Alma 22 is the overview of Book of Mormon geography. It is complex and easily misunderstood, particularly with Orson Pratt's punctuation and divisions into chapter and verse. Here I show 3 different formats: the current edition, Royal Skousen's Earliest Text, and my own format, based on Chiasm and the sense of the verse.
Basically, I think there should be more verses to distinguish meaning. The "thus" clauses are summaries. Verses 30-32a in the current edition are a parenthetical, describing Bountiful, and 32b is a thus clause that should be separated into its own verse.
My verse 37 shows the chiastic nature of this summary; i.e., Zarahemla was the land northward and Nephi was the land southward.
Current edition of the Book of Mormon.
Basically, I think there should be more verses to distinguish meaning. The "thus" clauses are summaries. Verses 30-32a in the current edition are a parenthetical, describing Bountiful, and 32b is a thus clause that should be separated into its own verse.
My verse 37 shows the chiastic nature of this summary; i.e., Zarahemla was the land northward and Nephi was the land southward.
Current edition of the Book of Mormon.
27 And it came to pass that the king sent
a proclamation throughout all the land, amongst all his people who were in
all his land, who were in all the regions round about, which was bordering even
to the sea, on the east and on the west, and which was divided from the
land of Zarahemla by a narrow strip of wilderness, which ran from the sea
east even to the sea west, and round about on the borders of the seashore, and
the borders of the wilderness which was on the north by the land of Zarahemla,
through the borders of Manti, by the head of the river Sidon, running
from the east towards the west—and thus were the Lamanites and the Nephites divided.
28 Now,
the more idle part of the Lamanites lived in the wilderness, and
dwelt in tents; and they were spread through the wilderness on the west, in the
land of Nephi; yea, and also on the west of the land of Zarahemla, in the
borders by the seashore, and on the west in the land of Nephi, in the place of
their fathers’ first inheritance, and thus bordering along by the seashore.
29 And
also there were many Lamanites on the east by the seashore, whither the
Nephites had driven them. And thus the Nephites were nearly surrounded by the
Lamanites; nevertheless the Nephites had taken possession of all the northern
parts of the land bordering on the wilderness, at the head of the river Sidon,
from the east to the west, round about on the wilderness side; on the north,
even until they came to the land which they called Bountiful.
30 And
it bordered upon the land which they called Desolation, it being so far
northward that it came into the land which had been peopled and been destroyed,
of whose bones we have spoken, which was discovered by
the people of Zarahemla, it being the place of
their firstlanding.
31 And
they came from there up into the south wilderness. Thus
the land on the northward was calledDesolation, and the land on the
southward was called Bountiful, it being the wilderness which is filled with
all manner of wild animals of every kind, a part of which had come from the
land northward for food.
32 And
now, it was only the distance of a day and a half’s journey for a
Nephite, on the line Bountiful and the land Desolation, from the east to the
west sea; and thus the land of Nephi and the land of Zarahemla were nearly
surrounded by water, there being a small neck of land between the
land northward and the land southward.
33 And
it came to pass that the Nephites had inhabited the land Bountiful, even from
the east unto the west sea, and thus the Nephites in their wisdom, with their
guards and their armies, had hemmed in the Lamanites on the south, that thereby
they should have no more possession on the north, that they might not overrun
the land northward.
34 Therefore the Lamanites could have no more possessions
only in the land of Nephi, and the wilderness round about. Now this was wisdom
in the Nephites—as the
Lamanites were an enemy to them, they would not suffer their afflictions on
every hand, and also that they might have a country whither they might flee,
according to their desires.
35 And
now I, after having said this, return again to the account of Ammon and Aaron,
Omner and Himni, and their brethren.
_____________________
Royal Skousen's "The Earliest Text"
From
Skousen: The Earliest Text
27 And it
came to pass that the king sent a proclamation throughout all the land
amongst all his people who were
in all his land,
which was in all the regions
round about,
which was bordering even to the
sea on the east and on the west,
and which was divided from the
land of Zarahemla
by a narrow strip of wilderness
which ran from the sea east even to the sea west,
and round about on the borders
of the seashore, and the borders of the wilderness
which was on the north by the
land of Zarahemla, through the borders of Manti,
by the head of the river
Sidon, running from the east towards the west;
and thus were the Lamanites and the
Nephites divided.
28 Now the
more idle part of the Lamanites lived in the wilderness and lived in
tents.
And they were spread through
the wilderness on the west in the land of Nephi,
yea, and also on the west of
the land of Zarahemla in the borders by the seashore,
and on the west in the land of
Nephi in the place of their fathers’ first inheritance,
and thus bordering along by the
seashore.
29 And
also there was many Lamanites on the east by the seashore
whither the Nephites had driven
them.
