Ether is full of accounts of kings living in captivity—often for the remainder of their lives. This was very characteristic at this time. A king was believed to connect the human and divine realms and was considered to hold the unique position of appeasing the idolatrous gods for the benefit of all the people. In this way, royal monarchs were viewed as being sacred or even quasi-divine. The enemies of a king could not put him to death without fearing retribution in society or fearing that they would be the cause of punishment on all the people by idolatrous gods.
What kind of captivity was Omer in where he could beget “sons and daughters?” How long was he in captivity? How old must his sons have been to deliver him? “Captivity” did not mean being put behind bars or in a penitentiary. There were no jails or prisons in antiquity and there was no sentence of “life-in-prison.” Incarcerating people was very expensive. If someone needed to be restrained temporarily, he would be thrown and contained in a cistern for a short period of time.
This ancient society had class distinctions and was highly class structured, as was all of the ancient near-eastern world. With class distinction came privileges and legal benefits for those in the upper class—particularly for royalty. Enemies of a king could confine him and other royal members in a restricted area where they were required to stay—in a palace or a specific part of the land. Even though they were restricted in their movement, they lived their lives in comparative ease. They were not put into slavery, nor were they required to work for other people. Therefore, the many kings over several generations who were required to live “in captivity” in the Book of Ether were likely confined to living in restricted areas, but were permitted to live and act with relative freedom.
Below is a chart showing the chronology of the Jaredite kings, indicating those who ruled righteously, those who were a wicked influence over the people, and those who lived in captivity. The main column of this chart shows the founder of the Jaredite nation and follows his progeny down to Ether, who was not a king. His name is on this book in the Book of Mormon because it was Ether who told the history of the Jaredite people. This list also gives the names of others who created conflict with particular kings and asserted power as rulers.