A Dictionary of the Book of Mormon/Cezoram
CEZORAM. In the year B. C. 30 Nephi, the servant of the Lord, owing to the rapid increase of iniquity, among the people, resigned the Chief Judgeship in the Nephite Republic, and a man named Cezoram was chosen to fill his place. We infer from the context that Cezoram was the tool of, or a leader among the Gadianton robber bands, and that it was through the widespread corruption of the Nephites, who were rapidly ripening for destruction, that his election was secured. He continued in office, until the year B. C. 26, when he was murdered by an unknown hand as he sat upon the judgment seat. One of his sons succeeded him, but his reign was short, for he also was assassinated, even in the same year as was his father.
When Cezoram was elected chief officer of the Nephite Commonwealth the people were in a pitiable condition. Through their apostasy from God, and disregard of the national law, they had been trampled under foot of the Lamanites, and half their lands, including their great and grand capital Zarahemla, was in the hands of these ruthless foes. But during his judgeship, (though in no way attributable to him, so far as we can gather from the record,) a great change came over the spirit of the Lamanites, and the greater portion of them were converted to the Lord through the preaching of Nephi and his brother Lehi. The Lamanites, in the fulness of their conversion, restored to the Nephites the lands they had taken from them, and the seat of Nephite government was again established at Zarahemla. This conversion and restitution was followed by a most profound and widespread peace, during which commerce was greatly extended, the arts and refinements of life were developed, and both races grew extremely rich. This age marks a new era in ancient American history. Many of the old distinctions between the Nephites and Lamanites were swept away, and the old distinctive names convey somewhat different ideas from this time forth. But, unfortunately, notwithstanding the preachings and example of the now zealous and righteous Lamanites, many of the people of Nephi remained “hardened, impenitent and grossly wicked;” they entirely rejected the word of God and the warning word of prophecy that was so energetically proclaimed in their hearing, by the faithful of both races. To this unhappy state of society may be traced the murder of Cezoram and his son, and the evils that afterwards followed in rapid and desolating succession.