Rhetoric: Alma restates his authority and reason for giving this sermon, positioning himself as the watchful shepherd protecting his flock, and attempting to drive away the wolves from within. As in verses 37–38, the shepherd begins as Alma but becomes the Messiah in the next verse.
Translation: This second allusion to sheep/shepherd imagery seems to assume common knowledge about the problems of shepherds. Such metaphors are completely at home in the world of the Bible. Some examples are:
Her princes in the midst thereof are like wolves ravening the prey, to shed blood, and to destroy souls, to get dishonest gain. (Ezek. 22:27)
Go your ways: behold, I send you forth as lambs among wolves. (Luke 10:3)
For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. (Acts 20:29)
These passages communicate clearly because the imagery is well known. They do not, however, explain Alma’s use of wolves or sheep, neither of which apparently existed in Mesoamerica. However, John L. Sorenson notes: “The Eurasian sheep is not supposed to have been in pre-Columbian America either, yet real sheep’s wool was found in a burial site at Cholula, Puebla, Mexico, in an archaeological setting that gave no other indication of dating after the Spaniards arrived. This lone specimen doesn’t take us far toward a literal reading of the Book of Mormon term sheep, but perhaps we should keep this door… ajar a little.”
However, it seems more likely that this is yet another case where Bible imagery present in Joseph’s mind shaped the translation. While the Mesoamerican peoples might not have been familiar with sheep and wolves, they were certainly familiar with kept animals and predators, and it was likely that imagery that appeared on the plates.