Evidence #391 | February 7, 2023
Nephi’s Use of Lehi’s Words
Post contributed by
Scripture Central
Abstract
Nephi’s extensive use of Lehi’s words in First Nephi is both literarily complex and rhetorically sophisticated.The book of First Nephi contains several chapters in which Nephi quotes or summarizes the words of his father, Lehi—particularly chapters 1–2, 8, and 10. Content from these chapters is then repeatedly and skillfully woven into the fabric of Nephi’s own writings and revelations, especially throughout chapters 11–15. The following sections detail many of these intertextual relationships.
Lehi’s Prophetic Calling
In Lehi’s prophetic calling, “he saw One descending out of the midst of heaven, and he beheld that his luster was above that of the sun at noon-day. And he also saw twelve others following him” (1 Nephi 1:9–10).1 While these figures aren’t identified in this chapter, we get a strong hint at who they were in Nephi’s own vision. He saw “a man descending out of heaven” and was told that he must “bear record that it is the Son of God” (1 Nephi 11:7). He also saw “twelve others following him” (v. 29) who were designated as “the twelve apostles of the Lamb” (v. 35). In other words, Nephi’s vision seems to be providing the key to identifying the figures from Lehi’s vision.
A similar phenomenon occurs with Lehi’s prophecy of the “coming of a Messiah, and also the redemption of the world” (1 Nephi 1:19). Later on, Nephi also sees the “Redeemer of the world” (1 Nephi 11:27), whom he designates as the “Messiah” (1 Nephi 12:18). Yet Nephi expands on the meaning of this figure, clarifying that he is the “Son of God” or “Lamb of God” (1 Nephi 11:24, 27; cf. 1 Nephi 10:17). The following chart presents these and more than a dozen other parallels between these chapters:
1 Nephi 1–2 | 1 Nephi 10–15 |
Lehi, as he went forth prayed unto the Lord, yea, even with all his heart (1:5) | I sat pondering in mine heart (11:1) |
being overcome with the Spirit and the things which he had seen (1:7) | because of the things which I had seen … I was overcome because of my afflictions (15:4–5) |
And being thus overcome with the Spirit, he was carried away in a vision (1:8) | I was caught away in the Spirit of the Lord (11:1) |
even that he saw the heavens open (1:8) | I saw the heavens open (11:14) And I saw the heavens open (12:6) |
he saw One descending out of the midst of heaven (1:9) | thou shalt also behold a man descending out of heaven, and … it is the Son of God (11:7) And I saw the heavens open, and the Lamb of God descending out of heaven (12:6) |
And he also saw twelve others following him (1:10) | And I also beheld twelve others following him (11:29) … that they were gathered together to fight against the apostles of the Lamb; for thus were the twelve called by the angel of the Lord (11:34) |
And they came down and went forth upon the face of the earth (1:11) | Look and behold the condescension of God! (11:26) … And I beheld that he went forth ministering unto the people (11:28; cf. 11:24, 27, 31) |
and the first came and stood before my father (1:11) | I saw the heavens open; and an angel came down and stood before me (11:14) |
and gave unto him a book (1:11) … the things which he read in the book (1:19) | I beheld a book (13:20; cf. 13:21–29, 38–39) |
Wo, wo, unto Jerusalem, for I have seen thine abominations! … it should be destroyed … and many should be carried away captive into Babylon (13) | Therefore, wo be unto the Gentiles … unto their being brought down into captivity, and also into destruction (14:6–7) |
Great and marvelous are thy works, O Lord God Almighty! (1:14) | I will work a great and a marvelous work among the children of men (14:7) |
thy power, and goodness, and mercy are over all the inhabitants of the earth (1:14) | I, Nephi, beheld the power of the Lamb of God … upon the covenant people of the Lord, who were scattered upon all the face of the earth; and they were armed with righteousness and with the power of God in great glory (14:14) |
the things which he read in the book, manifested plainly of the coming of a Messiah | I will manifest myself unto thy seed, that they shall write many things which I shall minister unto them, which shall be plain and precious (13:35) |
the book, manifested plainly of the coming of a Messiah (1:19) | and the Son of God was the Messiah who should come (10:17) and the Messiah who is the Lamb of God (12:18) |
the book, manifested plainly of the coming of a Messiah, and also the redemption of the world (1:19) | And I looked and beheld the Redeemer of the world, of whom my father had spoken (11:27) |
