- ALMA 13:77 [22:32]: And thus the land of Nephi, and the land of Zarahemla, were nearly surrounded by water; there being a small neck of land between the land northward, and the land southward.
- Commentary: This is the basic description that there is a narrow neck of land between two major areas of the Book of Mormon lands.
- ETHER 4:68 [10:20]: And they built a great city by the narrow neck of land, by the place where the sea divides the land.
- Commentary: This verse provides the name for the "narrow neck." The lands so far described in the Book of Ether were close to the Promised Land (in the book of Ether) that are next to the Sea West shore, so the great city would have been on the Sea West shore in the area of the narrow neck.
- ALMA 30:6 [63:5]: And it came to pass that Hagoth, he being an exceeding curious man, therefore he went forth, and built him an exceeding large ship, on the borders of the land Bountiful, by the land Desolation, and launched it forth into the west sea, by the narrow neck which led into the land northward.
- Commentary: This confirms that the narrow neck has the Sea West on one side of the narrow neck.
- ALMA 13:76 [22:32]: And now it was only the distance of a day and a half's journey for a Nephite, on the line Bountiful, and the land Desolation, from the east to the west sea;
- Commentary: The distance mentioned here is not the total distance across the narrow neck. Many people interpret this to describe the west sea to the east sea, but it just describes a point to the east. It is important to note that this description does NOT describe going all the way to the sea east, just to a point on the east. A similar construction is seen in Alma 22:8 [50:8]: And the land of Nephi did run in a straight course from the east sea to the west. Again, both seas are not mentioned, just a point (to the west). So, how many miles can a person travel in 1.5 days?
- It is very easy for a fit person to travel 40 miles in a day over unimproved trails (60 miles in a day and a half).
- American indian runners have been known to run 75 to 100 miles per day.
- Travel through jungle where no trails exist can be as low as 10 to 15 miles per day (the lower limit).
- The world record for a 48-hour run is 428,890 meters (266 miles), or 200 miles in a day and a half on a perfectly flat track (the upper limit).
- Canoe travel on flat, smooth, fast-flowing rivers can be up to 326 miles in 24 hours, but only one river meets this criteria (Yukon). Otherwise, believe it or not, travel is the same, or less, than foot travel.
- As a best estimate, the width of the narrow neck should be at least 15 and 200 miles across.
- To fit the narrow neck description, the width of the lands north and the width of the lands south of the narrow neck are wider than the narrow neck width. The narrow neck should also be in a west-to-east direction.
- Commentary: The distance mentioned here is not the total distance across the narrow neck. Many people interpret this to describe the west sea to the east sea, but it just describes a point to the east. It is important to note that this description does NOT describe going all the way to the sea east, just to a point on the east. A similar construction is seen in Alma 22:8 [50:8]: And the land of Nephi did run in a straight course from the east sea to the west. Again, both seas are not mentioned, just a point (to the west). So, how many miles can a person travel in 1.5 days?
Isthmus of Tehuantepec (Mexico) Model Assessment:
There is a ship-navigable path for the Nephites leaving from the Arabian Peninsula to Mesoamerica across the Pacific Ocean. Based on the travel descriptions, the Jaredites would have drifted from the coast of China, around the Pacific Gyre, to Mesoamerica. An interesting note is that drift models used to track cargo lost from ships and setting the parameters to indicate a high profile item (significant surface area above the water line) drifting around the Pacific Gyre from China to Mesoamerica indicate a 11.5 month drift (about 345 days). This corresponds exactly with the description in the Book of Mormon.
ETHER 3:13 [6:8]: And thus they were driven forth, three hundred and forty and four days upon the water; and they did land upon the shore of the promised land.
