Brief Biography
The Book of Mormon gives us little information about Samuel’s background, other than the fact that he was a Lamanite. He preached to the people of Nephi in the city of Zarahemla. His initial efforts to preach were rejected and he was cast out of the city. Undeterred by this, Samuel climbed upon the wall of the city so that his message would be heard. He described curses that would come upon the land, and warned the Nephites of their future destruction as a people, if they did not repent. He also prophesied of the birth and death of Christ and announced numerous signs that would coincide with these significant events. After he faithfully delivered his message, the people attempted to kill him, but he escaped. He was never seen again among the people of Nephi. His prophecies, which were all fulfilled, were remembered many years after they were given (3 Nephi 1:6, 19-21; 23:9-13; Mormon 1:19).
Insights into the Words and Phrases
Samuel the Lamanite
Did you know that Samuel the Lamanite cited Nephite prophets to call the Nephites to repentance?
As with many other speakers in the Book of Mormon, Samuel’s favorite topic is "the Lord," and he speaks of "God," "of the Lord," and "faith." His frequent use of the phrase "saith the Lord" (17) underscores the importance he places on the words of God in his message of warning to the people. In his message of warning, he speaks of iniquity, iniquities, riches, and repentance. Only Samuel uses the words "solid" (2), "awaiteth" (1), "declareth" (1), "demons" (1), "everlastingly" (1), "guides" (1), "late" (1), "lightning" (1), "lights" (1), "mass" (1), "slipped" (1), and "unwearied" (1). Samuel’s names for God, "eternal head," "great and eternal head," and "great and true shepherd," are unique to him.
When Samuel returned to the city and spoke from atop the wall, the Lord told him to speak whatever the Lord put into his heart (Helaman 13:4-5). Samuel uses the phrase "saith the Lord" seventeen times, more than any other Book of Mormon speaker. There is evidence that he was inspired to draw upon some of the words from the scriptures, which he had read, searched, and pondered.
Samuel, as a Lamanite prophet, had a significant challenge. He was called to warn the Nephites to repent or face destruction. Seen as an outsider, his message would not be well received. "By using the words of Nephite prophets, he perhaps [hoped] that his listeners [would] be more receptive than they would be to words coming from a Lamanite."1 There are many examples of this tactic.
When Samuel tells of the signs of Christ’s birth, just five years away, he says, "Because I am a Lamanite, and have spoken to you the words which the Lord hath commanded me, and because it was hard against you, ye are angry with me and do seek to destroy me, and have cast me out from among you;" yet, he insists, "ye shall hear my words" (Helaman 14:10-11). He then uses the title, "Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Father of heaven and of earth, the Creator of all things from the beginning" (Helaman 14:12). The only other place where this title is found is in King Benjamin’s speech, where he recites the message from the angel (Mosiah 3:8). Samuel, an unpopular outsider, quotes the Nephite king in his prophecy of the Savior’s birth.
1 John Hilton III, Sunny Hendry Hafen, and Jaron Hansen, "Samuel and His Nephite Sources," BYU Studies 56/3 (2017): 134.
When he preached to the wicked in Ammonihah, Amulek warned, "If the time should come that this people should fall into transgression, they would be ripe for destruction.... But it is by the prayers of the righteous that ye are spared; now therefore, if ye will cast out the righteous from among you then will not the Lord stay his hand" (Alma 10:19, 23). Samuel paraphrases Amulek’s words when he tells the people of Zarahemla, "It is for the righteous’ sake that it is spared. But behold, the time cometh, saith the Lord, that when ye shall cast out the righteous from among you, then shall ye be ripe for destruction" (Helaman 13:14). Samuel’s warning to the people of Zarahemla packs an extra punch by evoking the prophetic word against the doomed wicked of Ammonihah, who were utterly destroyed after they cast out and killed the righteous among them (Alma 16:9-11).
Samuel reproved the Nephites for rejecting true prophets and accepting false ones. The wicked Nephites would support and reward false prophets who flattered them, excused iniquity, and said that "all is well" (Helaman 13:28). Apart from Samuel, only Nephi uses the phrase "all is well" when he writes against false prophets (2 Nephi 28:21, 25). By using Nephi’s words, Samuel suggests that the Nephites’ behavior would also be condemned by Nephi.
When he prophesies about the future of the Lamanites, Samuel notes that, in contrast to the Nephites, Lamanite converts "do observe to keep his commandments and statutes and his judgments according to the law of Moses" (Helaman 15:5). Nephi wrote that the first generation of Nephites "did observe to keep the judgments and the statutes, and the commandments of the Lord in all things according to the law of Moses" (2 Nephi 5:10). The words "observe," "statutes," "commandments," "judgments," and "law of Moses" are only used together by Nephi and Samuel. Samuel seemingly shows how the converted Lamanites of his day were righteous, like the early Nephites who, ironically, had fled from the Lamanites to be obedient to God.
Samuel prophesies that in the future, the Lord will be merciful to the Lamanites, and tells the Nephites of Zarahemla, "It shall be better for them than for you except ye repent" (Helaman 15:14). Notably, this wording matches and supports the testimony of Nephi the son of Helaman who taught, "It shall be better for the Lamanites than for you except ye shall repent" (Helaman 7:23). Samuel not only cites Nephite prophets from the past, but also the current prophet of his day, whose name is Nephi, to call the people of that name to repentance.
Key Insights
Lamanite converts were taught the scriptures from the plates of brass and the plates of Nephi by Nephite missionaries (Alma 37:1-10). During the time of the judges, selections from these scriptures, likely written on less permanent materials, were more widely available (Alma 63:12). "It may be that Samuel had treasured up the prophetic word and thus was able to be inspired to use these and other passages as he spoke to the Nephites."2 Samuel’s words suggest that he knew his scriptures well. If we treasure up the words of the prophets, we may also be inspired in our time of need.
2 Hilton, Hafen, and Hansen, 138.