12.18 – “great and terrible gulf” The gulf/sword/justice/judgment metaphor conjures an old Islamic idea of As-Sirat, which (from Wikipedia), “is, according to Islam, the bridge which every human must pass on the Yawm ad-Din (“Day of the Way of Life” i.e. Day of Judgment) to enter Paradise. It is said that it is as thin as a hair and as sharp as the sharpest knife or sword (because of its danger) but in fact it is wide, and at one end it will be hung at the eastern wall of Haram al-Sharif (Jerusalem‘s Temple Mount).” (The sword/justice/judgment metaphor also alludes to “Cherubim and a flaming sword” from the garden of Eden account, which has its own temple relevance. See 1 Nephi 15:30.)
12.18 – “word” This originally read “sword” and was mis-transcribed early in the printing process. See here for a detailed discussion.
Book of Mormon Notes 