Summary
According to the Book of Mormon and other Latter Day Saint movement sources, the Liahona (/ˌliːəˈhoʊnə/)[1] is a tool to help give direction. It is a brass ball that operated as a type of compass with two spindles. One of the spindles was said to point the direction Lehi and his party should travel after their escape from Jerusalem, but it only worked when they were faithful. The other functions like a standard compass. [2] The Book of Mormon states that the Liahona also contained periodic written instructions from God. According to some sources, the Liahona was among the Book of Mormon artifacts Joseph Smith said were found with the golden plates.[3][4]
| Liahona | |
|---|---|
| Book of Mormon element | |
 The Liahona, as depicted in Nephi Returning to the Tents with Food (May 1925) | |
| First appearance | 1 Nephi 16:10 |
In the Book of Mormon edit
In the Book of Mormon, the Liahona was found one morning at Lehi's tent door. It is described as a round brass ball of "curious workmanship" with "two spindles", one of which indicated the direction that his party should travel (1 Nephi 16:10). It is sometimes referred to as a compass, although the context makes it clear that it did not function like a magnetic compass. On occasion there was also writing on the ball that displayed additional instructions from God (1 Nephi 16:26-29). Using the Liahona, Lehi and his party were directed through the wilderness and across the ocean to the Americas. The Liahona worked "according to the faith and diligence" (1 Nephi 16:28) with which they heeded its direction, and ceased functioning at times when the members of the party demonstrated a loss of faith in God's commandments, notably when Nephi's brothers rebelled against Lehi during their ocean crossing (1 Nephi 18:12).
The only place in the Book of Mormon where the word "Liahona" is used is in the Book of Alma, when Alma, speaking to his son Helaman, explains "our fathers called it Liahona, which is, being interpreted, a compass" (Alma 37:38). Alma tells his son that "it is as easy to give heed to the word of Christ ... to eternal bliss, as it was for our fathers to give heed to this compass ... to the promised land" (Alma 37:44).
Meaning of the word Liahona edit
According to the Book of Mormon, the word Liahona means "a compass" (Alma 37:38). Latter-day Saint scholar Hugh Nibley also provided two additional possibilities for the meaning based on perceived Hebrew roots. He attributed the theory that it refers to a "queen bee" to a Hebrew University scholar named Shunary, and added his own speculation that Liyahhona might be translated "To God is the guidance."[5]
Jonathan Curci suggested that the word means "the direction of the Lord".[6]
Cultural reception edit
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints named one of its magazines, the Liahona, after the instrument described in the Book of Mormon and referencing its purpose of directing people.[7]
See also edit
Citations edit
- ^ "Book of Mormon Pronunciation Guide", churchofjesuschrist.org (retrieved 2012-02-25), IPA-ified from «lē´a-hō´na»
- ^ . 2014-05-12 https://web.archive.org/web/20140512190432/http://publications.maxwellinstitute.byu.edu/publications/jbms/3/2/S00001-50c7a73a8ce211Bunker.pdf. Archived from the original on 2014-05-12. Retrieved 2023-05-25.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help)CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - ^ Lapham, [La]Fayette (1870), "Interview with the Father of Joseph Smith, the Mormon Prophet, Forty years Ago. His Account of the Finding of the Sacred Plates", Historical Magazine, Second series, 7: 306–308
{{citation}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ Salisbury, Katharine Smith (April 10, 1895), Walker, Kyle R. (ed.), "Katharine Smith Salisbury's Recollections of Joseph's Meetings with Moroni", BYU Studies, 41 (3) (published 2002): 13
- ^ Nibley, Hugh. Teachings of the Book of Mormon, Semester 1, p.216. Covenant Communications (2004). ISBN 978-1-59156-571-0
- ^ Jonathan Curci, "Liahona: 'The Direction of the Lord': An Etymological Explanation", Journal of Book of Mormon Studies 16(2) (2007): 60–67.
- ^ Dyal (1989, p. 23).
References edit
- Dyal, Donald H. (Autumn 1989). "Mormon Pursuit of the Agrarian Ideal". Agricultural History. 63 (4): 19–35. JSTOR 3743328.
- Eliason, Eric A. (2023). "Nameways in Latter-day Saint History, Custom, and Folklore". In Oaks, Dallin D.; Baltes, Paul; Minson, Kent (eds.). Perspectives on Latter-day Saint Names and Naming: Names, Identity, and Belief. Routledge. doi:10.4324/9781003325000. ISBN 9781032350431.
- Givens, Terryl L. (2002). By the Hand of Mormon: The American Scripture that Launched a New World Religion. Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780195168884.
- Givens, Terryl L. (2009). The Book of Mormon: A Very Short Introduction. Very Short Introductions. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0195369311.
- Ludlow, Douglas Kent (1992). "Liahona". In Ludlow, Daniel H. (ed.). Encyclopedia of Mormonism. Macmillan.
- Welch, Rosalynde (2020). "Lehi's Brass Ball: Astonishment and Inscription". Journal of Book of Mormon Studies. 29: 20–49. doi:10.5406/jbookmormstud2.29.2020.0020.
External links edit
Media related to Liahona (Book of Mormon) at Wikimedia Commons
