The Lord directed the Jaredites to go “forth” until they arrived at “that great sea which divideth the lands” (Ether 2:13). We believe their journey took them across the breadth of Asia. The terminus of their land journey was the east coast of what is now China, and the “great sea which divideth the lands” was the Pacific Ocean which divides the Asian and North American continents. According to the record, at this seashore location there was a “mount, which they called the mount Shelem, because of its exceeding height” (Ether 3:1). On the top of this mount, the brother of Jared later importuned the Lord to touch 16 small stones to “shine forth in darkness” to illuminate the enclosed vessels they had been commanded to build (Ether 3:4). This “exceedingly” tall mountain was located where they “dwelt in tents upon the seashore for the space of four years” (Ether 2:13), and thus on the seashore where they built their eight vessels (Ether 2:16-18). Along the entire 9,000-mile coastline of present-day China there is only one mountain on the coast—Mount Laoshan. This remarkable mountain is of “exceeding” height, rising directly from the seacoast to an elevation of 3,717 feet and covering an area at its base of 172 square miles. It adjoins the city of Qingdao, a major seaport, naval base and industrial center. Beijing, the capital of the People’s Republic of China, lies 340 miles to the northwest. Mount Laoshan is a major tourist attraction, with numerous scenic areas. It was the site of several Chinese Summer Olympic events in 2008. The mountain has alternate Chinese names that translate into English as: Number one coastal mountain; Land for supernatural being; and Fascinating and blessing place. It is claimed that Qin Shi Huang (259 – 210 B.C.), the first emperor of a centralized China, made a pilgrimage to Mount Laoshan to visit the supernatural beings. The mountain is a historic center of the Taoist religion, and at one time boasted nine palaces, eight temples and 72 nunneries. Through time Mount Laoshan has been considered sacred by followers of several Chinese religions and is still venerated today.

The height, location and historical significance of Mount Laoshan is rather striking, especially its singular location on the east coast of Asia. All of this appears to match, in a remarkable way, the Jaredite account of an “exceeding” high mountain on the seashore of “that great sea which divideth the lands,” the Pacific Ocean, where the Lord caused stones to “shine forth in darkness.”

When the Jaredites reached mount Shelem and its coastal location, “they pitched their tents; and they called the name of the place Moriancumer; and they dwelt in tents, and dwelt in tents upon the seashore for the space of four years” (Ether 2:13). The name Moriancumer is of interest because the Prophet Joseph Smith declared that the name of the brother of Jared was Mahonri Moriancumer (see footnote in George Reynolds, “The Jaredites,” Juvenile Instructor, 1 May 1892, page 282). Moriancumer was an isolated place, far from their home near the great tower of Babel, and in a location “where there never had man been” (Ether 2:5).

The record emphasizes that they “dwelt in tents” for “four years” in what appears to be a somewhat settled mode. At the end of the four years, “the Lord came again unto the brother of Jared, and stood in a cloud and talked with him. And for the space of three hours did the Lord talk with the brother of Jared, and chastened him because he remembered not to call upon the name of the Lord” (Ether 2:14). The Lord forgave the brother of Jared and his brethren of their sins and reminded them that his “Spirit will not always strive with man; wherefore, if ye will sin until ye are fully ripe ye shall be cut off from the presence of the Lord” (Ether 2:15). It is not clear if the travelers thought they were at the end of their journey, and did not need any more direction from the Lord, or if they were exhausted and discouraged after a long 4,000-mile trek across Asia and did not wish to face an extended ocean voyage. Nonetheless, the group appears to be not as worshipful and sinless as the Lord expected, nor eager to move on to another land promised them for their “inheritance.”