Life Events of Mormon during the War

Main events covered in this section:

AD 326–331

The series of skirmishes between AD 326–331 provided a great victory for Mormon, who did not win many battles during his lifetime. Several features preceded these events: robbers, over-population, intense militarism, and a lot of fear (Mormon 2:3). The Nephites had resorted to sorceries, witchcrafts and magic (Mormon 1:19); they were no longer relying on the Holy Ghost, and they turned to superstition to find a successful strategy. Divination, augury, and things of that nature are surrogates for the lack of the influence of the Holy Ghost. These factors came together to cause the Nephite crisis.

At this point, the Nephites had to retreat. Thus, when Mormon, at age sixteen, began to lead these people, they were already on the run and setting up refugee camps. They had lost their lands, and only had the things they could carry with them. Access to healthcare and food must have been very limited, especially when they were so afraid, as described in Mormon 2:3.

As recorded in Mormon 2:9, however, he regrouped the army and prevailed for a moment of victory against Aaron. Mormon reported, “He came against us with an army of forty and four thousand. And behold, I withstood him with forty and two thousand. And it came to pass that I beat him with my army that he fled before me.” The Nephites were slightly outnumbered, but Mormon wanted us to know that he won at least that once.

When Did Mormon Marry?

By the end of that victory in about AD 331, Mormon was in his twentieth year. In Jewish tradition, if they were still following it or some similar life-expectations, the age of twenty was considered an ideal age to marry. Mormon still had another four years before he could obtain the records at the age of 24, and he would probably have wanted to first marry a woman who already understood his mission. We don’t know when Mormon married, but for several reasons, sometime during the early 330s would have made sense. Interestingly, Joseph Smith married Emma at about that age as well in January 1827. Joesph began translating the plates, bringing forth the 116 pages in May and June, 1828, when he was age 22.

Hypothetically, Mormon could have married around AD 331, about twenty years of age, during the break in the wars at that time. Moroni could have been born a couple years after that. Looking ahead, if Moroni was then called to the ministry around 30 years of age, that would have occurred around AD 360, around the end of the 10-year-treaty. Considering the conditions at such times in Mormon’s life helps us suggest possible dates for things such as Mormon’s preaching in his synagogue as found in Moroni 7, and also his letter to Moroni as recorded in Moroni 8. Moroni noted that that letter was written by his father shortly after Moroni’s call to the ministry, whenever that was (Moroni 8:1). The contexts behind those two documents as well as behind his letter found in Moroni 9 will be discussed later in the notes for Moroni 7–9.

AD 331–345

Very little of what Mormon did between AD 331–345 is recorded in Mormon 2:18, but the points that Mormon touches were the most crucial. The Nephites became worse and the day of grace was past; they were sorrowful, but not unto repentance. Rather theirs was the sorrowing of the damned. In particular, they did not come to Jesus with “broken hearts and contrite spirits,” but they “did curse God and wish to die” (Mormon 2:14). The phrase “broken heart and contrite spirit” was spoken by Jesus out of the darkness in 3 Nephi 19: “I will accept none of your sacrifices and your burnt offerings. And ye shall offer for a sacrifice unto me a broken heart and a contrite spirit” (3 Nephi 9:19–20). The phrase was also used in the Sermon at the Temple, when Jesus commanded all to repent and come unto Him (3 Nephi 12:19). Mormon’s diagnosis of the serious spiritual decline of his people thus identifies their strong rejection of the basic teachings of Jesus in 3 Nephi. In using words sparingly, Mormon is excellent at remembering and using significant key phrases that he obviously knew from his study of the records and teachings of his people.

In the year AD 344, the Nephites fled again, and Mormon led them up to the land of Jashon, where a deposit of the Nephite records were. In Mormon 2:17 he recorded, “Behold I had gone, according to the word of Ammaron and taken the plates of Nephi and did make a record according to the words of Ammaron.” By the time he returned in AD 344, Mormon had already obtained access to the plates, at the age of 24.

It is likely that, between AD 334–344, Mormon worked somewhat on the records. He was apparently finishing the record of what he called the Large Plates when, in Mormon 2:18, he wrote: “and upon the plates of Nephi, I did make a full account.” That is, he wrote on what for centuries had been called the Large Plates, recording “all the wickedness and abomination” of his own people. But upon these plates (the plates of Mormon), as he also wrote, he “did forbear to make a full account.” We do not know when he actually made the plates of Mormon, but it would seem likely that he at least began working on them during this period.

Further Reading

Book of Mormon Central, “Why Did Mormon Write So Little About His Own Time Period? (Mormon 2:18),” KnoWhy 227 (November 9, 2016).