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Scripture Block
Helaman 1–6
August 17–23. “The Rock of Our Redeemer”
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. 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 Helaman 1–6.
Monday
- Scripture: Helaman 1:1-13
- Chart: Nephite Cycles: Years 1–49 of the Reign of the Judges (90–40 B.C.)
- KnoWhy 172: How Was a Void in Leadership Dangerous for the Nephites?
- Scripture: Helaman 1:14-34
Tuesday
- Scripture: Helaman 2:1-14
- KnoWhy 173: Why was Helaman’s Servant Justified in Killing Kishkumen?
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Quote: “The Book of Mormon teaches that secret combinations engaged in crime present a serious challenge, not just to individuals and families but to entire civilizations. Among today’s secret combinations are gangs, drug cartels, and organized crime families. The secret combinations of our day function much like the Gadianton robbers of the Book of Mormon times. They have secret signs and code words. They participate in secret rites and initiation ceremonies. Among their purposes are to ‘murder, and plunder, and steal, and commit whoredoms and all manner of wickedness, contrary to the laws of their country and also the laws of their God’”
Ballard, M. Russell. “Standing for Truth and Right,” General Conference October 1997.
Wednesday
- Scripture: Helaman 3:1-37
- Chart: Nephite Cycle of Righteousness: Mormon's Warning for Us Today
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Quote: “By the revelations of his mind and will through the Holy Spirit, the Lord will give us understanding and knowledge. But we must qualify for the blessing. As we learn to love him, to purify ourselves before him, to yield our hearts to him, and to walk in the light of his Spirit, we can become again like a child and know him. He ‘waits,’ Isaiah wrote, ‘that he may be gracious’ unto us, and is ‘exalted, that he may have mercy’ upon us. The Lord delights to bless us with his love.”
Hanks, Marion D. “Trust in the Lord,” General Conference April 1975. -
Quote: “Mormon gave the reader four ‘thus we see’ precepts as he recorded the events of the 68th year. The first lesson of life is the equation of unbelief and wickedness among the Nephites. He then equates the knowledge of God with walking in truth and uprightness (v. 34).... The second lesson of life is the reason why the Spirit withdraws from us— wickedness (v. 35).... The third lesson of life.... The Spirit began to come “upon the Lamanites because of their easiness and willingness to believe in his words” (v. 36).... The fourth lesson of life is more of a warning against the awful state and ripening for destruction that came upon the Nephites (v. 40).”
Nyman, Monte S. The Record of Helaman: a Teaching Commentary on the Book of Helaman. Orem, UT: Granite Pub. & Distribution, 2004. 312–315.
Explore Further
Thursday
- Scripture: Helaman 4:1-26
- KnoWhy 175: How Did the Nephites Become Weak in Such a Short Time?
Friday
- Scripture: Helaman 5:1-13
- Chart: Why Did Helaman Want His Sons to Remember to Build upon the Rock?
- KnoWhy 176: Why Did Helaman Compare Christ to a Rock?
- Scripture: Helaman 5:14-19
Explore Further
Saturday
- Scripture: Helaman 5:20-52
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Quote: “Elder John A. Widtsoe taught that evidence can remove honest doubt and give assurances that build faith. ‘After proper inquiries, using all the powers at our command,’ he said, ‘the weight of evidence is on one side or the other. Doubt is removed.’ ‘Doubt of the right kind—that is, honest questioning—leads to faith’ and ‘opens the door to truth,’ for where there is doubt, faith cannot thrive. Elder Joseph Fielding Smith likewise affirmed that evidence, as convincing as in any court in the land, proves ‘beyond the possibility of doubt that Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery spoke the truth.’”
Welch, John W. “The Power of Evidence in the Nurturing of Faith,” In Nurturing Faith through the Book of Mormon: the 24th Annual Sidney B. Sperry Symposium, 155. Salt Lake City, UT: Deseret Book, 1995. -
Quote: “I wrote down a few lines every day for years. I never missed a day… Before I would write, I would ponder this question: ‘Have I seen the hand of God reaching out to touch us or our children or our family today?’ As I kept at it, something began to happen…. I would see evidence of what God had done for one of us that I had not recognized in the busy moments of the day. As that happened, and it happened often, I realized that trying to remember had allowed God to show me what He had done.”
