KnoWhy #472 - Why Does the Book of Mormon Mention Cimeters? (Mosiah 9:16)

The cimeter or scimitar was a curved sword with the cutting edge usually on the outer side. The weapon is portrayed on ancient Near Eastern monuments from at least 2000 B.C. It is now recognized that the Hebrew term kidon in the Bible (1 Samuel 17:45), once of uncertain meaning, refers to a form of this weapon. A similar weapon was also known in ancient Mesoamerica. This curved short sword or cimeter had a hard wooden base into which sharp obsidian blades were set along the curved portion. Artistic representation from Mexico and Guatemala indicate that the weapon had a long and deadly history dating from the Pre-classic or Book of Mormon times.