East and West Seas

 

The terms “east sea” and “west sea” are not proper names, but seas to the east or west of the place being described. This means the same sea can be either the east sea or the west sea depending on where you are standing. For example, on the Delmarva peninsula where the city of Nephi and the city of Bountiful are located, the Chesapeake Bay would be the west sea. In the land of Zarahemla, the Chesapeake Bay would be the east sea and the Potomac River the west sea. This land being the location of the Book of Mormon, how else could Mormon describe those seas short of giving the seas proper names? An important feature to note with all these seas is that it results in the land southward being “nearly surrounded by water” just as it says in Alma chapter 22.

                    A Piscataway father and son look out across the Potomac River (west sea). From the book Meet Naiche: A Native Boy From The Chesapeake Bay Area.




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