Unlocking the Treasures of Alma’s Sermon to the Zoramites

This is a beast of a post, but it is packed with so many things from start to finish that I think you’re going to like it if you are the kind of person that likes a deep dive.

Alma’s sermon to the Zoramites in Alma 32–33 is usually remembered for its beautiful metaphor of faith as a seed. It’s vivid, simple, and unforgettable. But over time, I noticed that something else began to appear and it’s really blown my mind.

Patterns. Word counts. Numbers tied to ideas. Hebrew letter associations.

At first it might seem like Alma’s sermon is just being poetic or repetitive, but the more you look, the more deliberate the whole thing feels.

This sermon isn’t just inspirational preaching, it’s structured like a complex tapestry, woven in a way that reinforces doctrine, layers meaning, and speaks across both cultures and centuries.

That might sound unusual, but it’s not without precedent.

Hebrew scripture is full of this kind of design. The ancients didn’t just write to inform, they wrote to embed. They built meaning into the fabric of their words.

Bridging the Language Gap

Part of the reason this is hard for us to see is because modern readers think differently than ancient writers. David Littlefield explained it well in his book Mormon Mysticism.

“English is a Germanic based language. Even between Germanic based languages there is a difference in their ability to communicate (and consequently in the way our minds are trained). German tends to be a little more precise, and a little more descriptive and rigid than English.

The English language and American thought has both benefits and limitations.

In contrast, Chinese is a pictorial language, which quickly conveys whole types and ideas but is limited in specificity. Chinese would tend to train people to think in larger types and less in specifics, since specifics are more difficult to ascertain in that language.

Americans think in a mostly one dimensional, logical, and linear way. We don’t process hieroglyphics well. We do process algebra well because we can move through a problem in a logical way.

We have verities, or things that don’t change. We can hang our hat on them. Then we have variables. They change, but the change is a calculation of hard facts.

Those new to the gospel can choke on the smallest of parables.”

David Littlefield, Mormon Mysticism, p.8-9

So when we, as modern American readers, come to ancient scripture, there’s not just a gap of time but also of mindset. We’re trained to think in one dimension, while scripture was often written in multiple.

That means if the Book of Mormon is truly an ancient text, we should expect to find some of these ancient structures inside. And sure enough, we do.

The discovery of chiasmus in the Book of Mormon in 1967 by John W. Welch was a big step in seeing this. [Source]

What I want to do here is take it a step further and show how Alma’s sermon is filled with layered Hebrew-style patterns that, as far as I am aware, have not yet been identified. (Please notify me in the comments if anyone else has found anything similar)

I think that this could add a new and exciting dimension to our study of the Book of Mormon.

Hebrew Letters Carry More Than Sounds

To understand how these patterns work, you need a little background on the Hebrew alphabet. While I’m not an expert in this area, there are some basic concepts that are very helpful to understand.

Hebrew letters are not just symbols for sounds. They carry layers of meaning.

1. Numerical Value: Each letter doubles as a number. Aleph is 1, Bet is 2, Gimel is 3, Dalet is 4, and so on. That means words themselves carry numerical weight, and those numbers often connect to symbolic themes. For example, the Hebrew word chai (“life”) adds up to 18, which is why 18 is considered a number of life and blessing in Jewish tradition.
2. Literal Meaning: Every letter also has a name tied to something concrete. Aleph means “ox,” Bet means “house,” Dalet means “door,” Mem means “water.” Before you even form a word, the building blocks themselves already communicate images.
3. Figurative or Moral Lessons: Over time, rabbis and teachers began drawing moral insights from these letters. Gimel (camel) became a symbol of generosity and endurance. Dalet (door, or poor) became a picture of humility, the needy one waiting to be helped.
4. Mystical Symbolism: Jewish tradition also held that God spoke the world into existence through these letters. That gave rise to the idea that letters themselves are the building blocks of creation, full of hidden truths about God and the universe.

By contrast, English letters are flat. An “A” is just a sound. A “B” is just a sound. They don’t carry meaning, numbers, or moral lessons. They’re placeholders for sounds and nothing more.

That’s why Hebrew scripture feels layered and multidimensional, while English translation flattens it.

A single Hebrew word might carry numerical, visual, moral, and symbolic meaning all at once. In English, we tend to lose quite a bit, but we don’t lose everything.

Psalm 29: A Pattern of Seven

Psalm 29 is a great example of how these layers show up in scripture. The seventh Hebrew letter, Zayin, carries a dual symbolism. On one hand it’s connected to a weapon, representing conflict and struggle.

On the other, it’s tied to the number seven, which represents completion, rest, and divine order. That tension, struggle followed by rest, captures the human journey itself.

Psalm 29 is deliberately crafted around the number seven.

Ascribing Glory a pattern of seven
At the beginning of the psalm, the words ascribe (yahab) and glory (kabowd) are repeated in a way that produces a numerical rhythm. In Hebrew thought, every letter also carries a number. When words are repeated, they are not only echoing sound, they are echoing number.

