The Book of Mormon is an account of the “former inhabitants of this continent” that contains “the fulness of the everlasting gospel….as delivered by the Savior to the ancient inhabitants,” (Joseph Smith-History, 1:34) who were the “other sheep” Jesus spoke of during His ministry in Jerusalem.

The Annotated Book of Mormon has been created to help readers understand the everlasting gospel as explained in the text, together with what the modern prophets and apostles have taught about it. The text has been formatted so readers can identify natural conversations, poetic speech patterns, prophecies, and the words of God.The annotations include prophetic commentaries on quoted scripture and the use of colored text. (See “A Text Formatting Guide,” pp. xxv and xxvi). These elements bear witness to the divinity of this ancient text by drawing upon Hebrew tradition—much different from the nineteenth century rural America known to Joseph Smith.

The Annotated Book of Mormon also focuses on an important part of Moroni’s introduction; i.e., the “former inhabitants of this continent.” Joseph Smith, writing in Nauvoo, Illinois, in 1842, explained that “the remnant [of these ancient inhabitants] are the Indians that now inhabit this country.” (See Appendix, “Church History—Wentworth Letter,” pp. 546-549.) Oliver Cowdery mentioned this in his Letter VII (see p. 515).