Book of Omni
The Book of Omni is the sixth section, or book, within the collective works of the Book of Mormon. The final part of the Small Plates of Nephi, the book follows the descendants of Jacob, Nephi's brother, as the plates are handed from father to son or from brother to brother. The book is essentially broken down into two sections: the brief records of the Jacob's descendants and secondly, the ending to the small plates.
Descendant Records
Unlike prior sections of the Book of Mormon, the Book of Omni sees the historical record change numerous hands within a single chapter. These changes are as follows:
1. Jarom to his son Omni
2. Omni to his son Amaron
3. Amaron to his brother Chemish
4. Chemish to his son Abinadom
5. Abinadom to his son Amaleki
Synopsis
Omni, for whom this section is named, explains that his father Jarom had tasked him with keeping the plates that had been passed down the family. Beyond this, he was supposed to contribute to the writings, in at least some part to preserve their genealogy. Omni provides little information about his own life, and while he likely kept the plates for at least a few decades, he contributes only three verses to the record.[1] The record is then passed along to Omni's son Amaron, who offers nearly the same amount of brevity as his father. Amaron notes that three hundred and twenty years since Lehi's departure from Jerusalem have passed, marking the year as 279 B.C. He also explains that numerous Nephites who had succumbed to wickedness had been subsequently destroyed. Conversely, the more righteous part of the Nephites had been spared during this same time. Amaron closes his contributions by stating his intent to pass the plates along to his brother Chemish.[2]
Chemish adds only a single verse to the Book of Omni, simply stating that he had seen what Amaron had written "with his own hand" and corroborating the record. He does not directly mention who he passed the responsibility of record keeping unto, but in the next verse Chemish's son Abinadom continues the record. Abinadom, who was a warrior who had participated in many battles with the Lamanites, indicates that while the Large Plates of Nephi contained many words pertaining to historical information, he had nothing of spiritual note to add to the Small Plates of Nephi. Like his father, Abinadom concludes his words without informing us of the record's next recipient.[3]
The final author of the Book of Omni—Abinadom's son Amaleki—picks up the record in this instance and provides more information to the goings on of the Nephites than the other four contributors to this section combined. He states that a man named Mosiah had been warned by the Lord that he should flee out of the land of Nephi. Many people follow Mosiah, including a presumed ancestor of Amaleki, to a land called Zarahemla. A group of people had been living in the region for centuries, and were neither Nephites nor Lamanites. Their language had been corrupted over so many years without any written records, and so Mosiah helped to instruct these "Zarahemlan" people in the Nephites' language.[4] Consequently, the people of Zarahemla effectively become adopted as Nephites, with the two groups united together under the leadership of Mosiah, whom they appoint to be their king. Apart from its residents, Zarahemla also contained a "large stone...with engravings on it." Mosiah, using the "gift and power of God," translates the engravings, which comprise the Book of Ether.[5]
Amaleki reveals that he was born "in the days of Mosiah," and was still alive when the king passed away. King Benjamin, Mosiah's son, took on the role of leadership for the Nephites and is described by Amaleki as "a just man before the Lord." Because of this righteous demeanor—and because Amaleki never fathered any children himself—he decides to pass the plates onto Benjamin.[6] Before bestowing the plates to Benjamin, Amaleki concludes the Book of Omni with words of spiritual encouragement and by detailing an expedition that took place. Apparently a group of Nephites attempted to return to the land of Nephi, but due to contention many of the men were killed, and only 50 people returned to Zarahemla. After this first failed attempt, another group tries to complete the same journey. Amaleki's brother is part of this second group, and the two men are not reunited before Amaleki passes away.[7] More information pertaining to these expeditions is given in the Book of Mosiah.