Eyring, Henry B. “O Remember, Remember” General Conference October 2007
Explore Further
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Quote: “When problems come and questions arise, do not start your quest for faith by saying how much you do not have, leading as it were with your ‘unbelief...’ I am not asking you to pretend to faith you do not have. I am asking you to be true to the faith you do have. Sometimes we act as if an honest declaration of doubt is a higher manifestation of moral courage than is an honest declaration of faith. It is not...! If you and your family want to be healed, don’t let those questions stand in the way of faith working its miracle...”
Holland, Jeffrey R. ‘”Lord, I Believe,’” General Conference April 2013. - Video: Evidences of the Book of Mormon: Hebraisms
- Video: Evidences of the Book of Mormon: Names
- Video: Evidences of the Book of Mormon: Plates
Sunday
- Scripture: Helaman 6:1-6
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Quote: “As I pondered what caused this mighty change in the hearts of these Lamanites, I came to realize this easiness and willingness to believe in the word of God comes from a softness of heart. It comes from having a heart that is sensitive to the Holy Ghost. It comes from having a heart that can love. It comes from having a heart that will make and keep sacred covenants. It comes from a soft heart that can feel the power of the Atonement of Christ.“
This easiness to believe comes from the example of others who have soft hearts and who model this easiness to believe, such as Nephi and Lehi. Their father, Helaman, named them Nephi and Lehi to remind them of the faith of their fathers.”
Ringwood, Michael T. “An Easiness and Willingness to Believe,” General Conference October 2009. - Scripture: Helaman 6:7-41
- KnoWhy 432: What is the Difference Between "Robbers" and "Thieves" in the Book of Mormon?
Explore Further
- KnoWhy 336: Who Was Zelph?
- KnoWhy 177: Why Was Chiasmus Used in Nephite Record Keeping?
Additional Resources (Bibliography)
Helaman
Hansen, Jr., Gerald. “The Terrifying Book of Helaman.” In The Book of Mormon: Helaman Through 3 Nephi 8, According to Thy Word, edited by Monte S. Nyman and Charles D. Tate, Jr., 163–176. Provo, UT: Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University, 1992.
Helaman 1
Hillam, Ray C. “The Gadianton Robbers and Protracted War.” BYU Studies Quarterly 15, no. 2 (1975): 215–224.
Welch, John W. “The Case of Paanchi.” In The Legal Cases in the Book of Mormon, 311–322. Provo, UT: BYU Press/Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship, 2008.
Helaman 1:1–10
Bowen, Matthew L. “’Swearing by Their Everlasting Maker’: Some Notes on Paanchi and Giddianhi.” Interpreter: A Journal of Mormon Scripture 28 (2018): 155–170.
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.
Welch, John W., and Greg Welch. “The Nephite Judges.” In Charting the Book of Mormon: Visual Aids for Personal Study and Teaching. Provo, UT: Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies, 1999, chart 33.
Helaman 1:2
Book of Mormon Central. “How Was a Void in Leadership Dangerous for the Nephites? (Helaman 1:2).” KnoWhy 172 (August 24, 2016).
Helaman 2
Helaman 2:1–2
Welch, John W., and Greg Welch. “Pahoran as Chief Judge: Years 25–39 of the Reign of the Judges.” In Charting the Book of Mormon: Visual Aids for Personal Study and Teaching. Provo, UT: Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies, 1999, chart 37.
Welch, John W., and Greg Welch. “The Nephite Judges.” In Charting the Book of Mormon: Visual Aids for Personal Study and Teaching. Provo, UT: Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies, 1999, chart 33.
Welch, John W., and Greg Welch. “Who Kept the Records in the Book of Mormon? (By Lineages).” In Charting the Book of Mormon: Visual Aids for Personal Study and Teaching. Provo, UT: Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies, 1999, chart 17.
