KnoWhy #171 - Why Did Mormon Mention Hagoth? (Alma 63:5)

The Book of Mormon reports that “an exceedingly curious” man named Hagoth “went forth and built him an exceedingly large ship” (Alma 63:5). Hagoth eventually built even more ships and many people set sail in these vessels toward the land northward. This episode helps establish that the scattering of Israel was taking place even among the Nephites. It also narratively sets the stage for expanding Nephite and Lamanite civilizations. Wherever Hagoth's seafarers ended up, the story of their journeys expands the narrative scope and the geographical horizons of the Book of Mormon peoples.