In the first verses of Psalm 29, the word ascribe occurs three times. The word glory occurs four times and considered together, they form a multiple of seven.

Sevenfold repetition of “the voice of the Lord”
The psalmist repeats “the voice of the Lord” seven times (verses 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, and 9). This isn’t random. It’s a deliberate pattern meant to highlight the fullness of God’s power resonating through creation.

Seven descriptions of God’s power over nature
God’s voice is described in seven ways:

1. Over the waters (3)
2. Breaks the cedars (5)
3. Divides flames of fire (7)
4. Shakes the wilderness (8)
5. Makes the deer give birth (9)
6. Strips the forests bare (9)
7. Strengthens his people (11)

The scope is massive, both cosmic and intimate, both destructive and life-giving, all held in a sevenfold frame.

Verse seven and fire
Even more striking, in verse seven the Lord’s voice “divides the flames of fire.” The Hebrew word used here means to cut or split, which ties directly to the meaning of Zayin as a weapon that cuts. The seventh verse mirrors the meaning of the seventh letter.

Altogether, Psalm 29 is more than poetry. It’s a carefully structured work, using numbers, symbols, and repetition to declare that God’s voice is the ultimate force of both power and peace.

The Hill Onidah: Framing Alma’s Sermon

When we turn back to Alma, his sermon begins in a setting that already feels deliberate.

Alma 32:4 places the scene on the hill Onidah which may have been the site of a Nephite sanctuary (more on that here). That detail is easy to pass over, but it does a lot of heavy lifting.

Mountains and hills in scripture often symbolize sacred space; places where heaven and earth meet. Think of Moses on Sinai, Nephi on the mountain of vision, or the Savior teaching from the mount.

By placing Alma’s sermon on a hill, the text signals that this is not just an everyday conversation. It is a covenantal teaching given in a sacred place of elevation.

The text itself underlines this with a chiastic structure in verses 1–5. At the center of that pattern is the phrase “the hill Onidah,” making it the pivot point of the passage.

Around it, the word “poor” and “poverty” are mirrored repeatedly, reminding us of who Alma’s audience really is: the despised, the outcast, the ones excluded from worship.

But why have this literary pattern focus on the hill Onidah? Names are important and a named hill could mean that it held special significance to the people which would make it a context clue.

According to the Book of Mormon Onomasticon, Onidah could mean “He attends my sorrow” or “He knows my affliction.”

That etymology perfectly fits the condition of Alma’s audience. They are poor and rejected, yet God is aware of them and attentive to their needs as signified by the appearance of his servant, Alma.

So the hill isn’t just geography, it’s theology.

It sets the stage for Alma’s entire sermon: God knows our affliction, and from the very place of sorrow He invites us upward toward Him.

Patterns of Four: Dalet

Back in 2020, I published a post where I documented many of the patterns of four that I found in Alma’s sermon. And as I was preparing to go on the Stick of Joseph show and share some of these findings, I stumbled upon a treasure trove of details that we are going to explore.

Once Alma begins teaching, patterns of four begin showing up everywhere in his sermon. The repetition is so deliberate that it’s hard to miss once you’re looking for it.

Alma 32:28
The 4 things the word will do when planted if it is a good seed. Coincidentally, each of these four things spell out the word S.E.E.D. (learned that long ago in seminary)

1. Swell within your breasts
2. Enlarge my soul
3. Enlighten my understanding
4. [beginneth to be] Delicious to me 

Alma 32:33
The 4 parts of the experiment to know that the seed is good:

1. planted the seed
2. it swelleth
3. and sprouteth
4. beginneth to grow

Alma 32:34
The 4 things the word does:

1. swelled your souls
2. sprouted up
3. understanding doth begin to be enlightened
4. mind doth begin to expand

Alma 32:42
The 4 things that the fruit is:

1. is most precious
2. is sweet above all that is sweet
3. is white above all that is white
4. pure above all that is pure

Alma 32
There are 4 mentions of the word sprouteth as part of these phrases:

1. swelleth, and sprouteth, and beginneth to grow (30)
2. swelleth, and sprouteth, and beginneth to grow (30)
3. behold, it sprouteth and beginneth to grow (30)
4. swelleth and sprouteth, and beginneth to grow (33)

Alma 32:42
There are 4 aspects present when partaking of the fruit:

1. ye shall feast
2. until ye are filled
3. that ye hunger not
4. neither shall ye thirst

There are 4 things that get “cast out/toward”:

1. people from their synagogues (32:2,5,5,9,12,12,24,43)
2. seed from your heart (32:28,32)
3. tree from the ground (32:38)
4. eyes toward the Son of God (33:21,21,22)

Alma 32:41,42,43
There are 3 groups of 4 principles:

• Faith
• Diligence
• Patience
• looking forward to the fruit…

Second group:

• Diligence
• Faith
• Patience
• with the word (seed) in nourishing it…

Third group:

• Faith
• Diligence
• Patience
• long-suffering, waiting for the tree to bring forth fruit unto you.

