How can a sword be stained?

Thomas R. Valletta

“Although today we speak of ‘stainless steel,’ in Joseph Smith’s day, metals were not generally thought of as becoming stained. Staining was a term that generally applied to wood, cloth, or other substances subject to discoloration. … If the Nephite swords were the Mesoamerican macuahuitl with a wooden shaft, blood would naturally stain and discolor the wood when an enemy was wounded. … Thus the metaphor of the great mercy of God in removing bloodstains from the swords becomes much more powerful and understandable if it refers to wood stained with blood, which only a miracle would remove, rather than if it refers to metal stained with blood, which a piece of cloth would clean” (Hamblin and Merrill, “Swords in the Book of Mormon,” 342).

The Book of Mormon Study Guide: Start to Finish

References