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Scripture Block
Alma 13–16
June 15–21. “Enter into the Rest of the Lord”
KnoWhys
Recommended Resources
Learn about the Book of Mormon with verse by verse commentaries from renowned Book of Mormon scholars like John W. Welch and Brant A. Gardner in the ScripturePlus app. Read this week's KnoWhy connected with the Come Follow Me curriculum, and watch a video elucidating an insight in this week's scripture reading.
Reading Plan
Structure your personal scripture study by following a multimedia, day by day plan. Each day's assignment includes the required scripture passages from the Come Follow Me curriculum, as well as suggestions for additional resources to bring context and understanding to your study. To dive deeper, skip down to Additional Resources for a selected bibliography on this week's chapters. If you are looking to dive deep into your study, skip down to "Additional Resources" for a selected bibliography of articles, books, and chapters on Alma 13–16.
Monday
- Scripture: Alma 13:1–20
- KnoWhy 120: Why Did Alma Talk about Melchizedek?
- Video: Why Are Ordinances So Important? (1:29)
Explore Further:
- KnoWhy 330: What Did the Book of Mormon Teach Early Church Leaders about the Order and Offices of the Priesthood?
- KnoWhy 296: Why Are Ordinances So Important?
- Chart: How Do You Say "Law" in Hebrew?
Tuesday
- Scripture: Alma 13:21–31
- KnoWhy 398: How a Tangent About Foreordination Helps Explain Repentance
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Quote: “In reading Alma 13 in context—as a part of a larger sermon—we begin to see that the idea of entering the rest of the Lord is a central theme. The word rest is mentioned in each of the final four verses of the preceding chapter. It is mentioned five times in chapter 13. It would appear that Alma is trying to point out that it is through the atoning blood of Christ and by the power of the holy priesthood that individuals and congregations are prepared and made ready to enter the rest of God”
Millet, Robert L. “The Holy Order of God.” Essay. In The Book of Mormon: Alma, the Testimony of the Word, edited by Monte S. Nyman and Charles D. Tate, 72. Salt Lake City, UT: Greg Kofford Books, 1991.
Wednesday
- Scripture: Alma 14:1–13
- KnoWhy 351: Why Does God Sometimes Allow His Saints to Be Martyred?
Thursday
- Scripture: Alma 14:14–29
- KnoWhy 129: What Kind of Earthquake Caused the Prison Walls to Fall?
Friday
- Scripture: Alma 15:1–19
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Quote: “The atoning sacrifice of Christ, and our full acceptance of it, is the spiritual antidote that heals the wounded soul. It is such an antidote that replaces despair with hope, darkness with light, and turmoil with peace. It was this antidote that worked for Zeezrom. He lay sick with a burning fever. He recounted his many sins, believing there was ‘no deliverance’ for what he had done. Then Alma posed the tide-turning question, ‘Believest thou in the power of Christ unto salvation?’… The response was positive. The healing that followed was not only physical but spiritual as well. The prerequisite was a belief in the Atonement of Jesus Christ”
Callister, Tad R. The Infinite Atonement. Salt Lake City, UT: Deseret Book, 2000, 203. -
Quote: “Let us here observe, that a religion that does not require the sacrifice of all things never has power sufficient to produce the faith necessary unto life and salvation … It is in vain for persons to fancy to themselves that they are heirs with those … who have offered their all in sacrifice, and by this means obtain faith in God and favor with him so as to obtain eternal life, unless they, in like manner, offer unto him the same sacrifice”
Smith, Joseph. Lectures on Faith: Delivered to the School of the Prophets in Kirtland, Ohio, 1834-35. Salt Lake City, UT: Deseret Book Co., 1985, 6:7–8.
Explore Further
Saturday
- Scripture: Alma 16:1–12
- KnoWhy 123: Why Was the City of Ammonihah Destroyed and Left Desolate?
- Chart 105: The Law of Apostate Cities
Sunday
- Scripture: Alma 16:13–21
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Quote: “Perhaps the central lesson [in Alma 9-16] is that there is a God in heaven to whom people on earth are accountable. He loves us. He has implemented a ‘plan of redemption’ whereby we can ‘be lifted up at the last day and enter into his rest.’ (Alma 12:33; 13:29.) Through his Spirit he reaches out to all: the righteous exemplified in these chapters by Alma and the Ammonihahite believers; the temporarily distracted but decent people like Amulek; and even enemies to the cause of truth, whether they will repent as did Zeezrom, or reject the invitation as did most of the people of Ammonihah. And everyone is accountable for how they respond to that Spirit”
Dahl, Larry E. “The Plan of Redemption – Taught and Rejected.” Essay. In Studies in Scripture, Volume 7: 1 Nephi to Alma 29, edited by Kent P. Jackson, 316. Salt Lake City, UT: Deseret Book. Co., 1987.