In Hebrew thought, when a number is doubled or multiplied, it often signals intensification or heightened emphasis on the original meaning of that number. Numbers were not only mathematical, they were symbolic, so increasing them carried a sense of expanding or magnifying the idea.

For example, four is the number of the created world: four directions, four seasons, four corners of the earth. It signals order, structure, and completeness in creation.

Eight (four doubled) builds on that. It represents going beyond the normal cycle of creation into something new. That is why the eighth day in Jewish tradition is the day of circumcision (Genesis 17:12), marking covenant and new identity.

It is also why the Feast of Tabernacles lasts seven days, with a sacred assembly on the eighth day (Leviticus 23:36). The eighth day points to renewal, covenant, and a higher order beyond the natural cycle of seven.

There are 8 mentions of phrases that include the word “perfect”:

1. perfect knowledge (21)
2. perfect knowledge (26)
3. perfection (26)
4. perfect knowledge (26)
5. perfect knowledge (26)
6. knowledge perfect (34)
7. knowledge is perfect (34)
8. knowledge perfect (35)

There might also be a literary pattern here where we find four instances of the phrase “Perfect Knowledge” framing a reference to “Perfection.”

There are 8 mentions of “blessed”:

1. blessed are ye (8)
2. blessed are ye (13)
3. ye were blessed (14)
4. are more blessed (14)
5. shall be blessed (15)
6. much more blessed (15)
7. blessed are they (16)
8. blessed is he (16)

There are 8 mentions of “tree”:

1. tree beginneth to grow (32:37)
2. neglect the tree (32:38)
3. not nourish the tree (32:39)
4. fruit of the tree (32:40)
5. nourish the tree (32:41)
6. tree springing up (32:41)
7. waiting for the tree (32:43)
8. become a tree (33:23)

This caught my eye. These eight mentions of the word “blessed” and “tree” may point to a combined meaning.

The Hebrew word ashre, often translated “blessed,” carries far more depth than a simple statement of good fortune. 

Its root, Aleph-Shin-Resh (אשר), suggests “decisive progression,” the idea of moving straight ahead in the right direction. This means that to be ashre is not merely to receive a blessing, but to be actively walking in alignment with God’s ways. 

Interestingly, a derivative of this root, te’ashur, can mean “happy tree.” The connection is striking: the image of a tree thriving by streams of water captures the very essence of what it means to live in a state of blessing. (Lehi’s vision)

Such a tree is firmly rooted, upright, continually nourished, and fruitful in its season. Thus, when the Psalms open with ashre ha-ish “blessed is the man” the Hebrew invites us to envision a life that is not static, but flourishing; a soul straightened and strengthened, like a tree joyfully alive and pressing upward.

Are there any other multiples of four? Four multiplied by four gives us sixteen and we do see two pairs of words repeated sixteen times and there is another interesting connection there as well.

There are 16 mentions “seed”:

1. unto a seed (28)
2. that a seed (28)
3. true seed (28)
4. good seed (28)
5. Good seed (28)
6. seed swelleth (30)
7. seed is good (30)
8. good seed (30)
9. good seed (31)
10. seed bringeth (31)
11. seed groweth (32)
12. planted the seed (33)
13. seed is good (33)
14. plant the seed (36)
15. seed was good (36)
16. seed was not good (39)

There are 16 mentions “believe”:

1. believeth (32:16)
2. will believe (32:16)
3. shall believe (32:17)
4. to believe (32:18)
5. only believeth (32:19)
6. to believe (32:19)
7. who believe (32:22)
8. should believe (32:22)
9. verily believe (32:25)
10. to believe (32:27)
11. ye believe (32:27)
12. ye believe (33:12)
13. must believe (33:13)
14. can ye disbelieve (33:14)
15. not believe (33:20)
16. to believe (33:22)

It’s not surprising to find this kind of emphasis for these two words, because the objective of Alma’s message is to try to get people to believe by planting the word, which he compares to a seed, in their hearts. So this emphasis makes a lot of sense if it is indeed intentional.

Alma’s sermon continues into Chapter 33 where we find even more patterns of four.

Alma 33
There are 4 witnesses of the Son of God in Alma’s sermon:

1. Zenos (3)
2. Zenock (15)
3. Moses (19)
4. Alma himself

Alma 33:4-11
There are also patterns of four in Zenos’ words on prayer. We see the following words and phrases appearing four times each:

• O God (x4)
• turn (x4)
• cry (x4)
• heard (x4)
• hear me (x4)

There are 4 locations that could be seen as being nested within one another which I think is meant to invoke temple imagery which will be detailed later.

