Doctrinal Commentary on the Book of Mormon, Vol. 3

by Joseph Fielding McConkie

As the keystone of our religion, the Book of Mormon is high-priority reading. Naturally, it is read with varying degrees of comprehension, and many of us need assistance to deepen our understanding. The four-volume commentary focuses on the most significant aspect of this standard work-doctrine. Dividing the material into convenient topical sections, each volume quotes the Book of Mormon verses and gives detailed commentary that reflects not only the authors' own considerable scholarship and research but also the insights of other scriptures and modern prophets. This invaluable commentary will help readers draw nearer to God by enhancing their study of His sacred word.

Genres: Religion, Lds, Nonfiction, Church, Mormonism

459 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 1991

About the author

Joseph Fielding McConkie received a Doctorate of Education from Brigham Young University in 1973, following which he became the director of the LDS Institute of Religion at the University of Washington in Seattle. Four years later he joined the faculty at BYU where he is now a Professor of Ancient Scripture. He is the author or co-author of 25 books, the most recent being a 1200 page work titled Revelations of the Restoration. His scholarly interests center in scripture and doctrine. Other experiences include being an LDS Chaplain in Vietnam, a mission president in Scotland, and a Stake President at BYU.

from http://www.ldsmag.com/component/zine/...
http://deseretbook.com/auth/302/Josep...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_F...

Reviews

[Heather]

As I read the Book of Mormon this year in Gospel Doctrine class I tried to stay up with the Commentary as well. I had taken a class from Robert Millet in college and had crossed paths with him and also Joseph McConkie many times in my life, as I grew-up so close to both of them, so I was excited to be taught from them in these books on the Book of Mormon. Some things were very insightful and others were just a reinforcement of things I already knew. Excellent book!

[Regan]

Overall a good read. At times it feels a bit repetitious and lacking in depth at times. At times I wanted a bit more but a four volume set makes you realize just how much there is to the Book of Mormon.

[Melanie]

Going through the bookshelves of my parents I came across this series of Book of Mormon commentary and though I don't often read commentary, I thought, "Why not?" But as I began to make progress through the volumes, I noticed that one of the set of four books was missing. This edition, volume three was not with the other volumes. First I looked thinking it must have been shelved somewhere else but finally realized that volume three was indeed missing. I was working from volumes published in 1991 and so I finally turned to eBay. The only volume listed on eBay was volume 3 of this set. It felt somehow like it was a tender mercy, so I bought this single volume to complete this set.

Commentary is not one thing. Sometimes when I'm studying the scriptures, commentary feels repetitive or too drawn out examining some very small issue, but often there is something that will change my perspective. In this volume which covered Alma through Helaman, there were a lot of gems. One, in particular, came in Alma 62:41. It was talking about how the extreme length of the war between the Nephites and the Lamanites had caused some of the people to become hardened while for others it had the opposite effect, causing their hearts to be softened and bringing them to humility. I was thinking about that, really just pondering how the same circumstance could impact people in such different ways when I read in the commentary that boiling water hardens eggs, but softens carrots. That image of boiling water and the vast difference between the impact it has on eggs and carrots was like an instant word picture in my head, and it really helped me to understand the concept more fully. It also helped me to think about my own heart in trials, and how I have to consciously guard against becoming hard-boiled by lengthy trials or difficult circumstances. I can choose to try and be more carrot-like in my circumstances.

All this to say, I am appreciating this book of commentary. It's not perfect. Sometimes it feels quite out of date, but there is value in adding commentary to my reading of the Book of Mormon. I'm really glad I found this series of books on my parents' bookshelves. It makes me feel closer to them. Now there is just one final volume to go. I'm excited to see what I will learn next.

[Tosca Wijns-Van Eeden]

Great resource for personal study!

[Tyler]

Some really great insights into the Book of Mormon.

[Anita]

A little hard to read but well worth the effort. it has helped me tremendously with my come follow me study this year. I read this book for the prompt read a book about books (booklist queen 2024)

[Christian Larsen]

This set is page after page of the same-old stuff. The authors are very adept at saying the same thing in different words, and if they didn't this set would be half the size it is. If you want trite fluff, devotional musings or the like, this is for you, but there really is much better available. The authors offer nothing new to the study of the Book of Mormon. The most valuable aspect of this set are the occasional authoritative quotes the authors use from modern prophets and apostles, but if this is what you want, you would be better off with K Douglas Bassett's "Doctrinal Insights to the Book of Mormon" (3 vols). If you really want to learn something, the best commentary available on the Book of Mormon is Brant Gardner's "Second Witness" series (6 vols). It will be decades before anyone is able to surpass Gardner in scope or quality.

[Katherine]

I just finished this for the second or third time, I can't remember. I think these are so great in helping me better understand the scriptures and connecting The Book of Mormon to the rest of the canon of scriptures. I love what Elder Oaks says about the scriptures here http://www.lds.org/ensign/1995/01/scr...
I do like to take a break from reading these books and just read the Book of Mormon because I feel the Spirit more when I am just reading the Book of Mormon and not all the commentary, but I still love them.

[Joseph]

A solid commentary on the Book of Mormon. Most of it is elaboration on stuff that I already knew, but there were quite a few new gems that the authors included.

[Carol]

Really, really good! This series of books really helps with understanding and applying the Book of Mormon. This is the third in a series of four.

[Linda]

Great commentary to read along side as you read the Book of Mormon.

[Ryan Daley]

These are fine - the value is in the considerate pace it requires you to take with the scriptures rather than the commentary itself.

[Patti]

Great book to help you understand the Book of Mormon better.

[Janene]

This set of books is fantastic to study by. Well worth the effort.