behold he went forth among the people … 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 (1:18, 20) | And I beheld that he went forth ministering unto the people … and I beheld that they cast him out from among them (11:28) … And I, Nephi, saw that he was lifted up upon the cross and slain for the sins of the world (11:33) |
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 (1:20) | And I, Nephi, beheld that the Gentiles that had gone out of captivity were delivered by the power of God out of the hands of all other nations (13:19; cf. 13:16, 18, 30, 34–39) |
Blessed art thou Lehi, because of the things which thou hast done (2:1) | And blessed art thou, Nephi, because thou believest in the Son of the most high God (11:6) |
The Dream of the Tree of Life
Lehi’s dream of the Tree of Life has a similar, and yet more abundant, set of correspondences. Lehi saw a series of symbolic images, including the Tree of Life and its fruit, a rod of iron, a mist of darkness, a great and spacious building, and so on. Yet Lehi never explained the meaning of these images when reporting his revelation to his family. Readers are thus left to wonder and guess at their significance until chapters 10–14, in which Nephi has the same vision and is told by an angel what the symbols mean. We get even further clarification in chapter 15, when Nephi answers his brother’s questions about Lehi’s visions and prophecies. The following chart presents these and other parallels among these chapters.2
1 Nephi 8–9 | 1 Nephi 10–14 | 1 Nephi 15 | |
I have reason to rejoice in the Lord because of Nephi and also of Sam; for I have reason to suppose that they, and also many of their seed, will be saved (8:3) |
| And at that day shall the remnant of our seed … come to the knowledge of their Redeemer … that they may know how to come unto him and be saved. And then at that day will they not rejoice (15:14–15) | |
And it came to pass that I saw a man, and he was dressed in a white robe (8:5) | And I looked and beheld a man, and he was dressed in a white robe (14:19) |
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And it came to pass that I beheld a tree, whose fruit was desirable to make one happy (8:10) And as I partook of the fruit thereof it filled my soul with exceedingly great joy; wherefore, I began to be desirous that my family should partake of it also; for I knew that it was desirable above all other fruit (8:12; cf. 8:15) | the tree which is precious above all (11:9) And I said unto him: A virgin, most beautiful and fair above all other virgins (11:15) it is the most desirable above all things. … Yea, and the most joyous to the soul (11:21–23) | that tree of life, whose fruit is most precious and most desirable above all other fruits (15:36) | |
I did go forth and partake of the fruit thereof; and I beheld that it was most sweet, above all that I ever before tasted (8:11) | after thou hast beheld the tree which bore the fruit which thy father tasted (11:7) |
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Yea, and I beheld that the fruit thereof was white, to exceed all the whiteness that I had ever seen (8:11) | And I looked and beheld a tree … the whiteness thereof did exceed the whiteness of the driven snow (11:11) in the city of Nazareth I beheld a virgin, and she was exceedingly fair and white (11:13) their garments were white even like unto the Lamb of God. And the angel said unto me: These are made white in the blood of the Lamb (12:11; cf. 3 Nephi 19:25) I beheld that they were white, and exceedingly fair and beautiful, like unto my people before they were slain (1 Nephi 13:15) |
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I beheld a river of water (8:13) | Behold … the river of which he spake; and the depths thereof are the depths of hell (12:16) | What meaneth the river of water which our father saw? … And I said unto them that it was a representation of that awful hell (15:26–29) | |
I beckoned unto them; and I also did say unto them with a loud voice (1 Nephi 8:15) Yea, even he should go forth and cry in the wilderness: Prepare ye the way of the Lord, and make his paths straight (1 Nephi 10:8) | And when I had spoken these words, the Spirit cried with a loud voice (1 Nephi 11:6) I also beheld the prophet who should prepare the way before him (1 Nephi 11:27)3 |
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and they stood as if they knew not whither they should go. And it came to pass that I beckoned unto them; … And it came to pass that they did come unto me and partake of the fruit also (8:16) And it came to pass that I saw them, but they would not come unto me and partake of the fruit (8:18) | all men must come unto him, or they cannot be saved (13:40) | that they may know how to come unto him and be saved (15:14) Yea, will they not come unto the true fold of God? (15:14) | |
