1 - And now behold, it came to pass that all the people of the land did hear these sayings, and did witness of it. And after these sayings there was silence in the land for the space of many hours;
Who was it that heard the voice of Christ and what he had testified about? Look up the footnote for the word 'hear' ( 1 Nephi 19:11 ). What was the manner of visitation of the Lord promised by Zenos for the righteous? What was the manner of visitation of the Lord promised by Zenos for those who were not righteous? Which ones happened on the American continents? Which ones did those who heard his voice from the heavens in the Americas experience? Why? What can that mean in other instances when the Lord has made know that there will be different things happening based on the righteousness of the people? What do the words 'did hear these sayings' mean? What does it mean to 'witness of it'? What does hearing and witnessing of the words which they had heard imply? Why was there silence in the land? Why weren't they talking to each other about what they had just heard? This verse says that everyone heard it, so why weren't they talking?
2 - For so great was the astonishment of the people that they did cease lamenting and howling for the loss of their kindred which had been slain; therefore there was silence in all the land for the space of many hours.
What astonished the people? What could cause them to stop mourning the violent deaths of their relatives? Go back to Chapter 9 and look at what the voice of the Lord said:
9:13 - 1st invitation given by the Lord.
9:14 - 2nd invitation from the Lord. Did they think they had been forgotten by the heavens?
9:15 - The Lord identifies himself in a context (1st) for the people to recognize.
9:16 - The Lord identifies himself in another context (2nd) for the people to recognize.
9:17 - 3rd invitation from the Lord. Is the same invitation as in 9:14? How many times in the scriptures is the term 'sons of God' used? The Lord identifies himself in another context (3rd ) for the people to recognize.
9:18 - The Lord identifies himself in another context (4th) for the people to recognize.
9:19, 20 - The Lord gives new doctrine given and ties it in to a grand spiritual experience that was well-known to the people so that they would know what to expect as a result of obedience to this new direction. This blessing had happened before as a result of obedience and will continue to happen as a result of obedience to the new doctrine given them by the Lord.
9:21 - The Lord identifies himself again in the same context that he did the 3rd time. If the Lord repeats himself, is that important? Should we pay attention? Should we ponder as to why?
9:22 - 4th invitation given from the Lord.
There is a lot there to ponder. Wouldn't you if you were suddenly given instruction and invitations by the voice of the Lord after passing through what must have seemed almost unbearable experiences just prior? In the experiences that these Nephites went through, is there a type that we should be aware of? Lots to ponder, maybe even for the 'space of many hours'?
... Great things 2 ponder upon
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