Commentary for Book of Mormon: 1 Nephi 1-7

Nephi 1

1 I, Nephi, having been born of goodly parents, therefore I was taught somewhat in all the learning of my father; and having seen many afflictions in the course of my days, nevertheless, having been highly favored of the Lord in all my days; yea, having had a great knowledge of the goodness and the mysteries of God, therefore I make a record of my proceedings in my days.

• Here Nephi explains three things about himself: 
• Seen many afflictions
• Highly Favored of the Lord 
• Has great knowledge of God's goodness and his mysteries. 

1. Question: How are these related? It appears for Nephi that having many afflictions is linked (in some way) to being highly favored. Moreover, it appears that being highly favored means that one has "great knowledge of God's goodness" and knows his mysteries". 
2. What does it mean to know God's mysteries? 

2 Yea, I make a record in the language of my father, which consists of the learning of the Jews and the language of the Egyptians.

1. Question: What does Nephi mean by "learning of the Jews" and "language of the Egyptians"? 
2. Question: What would it mean that the record consists of the learning of the Jews?  

3 And I know that the record which I make is true; and I make it with mine own hand; and I make it according to my knowledge.

4 For it came to pass in the commencement of the first year of the reign of Zedekiah, king of Judah, (the last Judahite king) (my father, Lehi, having dwelt at Jerusalem in all his days); and in that same year there came many prophets, prophesying unto the people that they must repent, or the great city Jerusalem must be destroyed. 5 Wherefore it came to pass that my father, Lehi, as he went forth prayed unto the Lord, yea, even with all his heart, in behalf of his people. 

• Despite the wickedness of the people, Lehi prays on behalf of them. This is called intercession. The Lord expects for us to intercede on behalf of others. Lehi is praying to God and interceding for them. Further note that his interest and concern is about the people. This is a true characteristic of a person who is born of God. 

6 And it came to pass as he prayed unto the Lord, there came a pillar of fire (fire is often used to represent God's presence) and dwelt upon a rock before him; and he saw and heard much; and because of the things which he saw and heard he did quake and tremble exceedingly. 7 And it came to pass that he returned to his own house at Jerusalem; and he cast himself upon his bed, being overcome with the Spirit and the things which he had seen.

• Question: What might have Lehi seen? Perhaps he saw the destruction of the Jews, causing him much pain. Such a vision would not be uncommon since many of the prophets that prophesied of Jerusalem's destruction were deeply pained and moved by the destruction and captivity of the Jews. 

8 And being thus overcome with the Spirit, he was carried away in a vision, even that he saw the heavens open, and he thought he saw God sitting upon his throne, surrounded with numberless concourses of angels in the attitude of singing and praising their God. (this is divine council imagery. In the Old Testament, the main sign of one being called a prophet was whether they we brought into God's divine council.)

• The Book of Amos states that God does nothing unless he reveals his secrets to the prophets. The Hebrew word secret is sod. Sod often connotes God's divine council. Lehi's experience of being called in God's divine council aligns with other prophets. 

9 And it came to pass that he saw One descending ( Christ) out of the midst of heaven, and he beheld that his luster was above that of the sun at noon-day. 10 And he also saw twelve others following him, and their brightness did exceed that of the stars in the firmament.

• Most of believe that the twelve following him are the twelve apostles. While possibly true, nothing in the verse tells us directly. All we read is the twelve others following after him. Perhaps it is twelve angels? 

11 And they came down and went forth upon the face of the earth; and the first came and stood before my father, and gave unto him a book, and bade him that he should read. (see Revelation, Ezekiel, Isaiah).

• The image of Lehi reading a book is common in the Old Testament. Ezekiel, for instance, was instructed to read from a scroll. Although Ezekiel, unlike Lehi, ate the scroll, the imagery of both Lehi and Ezekiel reading and eating a scroll serves to emphasize the prophets calling to administer the words given to them. They are not speaking or prophesying on their own, but are saying that the Lord would have them say. 

12 And it came to pass that as he read, he was filled with the Spirit of the Lord. (compare Ezekiel 3). 13 And he (Lehi) read, saying: Wo, wo, unto Jerusalem, for I have seen thine abominations! Yea, and many things did my father read (in the book given to him) concerning Jerusalem—that it should be destroyed, and the inhabitants thereof; many should perish by the sword, and many should be carried away captive into Babylon. (Lehi's vision of Jerusalem's destruction

14 And it came to pass that when my father had read and seen many great and marvelous things, he did exclaim many things unto the Lord; such as: Great and marvelous are thy works, O Lord God Almighty! Thy throne is high in the heavens, and thy power, and goodness, and mercy are over all the inhabitants of the earth; and, because thou art merciful, thou wilt not suffer those who come unto thee that they shall perish!

15 And after this manner was the language of my father in the praising of his God; for his soul did rejoice, and his whole heart was filled, because of the things which he had seen, yea, which the Lord had shown unto him.