And thus the Nephites were
nearly surrounded by the Lamanites.
Nevertheless the Nephites had
taken possession of all the northern parts of the land
bordering on the wilderness at
the head of the river Sidon,
from the east to the west,
round about on the wilderness side; on the north,
even until they came to the
land which they called Bountiful.
30 And it
bordered upon the land which they called Desolation,
it being so far northward that
it came into the land
which had been peopled and had been
destroyed,
of whose bones we
have spoken,
which was discovered by
the people of Zarahemla,
it being the place of
their first landing.
31 And
they came from there up into the south wilderness.
Thus the land on the
northward was called Desolation;
and the land on the southward
was called Bountiful,
it being the wilderness which
is filled
with all manner of wild animals
of every kind,
a part of which had come from
the land northward for food.
32 And now
it was only the distance of a day and a half’s journey for a Nephite
on the line between the land Bountiful
and the land Desolation,
from the east to the west sea;
and thus the land of Nephi and
the land of Zarahemla
were nearly surrounded by
water,
there being a
small neck of land
between the land northward and
the land southward.
33 And it
came to pass that the Nephites had inhabited the land Bountiful,
even from the east unto the
west sea.
And thus the Nephites in their
wisdom, with their guards and their armies,
had hemmed in the Lamanites on
the south,
that thereby they should have no
more possession on the north,
that they might not overrun the
land northward.
34 Therefore
the Lamanites could have no more possessions,
only in the land of Nephi and
the wilderness round about.
Now this was wisdom in the
Nephites, as the Lamanites were an enemy to them;
they would not suffer their
afflictions on every hand—
and also that they might have a
country
whither they might flee,
according to their desires.
35 And now
I after having said this return again
to the account of Ammon, and
Aaron, Omner and Himni, and their brethren.
___________________________________
My
version, based on Skousen’s discoveries but not his additions to v. 32:
27 And it
came to pass that the king sent a proclamation throughout all the land
amongst all his people who were
in all his land,
which was in all the regions
round about,
which was bordering even to the
sea on the east and on the west, and
which was divided from the land
of Zarahemla by a narrow strip of wilderness
which ran from the sea east
even to the sea west, and round about on the borders of the seashore, and the
borders of the wilderness
which was on the north by the
land of Zarahemla, through the borders of Manti, by the head of
the river Sidon, running from the east towards the west;
28 And thus were the Lamanites and the Nephites divided.
29 Now the more idle part of the Lamanites lived in
the wilderness and lived in tents.
30 And they were spread through the wilderness
on the west in the land of
Nephi,
(yea, and also on the west of
the land of Zarahemla)
in the borders by the seashore,
and on the west in the land of
Nephi
in the place of their fathers’
first inheritance,
and thus bordering along by the
seashore.
31 And
also there was many Lamanites on the east by the seashore whither the Nephites
had driven them.
32 And thus the Nephites were nearly surrounded by the
Lamanites.
33 Nevertheless the Nephites had taken possession of all the
northern parts of the land
bordering on the wilderness at
the head of the river Sidon,
from the east to the west,
round about on the wilderness
side on the north,
even until they came to the
land which they called Bountiful.
34
[And it (Bountiful) bordered
upon the land which they called Desolation,
it (Bountiful) being so far northward that it came into the land
which
had been peopled and had been destroyed, of whose bones we have
spoken,
which
was discovered by the people of Zarahemla,
it (Bountiful) being the place of their first landing.
And they came from there up into the south wilderness.
35 Thus the land on the northward
was called Desolation;
and the land on the southward was called Bountiful,
it (Bountiful) being the
wilderness which was filled with all manner of wild animals of every kind a
part of which had come from the land northward for food.
36 And now it was only
the distance of a day and a half’s journey for a Nephite
on the line Bountiful and the land Desolation from the east to
the west sea.]
37 And
thus the land of Nephi and the land of Zarahemla were nearly surrounded by
water (there being a small neck of land between the land northward
and the land southward).
38 And it
came to pass that the Nephites had inhabited the land Bountiful,
even from the east unto the
west sea.
39 And
thus the Nephites in their wisdom, with their guards and their armies,
had hemmed in the Lamanites on
the south,
that thereby they should have no
more possession on the north,
that they might not overrun the
land northward.
40 Therefore
the Lamanites could have no more possessions,
only in the land of Nephi and
the wilderness round about.
Now this was wisdom in the
Nephites.
As the Lamanites were an enemy
to them, they would not suffer their afflictions on every hand—
and also that they might have a
country whither they might flee, according to their desires.
41 And now
I after having said this return again
to the account of Ammon, and
Aaron, Omner and Himni, and their brethren.
