Nearly Surrounded by Water – Part I

In an article by Joe V. Anderson (left), a Mesoamerican theorist, regarding Mormon’s language about the Land Southward being nearly surrounded by water, he began his remarks by stating: “I am not sure what the term “nearly surrounded by water” means in the Book of Mormon. However, the objective of this article is to limit the misconceptions and impossible speculations regarding this geographic enigma as it pertains to many proposed geographies of the Book of Mormon.”
    Writing for the BMAF, or Book of Mormon Archaeology Forum, which is connected to the AAF, or Ancient America Foundation, which is a forum of a series of research articles by scholars of Book, Anderson entitled his article: “Nearly Surrounded by Water”: An Analysis of What Mormon Meant and What He Did Not Mean.”  In this, Anderson writes extensively about his own view of specific meanings of written phrases, such as “isle of the sea,” “east to the west sea,” and the all-important “line” by the west sea.
    However, this does not mean the scriptural meaning is open to anyone’s idea. Words are used by Mormon, and those words had meaning. In 1829 when Joseph Smith translated those words, he was inspired by the Holy Spirit through the Urim and Thummim. In the language of Joseph Smith, the words of Mormon became the Book of Mormon. And those words known to Joseph in 1829 were: “Surrounded”: to encompass; to environ; to inclose on all sides; as, to surround a city. They surrounded a body of the enemy; To lie or be on all sides of; as, a wall or ditch surrounds the city. And “Nearly”: almost; within little; closely; at no great distance.
    Given the definitions of “nearly and surrounded,” we find an area that is surrounded on all sides except for a little or no great distance of land. Thus, the Land Southward is a larger area of land that is completely surrounded by water except for a limited, small or little area—which was the small neck, or narrow neck of land.
    In fact, Mormon in his geographical insert into the record makes this quite clear: “And now, it 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; and thus the land of Nephi and the land of Zarahemla were nearly surrounded by water, there being a small neck of land between the land northward and the land southward” (Alma 22:32, emphasis added).

The land of Nephi and the land of Zarahemla were nearly surrounded by water, there being a small neck of land between the land northward and the land southward

In describing this, Anderson drifts far afield when he tries to claim that the “line” mentioned in (Alma 2:32) is the same as other lines mentioned in Mormon’s writing. As an example, this is borne out when we compare Alma 22:32 with these other writings, such as: “the Nephites began the foundation of a city, and they called the name of the city Moroni; and it was by the east sea; and it was on the south by the line of the possessions of the Lamanites” (Alma 50:13, emphasis added). This statement makes sense if we use the word “line” in its main sense in geography, that is to mean “border” or “separation,” etc. Thus, the Nephites began a city “and it was by the east sea; and it was on the south by the border between the Nephites and the possessions of the Lamanites”
    In the same way, in translating “line” to men “border” in Alma22:32, we find that the passage reads: “And now, it 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; and thus the land of Nephi and the land of Zarahemla were nearly surrounded by water, there being a small neck of land between the land northward and the land southward.
    Now keep in mind we are not changing the scriptural meaning of the word “line,” but using it correctly pertaining to geography, which is how it is used in the record—a border, i.e., the line between Utah and Idaho is a border; the line between Canada and the U.S. is a border. As Webster states it: “exterior limit of a country, or of any region or tract of land; to be contiguous or adjacent; with on or upon; as, Connecticut on the north borders on or upon Massachusetts.
    Another misuse of the word “line” is found in Helaman where Mormon describes the Nephi-Lamanite battles by saying: “And in the fifty and seventh year they did come down against the Nephites to battle, and they did commence the work of death; yea, insomuch that in the fifty and eighth year of the reign of the judges they succeeded in obtaining possession of the land of Zarahemla; yea, and also all the lands, even unto the land which was near the land Bountiful. And the Nephites and the armies of Moronihah were driven even into the land of Bountiful; And there they did fortify against the Lamanites, from the west sea, even unto the east; it being a day's journey for a Nephite, on the line which they had fortified and stationed their armies to defend their north country” (Helaman 4:5-7).
    It should be noted here that Mormon does not mention anything about the Land of    Desolation at this point, and that the wordage of the Nephites “driven into the land of Bountiful” does not mean they were driven all across the Land of Bountiful even to the borders of the Land of Desolation. This mistake is made by many theorists who think this line and the one in Alma 22:32 are the same.

Another important point to keep in mind is that in the 1828 American Dictionary of the English Language, Noah Webster lists, regarding a line, boundary or fortification that “line” meant: “A rank or row of soldiers, or the disposition of an army drawn up with an extended front”; “Extension; limit; border”; “A trench or rampart; an extended work in fortification”; “the shortest line that can be drawn between two points”; “a straight extended mark.”
    Thus, a line is a point of separation, a border, a mark or extension of people or fortifications between two important points. It can be narrow or wide, depending upon need, n imaginary mark or one of physical design of people or terrain. So we see that the “line” in Alma 22:32 is describing a border, a line between the Land of Bountiful and the Land of Desolation. However, the use of line in Helaman is clearly stated as a defensive line, a ine of defense, a line Mormon has fortified and stationed his army along. While the first line is described as taking a day and a half to cross, the line in Helaman takes only a day. Clearly, these are two different lines.
    Another point bearing on this, is that Anderson states: “Mormon knew that they were not on an ‘Isle of the Sea’.” He goes on to write: “The Book of Mormon does not give any information directly about any sea or water boundary south of the narrow strip of wilderness. The only indication is given by the inference that because the land of Nephi, south of the narrow strip of wilderness, was included in the land that was nearly surrounded by water. ”However, this is not accurate. Nephi makes it clear that the Land of Promise was reached.
    He stated: “After we had all gone down into the ship, and had taken with us our provisions and things which had been commanded us, we did put forth into the sea and were driven forth before the wind towards the promised land” (1 Nephi 18:8).
    As this points out, Nephi calls the ocean between Arabia and the Western Hemisphere a “sea.” And upon that “sea” their voyage took place, even to a great storm, Nephi being tied up and then released, stated: “I prayed unto the Lord; and after I had prayed the winds did cease, and the storm did cease, and there was a great calm. And…I, Nephi, did guide the ship, that we sailed again towards the promised land” (1 Nephi 18:22).

The 7 Seas is a term first used in anti1uity among the ancient Greeks and come down through Western Literature referring to the so-called separate oceans Note there has been no change in where Nephi sailed, his destination, or the “sea” over which he sailed.

Finally, Nephite tells us: “After we had sailed for the space of many days we did arrive at the promised land; and we went forth upon the land, and did pitch our tents; and we did call it the promised land” (1 Nephi 18:21-23). Wherever Nephi landed it was on a land that abutted the sea over which he said, which had to have been the ocean.

    Then we find Mormon’s explanation of Lehi’s landing in terms of the “Land of First Inheritance,” when he states: “Now, the more idle part of the Lamanites lived in the wilderness, and dwelt in tents; and they were spread through the wilderness on the west, in the land of Nephi; yea, and also on the west of the land of Zarahemla, in the borders by the seashore, and on the west in the land of Nephi, in the place of their fathers' first inheritance, and thus bordering along by the seashore” (Alma 22:28).
    Thus, Anderson’s statement “The Book of Mormon does not give any information directly about any sea or water boundary south of the narrow strip of wilderness,” is totally inaccurate.
(See the next post, “Nearly Surrounded by Water – Part II,” regarding the surrounding of the Land Southward by water, or the sea, as Jacob and Mormon describes)