v. 15 ... came out of Jerusalem at the time that Zedekiah, king of Judah, was carried away captive into Babylon.
Who dat?King Zedekiah — Last King of Judah
Who dat?King Zedekiah — Last King of Judah
- Reigned: 597 – 586 B.C.
- Capital: Jerusalem
- Kingdom: Southern Kingdom of Judah
- Appointed by: Nebuchadnezzar II, king of Babylon, after the deportation of King Jehoiachin (also called Jeconiah).
- 597 B.C. — Babylon conquers Jerusalem under Nebuchadnezzar II. King Jehoiachin (Jeconiah) surrenders. Nebuchadnezzar deports Jehoiachin, his family, and many nobles to Babylon. Nebuchadnezzar installs Mattaniah, Jehoiachin’s uncle, as a puppet king — and renames him Zedekiah.
- Zedekiah’s reign (597–586 B.C.)Initially serves Babylon loyally. Later, under pressure from Egypt and internal politics, he rebels against Babylon. The prophet Jeremiah warns him repeatedly not to resist Nebuchadnezzar (Jeremiah 27–38).
- 586 B.C. — Fall of Jerusalem Babylon besieges the city for about 18 months. The city and Solomon’s Temple are destroyed. Zedekiah tries to flee by night through the plains of Jericho, but is captured. His sons are killed before his eyes, and then his eyes are put out. He is taken in chains to Babylon (2 Kings 25:7; Jeremiah 52:11).
v. 18 ... And it came to pass that after they were taught in the language of Mosiah, Zarahemla gave a genealogy of his fathers, according to his memory; and they are written, but not in these plates.
Mulek son of ZedekiahWho was Mulek?
“And now will ye dispute that Jerusalem was destroyed? Will ye say that the sons of Zedekiah were not slain, all except it were Mulek? Yea, and do ye not behold that the seed of Zedekiah are with us?”
So Mulek survived and came to the New World, becoming the ancestor of the Mulekites.
The Biblical record
The Bible lists the sons of King Zedekiah, but it does not name Mulek or any son who escaped.
In fact, it records the opposite — that all his sons were killed by the Babylonians:
2 Kings 25:7
“And they slew the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, and put out the eyes of Zedekiah, and bound him with fetters of brass, and carried him to Babylon.”
Jeremiah 39:6
“Then the king of Babylon slew the sons of Zedekiah in Riblah before his eyes.”
So, from the Bible’s perspective, it appears that none of Zedekiah’s sons survived.
The Book of Mormon’s addition: The Book of Mormon, however, provides new information that isn’t in the Bible:
Helaman 8:21
So the Book of Mormon asserts that one son escaped — Mulek — and led a small group out of Jerusalem before or during the Babylonian conquest.
This is the only historical or scriptural source that mentions Mulek by name.
So what?
Mulek son of ZedekiahWho was Mulek?
- Mulek was one of the sons of Zedekiah, the last king of Judah (the same Zedekiah who reigned when Lehi left Jerusalem).
- When Babylon conquered Jerusalem and killed Zedekiah’s sons, one son escaped — Mulek — and led a group of people out of Jerusalem.
- This group is later called “the people of Mulek” or “the Mulekites.”
“And now will ye dispute that Jerusalem was destroyed? Will ye say that the sons of Zedekiah were not slain, all except it were Mulek? Yea, and do ye not behold that the seed of Zedekiah are with us?”
So Mulek survived and came to the New World, becoming the ancestor of the Mulekites.
The Biblical record
The Bible lists the sons of King Zedekiah, but it does not name Mulek or any son who escaped.
In fact, it records the opposite — that all his sons were killed by the Babylonians:
2 Kings 25:7
“And they slew the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, and put out the eyes of Zedekiah, and bound him with fetters of brass, and carried him to Babylon.”
Jeremiah 39:6
“Then the king of Babylon slew the sons of Zedekiah in Riblah before his eyes.”
So, from the Bible’s perspective, it appears that none of Zedekiah’s sons survived.
The Book of Mormon’s addition: The Book of Mormon, however, provides new information that isn’t in the Bible:
Helaman 8:21
So the Book of Mormon asserts that one son escaped — Mulek — and led a small group out of Jerusalem before or during the Babylonian conquest.
This is the only historical or scriptural source that mentions Mulek by name.
So what?
- Mulek’s name is Semitic in form — it’s related to the Hebrew word melek(מֶלֶךְ), meaning “king.”→ So Mulek likely means “little king” or “kingling.”
- If authentic, it fits beautifully as a name for a royal child — consistent with being a son of King Zedekiah.
v. 21 ... And they gave an account of one Coriantumr, and the slain of his people.
JareditesCoriantumr was the final surviving king of the Jaredites, the ancient civilization that existed in the Americas long beforethe Nephites and Lamanites.
He appears primarily in:
JareditesCoriantumr was the final surviving king of the Jaredites, the ancient civilization that existed in the Americas long beforethe Nephites and Lamanites.
He appears primarily in:
- Ether 12–15, and
- Omni 1:20–22.
v. 26 And now, my beloved brethren, I would that ye should come unto Christ, who is the Holy One of Israel, and partake of his salvation, and the power of his redemption. Yea, come unto him, and offer your whole souls as an offering unto him, and continue in fasting and praying, and endure to the end; and as the Lord liveth ye will be saved.
“As you submit your wills to God, you are giving Him the only thing you can actually give Him that is really yours to give.”
— Neal A. Maxwell, “Remember How Merciful the Lord Hath Been,” Ensign, May 2004, 46.
“As you submit your wills to God, you are giving Him the only thing you can actually give Him that is really yours to give.”
— Neal A. Maxwell, “Remember How Merciful the Lord Hath Been,” Ensign, May 2004, 46.