Ether 6
People in this chapter
Ether 6 is the voyage. The barges the Lord designed are finished, the sixteen stones He touched are shining in them, and the families of Jared and his brother climb aboard with their animals and food. Moroni sums up the whole act in one phrase: they set forth into the sea, commending themselves unto the Lord their God (v. 4).
Tap any highlighted phrase to jump to the commentary that unpacks it.
Ether 6:1-4Commending Themselves unto the Lord
1And now I, Moroni, proceed to give the record of Jared and his brother. 2For it came to pass after the Lord had prepared the stones which the brother of Jared had carried up into the mount, the brother of Jared came down out of the mount, and he did put forth the stones into the vessels which were prepared, one in each end thereof; and behold, they did give light unto the vessels. 3And thus the Lord caused stones to shine in darkness, to give light unto men, women, and children, that they might not cross the great waters in darkness.
Moroni picks the story back up after the brother of Jared's vision. The stones the Lord touched are put in the barges, one at each end, and they give light.
4And it came to pass that when they had prepared all manner of food, that thereby they might subsist upon the water, and also food for their flocks and herds, and whatsoever beast or animal or fowl that they should carry with them—and it came to pass that when they had done all these things they got aboard of their vessels or barges, and set forth into the sea, commending themselves unto the Lord their God.
The people did their part: they gathered food for themselves and their animals. Then they got on board and put themselves in the Lord's hands.
Ether 6:5-12The Wind Did Never Cease to Blow
5And it came to pass that the Lord God caused that there should be a furious wind blow upon the face of the waters, towards the promised land; and thus they were tossed upon the waves of the sea before the wind. 6And it came to pass that they were many times buried in the depths of the sea, because of the mountain waves which broke upon them, and also the great and terrible tempests which were caused by the fierceness of the wind. 7And it came to pass that when they were buried in the deep there was no water that could hurt them, their vessels being tight like unto a dish, and also they were tight like unto the ark of Noah; therefore when they were encompassed about by many waters they did cry unto the Lord, and he did bring them forth again upon the top of the waters. 8And it came to pass that the wind did never cease to blow towards the promised land while they were upon the waters; and thus they were driven forth before the wind.
Huge waves often pushed the barges under the water. The barges were sealed tight, so no water got in. When the people were under the water they prayed, and the Lord brought them back up.
9And they did sing praises unto the Lord; yea, the brother of Jared did sing praises unto the Lord, and he did thank and praise the Lord all the day long; and when the night came, they did not cease to praise the Lord. 10And thus they were driven forth; and no monster of the sea could break them, neither whale that could mar them; and they did have light continually, whether it was above the water or under the water. 11And thus they were driven forth, three hundred and forty and four days upon the water.
The people sang praises to the Lord all day and all night. The light never went out. The trip took 344 days, almost a year.
12And they did land upon the shore of the promised land. And when they had set their feet upon the shores of the promised land they bowed themselves down upon the face of the land, and did humble themselves before the Lord, and did shed tears of joy before the Lord, because of the multitude of his tender mercies over them.
When they reached land, the first thing they did was bow down, humble themselves, and cry tears of joy for the Lord's many tender mercies.
Ether 6:13-18Taught from on High
13And it came to pass that they went forth upon the face of the land, and began to till the earth. 14And Jared had four sons; and they were called Jacom, and Gilgah, and Mahah, and Orihah. 15And the brother of Jared also begat sons and daughters. 16And the friends of Jared and his brother were in number about twenty and two souls; and they also begat sons and daughters before they came to the promised land; and therefore they began to be many.
The people started farming. Jared had four sons, his brother had many children, and their friends had families too. Their numbers grew.
17And they were taught to walk humbly before the Lord; and they were also taught from on high. 18And it came to pass that they began to spread upon the face of the land, and to multiply and to till the earth; and they did wax strong in the land.
The people learned to be humble before the Lord, and the Lord Himself taught them. They grew strong in the land.
Ether 6:19-30Surely This Thing Leadeth into Captivity
19And the brother of Jared began to be old, and saw that he must soon go down to the grave; wherefore he said unto Jared: Let us gather together our people that we may number them, that we may know of them what they will desire of us before we go down to our graves. 20And accordingly the people were gathered together. Now the number of the sons and the daughters of the brother of Jared were twenty and two souls; and the number of sons and daughters of Jared were twelve, he having four sons. 21And it came to pass that they did number their people; and after that they had numbered them, they did desire of them the things which they would that they should do before they went down to their graves.
