- A detail that were likely on the Lost 116 Pages based on statements by Joseph Smith and others:
- The Liahona was used during some kind of exodus in the promised land (probably Mosiah leaving the land of Nephi) to guide their journey. The Liahona guided them to the Urim and Thummim. The prophet took the Urim and Thummim to the tabernacle (because they had a portable tabernacle with them) to inquire as to what these things were, and the Lord asked the prophet what he had in his hands. He responded that he did not know and had come to inquire. The Lord told the prophet to put the Urim and Thummim to his face and cover it with an animal skin. When he did so, he could see the past, present, and future. The Liahona stopped functioning after this point.
- 38) And now, my son, I have somewhat to say concerning the thing which our fathers call a ball, or director—or our fathers called it Liahona, which is, being interpreted, a compass; and the Lord prepared it.
- 39) And behold, there cannot any man work after the manner of so curious a workmanship. And behold, it was prepared to show unto our fathers the course which they should travel in the wilderness.
- 40) And it did work for them according to their faith in God; therefore, if they had faith to believe that God could cause that those spindles should point the way they should go, behold, it was done; therefore they had this miracle, and also many other miracles wrought by the power of God, day by day.
- 41) Nevertheless, because those miracles were worked by small means it did show unto them marvelous works. They were slothful, and forgot to exercise their faith and diligence and then those marvelous works ceased, and they did not progress in their journey;
- 42) Therefore, they tarried in the wilderness, or did not travel a direct course, and were afflicted with hunger and thirst, because of their transgressions.
- 43) And now, my son, I would that ye should understand that these things are not without a shadow; for as our fathers were slothful to give heed to this compass (now these things were temporal) they did not prosper; even so it is with things which are spiritual.
- 44) For behold, it is as easy to give heed to the word of Christ, which will point to you a straight course to eternal bliss, as it was for our fathers to give heed to this compass, which would point unto them a straight course to the promised land.
- 45) And now I say, is there not a type in this thing? For just as surely as this director did bring our fathers, by following its course, to the promised land, shall the words of Christ, if we follow their course, carry us beyond this vale of sorrow into a far better land of promise.
- Some evidence and speculation on what the Liahona looked like and what that second spindle was for.
Notes
It is interesting that this word is only used once in the Book of Mormon, and the interpretation of the word is also given. In context, it would seem that "Liahona" may be the very word which is translated as "compass" in 1 Nephi, but at Alma's time, this word is no longer part of the vernacular. (ie. Liahona is not part of the Middle Nephite lexicon, but it is part of the Early Nephite lexicon.)
Interesting roots that might be relevant:
I told Gemini to ignore the academic hypotheses and to come up with its own hypothesis based on Hebrew and Egyptian, and it gave me the following:
- Hebrew
- לִי (Lî): "For me" or "To me."
- אָחוֹן (ʾāḥôn): A first-person future/imperfect form of the root ḥānâ or חַן (ḥan), meaning "where I will encamp" or "where favor/grace is shown."
- אָה (-āh): A directional suffix in Hebrew (the he-directive), which means "towards" or "locative."
- "Unto the place of our next tent/encampment."
- Egyptian (not sure why it transliterated Egyptian to Hebrew)
- לִי (Li → Re/Le): From the Egyptian preposition r, which means "toward," "to," or "according to."
- אָהוֹ (Aho → Ihw): The Egyptian word for "cattle camp," "station," or "temporary wilderness settlement."
- נָא (Na → Nꜥ or N): The Egyptian word for "traveling," "journeying," or simply the plural marker "our."
- "toward the stations of our journey."
I really do like these hypotheses better than any human-generated hypothesis I've seen.
Early Nephite References to Compass
Based on the idea that Liahona is an early Nephite word that would be translated as "compass", the following citations might be instructive:
- 12) And it came to pass that after they had bound me insomuch that I could not move, the compass, which had been prepared of the Lord, did cease to work.
- 21) And it came to pass after they had loosed me, behold, I took the compass, and it did work whither I desired it. And it came to pass that I prayed unto the Lord; and after I had prayed the winds did cease, and the storm did cease, and there was a great calm.
- 12) And I, Nephi, had also brought the records which were engraven upon the plates of brass; and also the ball, or compass, which was prepared for my father by the hand of the Lord, according to that which is written.
Cross-References