#197: Why Do We Have the Book of Ether? Artwork

The Book of Mormon, Digging Deeper

This Podcast is designed to dig deep and uncover the extraordinary content found within the Book of Mormon. Each episode takes a close look at elements, evidences, facts, and revelations in the book which not only give us a look at ancient Egyptian and Pre-Columbian history and culture, but also point to the incontrovertible fact that the Book of Mormon is a true and authentic history, translated by the gift of God through the efforts of a very young Joseph Smith, presented to the world for the betterment of all human lives.

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The Book of Mormon, Digging Deeper

#197: Why Do We Have the Book of Ether?

August 09, 2026 • Mark Swint • Season 10 • Episode 5

0:00 | 50:57

The Book of Mormon would be complete with just the abridgment that Mormon penned. It properly gave a great summery of the thousand years that the Nephites struggled to survive, ultimately failing to do so. The work complied faithfully with the Lord's commandment to Mormon to record a compelling history of his people, the Nephites, and their often-intransigent brethren, the Lamanites.

So, I ask you; Why do we have the Book of Ether thrown in there at the end? It is a completely different story, about a completely different people, who came from a completely different place, to the Americas long before the Nephites. They were not from Jerusalem, nor were they Jews. And they had nothing to do with the Nephites nor the Lamanites.

And yet, we are richer for their story and blessed by its inclusion in the Book of Mormon.