Zeniff () is a minor but pivotal person in the Book of Mormon. According to the Book of Mormon, his lineage is uncertain other than he came from a group of Nephites which included Nephites, Zoramites, and Mulekites. He left Zarahemla with a large group of this merged tribe to go to the land of Nephi. At the time of Zeniff's journey to the land of Nephi, it was inhabited by the Nephite's arch-enemies, the Lamanites. Zeniff became the king of the group of Nephites with whom he went to the land of Nephi. He is the first of three kings whose story is recounted in The Record of Zeniff. The record concerns a group of Nephites who returned for a time to the land of Nephi, were enslaved by the Lamanites, and ultimately escaped bondage by fleeing back to Zarahemla. Lineage Background The Record of Zeniff contains a synopsis of the history of the Nephites up to the time of Zeniff. At the time of Zeniff, the Nephites were living in the land of Zarahemla and the land of Nephi was occupied by the Lamanites. The Return to the Land of Nephi After Mosiah's death, during the reign of his son, King Benjamin, an army of Nephites determined to return to the land of Nephi and "possess the land of their inheritance" (Omni 1:27). Zeniff was among this group. When they drew near to the land of Nephi, Zeniff was sent to spy on the Lamanites, so that their army could destroy them. After seeing the Lamanites, Zeniff felt that they should not be destroyed but that the Nephites should enter into a treaty with them. The (unnamed) leader of the Nephite army, "an austere and blood-thirsty man", viewed this report as treasonous and tried to have Zeniff put to death. Fighting broke out among the Nephites, "the greater part of their army was destroyed", and "those that were spared" returned to the land of Zarahemla (Mosiah 9:1-2). After a short time, Zeniff, who describes himself as "over-zealous to inherit the land of our fathers" (Mosiah 9:3), gathered another group of Nephites and returned to the land of the Lamanites. This time Zeniff went to the king of the Lamanites and, pledging peace, persuaded him to let them stay in the land. The Lamanite king, Laman, gave them the land of Lehi-Nephi and the land of Shilom, after commanding