The brother of Jared was getting old. He and Jared gathered everyone to ask what the people wanted from them before they died.
22And it came to pass that the people desired of them that they should anoint one of their sons to be a king over them. 23And now behold, this was grievous unto them. And the brother of Jared said unto them: Surely this thing leadeth into captivity. 24But Jared said unto his brother: Suffer them that they may have a king. And therefore he said unto them: Choose ye out from among our sons a king, even whom ye will.
The people asked for a king. The brother of Jared was grieved and warned that having a king would lead to captivity. Jared said to let the people have what they wanted.
25And it came to pass that they chose even the firstborn of the brother of Jared; and his name was Pagag. And it came to pass that he refused and would not be their king. And the people would that his father should constrain him, but his father would not; and he commanded them that they should constrain no man to be their king. 26And it came to pass that they chose all the brothers of Pagag, and they would not. 27And it came to pass that neither would the sons of Jared, even all save it were one; and Orihah was anointed to be king over the people.
The people chose the brother of Jared's oldest son, Pagag, but he refused. All of his brothers refused, and so did Jared's sons, except Orihah. Orihah became king.
28And he began to reign, and the people began to prosper; and they became exceedingly rich. 29And it came to pass that Jared died, and his brother also. 30And it came to pass that Orihah did walk humbly before the Lord, and did remember how great things the Lord had done for his father, and also taught his people how great things the Lord had done for their fathers.
Orihah was a good king. The people became rich. Jared and his brother died. Orihah stayed humble and taught his people what the Lord had done for their fathers.
Research trail
Sources & further study
These references support the historical, linguistic, manuscript, and contextual notes in this chapter. Scripture remains the primary text; external sources are provided so readers can inspect the research directly.
- Jared, Brother ofThe scriptures on the prophet who led the crossing and warned against a king.
- JareditesAn overview of the people whose record Moroni abridges in the book of Ether.
- TrustScriptures on trusting the Lord, the attitude behind commending themselves unto the Lord their God (v. 4).
- Thankful, Thanks, ThanksgivingScriptures on giving thanks, as the brother of Jared did all the day long (v. 9).
Where this echoes in Scripture
Commending Themselves unto the Lord
- Ether 3:6The Lord stretched forth his hand and touched the stones one by one with his finger.Where the light in verse 2 came from.
- John 8:12I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness.
- Ether 2:25Ye cannot cross this great deep save I prepare you against the waves of the sea.The Lord's promise before the voyage.
- Psalm 37:5Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.
The Wind Did Never Cease to Blow
- Ether 2:24I will bring you up again out of the depths of the sea; for the winds have gone forth out of my mouth.
- Mark 4:39-41He arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still.
- 1 Nephi 18:8We did put forth into the sea and were driven forth before the wind towards the promised land.Lehi's family made the same kind of voyage.
- 1 Nephi 1:20The tender mercies of the Lord are over all those whom he hath chosen, because of their faith.
- Psalm 107:28-30He maketh the storm a calm... so he bringeth them unto their desired haven.
Taught from on High
- Ether 2:12If they will but serve the God of the land, who is Jesus Christ.The covenant condition of the land.
- Micah 6:8What doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?
- Ether 1:34-37Cry unto the Lord, that he will not confound us that we may not understand our words.How these families were preserved at the tower.
- Doctrine and Covenants 112:10Be thou humble; and the Lord thy God shall lead thee by the hand, and give thee answer to thy prayers.
Surely This Thing Leadeth into Captivity
- 1 Samuel 8:7They have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not reign over them.
- Mosiah 29:16-17It is not expedient that ye should have a king or kings to rule over you... how much iniquity doth one wicked king cause to be committed.
- Mosiah 23:7It is not expedient that we should have a king.Alma refuses a crown.
- Ether 7:5Which brought to pass the saying of the brother of Jared that they would be brought into captivity.
- Psalm 78:4Shewing to the generation to come the praises of the LORD, and his strength, and his wonderful works that he hath done.