16 And now I, Nephi, do not make a full account of the things which my father hath written, for he hath written many things which he saw in visions and in dreams; and he also hath written many things which he prophesied and spake unto his children, of which I shall not make a full account.

17 But I shall make an account of my proceedings in my days. Behold, I make an abridgment of the record of my father, upon plates which I have made with mine own hands; wherefore, after I have abridged the record of my father then will I make an account of mine own life.

• Nephi is planning on making two records:
• Record 1: Nephi is going to abridge Lehi's record. The original record would have been the plates of Lehi, which were lost by Martin Harris. That fact that its abridgment further informs us that the plates of Lehi were not a full record, but abridged. Much happened that we don't have information about. 
• Record 2: Nephi's account consists of 1 and 2 Nephi. 

18 Therefore, I would that ye should know, that after the Lord had shown so many marvelous things unto my father, Lehi, yea, concerning the destruction of Jerusalem, behold he went forth among the people, and began to prophesy and to declare unto them concerning the things which he had both seen and heard.

• This is the role of a prophet to act as mediator between the Lord and man. Seeing what he has seen, Lehi must go forth and declare to the people so that they are have knowledge of their sins and thus accountable before God. 

19 And it came to pass that the Jews did mock him because of the things which he testified of them; for he truly testified of their wickedness and their abominations; and he testified that the things which he saw and heard, and also the things which he read in the book, manifested plainly of the coming of a Messiah, and also the redemption of the world.

• Interesting that Nephi says that Lehi testified of the coming of "a Messiah" instead of "the Messiah." Many Biblical scholars argue that the Jews at the time of the Lehi and other prophets did not fully understand the meaning of the future messiah. By using the phrase "a Messiah" instead of "the Messiah" suggests that Lehi 

20 And when the Jews heard these things they were angry with him; yea, even as with the prophets of old, whom they had cast out, and stoned, and slain; and they also sought his life, that they might take it away. But behold, I, Nephi, will show unto you that the tender mercies of the Lord are over all those whom he hath chosen, because of their faith, to make them mighty even unto the power of deliverance.

• This last sentence is key to unlocking Nephi's writing of his family -- he is going to show us that the Lord is mighty to deliver the people he chooses because of their faith. Thus, when we read the next chapters, we should read them through this lens, making note of when this happens. 

Nephi 2

Verse 3:  And it came to pass that he was obedient unto the word of the Lord, wherefore he did as the Lord commanded him.

• Note that obedient unto the word of the Lord means doing what the Lord commands, not what man commands. 
• Is it possible to spend our life supposing that we are doing what the Lord wants us to do, where in reality we are not? What might this look like? Lehi knew the Lord's will. Do we? Some might argue that Lehi was a prophet and the rest of us are not. Should that make a difference? Wouldn't it be in our best interest for us to know the Lord's will?
• Consider this quote from Lectures on Faith: An actual knowledge to any person that the course of life which he pursues is according to the will of God, is essentially necessary to enable him to have that confidence in God, without which no person can obtain eternal life. 
• According to Joseph Smith, having an actual knowledge that your life is accord with God's will is necessary to obtain eternal life. If we don't have this knowledge, it appears that we aren't able to receive eternal life. 

Verse 4: And it came to pass that he departed into the wilderness. And he left his house, and the land of his inheritance, and his gold, and his silver, and his precious things, and took nothing with him, save it were his family, and provisions, and tents, and departed into the wilderness.

• Notice what is often required by the Lord to follow him -- loss of things. It appears that Lehi was a wealthy man. Yet to follow the Lord, which involved Lehi and his family feeling into the wilderness,  required Lehi to let go of his material possessions. 

Verse 16: And it came to pass that I, Nephi, being exceedingly young, nevertheless being large in stature, and also having great desires to know of the mysteries of God, wherefore, I did cry unto the Lord; and behold he did visit me, and did soften my heart that I did believe all the words which had been spoken by my father; wherefore, I did not rebel against him like unto my brothers.

• One trait that distinguishes Nephi from Laman and Lemuel is Nephi's desire to know the mysteries of God. 
• What does it mean to know the mysteries of God? 1828 Dictionary defines mysteries as follows:
• A profound secret; something wholly unknown or something kept cautiously concealed, and therefore exciting curiosity or wonder
• That which is beyond human comprehension until explained. In this sense, mystery often conveys the idea of something awfully sublime or important; something that excites wonder.
• Have you learned of God's mysteries? Recall in 1 Nephi 1 that Nephi links knowing the mysteries of God to being highly favored. If you haven't received the mysteries of God (the hidden knowledge) can you say that you're highly favored of God? 
• If you haven't learned of God's mysteries, what might you do to learn them? According to Nephi, having a great desire to know is one step to take. How might we show that we have a great desire to know God's mysteries. 
• See verse 19. Lord tells Nephi that he is blessed because he has sought the Lord 1) diligently and 2) with lowliness of heart. Is having a great desire and seeking diligently related. If so, how? What does it mean to seek the Lord with lowliness of heart? 
• In the scriptures, heart refers to a person's essence -- who they truly are. Knowing that, what does it means to have a lowly heart? (Look up lowly in 1828 Webster's Dictionary). 
• http://webstersdictionary1828.com/Dictionary/lowly

Verses 20 - 24

A notable feature of verses 20-24 is the the usage of ye and thou. In King James English, ye refers to plural you -- such as you all or you guys. Thou refers to singular you -- e.g., Thou (You) are great. 

