Brother Kelly Smith was wrestling with a question that many of us have similarly had. Why did the Jaredites put a hole in the bottom of their barges?
In Ether chapter 2 verse 20, we read: And the Lord said unto the brother of Jared: Behold, thou shalt make a hole in the top, and also in the bottom; and when thou shalt suffer for air thou shalt unstop the hole and receive air. And if it be so that the water come in upon thee, behold, ye shall stop the hole, that ye may not perish in the flood.
According to the verse, the purpose of the hole in the top of the barge is clearly to allow for airflow into the barges. But what of the hole on the bottom?
In this YouTube video, Brother Smith gives you his best guess with a visual depiction that seems to make a lot of sense.
Preston
Saturday 17th of July 2021
In relation to the comment about everything being dumped out, the top and the bottom could very well have been the same. It could have looked like a donut and could have been flipped upside down. Even in regular naval vessels during the revolutionary war everything was secured to the sides of the vessel with netting. The sea would have been very violent with the continents drifting apart it's such a speedy rate after the flood and there would have been peaceful times and violent times where the animals would have had to have been secured and people as well. Even if the vessels hadn't been flipped and turned over the cargo would most likely have been secured with netting ,I believe
M. Bender
Wednesday 17th of February 2021
Thought because the barges were built In such a way that the bottom and top were interchangeable. Even if the raging seas flipped them upside down, they would still be able to get air.
G
Thursday 8th of April 2021
If that was the case all their stuff would get dumped out, animals and themselves rolling around inside everytime this happened. You're seeing it through the lense of the living scriptures view instead of what makes more sense.
Kamal
Friday 13th of November 2020
I find yr answer really really enlightening unreasonable. I had thought about the stones as well...well sand need extense heat n the lord provided that heat. To melt the sand...remember you are in Egypt and the heat can be strong... if it can start Bush fires in Fiji.. then I don't think its impossible.. Just a thought
Kay Root
Friday 13th of November 2020
Thank you
Craig Frogley
Friday 13th of November 2020
Read Hugh Nibley's "Since Cumorah" p6. The 1829 BM had an extra word in the passage that helped Brother Nibley conceive that the top and bottom weren't referring to the boat but to an air chamber. It is a solution used by the Navy today but was far beyond the capacity of the BofJared.