I've always wondered why the first part of the Book of Ether
is about the brother of Jared rather than about Jared. The brother of Jared is clearly the religious
leader of the Jaredites, but in this chapter Jared is shown as the legal leader
of the people when he determines that the people should have a king, as they
desired (see verses 21 – 24). Among the ancient Israelites, leaders were chosen by God and kings were chosen by the people. Given the
opportunity to choose a king, the Jaredite people turned first to the sons of the brother
of Jared, none of which would accept the job (verses 25 – 26). Then the people turned to the sons of Jared
where they finally convinced one of them to be the king. The ruling of the Jaredites then continued
through his progeny, and perhaps that is why we read about the Jaredites
instead of about the brother-of-Jaredites.
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