1. Wilderness (4)
2. Field (5)
3. House (6)
4. Closet (7)

There are 4 circumstances involving interactions with others:

1. praying for enemies (4)
2. in congregations (9)
3. when cast out (10)
4. because of afflictions (11)

Alma 33:22
There are 4 things about the Son of God that Alma says that we should begin to believe:

1. that he will come to redeem his people
2. that he shall suffer and die to atone for their sins
3. that he shall rise again from the dead, which shall bring to pass the resurrection
4. that all men shall stand before him, to be judged at the last and judgment day, according to their works

Alma 33
There are 4 repetitions of the phrase “because of thy Son”:

1. it is because of thy Son that thou hast been thus merciful unto me (11)
2. thou hast turned thy judgments away from me, because of thy Son. (11)
3. Thou hast turned away thy judgments because of thy Son. (13)
4. thy mercies which thou hast bestowed upon them because of thy Son. (16)

Alma 33:22
The 4 stages of growth that Alma desires his hearers to experience:

1. plant this word in your hearts
2. and as it beginneth to swell
3. even so nourish it by your faith
4. it will become a tree, springing up in you unto everlasting life

It is clear that there are many, many examples of patterns of four in the text of Alma’s sermon, at least 22 or so that I’ve found thus far, but why repeat the number four so much?

When Alma preached to the poor Zoramites, he addressed a people that were standing at a potential threshold of change. Cast out of their synagogues because of their poverty, they become interested in Alma’s message because they were unsure if they even had a place before God.

Alma’s response honors that moment of humility. He teaches that their very circumstance, their “lowliness of heart,” positions them to receive the word of God like seed in fertile ground.

This scene resonates deeply with the fourth letter of the Hebrew alphabet, Dalet (ד), whose name means “door.” Dalet symbolizes passage, humility, and the posture of one who knocks, waiting to be admitted. It is linked to the word dal, “poor,” and embodies the very condition of the Zoramites Alma praises. 

They are the living Dalet, those who find themselves before the doorway, petitioning with empty hands, yet full of faith. Alma’s promise is that if they plant the seed and nourish it, God Himself will open the door and lead them through.

The number four, associated with Dalet, quietly patterns this text as well. Alma speaks of the process of faith in four movements: a desire to believe, a beginning experiment, the swelling and enlargement within, and the ultimate bearing of fruit. 

Creation itself is marked in fours, directions, seasons, and elements, and Alma mirrors that rhythm, showing that the growth of faith follows the same divine order. Even his imagery of the seed, tree, light, and fruit reflects a fourfold cycle of progression, echoing the “happy tree” (te’ashur) tied to the root of blessing.

Thus, the sermon to the Zoramites can be read as an invitation through the Dalet, the doorway of humility that opens into abundance.

To the rich and proud, the door remains closed, for they do not bow to enter. But to the poor and contrite, Alma extends the assurance that God’s door is already open, and that by nurturing the seed of faith, they will pass through into the fullness of life.

This discovery alone is incredibly meaningful and would be fascinating enough to explore, but it is just the beginning. Now we get to explore the number three.

Patterns of Three: Gimel

If fours dominate Alma’s sermon, threes are not far behind. They show up in clusters throughout the text, weaving another layer of meaning into the message. I found about nine of them and they all seem to point to Christ, being healed, and partaking of the fruit of the tree of life which we will see is very significant.

Alma 32
There are 3 mentions of the word “experiment” which is the way Alma invites his audience to engage in his words:

1. experiment upon my words (27)
2. tried the experiment (33)
3. try the experiment (36)

Alma 33
There are 3 mentions of the word “scriptures” which are important in how Alma roots his words in the sacred words of the fathers:

1. search the scriptures (2)
2. believe those scriptures (12)
3. read the scriptures (14)

Alma 33
There are 3 mentions of the word “heal” which is tied to the brazen serpent motif and important to Alma’s message of repentance.

1. it would heal them (20)
2. if ye could be healed (21)
3. ye might be healed (21)

Alma 33
There are 3 mentions of “casting” ones “eyes” which is also related to the brazen serpent and looking to Christ.

1. casting about your eyes that ye might be healed (21)
2. not cast about your eyes that ye may perish (21)
3. cast about your eyes and begin to believe in the Son of God (22)

There are three sets of three, that together, have reference to the fruit of the tree of life.

Alma 32:35
There are 3 mentions of “light” which are related to the fruit:

1. because it is light
2. whatsoever is light
3. tasted this light 

Alma 33
There are 3 mentions of “pluck” which means plucking the fruit:

1. pluck it up (38)
2. pluck of the fruit (40)
3. pluck the fruit (42) 

Alma 32:42
3 pairs of sweet, white, and pure which is related to the fruit of the tree of life:

1. sweet above all that is sweet
2. white above all that is white
3. pure above all that is pure 

Just as there were multiples of four found in the numbers 8 and 16, there is also potentially a multiple of the number 3 found in the number 9.

The number 9 has some powerful meanings tied to it. Mathematician Michael S. Schneider wrote this about the number 9: 

“Composed of three trinities, the number nine represents the principles of the sacred Triad taken to their utmost expression. Nine was considered thrice sacred and most holy, representing perfection, balance, and order, the supreme superlative.”