Welch, John W., and Greg Welch. “Helaman as Chief Judge: Years 42–53 of the Reign of the Judges.” In Charting the Book of Mormon: Visual Aids for Personal Study and Teaching. Provo, UT: Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies, 1999, chart 38.
Helaman 2:9
Book of Mormon Central. “Why was Helaman’s Servant Justified in Killing Kishkumen? (Helaman 2:9).” KnoWhy 173 (August 25, 2016).
Helaman 3
Welch, John W., and Greg Welch. “Nephite Cycle of Righteousness: Mormon's Warning for Us Today.” In Charting the Book of Mormon: Visual Aids for Personal Study and Teaching. Provo, UT: Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies, 1999, chart 144.
Helaman 3:7
Book of Mormon Central. “When Did Cement Become Common in Ancient America? (Helaman 3:7).” KnoWhy 174 (August 26, 2016).
Wells, Matthew G., and John W. Welch. “Concrete Evidence for the Book of Mormon.” In Reexploring the Book of Mormon, edited by John W. Welch, 212–214. Provo, UT/Salt Lake City: FARMS/Deseret Book, 1992.
Helaman 3:8
Sorenson, John L. “Mesoamericans in Pre-Columbian North America.” In Reexploring the Book of Mormon, edited by John W. Welch, 218–220. Provo, UT/Salt Lake City: FARMS/Deseret Book, 1992.
Sorenson, John L. “Mesoamericans in Pre-Spanish South America.” In Reexploring the Book of Mormon, edited by John W. Welch, 215–217. Provo, UT/Salt Lake City: FARMS/Deseret Book, 1992.
Helaman 3:13
Barney, Kevin L. “’Slippery Treasures’ in the Book of Mormon: A Concept from the Ancient World.” Insights: A Window on the Ancient World 20, no. 6 (2000): 2.
Hilton, John L. “Wordprints and the Book of Mormon.” In Reexploring the Book of Mormon, edited by John W. Welch, 221–226. Provo, UT/Salt Lake City: FARMS/Deseret Book, 1992.
Welch, John W., and Greg Welch. “Wordprints and 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 135.
Helaman 3:14
Welch, John W., and Greg Welch. “A Comparison of Nephite Law Lists.” In Charting the Book of Mormon: Visual Aids for Personal Study and Teaching. Provo, UT: Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies, 1999, chart 127.
Helaman 3:15
Sorenson, John L. “Worth Repeating: ‘The Book of Mormon as a Mesoamerican Record.’” Insights: A Window on the Ancient World 27, no. 5 (2007): 6–7.
Helaman 3:20
Welch, John W., and Greg Welch. “How Do You Say "Law" in Hebrew?.” In Charting the Book of Mormon: Visual Aids for Personal Study and Teaching. Provo, UT: Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies, 1999, chart 119.
Helaman 3:23
Benard, David R., John W. Welch, and Daniel C. Peterson. “’Secret Combinations.’” In Reexploring the Book of Mormon, edited by John W. Welch, 227–229. Provo, UT/Salt Lake City: FARMS/Deseret Book, 1992.
Helaman 3:25
Welch, John W. “Rollercoaster Economics.” In Pressing Forward with the Book of Mormon: The FARMS Updates of the 1990s, edited by John W. Welch and Melvin J. Thorne, 180–186. Provo, UT: FARMS, 1999.
Helaman 3:37
Welch, John W., and Greg Welch. “The Nephite Judges.” In Charting the Book of Mormon: Visual Aids for Personal Study and Teaching. Provo, UT: Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies, 1999, chart 33.
Welch, John W., and Greg Welch. “Who Kept the Records in the Book of Mormon? (By Lineages).” In Charting the Book of Mormon: Visual Aids for Personal Study and Teaching. Provo, UT: Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies, 1999, chart 17.
Welch, John W., and Greg Welch. “Helaman as Chief Judge: Years 42–53 of the Reign of the Judges.” In Charting the Book of Mormon: Visual Aids for Personal Study and Teaching. Provo, UT: Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies, 1999, chart 38.
