Were There Gadianton Robbers in the Land of Zarahemla?

From time to time we receive questions that require more space to answer than that in our regular Q and A articles. Such is a question here:

Comment #3: “The Book of Mormon states that the Gadianton robbers lived in the mountains but one verse in particular disproves what you are trying to say as it states that the Mountains occupied by the Gadianton robbers were not part of the Nephite lands (3Ne 1:27 3Ne 2:17 3Ne 3:20 3Ne4:1)” D.M.

Response: First, your initial reference in 3 Nephi 1:27 actually states: “And it came to pass that the ninety and third year did also pass away in peace, save it were for the Gadianton Robbers, who dwelt upon the mountains, who did infest the land; for so strong were their holds and their secret places that the people could not overpower them; therefore they did commit many murders, and did do much slaughter among the people” (3 Nephi 1:27).

Many members and theorists alike, often do not have an accurate understanding of the Land of Promise. Keep in mind that in the Land Southward, among that land north of the narrow strip of wilderness, which we sometimes incorrectly call the Land of Zarahemla as all inclusive—in fact, on the Church Website, it states of this: “[The] Land of Zarahemla, [is a] region around [the] city of Zarahemla; also[an] area from [the] southern wilderness to [the] land Bountiful on [the] north” (Church of Jesus Christ.org). In addition, there are other lands, such as Manti, Morianton, Lehi, Moroni, Jershon, etc. One of those is the Land of Gideon, the Valley of Gideon and the City of Gideon, all east of the Sidon River and not in the Land of Zarahemla proper.

Salt Lake County has at least 14 cities whose boundaries are beyond the actual city limits

 

As an example, the City of Salt Lake is in Salt Lake County, but also in that county is West Valley City, West Jordan, Sandy, Draper, Alta, Murry, Herriman, etc. Gideon is another land and separate from the Land of Zarahemla, though part of the greater Land of Zarahemla (in today’s nomenclature, it would be Draper is in Salt Lake County, or Provo is in Utah County).

The topography of the Land of Zarahemla is flat in the west along the seashore, where the Mulekites landed and the city of Zarahemla is located, however, as you go inland, there are mountains—today, some of these are very tall at 18,000 to 20,000-feet. In the east, where the Gadianton Robbers were located, it was very mountainous, with numerous scriptural references about mountains are located regarding the Robbers’ hideouts.

The city of Gideon is in a valley, and the valley, like all valleys (a low area of land between hills or mountains), is surrounded or nearly surrounded to some extent, by mountains. In addition, 3 Nephi 2:17, states: “And it came to pass in the commencement of the fourteenth year, the war between the robbers and the people of Nephi did continue and did become exceedingly sore; nevertheless, the people of Nephi did gain some advantage of the robbers, insomuch that they did drive them back out of their lands into the mountains and into their secret places.

Zarahemla County included numerous other lands. The Yellow Circle represents the land of Zarahemla around the city [map for demonstration purposes only]

 

Keep in mind that within the land we usually call Nephite Lands because they are north of the narrow strip of wilderness and the Lamanite controlled lands, were mountainous regions some of which were the secret hideouts of the Gadianton Robbers, and while this area was not in the occupied area of the Nephites, it was still within the Land of Zarahemla (county) probably among some of the lands mentioned above that were in the east. In another reference, it states: “Now the people said unto Gidgiddoni: Pray unto the Lord, and let us go up upon the mountains and into the wilderness, that we may fall upon the robbers and destroy them in their own lands” (3 Nephi 3:20).

Again, the Gaddianton Robbers controlled an area in the mountains in the Land of Zarahemla (county) which Mormon is here saying “in their lands,” meaning the lands the Gaddianton Robbers controlled. It is in no way saying this was a separate land, not part of the overall Land of Zarahemla (county), hidden away somewhere. After all, the Nephites not only knew the mountains where the Robbers were, but were familiar with these mountains.

“In the latter end of the eighteenth year those armies of robbers had prepared for battle, and began to come down and to sally forth from the hills, and out of the mountains, and the wilderness, and their strongholds, and their secret places, and began to take possession of the lands, both which were in the land south and which were in the land north, and began to take possession of all the lands which had been deserted by the Nephites, and the cities which had been left desolate” (3 Nephi 4:1).

The Robbers probably made use of caves as secret places

 

Again, part of the Land of Zarahemla (county), i.e., that land north of the narrow strip of wilderness controlled overall by the Nephites, the Gaddianton Robbers held a portion of the mountainous area because of their strength and were hard to root out by the Nephite armies because their hideout locations, evidently caves or hidden valleys, were secret.

“And they did commit murder and plunder; and then they would retreat back into the mountains, and into the wilderness and secret places, hiding themselves that they could not be discovered, receiving daily an addition to their numbers, inasmuch as there were dissenters that went forth unto them” (Helaman 11:25).

Obviously, their lands were not distant, and also were not exposed areas where people lived openly. The Robbers lived in such a manner as to escape detection by the people among who they lived.

“In the forty and ninth year of the reign of the judges, there was continual peace established in the land, all save it were the secret combinations which Gadianton the robber had established in the more settled parts of the land, which at that time were not known unto those who were at the head of government; therefore, they were not destroyed out of the land” (Helaman 3:23, emphasis added).

There was also a land between Zarahemla and Bountiful, though nothing is mentioned about it other than it existed. “And the land which was appointed was the land of Zarahemla, and the land which was between the land Zarahemla and the land Bountiful, yea, to the line which was between the land Bountiful and the land Desolation” (3 Nephi 3:23, emphasis added).

Here is another passage regarding the existence of unnamed lands. That some of these would be mountainous is obvious:

“And in the fifty and seventh year they [Robbers] 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” (Helaman 4:5).

Thus, the idea “it states the Mountains occupied by the Gadianton Robbers is not part of the Nephite lands,” is inaccurate.