Explore Further
- KnoWhy 124: Why Did Alma and Amulek Preach in Synagogues?
Additional Resources (Bibliography)
Alma 13
Baker, LeGrand L., and Stephen D. Ricks. “Alma 13, Alma Teaches about the Eternal Nature of Priesthood and Kingship.” In Who Shall Ascend into the Hill of the Lord?: The Psalms in Israel’s Temple Worship in the Old Testament and in the Book of Mormon, 583–585. 2nd ed. Salt Lake City: Eborn Books, 2011.
Baker, LeGrand L., and Stephen D. Ricks. “Alma 13, The Quest for Self: To Know the Law of One's Own Being.” In Who Shall Ascend into the Hill of the Lord?: The Psalms in Israel’s Temple Worship in the Old Testament and in the Book of Mormon, 564–572. 2nd ed. Salt Lake City: Eborn Books, 2011.
Thompson, A. Keith. “Were We Foreordained to the Priesthood, or Was the Standard of Worthiness Foreordained? Alma 13 Reconsidered.” Interpreter: A Journal of Mormon Scripture 21 (2016): 249–274.
Wright, Dennis A. “’None Were Greater’: A Restoration View of Melchizedek.” Ensign (February 1998).
Alma 13:1–9
Baker, LeGrand L., and Stephen D. Ricks. “Alma 13:1-9, Premortal Responsibilities and Opportunities to Bless Others.” In Who Shall Ascend into the Hill of the Lord?: The Psalms in Israel’s Temple Worship in the Old Testament and in the Book of Mormon, 573–582. 2nd ed. Salt Lake City: Eborn Books, 2011.
Duke, James T. “The Literary Structure and Doctrinal Significance of Alma 13:1–9.” Journal of Book of Mormon Studies 5, no. 1 (1996): 103–118.
Alma 13:3
Book of Mormon Central. “How a Tangent About Foreordination Helps Explain Repentance (Alma 13:3).” KnoWhy 398 (January 11, 2018).
Berkey, Kimberly M. “Untangling Alma 13:3.” Journal of Book of Mormon Studies 23 (2014): 187–191.
Alma 13:8
Book of Mormon Central. “What Did the Book of Mormon Teach Early Church Leaders about the Order and Offices of the Priesthood? (Alma 13:8).” KnoWhy 330 (June 23, 2017).
Alma 13:13–19
Welch, John W. “The Melchizedek Material in Alma 13:13-19.” In By Study and Also By Faith: Essays in Honor of Hugh W. Nibley, Vol. 2. Edited by John M. Lundquist and Stephen D. Ricks. Provo, UT: Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies, 1990.
Alma 13:14
Book of Mormon Central. “Why Did Alma Talk about Melchizedek? (Alma 13:14).” KnoWhy 120 (June 13, 2016).
Alma 13:16
Book of Mormon Central. “Why Are Ordinances So Important? (Alma 13:16).” KnoWhy 296 (April 5, 2017).
Hardy, Grant R. “New Light: The Book of Mormon as a Written (Literary) Artifact.” Journal of Book of Mormon Studies 12, no. 2 (2003): 107–109, 118.
Alma 13:21
Calabro, David. “’Stretch Forth Thy Hand and Prophesy’: Hand Gestures in the Book of Mormon.” Journal of the Book of Mormon and Other Restoration Scripture 21, no. 1 (2012): 46–59.
Alma 13:23
Boehm, Bruce J. “Wanderers in the Promised Land: A Study of the Exodus Motif in the Book of Mormon and Holy Bible.” Journal of Book of Mormon Studies 3, no. 1 (1994): 187–203.
Alma 13:26
Tvedtnes, John A. “Angels Announce the Coming of Christ.” In The Most Correct Book: Insights from a Book of Mormon Scholar, 242-245. Salt Lake City: Cornerstone Publishing, 1999.
Alma 13:37
Skinner, Andrew C. “Zion Gained and Lost: Fourth Nephi as the Quintessential Model.” In The Book of Mormon: Fourth Nephi Through Moroni, From Zion to Destruction, edited by Monte S. Nyman and Charles D. Tate, Jr., 289–302. Provo, UT: Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University, 1995.