Michael Schneider, A Beginner’s Guide to Constructing the Universe, 302

Alma 32
There is a cluster of verses that feature faith, diligence, and patience that create 3 trinities.

1. faith with great diligence, and with patience (41)
2. diligence and your faith and your patience (42)
3. faith, and your diligence, and patience (43)

There are also 9 mentions of the word “nourish”:

1. Let us nourish it (32:37)
2. if ye nourish it (32:37)
3. its nourishment (32:38)
4. not nourish the tree (32:39)
5. not nourish the word (32:40)
6. nourish the word (32:41)
7. nourish the tree (32:41)
8. nourishing it (32:42)
9. nourish it (33:23)

I was very excited to discover these nine mentions of the word nourish. The Hebrew letter Gimel (ג), the third in the alphabet, is rooted in the idea of generosity, endurance, and… nourishment.

Its name is tied to the word for “camel,” the animal that carries life-sustaining provisions across the desert. In Jewish thought, Gimel is often pictured as the rich man running after the poor to give aid, a living symbol of abundance reaching out to sustain need. 

This imagery finds a powerful echo in Alma’s sermon in Alma 32, where Alma, the high priest, extends spiritual wealth to the impoverished Zoramites who had been cast out of their synagogues. In this moment, Alma becomes the Gimel to their Dalet, the giver who bends to lift the receiver.

The theme of nourishment saturates the chapter, and the word itself appears nine times, a triple pattern of three. Alma promises that if the word is planted and nourished, it will grow into a tree of life whose fruit satisfies hunger and quenches thirst.

Nourishment, repeated in this threefold rhythm, points directly to the meaning of Gimel, for the camel endures and provides, ensuring that life is sustained even in barren places.

Alma also weaves a threefold repetition of the qualities needed to endure: faith, diligence, and patience. Each is mentioned three times, creating a layered rhythm that mirrors the symbolic value of Gimel as the third letter. 

Just as the camel persists step after step until the journey is complete, Alma urges his hearers to exercise faith, diligence, and patience until the seed matures and the fruit is enjoyed.

In this way, Alma’s sermon becomes a living illustration of Gimel. The poor Zoramites stand as those in need, Alma acts as the giver, and the word of God itself is the gift that must be carried with endurance until it bears fruit.

The patterns of three in the chapter reinforce the fullness and completeness of this process. To plant, to nourish, and to endure is to walk the path of Gimel, receiving the gift of life and, in turn, learning to give it to others.

What These Patterns Reveal

When we set the patterns of three and four side by side, Alma’s sermon opens up in an even deeper way.

Gimel represents the giver, the one who endures and provides, the rich man running after the poor. Dalet represents the receiver, the poor one at the door, humble and lowly, waiting to be admitted.

Together, they create a picture of generosity meeting humility, abundance meeting need.

That is exactly what is happening in Alma’s sermon. Alma himself, as the high priest, takes the role of Gimel. He extends spiritual wealth to the Zoramites, who stand in the role of Dalet, poor and ready to receive.

Their very exclusion and poverty prepare them to stand at the threshold, waiting for God to open the way.

But the pattern does not stop with Alma and his audience. It quickly becomes obvious that this whole framework points to Christ. He is the true Gimel to all of humanity’s Dalet.

He is the one who bends low in mercy, the one who carries life across the wilderness of mortality, the one who fills the hands of the poor in spirit.

Humanity, in all its weakness, stands as Dalet, at the door, needy and dependent. Christ, as Gimel, comes to meet us with abundance, generosity, and life.

Alma 33
And would you look at that, there just so happens to be 9 (3×3) mentions of “Son” meaning the “Son of God.” It’s actually quite perfect isn’t it?

1. because of thy Son (11)
2. on the Son of God (14)
3. concerning the Son of God (18)
4. because of thy Son (11)
5. because of thy Son (16)
6. believe in the Son of God (22)
7. because of thy Son (12)
8. testified of the Son of God (17)
9. the joy of his Son (23)

In the beginning of this essay, patterns of 7 were explored in Psalm 29; I chose that psalm for a reason. If you add 4 + 3 you get the number 7 and I think there is yet another layer of meaning that is potentially being conveyed in Alma’s sermon where we have been observing patters of four and three.

The seventh Hebrew letter, Zayin, embodies a striking dual symbolism.

On one hand, it represents a weapon, carrying associations of conflict, struggle, and protection. On the other, as the seventh letter, it is bound to the number seven, a number that signifies completion, rest, and divine order. 

Together, these meanings reflect the tension and resolution inherent in the human journey. Struggle is not the end of the story but the beginning of transformation. 

Zayin points to the passage from battle into peace, from weariness into rest, from fragmentation into wholeness.