The description in Ether 4:68 provides an interesting detail. It mentions a singular sea (not more than one sea). And this one sea divides the land. The Hebrew word for 'divide' is parad [Strong's H6504] - which means to divide or to be separated. The use of parad in the Old Testament is clear that the separation is a physical separation - something is physically separated from something else. Most people interpret that the division applies to the narrow neck. However, the narrow neck has seas on both sides of the neck (two seas - the sea west and the sea east) and Ether 4:68 mentions only one sea. It would be a better interpretation that there is a feature of one of the seas that define the narrow neck where that sea divides (separates) some land. The feature would have to be on the sea West as that is the shore where the Jaredites first landed and began building cities. Also, the phrase, 'by the place,' is used in three places in the Book of Mormon and is used to indicate a specific location.
ETHER 4:68 [10:20]: And they built a great city by the narrow neck of land, by the place where the sea divides the land.
The Isthmus of Tehuantepec has a feature on the sea West (Pacific Ocean) called the Laguna del Mar Muerto. This lagoon has been a stable feature since it was mentioned by the earliest European explorers in the 1500's. There is an entry to the lagoon that consists of two places where the sea 'divides' the land. This would indicate that the 'great city' was built somewhere around the lagoon. As a strict interpretation of Ether 4:68 (one sea that divides or separates land), the Isthmus of Tehuantepec is the only narrow neck location that satisfies the Book of Mormon description.
Laguna del Mar Muerto (Isthmus of Tehuantepec)
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Heartland Model Assessment:
The Heartland model specifies three necks (see reference). There is a statement made, 'There is ONLY ONE "Narrow Neck of Land" in the entire Book of Mormon. Ether 10:20' [RLDS 4:68]. There are actually two references for the narrow neck by name:
ETHER 4:68 [10:20]: And they built a great city by the narrow neck of land, by the place where the sea divides the land.
ALMA 30:6 [63:5]: And it came to pass that Hagoth, he being an exceeding curious man, therefore he went forth, and built him an exceeding large ship, on the borders of the land Bountiful, by the land Desolation, and launched it forth into the west sea, by the narrow neck which led into the land northward.
The descriptions in the Book of Mormon clearly state that the way to the land northward was through the lands of Desolation and Bountiful. The Book of Mormon is also consistent that there is only one region associated with those lands - a narrow neck or small neck. And, the narrow neck was adjacent to the sea West. Alma 13:75-77 and Alma 30:6-10 both describe the sea west coast, one using the term 'small neck' and one using the term 'narrow neck.' These verses equate the two terms as being synonymous. The land Desolation was the area populated by the Jaredites, so the 'narrow neck of land' is in the same area as the necks described in Alma. Since the narrow neck and small neck descriptions discuss the same, single region, the three different Heartland Model narrow necks are inconsistent with the Book of Mormon descriptions.
ALMA 13:75 [22:31]: Thus the land on the northward was called Desolation, and the land on the southward was called Bountiful; it being the wilderness which is filled with all manner of wild animals of every kind; a part of which had come from the land northward, for food.
ALMA 13:76 [22:32]: And now it was only the distance of a day and a half's journey for a Nephite, on the line Bountiful, and the land Desolation, from the east to the west sea;
ALMA 13:77 [22:32]: And thus the land of Nephi, and the land of Zarahemla, were nearly surrounded by water; there being a small neck of land between the land northward, and the land southward.
ALMA 30:6 [63:5]: And it came to pass that Hagoth, he being an exceeding curious man, therefore he went forth, and built him an exceeding large ship, on the borders of the land Bountiful, by the land Desolation, and launched it forth into the west sea, by the narrow neck which led into the land northward.
ALMA 30:10 [63:7]: And the first ship did also return, and many more people did enter into it; and they also took much provisions, and set out again to the land northward.
ETHER 4:68 [10:20]: And they built a great city by the narrow neck of land, by the place where the sea divides the land.
Candidate Narrow Neck locations:
These locations meet the basic requirements for being a narrow neck.
- Width at least 15 to 200 miles wide
- Narrow neck being generally west-to-east
- Land northward and southward wider than the neck
Baja California
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Denmark
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Egypt
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England
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Florida
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Italy
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Korea
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Malaysia
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Mexico
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Nicaragua
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Panama
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Russia
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Turkey
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Turkey/Georgia/Russia
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