And I beheld a rod of iron, and it extended along the bank of the river, and led to the tree (8:19) | And it came to pass that I beheld that the rod of iron, which my father had seen, was the word of God (11:25) even the word of the justice of the Eternal God (12:18) the words of the Lamb shall be made known in the records of thy seed (13:41) | What meaneth the rod of iron which our father saw …? And I said unto them that it was the word of God (15:23–24) | |
And I also beheld a strait and narrow path (8:20) And it came to pass that there arose a mist of darkness … insomuch that they who had commenced in the path did lose their way (8:23; cf. 12:17) | I also beheld the prophet who should prepare the way before him (11:27) And all this have they done that they might pervert the right ways of the Lord, that they might blind the eyes and harden the hearts of the children of men (13:27; cf. 12:17)4 |
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which came along by the rod of iron, even to the tree by which I stood; and it also led by the head of the fountain (8:20) | the rod of iron … led to the fountain of living waters, or to the tree of life (11:25) |
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and it also led by the head of the fountain, unto a large and spacious field, as if it had been a world. … And I saw numberless concourses of people (8:20–21) | And I looked and beheld the land of promise; and I beheld multitudes of people, yea, even as it were in number as many as the sand of the sea (12:1) |
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And it came to pass that there arose a mist of darkness; yea, even an exceedingly great mist of darkness, insomuch that they who had commenced in the path did lose their way, that they wandered off and were lost (8:23) | And it came to pass that I saw a mist of darkness on the face of the land of promise (12:4) And the mists of darkness are the temptations of the devil, which blindeth the eyes, and hardeneth the hearts of the children of men, and leadeth them away into broad roads, that they perish and are lost (12:17) |
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And I also cast my eyes round about, and beheld, on the other side of the river of water, a great and spacious building; and it stood as it were in the air, high above the earth (8:26) | And the large and spacious building, which thy father saw, is vain imaginations and the pride of the children of men. And a great and a terrible gulf divideth them (12:18) | And it came to pass that I looked and beheld many waters; and they divided the Gentiles from the seed of my brethren (13:10) | |
And I also cast my eyes round about, and beheld … a great and spacious building (8:26) | they were in a large and spacious building … Behold the world and the wisdom thereof; … the great and spacious building was the pride of the world; and it fell, and the fall thereof was exceedingly great (11:35–36) | And also for the praise of the world do they destroy the saints of God, and bring them down into captivity (13:9) I beheld this great and abominable church; and I saw the devil that he was the founder of it (1 Nephi 13:6–7) mine afflictions were great above all, because of the destruction of my people, for I had beheld their fall (15:5) | |
And it was filled with people, … and their manner of dress was exceedingly fine; and they were in the attitude of mocking and pointing their fingers towards those who had come at and were partaking of the fruit (8:27) | And the large and spacious building, which thy father saw, is vain imaginations and the pride of the children of men. (12:18) | Behold the gold, and the silver, and the silks, and the scarlets, and the fine-twined linen, and the precious clothing, and the harlots, are the desires of this great and abominable church (1 Nephi 13:8) | |
And after they had tasted of the fruit they were ashamed, because of those that were scoffing at them; and they fell away into forbidden paths and were lost (8:28) | and because of the pride of my seed, and the temptations of the devil, I beheld that the seed of my brethren did overpower the people of my seed (12:19) |
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he saw other multitudes pressing forward; and they came and caught hold of the end of the rod of iron; and they did press their way forward, continually holding fast to the rod of iron, until they came forth and fell down and partook of the fruit of the tree (8:30) | For, behold, saith the Lamb: I will manifest myself unto thy seed, that they shall write many things … behold, these things shall be hid up, to come forth unto the Gentiles, by the gift and power of the Lamb. … and if they endure unto the end they shall be lifted up at the last day, and shall be saved in the everlasting kingdom of the Lamb (13:35–37) |
