Our current chapter 30 matches its counterpart chapter in the 1830 edition. It consists of one compound-complex sentence arranged in two verses. The first verse is Mormon’s introduction to the second, which he presents as a message from the Savior. Mormon is concluding 3 Nephi and, additionally, concluding his discussion of the most important event to take place on the Western hemisphere. What a literary challenge!
For Mormon, the true importance of the Savior’s appearance lies not in the appearance itself but in the context of Yahweh’s relationship with Israel. Mormon clearly understands the Savior as the Messiah who came to provide the atonement. His discussion shows his deep understanding that the atonement and redemption were central in the Messiah’s mission.
Mormon understands that the Atoning Messiah is also the Triumphant Messiah. This first appearance is a type of his next, when he will come as the Triumphant Messiah. Thus, the concluding comments are not on the wonders of the Savior’s appearance to the Nephites but on the meaning of this appearance for the future of the whole world.
Mormon is understandably concerned with the text he is carefully inscribing on the metal plates. He has spent years of his life in the research and the writing. At this point where he discusses the Savior, he focuses on the role this same text will play in the future. He therefore creates a separate chapter to highlight this all-important testimonial in which he speaks directly to his future readers. He addresses contemporary readers—those who are, at Mormon’s time, far in his future.
Mormon does not explicitly state that he is quoting the Savior, although that is certainly a possibility. He may be interpreting the impact of the Messiah’s message in his own terms. He has used similar terminology earlier, for example: “Now those priests who did go forth among the people did preach against all lyings, and deceivings, and envyings, and strifes, and malice, and revilings, and stealing, robbing, plundering, murdering, committing adultery, and all manner of lasciviousness, crying that these things ought not so to be” (Alma 16:18). Mormon used these terms to describe apostasy from the gospel; he associated them with both the Gadianton robbers and the Nehors. They may be a standard catalogue of practices that collectively indicate beliefs and practices that are contrary to the gospel—perhaps irrespective of whether they are actually occurring in the community.
Text: This is the end of both the chapter and the book of 3 Nephi.