Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship
Article Title
Upon the Tower of Benjamin
Keywords
Book of Mormon studies, Biblical studies, ancient Jewish royalty, King Benjamin, tower, coronation
Abstract
When King Benjamin crowned his son Mosiah, all the people in Zarahemla sat in tents around the temple while Benjamin addressed them. Because he "could not teach them all within the walls of the temple, therefore he caused a tower to be erected, that thereby his people might hear the words which he should speak unto them" (Mosiah 2:7). Was the need to improve the acoustics the only reason for the construction of this tower? Recent research has discovered ancient precedents for the use of such "towers" in royal convocations and coronation ceremonies. These biblical and Jewish precedents are not obvious to the casual reader and may well shed light on Benjamin's tower.
Recommended Citation
Welch, John W. and Szink, Terry L.
(1995)
"Upon the Tower of Benjamin,"
Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship: Vol. 15:
No.
4, Article 3.
Available at:
https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/insights/vol15/iss4/3