Mormon notes that the land of Helam was "a beautiful and pleasant land, a land of pure water" (Mosiah 23:4). What kind of scenery would evoke such a phrase? The reader should note that similar words were used to describe the place of Mormon: "yea the place of Mormon, the waters of Mormon, the forest of Mormon, how beautiful are they to the eyes of them who there came to the knowledge of their Redeemer" (Mosiah 18:30). [Joseph L. Allen, Personal Communication]
Mosiah 23:4 (Helam), a very beautiful land, a land of pure water (Illustration): Almolonga, Guatemala, Joseph Allen's proposed site of Helam. [Merrill Oaks, "Some Perspectives on Book of Mormon Geography, Slide #62]
Mosiah 23:4 ([Helam]), a very beautiful land, a land of pure water (Illustration): Scenes in the suggested land of Helam, "a very beautiful and pleasant land, a land of pure water," around Chalchitan, Guatemala. (Photos by Daniel Bates. Courtesy David A. Palmer and the Society for Early Historic Archaeology.) [John L. Sorenson, An Ancient American Setting for the Book of Mormon, F.A.R.M.S., p. 178]