BOOK-BY-BOOK GUIDE
Words of Mormon
Mormon steps into his own book to explain what he is doing — a behind-the-scenes look at how the Book of Mormon was assembled
Words of Mormon — the basics
The story of Words of Mormon
Understanding the context first
To understand Words of Mormon, you need to understand where it sits in the overall structure of the Book of Mormon. Mormon is a general and prophet who lives around AD 385 — hundreds of years after Nephi. God commissions him to compile all of the Nephite records into a single, abridged account. He spends years going through these records and condensing them.
While working on this, he discovers the small plates — the original personal record that Nephi made and that was passed down through Jarom, Omni, and finally to King Benjamin. These plates contain material from 1 Nephi through Omni — a parallel, more personal account of the same early period that his own abridgment also covers.
The inspired decision (verses 1-9)
Mormon makes a decision: instead of replacing the early part of his abridgment with the small plates, or discarding the small plates in favor of his abridgment, he will include both. He will attach the small plates to the front of the main record. He doesn't fully know why — he says "I do not know all things" — but he feels a prompting from the Spirit that it is important. He trusts it.
He specifically says that the small plates are "pleasing" to him because they contain a great deal about Christ. He wants future generations to have access to both records. This is an editorial decision made in faith, without knowing its full significance.
King Benjamin and the transition (verses 10-18)
Mormon also briefly narrates what happened after Amaleki gave the plates to King Benjamin. Benjamin was a faithful, powerful king who fought off the Lamanites, put down false prophets and dissenters within his own people, and maintained peace. He is described as a holy man who labored among his people and taught them to keep the commandments. This prepares us for the book of Mosiah, which opens with Benjamin's famous farewell address.
What Words of Mormon is really about
Providence working through human decisions
Mormon's decision to include the small plates — made without fully knowing why — turned out to be one of the most important editorial choices in the history of scripture. When Joseph Smith lost 116 manuscript pages in 1828, the small plates provided exactly the coverage needed to fill the gap. Mormon acted on a prompting he couldn't fully explain, and God's purpose was served centuries later. This is how providence works: through faithful human choices made in incomplete understanding.
The value of personal, Christ-centered writing
Mormon explicitly says the small plates are valuable to him because they are "pleasing" and contain so much about Christ. The small plates were more personal and devotional than the large plates (which were more historical and governmental). Mormon recognized the spiritual value of that different register and made sure it was preserved.
Honest uncertainty in spiritual matters
Mormon says plainly that he doesn't know all the reasons he is including the small plates. He acts in faith without full understanding. This is one of the most refreshing moments of epistemic honesty in the Book of Mormon — a prophet and compiler admitting the limits of his knowledge while still acting faithfully within those limits.
The most important verses in Words of Mormon
"And I do this for a wise purpose; for thus it whispereth me, according to the workings of the Spirit of the Lord which is in me. And now, I do not know all things; but the Lord knoweth all things which are to come; wherefore, he worketh in me to do according to his will."
Mormon's statement about acting on spiritual prompting without full understanding is one of the most important epistemological statements in the Book of Mormon. He doesn't claim to know everything — he claims to trust the one who does. This is the posture of covenant discipleship.
"And they did rejoice and offer sacrifice and burnt offerings unto the Lord; and he did hear their prayers, and did establish peace in the land."
The simple report of what happened under King Benjamin's faithful leadership — peace through prayer and covenant faithfulness. This brevity signals a contrast with what will follow after Benjamin's era passes.
What Words of Mormon means for you
Words of Mormon is the shortest book in the scriptural canon that almost no one reads carefully — and it contains one of the most important lessons about how God works: through imperfect human choices made in faithful uncertainty. Mormon didn't know why he was including the small plates. He did it anyway. That choice, preserved across centuries and through the translation process, became the answer to a crisis that neither Mormon nor Joseph Smith could have anticipated.
The lesson is not that God arranges everything in advance like a grand chess game with humans as pieces. The lesson is that ordinary faithfulness, applied to ordinary decisions, can serve purposes that stretch far beyond what we can see. Mormon's prompting to include some extra plates is now, in hindsight, one of the most theologically significant editorial decisions in the history of scripture.
And his admission — "I do not know all things" — is a model for how thoughtful, humble discipleship sounds. Not certainty about everything, but trust in the one who does know, and a willingness to act on that trust.