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But, to be short in writing, behold, he saw other multitudes pressing forward … until they came forth and fell down and partook of the fruit of the tree (8:30) | And I looked, and I beheld the Son of God going forth among the children of men; and I saw many fall down at his feet and worship him (11:24; cf. 3 Nephi 17:9–10) |
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many were drowned in the depths of the fountain (8:32) | Behold the fountain of filthy water which thy father saw; yea, even the river of which he spake; and the depths thereof are the depths of hell (12:16) | And it came to pass that I looked and beheld the whore of all the earth, and she sat upon many waters (14:11) | |
but we heeded them not. … For as many as heeded them, had fallen away (8:33–34) |
| Wherefore, I, Nephi, did exhort them to give heed unto the word of the Lord; yea, I did exhort them … that they would give heed to the word of God (15:25) | |
And Laman and Lemuel partook not of the fruit, said my father. … yea, he feared lest they should be cast off from the presence of the Lord (8:35–36) |
| Wherefore, if they should die in their wickedness they must be cast off … that they cannot dwell in the kingdom of God (15:33) … Wherefore, the wicked are rejected … from that tree of life, whose fruit is most precious and most desirable above all other fruits (15:36) | |
And he did exhort them then with all the feeling of a tender parent, that they would hearken to his words … And he bade them to keep the commandments of the Lord (8:37) |
| I, Nephi, did exhort them to give heed unto the word of the Lord; yea, I did exhort them with all the energies of my soul, and with all the faculty which I possessed, that they would give heed to the word of God and remember to keep his commandments always in all things (15:25) | |
And all these things did my father see, and hear, and speak, as he dwelt in a tent (9:1) | I, Nephi, was desirous also that I might see, and hear, and know of these things (10:17) |
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Lehi’s Concluding Prophecies
The final concentration of Lehi’s teachings are found in 1 Nephi 10, where he prophesies of the destruction of Jerusalem, the coming of the Messiah, and the gathering of Israel. Once again, Nephi sees many of the same things as his father in chapters 11–14, and then in chapter 15 we encounter a significant expansion of some of Lehi’s statements.
1 Nephi 10 | 1 Nephi 11–14 | 1 Nephi 15 |
That after they should be destroyed, even that great city Jerusalem, and many be carried away captive into Babylon (10:3) | and bringeth them down into captivity (13:5) And also for the praise of the world do they destroy the saints of God, and bring them down into captivity (13:9) Therefore, wo be unto the Gentiles … unto their being brought down into captivity, and also into destruction (14:6–7) |
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according to the own due time of the Lord, they should return again, yea, even be brought back out of captivity; and after they should be brought back out of captivity they should possess again the land of their inheritance (10:3) | And it came to pass that I beheld the Spirit of God, that it wrought upon other Gentiles; and they went forth out of captivity, upon the many waters (13:13) I, Nephi, beheld that the Gentiles who had gone forth out of captivity did humble themselves before the Lord (13:16) And I, Nephi, beheld that the Gentiles that had gone out of captivity were delivered by the power of God (13:19) Nevertheless, thou beholdest that the Gentiles who have gone forth out of captivity, and have been lifted up by the power of God above all other nations, upon the face of the land which is choice above all other lands (13:20) | I spake unto them concerning the restoration of the Jews in the latter days. And I did rehearse unto them the words of Isaiah, who spake concerning the restoration of the Jews, or of the house of Israel (15:19–20) |
a Messiah, or, in other words, a Savior of the world (10:4) | the Lamb of God is the Son of the Eternal Father, and the Savior of the world (13:40) | wherefore, they shall come to the knowledge of their Redeemer and the very points of his doctrine, that they may know how to come unto him and be saved (15:14) |
And he also spake concerning … this Redeemer of the world. Wherefore, all mankind were in a lost and in a fallen state, and ever would be save they should rely on this Redeemer (10:5) | And I looked and beheld the Redeemer of the world, of whom my father had spoken (11:27) | and then shall they know and come to the … knowledge of the gospel of their Redeemer, which was ministered unto their fathers by him; wherefore, they shall come to the knowledge of their Redeemer (15:14) |
