According to Hugh Nibley, the reader should notice that the common phrase "whole earth" (Ether 13:17) does not always mean the entire globe. That is quite evident here in Ether 13:17 where, speaking only of the Jaredites, it is noted that "there were none of the fair sons and daughters upon the face of the whole earth who repented of their sins." In addition, the same limitations might apply to the phrase "all the land." [Hugh Nibley, The World of the Jaredites, p. 173]