“Certainly prosperity had to do with the physical and spiritual circumstances of the obedient, but beyond that it is used in the framework of deliverance [see Alma 36:1–2]. Notice how closely related the ideas of prosperity and deliverance are. The parallel usage of these two words is not uncommon in the Nephite text (see Omni 1:6–7; Mosiah 2:31; 7:29, 33; Alma 9:9, 13; 36:29–30). … However, prosperity is not without adversity and the text has several examples of individuals who obeyed the commandments and yet sealed their testimonies with their blood (see Mosiah 17:20; Alma 14:18)” (Bassett, “Nephi’s Freedom Thesis and the Sons of Helaman,” 291–92).
| The People of Mosiah | The People of Zarahemla | The People of Coriantumr |
Common name | Nephites | Mulekites (though not a name used in the Book of Mormon) | Jaredites |
Where they came from | Left Jerusalem in about 600 B.C. | Left Jerusalem in about 589 B.C. | Left the tower of Babel about 2290 B.C. |
Where they lived | South of Zarahemla in the land called Nephi (Helaman 6:10) | Americas, north of the Nephites in the land called Zarahemla (Helaman 6:10) | Americas, far north of Zarahemla in the land called Desolation (Alma 22:30) |
Where to read about their history | History recorded throughout the Book of Mormon | Did not keep their own history but merged with the Nephites about 130 B.C. | Account recorded in the book of Ether, in the Book of Mormon |
(Adapted from Garner, Search These Things Diligently, 127–28)