This duality aligns closely with Alma’s words at the conclusion of his sermon; read it carefully in this light: 

“Then, my brethren, ye shall reap the rewards of your faith, and your diligence, and patience, and long-suffering, waiting for the tree to bring forth fruit unto you”

Alma 32:43

Here Alma reminds his hearers that the fight of faith, marked by endurance and sacrifice, is followed by the rest of harvest. Just as Zayin moves from conflict to completion, so faith moves from the strain of waiting to the joy of fulfillment.

The imagery of reaping fruit underscores that spiritual victory is not instantaneous but comes after seasons of testing.

In this way, Alma’s promise mirrors the symbolism of the seventh letter.

Those who endure conflict with faith and patience will one day step into the completeness, wholeness, and spiritual victory that God has prepared for them.

Temple Themes

Now we are going to move on to examining another really exciting layer to this sermon that involved temple imagery. There is quite a bit of it and it is infused into both Alma and Amulek’s sermons.

The temple sat at the center of the Israelite tradition. It was a massive visual template that gave context and meaning to teachings and life in general. It centered and focused everything into a narrative that was well understood by all.

We can begin by looking at a simple model of the Hebrew temple. Note the three-part space that creates a journey experience that leads to the presence of God. One enters into the Ḥaṣer (Outer Court), then into the Hêkāl (Holy Place), and finally the Dəḇîr (Holy of Holies).

Alma creates three-part space in three separate ways. The first is with the instruction to obtain the fruit of the tree of life which can be portrayed in three distinct steps.

First, the seed must be planted, then it must be nourished so that it grows, and finally, one may partake of the fruit. Note how each can be mapped onto the three-part space of the temple.

The second is tied to the brazen serpent which also features three distinct actions involved in becoming healed. One must first believe, then act (look), and then become healed.

And finally, the third is in Alma’s admonition to eternal life by awakening and then acting with faith in Christ which leads to eternal life.

One of the key features to entering into the veil to the third sacred space was the altar of incense where prayer was offered and the smoke arising represented the prayer ascending to God.

I think that Zeno’s teachings on prayer may have been inserted by Alma to lock in and further enrich the temple theology being presented here.

What I find so fascinating about this is how he is mapping the doctrine of the Messiah, the Christ onto the temple to illustrate how their current teachings in the Law of Moses point to Christ.

Notice that the middle portion of the temple, the Holy Place, is where the Menorah stood as the symbolic tree of life. It is also the same space where the altar of incense was located, directly before the veil.

In 2 Kings 18:4 during the reforms of King Hezekiah the people were burning incense to the Nehushtan (brazen serpent). This clue suggests that the brazen serpent of Moses may have also been kept in the Holy Place (Hêkāl), near the altar of incense.

More specifically, I picture it placed in closer proximity to the Menorah.

The Genesis account has inspired many depictions of a scene where a serpent appears beside the tree of knowledge of good and evil to tempt Adam and Eve.

That image often suggests corruption and deception. But Moses’ serpent was not meant to represent Satan. It was raised up as a type of Christ, the Messiah who would be lifted up to bring healing and life.

Perhaps Satan’s association with the serpent in Eden was itself an imitation, a counterfeit attempt to twist what was meant to be a divine symbol of life and salvation.

What if there is a tree and serpent motif that he was attempting to imitate; I think there is.

It’s right there in the Book of Mormon in Nephi’s vision of the tree of life, where the tree of life is paired with the Son of God.

And behold this thing shall be given unto thee for a sign, that after thou hast beheld the tree which bore the fruit which thy father tasted, thou shalt also behold a man descending out of heaven, and him shall ye witness; and after ye have witnessed him ye shall bear record that it is the Son of God.

1 Nephi 11:7

Nephi sees a detailed vision of the tree of life with fruit and then a mother with her son who we are told is the Son of God. (More on that here.) This association is clear and unmistakable.

There you have the tree and serpent motif which was also present in the ancient Hebrew temple and pointed to the Son of God. Unfortunately, the Menorah (tree) and brazen serpent were cast out and destroyed which obliterated a critical narrative of the temple.

Here is a depiction of the ancient Hebrew temple featuring the altar before the veil.

Modern Latter-day Saint temples preserve a similar pattern, where the veil stands with an altar before it. These altars no longer bear smoke or fire, but they remain a sacred point of focus, set apart for prayer and communion with God.

These parallel patterns dial in our vision when we view them on top of one another.

Partaking of the fruit of the tree of life and being healed happen in the third sacred space, the Holy of Holies. This is where the encounter with Christ and his redemption happens and prayer is a critical component.

We must meet the Lord at the veil and pass through into his presence where the fullness of his mercy can be experienced.

Mercy and the Holy of Holies

I noticed that there are 10 occurrences of the word “mercy” in Alma’s sermon, a detail that is easy to overlook but may have profound significance. 

The numerical value of Yod, the tenth letter, is 10, and it often symbolizes divine order, completeness, and the hand of God at work.

To find “mercy” spoken ten times in Alma’s words suggests more than repetition; it signals the fullness of God’s mercy as the foundation of the message.