Welch, John W., and Greg Welch. “Nephi as Chief Judge: Years 53–62 of the Reign of the Judges.” In Charting the Book of Mormon: Visual Aids for Personal Study and Teaching. Provo, UT: Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies, 1999, chart 39.
Helaman 4
Helaman 4:5
Welch, John W., and Greg Welch. “Nephite Cycle of Righteousness: Mormon's Warning for Us Today.” In Charting the Book of Mormon: Visual Aids for Personal Study and Teaching. Provo, UT: Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies, 1999, chart 144.
Helaman 4:7
Anonymous, “A Day and a Half's Journey for a Nephite.” Insights: A Window on the Ancient World 5, no. 1 (1985): 2.
Hedges, Andrew H. “The Narrow Neck of Land.” Religious Educator: Perspectives on the Restored Gospel 9, no. 3 (2008): 151–160.
Sorenson, John L. “’A Day and a Half's Journey for a Nephite.’” In Reexploring the Book of Mormon, edited by John W. Welch, 187–188. Provo, UT/Salt Lake City: FARMS/Deseret Book, 1992.
Helaman 4:12
Welch, John W., and Greg Welch. “A Comparison of Nephite Law Lists.” In Charting the Book of Mormon: Visual Aids for Personal Study and Teaching. Provo, UT: Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies, 1999, chart 127.
Helaman 4:22
Welch, John W. “The Law of Mosiah.” In Reexploring the Book of Mormon, edited by John W. Welch, 158–161. Provo, UT/Salt Lake City: FARMS/Deseret Book, 1992.
Helaman 4:25
Book of Mormon Central. “How Did the Nephites Become Weak in Such a Short Time? (Helaman 4:25).” KnoWhy 175 (August 29, 2016).
Helaman 5
Perry, Michael F. “The Supremacy of the Word: Alma’s Mission to the Zoramites and the Conversion of the Lamanites.” Journal of Book of Mormon Studies 24 (2015): 119–137.
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.
Wirth, Diane E. “Celestial Visits in the Scriptures, and a Plausible Mesoamerican Tradition.” Interpreter: A Journal of Mormon Scripture 14 (2015): 55–75.
Helaman 5:1
Welch, John W., and Greg Welch. “The Nephite Judges.” In Charting the Book of Mormon: Visual Aids for Personal Study and Teaching. Provo, UT: Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies, 1999, chart 33.
Welch, John W., and Greg Welch. “Who Kept the Records in the Book of Mormon? (By Lineages).” In Charting the Book of Mormon: Visual Aids for Personal Study and Teaching. Provo, UT: Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies, 1999, chart 17.
Welch, John W., and Greg Welch. “Nephi as Chief Judge: Years 53–62 of the Reign of the Judges.” In Charting the Book of Mormon: Visual Aids for Personal Study and Teaching. Provo, UT: Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies, 1999, chart 39.
Helaman 5:6–7
Bowen, Matthew L. “’He Is a Good Man’: The Fulfillment of Helaman 5:6-7 in Helaman 8:7 and 11:18-19.” Interpreter: A Journal of Mormon Scripture 17 (2016): 165–170.
Helaman 5:9
Welch, John W., and Greg Welch. “Helaman's Quotation of Benjamin.” In Charting the Book of Mormon: Visual Aids for Personal Study and Teaching. Provo, UT: Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies, 1999, chart 104.
Helaman 5:12
Book of Mormon Central. “Why Did Helaman Want His Sons to Remember to Build upon the Rock? (Helaman 5:12).” KnoWhy 332 (June 28, 2017).
Book of Mormon Central. “Why Did Helaman Compare Christ to a Rock? (Helaman 5:12).” KnoWhy 176 (August 30, 2016).
Helaman 5:16
Welch, John W., and Greg Welch. “Twelve Journeys between the Cities of Nephi and Zarahemla.” In Charting the Book of Mormon: Visual Aids for Personal Study and Teaching. Provo, UT: Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies, 1999, chart 153.
Helaman 5:21–22
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.
Helaman 5:39
Bowen, Matthew L. “’My People Are Willing’: The Mention of Aminadab in the Narrative Context of Helaman 5-6.” Interpreter: A Journal of Mormon Scripture 19 (2016): 83–107.
