In Book of Mormon, the text in 2 Nephi 5:15 says (emphasis mine):
15 And I did teach my people to build buildings, and to work in all manner of wood, and of iron, and of copper, and of brass, and of steel, and of gold, and of silver, and of precious ores, which were in great abundance.
The next verse, 2 Nephi 5:16, then continues (emphasis mine):
16 And I, Nephi, did build a temple; and I did construct it after the manner of the temple of Solomon save it were not built of so many precious things; for they were not to be found upon the land, wherefore, it could not be built like unto Solomon’s temple. But the manner of the construction was like unto the temple of Solomon; and the workmanship thereof was exceedingly fine.
So it looks like that while verse 15 states that various valuable things (gold, silver, and other precious ores) where of great abundance, verse 16 states that such things were not found upon the land.
Question: Is this a contradiction or is there some other way to understand this?
[Update] To the question regarding the materials used on Solomon's temple, the following materials are referred to in the various verses of 1 Kings chapter 6 and chapter 7:
- Various kinds of wood (juniper, cedar, etc.)
- Gold (used for overlaying the walls and ceilings, among other things)
- Silver
- Brass (or copper)
- Stone