The number 10 in Israel’s tradition is charged with sacred meaning. It recalls the Ten Commandments, which established divine law and covenant order for the people.

It echoes the ten utterances by which God created the world in Genesis, marking order brought out of chaos. 

And most strikingly, it points to the tenth and final High Holy Day of Israel’s calendar, the Day of Atonement, or Yom Kippur. 

On that day the high priest entered the Holy of Holies and sprinkled the blood of both the sacrificial bull and the goat upon the mercy seat of the ark.

This was not a casual ritual but the climactic moment of Israel’s yearly cycle, when sin was covered, order was restored, and mercy was offered to the entire community.

Placed in this light, Alma’s sermon gains an added layer of depth. His repeated emphasis on mercy culminates in a pattern that aligns with the symbolism of Yod.

The sermon itself becomes a kind of “Day of Atonement” for the poor Zoramites. 

They, like ancient Israel, stand outside, unworthy to enter the holy place.

Yet Alma, functioning in his role as high priest, proclaims that through faith in Christ they may come to partake of mercy in its fullness.

Just as blood was sprinkled upon the mercy seat to reconcile Israel to God, so Christ’s atoning sacrifice opens the way for the poor and humble to be reconciled and made whole.

Thus, the tenfold repetition of mercy is not accidental but a deliberate echo of divine order. It reminds us that mercy is not partial or occasional. It is complete. It is ordered.

It is offered in its fullness through Christ, the true High Priest who enters once for all into the holy place, securing eternal redemption for those willing to receive it.

As a bonus, notice that Amulek’s sermon (that immediately follows Alma’s) in chapter 34 also features the same three-part temple pattern in a single verse (verse 17). He then expands on prayer in verses 18–27, echoing the imagery of the altar before the veil.

1. that ye may begin to exercise your faith unto repentance, 
2. that ye begin to call upon his holy name, 
3. that he would have mercy upon you;

(My notes on the various patterns in Amulek’s sermon here.):

Eleven

The word “fruit” appears 11 times, a number that corresponds to the Hebrew letter Kaf, the eleventh in the alphabet.

Kaf is tied to the palm of the hand and represents the power to hold, give, or receive. This connection deepens Alma’s imagery, for the fruit of the tree is not only grown but also received into the hand.

The word consecrate in Hebrew literally means “to fill the hand,” suggesting that the fruit symbolizes God’s gift placed into open, willing hands. Kaf is also associated with humility, since its form reflects a bowed head.

Alma’s message to the Zoramites is clear: those who are lowly in heart and willing to receive will have their hands filled, and the fruit will satisfy their hunger and thirst.

Thirteen

The word “humility” appears thirteen times. The number thirteen corresponds to the Hebrew letter Mem, which is associated with water. Water always seeks the lowest valleys, filling what is empty and flowing where there is openness.

This makes it the perfect symbol for humility, for just as water adapts to its surroundings, a humble heart is flexible, teachable, and willing to follow the will of God.

The letter Mem also carries two forms: open and closed. The open Mem invites inquiry and the honest seeking of truth, while the closed Mem suggests hidden knowledge, accessible only to those who are willing to bow low enough to receive it.

In the same way, Alma teaches that humility unlocks understanding. Those who are proud resist the flow, but those who bend like valleys beneath the water are filled with life.

Humility and Water

Alma 32:16 links humility and baptism in a deliberate parallel. First, he says, “Blessed are they who humble themselves without being compelled.” The blessing comes not from circumstance forcing humility, but from choosing it freely.

Then he mirrors the thought with baptism: “Blessed is he that believeth in the word of God, and is baptized without stubbornness of heart… or even compelled to know before they will believe.” Again, the blessing rests on willingness.

Humility and baptism naturally belong together. Water flows to the lowest places, just as the humble heart bows low, and baptism is the outward act of that inward posture. Alma’s point is clear: both humility and baptism bring blessing, but only when they are chosen freely, not forced.

A) blessed are they who
–B) humble themselves without being
—-C) compelled to be humble; or rather, in other words,

A) blessed is he that
–B1) believeth in the word of God, and is
–B2) baptized without
—-C1) stubbornness of heart without
—-C2) being brought to know the word, or even
—-C3) compelled to know before they will believe.

Eighteen

The word “faith” appears 18 times. The number 18 corresponds to the Hebrew letter Tsade, a letter rich with imagery. Tsade has two forms: the first resembles a figure bowed low in humility, while the second depicts one who has risen upright, a righteous person who stands tall after being refined.

This progression captures the very essence of faith as Alma describes it. Faith begins in a posture of humility, a willingness to kneel, to believe, and to plant the seed even when the outcome is not yet visible. But faith does not end there. Through diligence and patience, the humble believer is transformed.

Like the standing Tsade, the faithful are lifted up, made strong, and rewarded with growth and fruit.

In this way, the repetition of “faith” eighteen times mirrors the shape and meaning of Tsade. It shows that faith is not static but a journey: beginning in humility, tested in endurance, and culminating in the strength of righteousness.

