Falling to the Ground

One action that seems foreign to our culture but which we see throughout the Book of Mormon is the act of fainting or falling to the earth in times of great spiritual awakening or in utter astonishment.  The first occurrence of this happened with Jacob’s people after Sherem received his sign and died shortly thereafter.  We read of the people that “the power of God came down upon them, and they were overcome that they fell to the earth” (Jacob 7:21).  We don’t know if they actually went unconscious, but the description makes it seem as if their falling to the earth was something they couldn’t prevent. 

The next and most well-known place that we see this same sort of thing is in the missionary experiences of Ammon and his brethren.  When Lamoni had a change of heart and prayed to the Lord “he fell unto the earth, as if he were dead” (Alma 18:42).  He stayed in that condition for more two days, and when he finally awoke and started teaching his wife of the Savior, “His heart was swollen within him, and he sunk again with joy; and the queen also sunk down, being overpowered by the Spirit” (Alma 19:13).  This caused Ammon to be filled with joy and gratitude, and so he followed suite so that “all three had sunk to the earth” (Alma 19:14).  The chain reaction wasn’t over, and the servants of the king started praying and “they did call on the name of the Lord, in their might, even until they had all fallen to the earth” (Alma 19:16).  It must have been quite the scene to watch for Abish, the only one who made it through still standing!  Lamoni’s father gave the same kind of reaction when he had his own change of heart and prayed for the first time.  We read that “when the king had said these words, he was struck as if he were dead” (Alma 22:18).  The next account in the Book of Mormon where the people fell to the earth was when the five Nephites went to the throne of the chief judge to see if Nephi’s prophecy concerning his death was true.  The record tells us that “Fear came upon them lest all the judgments which Nephi had spoken should come upon the people; therefore they did quake, and had fallen to the earth” (Helaman 9:5).  It’s not just that they sat down because they were surprised—they fell unconscious to the earth because of their shock.  The last time that this type of reaction took place as far as I’m aware was when the miraculous sign of the Savior’s birth was seen and it was light as day throughout the night.  “All the people… were so exceedingly astonished that they fell to the earth” (3 Nephi 1:17).  In all of these stories it appears that their falling to the ground and fainting was a natural result of their spiritual knowledge, but of course to us it seems very odd that even in such unique circumstances one would lose control and fall to the ground.  So does this teach us anything?  Is there a reason that we have these descriptions in the Book of Mormon?  I’m not sure, but perhaps there’s a lesson for us in these stories about the awe and reverence we should have for spiritual knowledge.  In all of these examples I listed, the people fell to the earth because of a revelation on spiritual things that they had gained.  Perhaps we need more wonder and amazement in our own lives as we consider the divine manifestations that occur.  Perhaps we become so used to spiritual things that we forget to celebrate the grandeur of God and His gospel so that we can say more often like Joseph Smith did, “And again I say, how glorious is the voice we hear from heaven, proclaiming in our ears, glory, and salvation, and honor, and immortality, and eternal life; kingdoms, principalities, and powers!”  (D&C 128:23)