All seven of the record keepers following Jacob and continuing down to the time of King Benjamin, are fairly economical with words. Surely the most taciturn is Chemish, who simply states that he has observed his brother writing in the records: “according to the commandments of our fathers. And I make an end” (verse 9). Of all the Book of Mormon scribes, Chemish contributes the fewest words to the spiritual record. It is possible that he and his colleagues contribute more material to the historical account of their times preserved on the larger plates.
We can perhaps extract from Chemish a lesson about our own personal journal-writing: Should we not strive to pass on to our posterity a more abundant account of our spiritual dealings “according to the commandments of our fathers”?