And he spake also concerning a prophet who should come before the Messiah, to prepare the way of the Lord (10:7) | and I also beheld the prophet who should prepare the way before him (11:27) |
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Yea, even he should go forth and cry in the wilderness: Prepare ye the way of the Lord and make his paths straight (10:8) | and leadeth them away into broad roads, that they perish and are lost (12:17) And all this have they done that they might pervert the right ways of the Lord (13:27) | neither could the temptations and the fiery darts of the adversary overpower them unto blindness, to lead them away to destruction (15:24) |
and he also said he should baptize with water; even that he should baptize the Messiah with water (10:9) | And the Lamb of God went forth and was baptized of him (11:27) |
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And after he had baptized the Messiah with water, he should behold and bear record that he had baptized the Lamb of God, who should take away the sins of the world. | And I looked and beheld the Lamb of God, that he was taken by the people … And I, Nephi, saw that he was lifted up upon the cross and slain for the sins of the world (11:32–33) |
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he spake unto my brethren concerning the gospel which should be preached among the Jews (10:11) | And I beheld that he went forth ministering unto the people (11:28) | and then shall they know and come to the knowledge of their forefathers, and also to the knowledge of the gospel of their Redeemer, which was ministered unto their fathers by him (15:14) |
And after they had slain the Messiah, who should come, (1 Nephi 10:11) | I, Nephi, saw that he was … slain for the sins of the world. |
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and should make himself manifest, by the Holy Ghost, unto the Gentiles (10:11) | And I beheld the Spirit of the Lord, that it was upon the Gentiles (13:15) then he shall manifest himself unto the Gentiles (13:42) |
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and also concerning the dwindling of the Jews in unbelief. And after they had slain the Messiah … he should rise from the dead, and should make himself manifest, by the Holy Ghost, unto the Gentiles (10:11) |
| in the latter days, when our seed shall have dwindled in unbelief, yea, for the space of many years, and many generations after the Messiah shall be manifested in body unto the children of men, then shall the fulness of the gospel of the Messiah come unto the Gentiles, and from the Gentiles unto the remnant of our seed (15:13) |
Yea, even my father spake much concerning the Gentiles, and also concerning the house of Israel, that they should be compared like unto an olive tree, (10:12) |
| Behold, I say unto you, that the house of Israel was compared unto an olive tree, by the Spirit of the Lord which was in our father (15:12) |
whose branches should be broken off and should be scattered upon all the face of the earth (10:12) |
| and behold are we not broken off from the house of Israel, and are we not a branch of the house of Israel? (15:12) |
and should be scattered upon all the face of the earth (10:12) we should be scattered upon all the face of the earth (10:13) | the Jews who were scattered upon all the face of the earth (13:39) | And this is what our father meaneth; and he meaneth that it will not come to pass until after they are scattered by the Gentiles (15:17) |
And after the house of Israel should be scattered they should be gathered together again (10:14) |
| and after they were restored they should no more be confounded, neither should they be scattered again (15:20) |
or, in fine, after the Gentiles had received the fulness of the Gospel (10:14) | and when it proceeded forth from the mouth of a Jew it contained the fulness of the gospel of the Lord (13:24) I will bring forth unto them, in mine own power, much of my gospel, which shall be plain and precious, saith the Lamb (13:34) | then shall the fulness of the gospel of the Messiah come unto the Gentiles (15:13) |
the natural branches of the olive tree, or the remnants of the house of Israel, should be grafted in (10:14) |
| the natural branches of the olive tree (15:7) And now, the thing which our father meaneth concerning the grafting in of the natural branches (15:13) they shall be grafted in, being a natural branch of the olive tree (16) |