Alma 14
Baker, LeGrand L., and Stephen D. Ricks. “Alma 14: The Origins of Good and Evil.” In Who Shall Ascend into the Hill of the Lord?: The Psalms in Israel’s Temple Worship in the Old Testament and in the Book of Mormon, 586–606. 2nd ed. Salt Lake City: Eborn Books, 2011.
Thompson, A. Keith. “Apostate Religion in the Book of Mormon.” Interpreter: A Journal of Mormon Scripture 25 (2017): 191–226.
Welch, John W. “The Trial of Alma and Amulek.” In The Legal Cases in the Book of Mormon, 237–271. Provo, UT: BYU Press/Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship, 2008.
Welch, John W., and Greg Welch. “Legal Cases and Procedures in the Book of Mormon.” In Charting the Book of Mormon: Visual Aids for Personal Study and Teaching. Provo, UT: Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies, 1999, chart 121.
Alma 14:10
Calabro, David. “’Stretch Forth Thy Hand and Prophesy’: Hand Gestures in the Book of Mormon.” Journal of the Book of Mormon and Other Restoration Scripture 21, no. 1 (2012): 46–59.
Alma 14:11
Book of Mormon Central. “Why Does God Sometimes Allow His Saints to Be Martyred? (Alma 14:11).” KnoWhy 351 (August 11, 2017).
Alma 14:25–29
Book of Mormon Central. “What Kind of Earthquake Caused the Prison Walls to Fall? (Alma 14:29).” KnoWhy 121 (June 14, 2016).
Rappleye, Neal. “’The Great and Terrible Judgments of the Lord’: Destruction and Disaster in 3 Nephi and the Geology of Mesoamerica.” Interpreter: A Journal of Mormon Scripture 15 (2015): 143–157.
Alma 15
Thompson, A. Keith. “Apostate Religion in the Book of Mormon.” Interpreter: A Journal of Mormon Scripture 25 (2017): 191–226.
Alma 15:5–6
Calabro, David. “’Stretch Forth Thy Hand and Prophesy’: Hand Gestures in the Book of Mormon.” Journal of the Book of Mormon and Other Restoration Scripture 21, no. 1 (2012): 46–59.
Alma 15:17
Book of Mormon Central. “Why Did the People of Sidom Go to the Altar for Deliverance? (Alma 15:17).” KnoWhy 122 (June 15, 2016).
Bokovoy, David E. “A Place of Deliverance: Altars in the Hebrew Bible and Book of Mormon.” Insights: A Window of the Ancient World 21, no. 2 (2001): 2.
Alma 16
Thompson, A. Keith. “Apostate Religion in the Book of Mormon.” Interpreter: A Journal of Mormon Scripture 25 (2017): 191–226.
Alma 16:1
Sorenson, John L. “The Nephite Calendar in Mosiah, Alma, and Helaman.” In Reexploring the Book of Mormon, edited by John W. Welch, 173–175. Provo, UT/Salt Lake City: FARMS/Deseret Book, 1992.
Alma 16:5
Merrill, Brent A. “Nephite Captains and Armies.” In Warfare in the Book of Mormon. Edited by Stephen D. Ricks and William J. Hamblin. Salt Lake City, UT: Deseret Book and FARMS, 1990.
(Aha) Tvedtnes, John A., John Gee, and Matthew Roper. “Book of Mormon Names Attested in Ancient Hebrew Inscriptions.” Journal of Book of Mormon Studies 9, no. 1 (2000): 40–51, 78–79.
Alma 16:9–11
Book of Mormon Central. “Why Was the City of Ammonihah Destroyed and Left Desolate? (Alma 16:9–11).” KnoWhy 123 (June 16, 2016).
Welch, John W. “The Destruction of Ammonihah and the Law of Apostate Cities.” In Reexploring the Book of Mormon, edited by John W. Welch, 176–179. Provo, UT/Salt Lake City: FARMS/Deseret Book, 1992.
Alma 16:13
Book of Mormon Central. “Why Did Alma and Amulek Preach in Synagogues? (Alma 16:13).” KnoWhy 124 (June 17, 2016).
Thompson, A. Keith. “Nephite Insights into Israelite Worship Practices before the Babylonian Captivity.” Interpreter: A Journal of Mormon Scripture 3 (2013): 155–195.