Many of us think that the difference between you and thou is due to formality. This is incorrect. The name of the game in King James English is plural vs singular. 

Based on this understanding, let's see the verses again 

• These 4 verses consist of the following logic 
• verse 20: If ye (you all) keep commandments, then ye (you all) will prosper AND be led to promise led. 
• verse 21: If your brothers rebel against thou (you, singular) (Nephi), then they (Nephi's brothers) will be cut off from the presence of the Lord
• verse 22: If thou (you) keep my commandments, then thou (you) will be a ruler and teacher over your brothers.
• verse 23: When your brothers rebel against me, they will be cursed AND have no power over you posterity unless you posterity rebels against the Lord. 
• Each one of these contains conditions. Did they conditions come true? 

Interesting to note that the first conditional promise is directed to more than just Nephi. Who then is it referring to you? Nephi's family, Nephi's posterity? 

Thus the first promise is to more than Nephi. Later on, the Lord then conditions his promise based on Nephi's obedience. 

Nephi 3

Verse 1: And it came to pass that I, Nephi, returned from speaking with the Lord, to the tent of my father.

• Note that Nephi is interactions with the Lord is a conversation. Do your prayers involve conversations with the Lord, similar to Nephi? Remember, in 1 Nephi 2, the conversation between the Lord and Nephi consists in dialogue. Nephi speaks and then the Lord responds. Do your prayers involve dialogue with the Lord?  
• Further note that at this point in time, Nephi is not a prophet. But this doesn't stop him from engaging with the Lord in direct and personal way. 

Verses 2-4

• Why is it important for Lehi and his family to obtain the brass plates? 
• What is contained in the brass plates? 
• 1) Record of the Jews
• What might be part of the Jewish record? Why is that important? 
• Read Ether. Did the brother of Jared and his posterity have scriptures with them? What was the result of not having a written record of God's word?
• Read 1 Nephi 2: 19-20
• 2) Genealogy of Nephi's forefathers
• If Laban had records of the genealogy of Nephi's forefathers, then it would stand to reason that Laban is a related to Nephi. This is further supported in 1 Nephi 5:16. If so, Nephi's command to kill Laban might have involved in having to kill a relative, again showing what is required to follow the Lord. 

Verses: 12-31; 1 Nephi 4: 2

• Compare Nephi's behavior to yours (ours). How does Nephi respond when both attempts fail? How does his response compare to ours? 

Nephi 4

Verses: 12-18

• By remembering the Lord's promise to him that if Nephi keeps the commandments, he should prosper, Nephi understands the Lord's purpose in having him kill Laban. 
• Although graphic and distirbuing, consider the law of retribution given by the Lord in Doctrine and Covenants 98:23-48

Verse 13: Dwindle in Unbelief

• The importance of the scriptures is quite clear. Without the record, Nephi and his posterity (seed) would have dwindled in unbelief. Thus scriptures serve to prevent us from dwindle in unbelief. 

Nephi 5

Verses 10-22 show the importance of the scriptures. 

• What was contained in the plates of brass? 
• Why were the records obtained considered to be of "great worth?" 
• What does that saw about our own life? 

Nephi 6

Here we learn about two records: Lehi's record and Nephi's record

Lehi's Record:

• Contains the genealogy of Nephi's fathers 

Nephi's Record

• Referred as "this part" or "these plates" 
• Only contains the things "which are pleasing unto God." 
• Only those things of worth are in Nephi's record. 

We read the following in other verses  

1 Nephi 6

17. But I shall make an account of my proceedings in my days. Behold, I make an abridgment of the record of my father, upon plates which I have made with mine own hands; wherefore, after I have abridged the record of my father then will I make an account of mine own life. (1 Nephi 6)

• Nephi abridges Lehi's record and then provides his own account. 

1 Nephi 9

2 And now, as I have spoken concerning these plates, behold they are not the plates upon which I make a full account of the history of my people; for the plates upon which I make a full account of my people I have given the name of Nephi; wherefore, they are called the plates of Nephi, after mine own name; and these plates also are called the plates of Nephi. 3 Nevertheless, I have received a commandment of the Lord that I should make these plates, for the special purpose that there should be an account engraven of the ministry of my people.

• Nephi makes two plates. One set contains the full account of the history of his people. The other, the plates he is currently writing in, contains an account his people's ministry. 
• In chapter 10, Nephi begins his account. 
• And now I, Nephi, proceed to give an account upon ^athese plates of my proceedings, and my reign and ministry; wherefore, to proceed with mine account, I must speak somewhat of the things of my father, and also of my brethren.