"Adam-ondi-Ahman" (originally "This Earth Was Once a Garden Place") is an LDS hymn and was included in the first Latter Day Saint hymnal and quickly became one of the most popular songs of the early church. It was published in 1835 in '' Messenger and Advocate'' and is hymn number 49 in the current LDS Church hymnal. The hymn was written by W. W. Phelps, an early church member and poet. The music comes from the 1835 Southern Appalachian folk hymn "Prospect of Heaven". The

Latter Day Saint The Latter Day Saint movement (also called the LDS movement, LDS restorationist movement, or Smith–Rigdon movement) is the collection of independent church groups that trace their origins to a Christian Restorationist movement founded by J ...

term, ''

Adam-ondi-Ahman Adam-ondi-Ahman (, sometimes clipped to Diahman) is a historic site in Daviess County, Missouri, about five miles south of Jameson. It is located along the east bluffs above the Grand River. According to the teachings of the Church of Jesus C ...

'', refers to the place that

Adam and Eve Adam and Eve, according to the creation myth of the Abrahamic religions, were the first man and woman. They are central to the belief that humanity is in essence a single family, with everyone descended from a single pair of original ancestors. ...

went after they were evicted from the Garden of Eden.

Lyrics and explanation

Stanza one

This earth was once a garden place,
With all her glories common;
And men did live a holy race,
And worship Jesus face to face,
In Adam-ondi-Ahman.

Stanza two

We read that Enoch walk with God,
Above the pow of
Mammon Mammon in the New Testament of the Bible is commonly thought to mean money, material wealth, or any entity that promises wealth, and is associated with the greedy pursuit of gain. The Gospel of Matthew and the Gospel of Luke both quote Jesus us ...
:
While Zion spread herself abroad,
And saints and angels sung aloud
In Adam-ondi-Ahman.

Enoch Enoch () ''Henṓkh''; ar, أَخْنُوخ ', Qur'ān.html"_;"title="ommonly_in_Qur'ān">ommonly_in_Qur'ānic_literature__'_is_a_biblical_figure_and_Patriarchs_(Bible).html" "title="Qur'ānic_literature.html" ;"title="Qur'ān.html" ;"title="o ...

walked with God" is a quote from the Book of Genesis, "And Enoch walked with God: and he was o more for God took him" (). The

Epistle to the Hebrews The Epistle to the Hebrews ( grc, Πρὸς Ἑβραίους, Pros Hebraious, to the Hebrews) is one of the books of the New Testament. The text does not mention the name of its author, but was traditionally attributed to Paul the Apostle. Most ...

expands on this: "By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had

translated Translation is the communication of the meaning of a source-language text by means of an equivalent target-language text. The English language draws a terminological distinction (which does not exist in every language) between ''transla ...

him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God" (). In Latter Day Saint theology, Enoch founded the city of Zion on earth, which God eventually took up into heaven because of the righteousness of its inhabitants. "I am the same which have taken the Zion of Enoch into mine own bosom" ( D&C (LDS)
38:1b (RLDS/CofC)
.

Stanza three

Her land was good and greatly blest,
Beyond old Israel's Canaan:
Her fame was known from east to west;
Her peace was great, and pure the rest
Of Adam-ondi-Ahman.

"Old Israel's Cannaan" changed to "''All'' Israel's Canaan" in current

Latter-day Saint Mormons are a religious and cultural group related to Mormonism, the principal branch of the Latter Day Saint movement started by Joseph Smith in upstate New York during the 1820s. After Smith's death in 1844, the movement split into several ...

hymnal.

Stanza four

Hosanna ''Hosanna'' () is a liturgical word in Judaism and Christianity. In Judaism it refers to a cry expressing an appeal for divine help.Friberg Lexicon In Christianity it is used as a cry of praise. Etymology The word ''hosanna'' (Latin ', Greek ...
to such days to come—
The Savior's second comin ��
When all the earth in glorious bloom,
Affords the saints a holy home
Like Adam-ondi-Ahman.

References

External links

Adam-ondi-Ahman
- Online LDS hymnal
This earth was once a garden place
at Hymnary.org
Free MP3 download
{{Adam and Eve Cultural depictions of Adam and Eve Latter Day Saint hymns 1835 poems Works originally published in Messenger and Advocate Songs with lyrics by W. W. Phelps (Mormon) 1835 in Christianity