Helaman 5:41
Roper, Matthew. “Was Aminadab a Zoramite?” Insights: A Window on the Ancient World 24, no. 1 (2004): 2–3.
Helaman 5:48–49
Tolley, Kevin L. “To ‘See and Hear.’” Interpreter: A Journal of Mormon Scripture 18 (2016): 139–158.
Helaman 6
Helaman 6:6
Book of Mormon Central. “Who Was Zelph? (Helaman 6:6).” KnoWhy 336 (July 7, 2017).
Helaman 6:7–13
Christenson, Allen J. “Chiasmus in Mesoamerican Texts.” In Reexploring the Book of Mormon, edited by John W. Welch, 233–235. Provo, UT/Salt Lake City: FARMS/Deseret Book, 1992.
Welch, John W., and Greg Welch. “Twelve Journeys between the Cities of Nephi and Zarahemla.” In Charting the Book of Mormon: Visual Aids for Personal Study and Teaching. Provo, UT: Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies, 1999, chart 153.
Welch, John W., and Greg Welch. “Chiasmus in Helaman 6:7–13.” In Charting the Book of Mormon: Visual Aids for Personal Study and Teaching. Provo, UT: Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies, 1999, chart 133.
Welch, John W. „Chiasmus in Helaman 6:7–13.“ In Reexploring the Book of Mormon, edited by John W. Welch, 230–232. Provo, UT/Salt Lake City: FARMS/Deseret Book, 1992.
Helaman 6:10
Book of Mormon Central. “Why Was Chiasmus Used in Nephite Record Keeping? (Helaman 6:10).” KnoWhy 177 (August 31, 2018).
Helaman 6:11
Sorenson, John L. “Challenging Conventional Views of Metal.” In Pressing Forward with the Book of Mormon: The FARMS Updates of the 1990s, edited by John W. Welch and Melvin J. Thorne, 187–189. Provo, UT: FARMS, 1999.
Helaman 6:15
Welch, John W., and Greg Welch. “The Nephite Judges.” In Charting the Book of Mormon: Visual Aids for Personal Study and Teaching. Provo, UT: Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies, 1999, chart 33.
Welch, John W., and Greg Welch. “Who Kept the Records in the Book of Mormon? (By Lineages).” In Charting the Book of Mormon: Visual Aids for Personal Study and Teaching. Provo, UT: Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies, 1999, chart 17.
Helaman 6:18
Book of Mormon Central. “What is the Difference Between "Robbers" and "Thieves" in the Book of Mormon? (Helaman 6:18).” KnoWhy 432 (May 10, 2018).
Helaman 6:23
Welch, John W., and Greg Welch. “A Comparison of Nephite Law Lists.” In Charting the Book of Mormon: Visual Aids for Personal Study and Teaching. Provo, UT: Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies, 1999, chart 127.
Helaman 6:24
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.
Helaman 6:26–27
Bowen, Matthew L. “Getting Cain and Gain.” Interpreter: A Journal of Mormon Scripture 15 (2015): 115–141.
Tvedtnes, John A. “Hiding the Secret Plans.” Insights: A Window on the Ancient World 22, no. 8 (2002): 2.
Helaman 6:30–34
Reynolds, Noel B. “The Ancient Doctrine of the Two Ways and the Book of Mormon.” BYU Studies Quarterly 56, no. 3 (2017): 49–78.
Helaman 6:35–36
Bowen, Matthew L. “’My People Are Willing’: The Mention of Aminadab in the Narrative Context of Helaman 5-6.” Interpreter: A Journal of Mormon Scripture 19 (2016): 83–107.
Helaman 6:37–38
Peterson, Daniel C. “Notes on ‘Gadianton Masonry.’” 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.
Peterson, Daniel C. “Secret Combinations Revisited.” In Pressing Forward with the Book of Mormon: The FARMS Updates of the 1990s, edited by John W. Welch and Melvin J. Thorne, 190–195. Provo, UT: FARMS, 1999.