or the remnants of the house of Israel (10:14) | I will be merciful unto the Gentiles, unto the visiting of the remnant of the house of Israel in great judgment. … Behold, saith the Lamb of God, after I have visited the remnant of the house of Israel—and this remnant of whom I speak is the seed of thy father (13:33–34) | unto the remnant of our seed—And at that day shall the remnant of our seed know that they are of the house of Israel (15:13–14) |
or the remnants of the house of Israel, should be grafted in, or come to the knowledge of the true Messiah, their Lord and their Redeemer (10:14) | and shall make known the plain and precious things which have been taken away from them; and shall make known to all kindreds, tongues, and people, that the Lamb of God is the Son of the Eternal Father, and the Savior of the world (13:40) | then shall the fulness of the gospel of the Messiah come unto the Gentiles, and from the Gentiles unto the remnant of our seed—And at that day shall the remnant of our seed know that they are of the house of Israel, … and then shall they know and come to the knowledge of their forefathers, and also to the knowledge of the gospel of their Redeemer … wherefore, they shall come to the knowledge of their Redeemer (15:13–14) |
or come to the knowledge of the true Messiah, their Lord and their Redeemer (10:14) |
| Yea, at that day, will they not receive the strength and nourishment from the true vine? Yea, will they not come unto the true fold of God? … they shall be grafted in, being a natural branch of the olive tree, into the true olive tree (15:15–16) |
And after this manner of language did my father prophesy and speak unto my brethren, and also many more things which I do not write in this book (10:15) |
| And it came to pass that I beheld my brethren, and they were disputing one with another concerning the things which my father had spoken unto them. For he truly spake many great things unto them (15:2–3) |
Conclusion
All in all, Nephi’s visions, prophecies, and teachings interact with his father’s prior statements on dozens of occasions throughout First Nephi. Thus, whoever authored this record must have been deeply familiar with its contents, both in its overarching themes as well as its specific phrasal elements. The way that Nephi’s words consistently expand, clarify, or recontextualize his father’s statements is also noteworthy, as it suggests a significant degree of intentionality in the way that the story was crafted.
For instance, by simply reporting the dream of the tree of life as Lehi initially told it to his family (1 Nephi 8), without any further explanation, Nephi places the reader in the same situation of relative ignorance that he and his brothers must have been in when they first heard the account.5 Nephi then explains that he sought to “see, and hear, and know of these things, by the power of the Holy Ghost” (1 Nephi 10:17). This results in his receiving a panoramic vision (1 Nephi 11–14), in which the details of Lehi’s vision are explained to Nephi—and also to the reader—by heavenly beings.
Nephi then contrasts his newly acquired knowledge to his brothers’ ignorance, as he finds them “disputing one with another concerning the things which my father had spoken unto them” (1 Nephi 15:2). In the ensuing dialogue, the reader gets yet another dose of explanations, as Nephi expounds on various topics that were particularly confusing to his brothers (1 Nephi 15).
By telling the dream of the Tree of Life, as well as Lehi’s other prophecies and visions, in this manner, Nephi allows the reader to vicariously go through the same process of spiritual enlightenment that he himself experienced. The gradual unveiling of the meaning of his father’s words—line upon line, and precept upon precept—appears to be part of Nephi’s overarching rhetorical purpose, as it offers a detailed template for how divine knowledge can be “unfolded … by the power of the Holy Ghost” (1 Nephi 10:19; emphasis added).
Nephi also shows the stark contrast between those who seek and acquire divine knowledge for themselves and those who fail or refuse to do so (1 Nephi 2:16–24; 10:17–19; 15:1–11)—a contrast that would have been somewhat foiled if Nephi had not first given Lehi’s words in their raw, unqualified, and unexplained initial contexts, as recorded in 1 Nephi 1–2, 8, 10.
All of this is simply to point out that the unfolding and repackaging of content throughout 1 Nephi is anything but random or tedious. To the contrary, it is both literarily complex and rhetorically sophisticated, and therefore unexpected as coming from an author as inexperienced as Joseph Smith was in 1829.6 These remarkable sets of intertextual relationships support Joseph Smith’s consistent claim that he translated the Book of Mormon by the gift and power of God.
Michaël Ulrich, “Joining the Heavenly Chorus,” in A Dream, a Rock, and a Pillar of Fire: Reading 1 Nephi 1, ed. Adam S. Miller (Provo, UT: Neal A. Maxwell Institute, 2017).