Twenty Three

There are 23 occurrences of the words “word(s)” and “know(ledge).” The number 23 corresponds to the Hebrew letter Tav, the final letter of the alphabet. Tav signifies a mark, a sign, or a covenant.

As the last letter, it represents both the completion of a process and the opening of a new beginning, the fulfillment of a cycle that naturally leads into renewal.

Tav is closely associated with truth. To receive knowledge and to anchor one’s life in the word of God is to carry His sign, to bear His mark of covenant faithfulness.

In this sense, Alma’s emphasis on the word reflects the function of Tav: what begins with a seed of faith and is nurtured through humility and endurance finds its completion in truth.

The word matures into knowledge, and knowledge seals the covenant.

Thus, the twenty-threefold repetition of “word” and “knowledge” is more than emphasis. It echoes the role of Tav as the consummation of the journey.

The end is not emptiness, but fullness: a mark of belonging, a sign of truth, and the assurance that God’s word completes what it begins.

Inspired Anachronisms?

The association of the numbers three and four with the “benefactor running toward the poor man’s door” comes from Jewish tradition.

It appears in Otiyot de-Rabbi Akiva, a midrashic work compiled between the second and sixth centuries A.D., and also in the Talmud (Shabbat 104a). 

In this tradition, gimel (3) is linked to gemilut chasadim (“acts of loving-kindness”), while dalet (4) is linked to dal (“the poor”).

The leg of the gimel is described as extending toward the dalet, symbolizing the benefactor moving toward the poor to give aid, while the dalet turns slightly away, preserving the recipient’s dignity. 

These stories remain part of Jewish education in Orthodox yeshivot and cheder, where children are still taught moral lessons alongside the letters of the alef-bet.

Many of these symbolic associations between Hebrew letters and numbers were not formally developed until centuries after Lehi left Jerusalem. How could they possibly show up in the Book of Mormon, a record set around 74 B.C. on the other side of the world?

If the plates had been handed to a scholar for translation, the likely verdict would be “anachronism.” A modern reader must have injected these meanings into the text. Case closed.

But the Book of Mormon was not produced through a scholarly translation. It was brought forth through inspiration, and that changes the conversation.

Mormon, the prophetic abridger, was not just writing for his own time. He was shaping a record for a latter-day audience.

His son Moroni said it plainly:

“Behold, I speak unto you as if ye were present, and yet ye are not. But behold, Jesus Christ hath shown you unto me, and I know your doing”

Mormon 8:35)

If Moroni could prophetically see the people of the future, why not Mormon as well? Could he not have shaped his record with them in mind?

And then there is the translation itself. Joseph Smith did not translate like a linguist working line by line through grammar and syntax. He translated by divine means.

That opens the door to something remarkable: God could have shaped the language of the translation so that modern readers, especially those familiar with Hebrew thought, would notice these patterns.

That idea lines up perfectly with the Lord’s own words:

“these commandments are of me, and were given unto my servants in their weakness, after the manner of their language, that they might come to understanding”

D&C 1:24

And again:

“every man shall hear the fulness of the gospel in his own tongue, and in his own language”

D&C 90:11

Language, in this sense, is bigger than vocabulary. It includes the symbolic patterns, the literary devices, and the cultural frameworks that make something recognizable and meaningful to us.

If God wanted to, He could inspire the translation so that ancient truths would arrive in a form modern readers could actually perceive.

Final Observations

All things considered, I am going to give the credit here to Mormon and I’ll explain why.

Some of the sermons he preserved may well be word for word, but I also think it is possible that Alma’s sermon is not exactly what he originally spoke.

As a person of Israelite descent, Alma may have used the literary devices, patterns, and symbols at his disposal. But the version of Alma’s story on the gold plates was intended for a latter-day audience of Lamanites, Jews, and Gentiles.

I think the version of Alma’s sermon we have is an inspired abridgment, one that Mormon shaped and polished with his own creativity. He seems to have done something similar when he wove Alma the Elder’s story into the imagery of the tree of life. (Read here, here, and watch here)

From the very beginning Mormon showed remarkable gifts. Ammoron noticed it and said, “I perceive that thou art a sober child, and art quick to observe” (Mormon 1:2). By fifteen, Mormon recorded that he had been “visited of the Lord, and tasted and knew of the goodness of Jesus” (v. 15). Immediately after we read that he started preaching the word. By sixteen, the people appointed him to lead their armies (Mormon 2:2).

It is not hard to imagine that someone with that kind of spiritual sensitivity and leadership ability at such a young age could also have been a prodigy whose gifts included storytelling, structure, and symbolism.

The more I study his abridgment, the more I see a complex, creative, and inspired mind at work.

A mind that shaped the raw material of history and sermons into something designed to reach across time and speak directly to diverse audiences simultaneously.

I’m exploring many other sermons like this one and I’m finding more and more evidence of this same kind of highly complex and creative layering; this is only scratching the surface. Stay tuned.