A Sea that Divides the Land

 

In the previous post, we gave an overview of the land of the Book of Mormon and proposed reasonable locations for the narrow neck of land, Ripliancum, and the land of many waters.  Another major feature that must be reconciled is a "sea that divides the land" (Ether 10:20). This USGS map below shows the fall line, which separates the land “northward” from the land “southward.” It shows that the Chesapeake Bay fits nicely with the description of the “sea that divides the land.” The term “land” refers to the land southward.






Notice how the fall line continues on the west side of the Susquehanna river. Below the fall line, on the west side of the “sea that divides the land,” is the land of Zarahemla. One corroborating verse is found in Ether 9:31. It describes poisonous serpents fleeing toward the “land southward, which was called by the Nephites Zarahemla.” Interestingly, it doesn’t say they fled to Bountiful, but to the west side of the land southward, the land of Zarahemla. Since the land of Bountiful goes all the way to a west sea, this proposed model supports that explanation for the verse.

Another passage that supports this layout is Alma 27:22. It describes the location of the land of Jershon. It states Jershon “is on the east by the sea, which joins the land Bountiful, which is on the south of the land Bountiful.” One interpretation of this verse is that it is Jershon that "joins" the land Bountiful. This has led to some models placing Jershon, which is a city conquered by Lamanites, on the border of Bountiful.  In contrast, another valid interpretation, and a better use of the word "join," is that it’s the sea that joins Bountiful to Jershon. This suggest there is a route from Bountiful to Jershon by traveling south across the sea.  

 An important final passage that supports a “sea that divides the land,” is found in Mormon 3:5-8. It is here we learn the city Desolation is near both the sea and the narrow pass (Mormon 3:5-8). This results in an informative piece of the geography puzzle, as we will next show in our discussion. 








Next up, the narrow pass.

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