited information found in the scriptural record, however, we might be able to draw some specific and concrete conclusions from the circumstance in Mormon chapter 2.

Mormon tells us that this final battle began at the Waters of Sidon, and progressed northward from there “toward the north countries”

“And it came to pass that in the three hundred and twenty and seventh year the Lamanites did come upon us with exceedingly great power, insomuch that they did frighten my armies; therefore they would not fight, and they began to retreat towards the north countries“ (Mormon 2:3, emphasis added). Now the rationale behind this is simple—if they were in the Land Southward and retreating, Mormon would have used the term “began to retreat northward,” or if not northward, then simply “began to retreat before the Lamanites” etc.
    On the other hand, being in the northern area of the Land Southward and near the Land Northward, the term “began to retreat toward the north countries” would be more specific and meaning they were near those countries, or near the Land Northward. Then, the next thing we know, they came to the city Angola, which they fortified and defended, but were driven out of the city of Angola (Mormon 2:4), and then they were driven out of the land of David (Mormon 2:5), and then marched to the land of Joshua, which was near the borders of the west seashore (Mormon 2:6).
    Here a battle of Mormon’s 42,000 withstood and defeated a Lamanite army of 44,000. Then in the following year, the Lamanites drove the Nephites to the land of Jashon before they stopped their retreat (Mormon 2:16), and “the city of Jashon was near the land where Ammaron had deposited the records unto the Lord” (Mormon 2:17)—this was well within the Land Northward, in the area where Mormon was born and grew up—at least he lived very near there when he was ten years old and knew of the specific hill Ammaron told him about (Mormon 1:2-4).
    So at the time of these battles mentioned above, Mormon had to have been very near the Land Northward, making these cities very near or within the Land Northward, and he was actually within the Land Northward when Jashon was reached.
    Then they were driven, probably northward, to the land and city of Shem (Mormon 2:20-21), where Mormon prevailed with an army of 30,000 against a Lamanite army of 50,000 (Mormon 2:25). Following this, the Lamanites fled, and the Nephites followed, defeating them again in a running battle, but their strength was spent (Mormon 2:26-27).
    Now, interestingly enough, despite the Nephites being wicked and involved in abominations, they “did go forth against the Lamanites and the robbers of Gadianton, until they had again taken possession of the lands of their inheritance” (Mormon 2:27). At this point, Mormon agrees with a treaty with the Lamanites, which resulted in the dividing line between Lamanite lands and Nephite lands being the narrow neck of land (Mormon 2:28-29).

A treaty in 350 A.D. between Mormon and the Lamanite king gave the Nephites the Land Northward and the Lamanites the Land Southward (Mormon 2:28-29)

If Mormon meant the “lands of our inheritance” to be the Land Southward or the old Lands of Bountiful and Zarahemla, then why did he agree with the Lamanites to give the Lamanites those lands back in a treaty they had just won in battle? That doesn’t make sense, so the “lands of our inheritance” must mean the Land Northward, where they were fighting and driven so far back that the Lamanites had captured or occupied most of the Land Northward, thus, when the Nephites rose up and defeated the Lamanites and “had again taken possession of the lands of our inheritance,” Mormon had to have meant he won back the cities and lands within the Land Northward.
    Then, at that point, he agrees to a treaty, giving him those lands in the Land Northward, and conceding the Land Southward which the Lamanites already controlled. Thus, this seems to suggest that all this fighting from the point of “toward the north countries” was very near or in the Land Northward, making these cities and lands very near or within the Land Northward.
    It would appear then, the city of Angola, and the lands of David and Joshua, were near the Land of Desolation, and the land of Jashon and Shem were within the northern part of the land of Desolation, or north of that land (Mormon 2:3-6;16-17, 21). We also see that the city of Teancum, “was in the borders by the seashore; and it was also near the city of Desolation” (Mormon 4:3), making it nearby in the Land of Desolation and north of the city of Desolation. We can also see that the city of Boaz was near to the city of Desolation, but probably not in the same direction from the city as was Teancum, for there were also towns and villages in the general vicinity of Boaz (Mormon 4:20,23).
    Thus, we might be able to say with some certainty that Angola and the land of David were very close to the narrow neck of land and that north of Teancum lay the cities and lands of Joshua, Jashon, and Shem to which the Nephites retreated during one of their last battles with the Lamanites. And northward from these areas, at an unknown distance, lay the land of Cumorah, which was located within the Land of Many Waters (Mormon 6:4).
    So while one “has never read anything in the Book of Mormon that even hints this was so,” it is likely quite probable based on the events in Mormon chapter 2, that all these cities were right at that far northern area or within the Land Northward, north of the Narrow Neck of Land.