Book of Mormon/Warfare/Weapons

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Weapons in the Book of Mormon

William J. Hamblin, A. Brent Merrill, "Swords in the Book of Mormon"

William J. Hamblin, A. Brent Merrill,  Warfare in the Book of Mormon, (1990)

The Book of Mormon mentions the sword 156 times, more than any other weapon. For the sake of discussion, we have divided its usage into two categories: literary or metaphorical and military-technical. We have classified seventy-eight instances as metaphorical and seventy-eight as technical (though many occurrences are ambiguous and could fall in either category). There are four major types of sword metaphors used in the Book of Mormon: fighting or warfare in general, violent death, military vigilance, and divine power. The book metaphorically describes fighting in battle with eighteen different sword phrases, violent death with seven major metaphors, military preparedness with two phrases, and divine power with five metaphors.

William J. Hamblin, "The Bow and Arrow in the Book of Mormon"

William J. Hamblin,  Warfare in the Book of Mormon, (1990)

After the sword, the bow is the second most frequently mentioned weapon in the Book of Mormon. Bows are mentioned twenty-two times, arrows twenty-six. In fourteen cases the bow and arrow are mentioned together; in eight cases, the bow is mentioned alone; in twelve, the arrow alone. In most cases, the bow is simply mentioned as a weapon with no additional details. However, several significant incidents give some indication of the nature and use of the Book of Mormon bow.