Daniel L. Belnap, Gaye Strathearn, and Stanley A. Johnson, The Things Which My Father Saw: Approaches to Lehi’s Dream and Nephi’s Vision, 2011 Sperry Symposium (Provo, UT: Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University; Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2011), 179–198.
S. Kent Brown, “Nephi’s Use of Lehi’s Record,” in Rediscovering the Book of Mormon: Insights You May Have Missed Before, ed. John L. Sorenson and Melvin J. Thorne (Provo, UT: FARMS, 1991), 3–14.
Noel B. Reynolds, “Lehi’s Dream, Nephi’s Blueprint: How Nephi Uses the Vision of the Tree of Life as an Outline for 1 and 2 Nephi,” Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship 52 (2022): 231–278.
1 Nephi 11 Nephi 81 Nephi 101 Nephi 11–15- 1 For an overview of how Lehi’s prophetic calling fits in an ancient context, see Evidence Central, “Book of Mormon Evidence: Lehi’s Prophetic Calling (Overview),” Evidence# 0345, June 7, 2022, online at evidencecentral.org.
- 2 Some elements of this chart were derived or adapted from John W. Welch and Greg Welch, “A Comparison of Lehi’s Dream and Nephi’s Vision,” in Charting the Book of Mormon: Visual Aids for Personal Study and Teaching (Provo, UT: FARMS, 1999), chart 92.
- 3 Nephi’s witness of John, who was sent to “prepare the way” for the Lord (1 Nephi 11:27), connects to Lehi’s prophecy that John would “cry in the wilderness: Prepare ye the way of the Lord, and make his paths straight” (1 Nephi 10:8). These shared visions and prophecies correlate thematically with Lehi’s earlier efforts to cry unto his family members with a “loud voice” to help them identify the path leading to the Tree of Life (1 Nephi 8:15). Thus, in a way, Lehi was a prophetic forerunner for his family, helping them find the path towards Jesus Christ, much like John did in the New Testament.
- 4 This connection—between the “right ways” of the Lord and the “straight and narrow path”—may not be immediately obvious. It works, however, because the discussion of those who “pervert the right ways of the Lord” also mentions that these individuals seek to “blind the eyes and harden the hearts of the children of men” (1 Nephi 13:27). And that happens to be the very same language that Nephi uses earlier in connection with the mists of darkness: “the mists of darkness are the temptations of the devil, which blindeth the eyes, and hardeneth the hearts of the children of men” (1 Nephi 12:17). This, of course, connects back to Lehi’s initial vision, in which the mists of darkness essentially blinded people, making it so they couldn’t see the correct “path” to the Tree of Life and therefore causing them to “lose their way” (1 Nephi 8:23). In other words, Nephi’s discussion of the “right ways” of the Lord in 1 Nephi 13:27 is clearly connected to the path leading to the Tree of Life, once the associated textual details are all put into proper context and compared with one another.
- 5 Joseph Smith likely found himself in the same situation when he first dictated these words to his scribes in 1829. According to witnesses, he didn’t use any notes, outlines, or reference materials during the translation process. See Evidence Central, “Book of Mormon Evidence: No Notes or Reference Materials,” November 2, 2020, online at evidencecentral.org. This means he would have been forced to rely on his memory alone to reproduce Lehi’s many prior statements, at least under the assumption that Joseph merely created the contents of the Book of Mormon using his own imagination. Yet how many of us could pull off such a feat? It should also be noted that despite Nephi’s extensive use of his father’s words, their linguistic patterns are nevertheless stylometrically distinct. See Paul Fields, et al., “Book of Mormon Voices,” 2021 FAIR Conference. See also, Evidence Central, “Book of Mormon Evidence: Stylometry,” Evidence 0272, November 22, 2021, online at evidencecentral.org; Evidence Central, “Book of Mormon Evidence: Voice Diversity,” Evidence #0273, November 22, 2021, online at evidencecentral.org.
- 6 See Evidence Central, “Book of Mormon Evidence: Joseph Smith’s Limited Education,” Evidence# 0001, September 19, 2020, online at evidencecentral.org; Evidence Central, “Book of Mormon Evidence: Joseph smith Compared with Contemporary Authors,” Evidence# 0106, November 2, 2020, online at evidencecenral.org.
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