v. 3 ... I searched among the records which had been delivered into my hands, and I found these plates, which contained this small account of the prophets, from Jacob down to the reign of this king Benjamin, and also many of the words of Nephi.
Small plates
What the Small Plates are:
Mormon’s discovery
When Mormon was compiling his abridgment of the Nephite record (around A.D. 385), he found both sets of plates.
He had been abridging the Large Plates— but when he reached the era covered by the Book of Mosiah, he discovered the Small Plates and recognized their spiritual value. He wrote (in Words of Mormon 1:3–6) that he didn’t abridge or edit them— he added them in their entirety, just as Nephi’s descendants had written them.
Why he included them “as is”
Mormon says: “For it was for a wise purpose that they should be kept…” (Words of Mormon 1:7)
That “wise purpose” became clear later, when Joseph Smith lost the 116 pages that contained Mormon’s abridgment of the same time period.
The Lord revealed (D&C 10) that the Small Plates would replace the lost portion — preserving the spiritual witness of Christ’s early Nephite prophets.
Small plates
What the Small Plates are:
- The Small Plates of Nephi include 1 Nephi → Omni.
- They were kept by Nephi and his descendants (Jacob, Enos, Jarom, Omni, etc.) as a spiritual record — focusing on prophecy, ministry, and revelation.
- The Large Plates of Nephi, by contrast, focused more on political and secular history.
Mormon’s discovery
When Mormon was compiling his abridgment of the Nephite record (around A.D. 385), he found both sets of plates.
He had been abridging the Large Plates— but when he reached the era covered by the Book of Mosiah, he discovered the Small Plates and recognized their spiritual value. He wrote (in Words of Mormon 1:3–6) that he didn’t abridge or edit them— he added them in their entirety, just as Nephi’s descendants had written them.
Why he included them “as is”
Mormon says: “For it was for a wise purpose that they should be kept…” (Words of Mormon 1:7)
That “wise purpose” became clear later, when Joseph Smith lost the 116 pages that contained Mormon’s abridgment of the same time period.
The Lord revealed (D&C 10) that the Small Plates would replace the lost portion — preserving the spiritual witness of Christ’s early Nephite prophets.
v. 18 ... by laboring with all the might of his body and the faculty of his whole soul, and also the prophets, did once more establish peace in the land.
Faculty of his whole soul:
Faculty of his whole soul:
- Mind — fully believing and understanding God’s promises.
- Heart — filled with love and compassion for others.
- Will — submitting fully to God’s will.
- Spirit — reaching toward heaven in pure intent.