Shining Faces

Book of Mormon

In an account in Helaman 5, a group of Lamanites and Nephite dissenters were miraculously converted during the ministry of Nephi and his brother Lehi. A separate evidence summary shows how this account draws upon events and wording from Exodus in order to highlight the importance of the Lamanite conversions in the history of the people of Lehi. Significant allusions to the Exodus are also evident in the description of the shining faces of Nephi and Lehi, which further underscores the significance of this event.

The Meaning of the Shining Face

Joshua Philpot, in an important study of the shining face account Exodus 34:28–35, notes “the shining face metaphor is widely diffused in the ANE [Ancient Near Eastern] culture and connotes favor and beneficence to individuals.”¹ Negatively, the idea of disfavor or anger is associated with turning away or hiding the face.² As Philpot demonstrates,

Moses’ shining face is emblematic of Yahweh’s “goodness.” At its core, Yahweh’s glory in Exodus 32–34 communicates his love, mercy, and compassion. In spite of Israel’s idolatry, Yahweh reassures them of his gracious character in the form of Moses’ shining face—that he is “slow to anger,” keeps “steadfast love for thousands,” and “forgives iniquity.”³

The association of the shining face with a divine blessing is also expressed in other biblical texts. It is found in Aaron’s blessing “the Lord make his face shine upon thee and be gracious unto thee: the Lord lift his countenance upon thee and give thee peace” (Numbers 6:25–26). Philpot observes that this priestly blessing “reflects Moses’ experience with the hope that the Israelite worshipper may share in the same vision of the refulgent glory of God’s face,”⁴ a blessing that was given to Moses but denied to the children of Israel in Moses’ day because of their rebellion.

This motif is also found in the Psalms, notably in Psalm 80 where it is associated with restoration and salvation.⁵ As with the people of Lehi (1 Nephi 6:2; Alma 10:3), this psalm has significant links to the northern kingdom.⁶ The psalmist pleads that God will “shine forth” upon Israel in a time of great crisis. “Before Ephraim and Benjamin and Manasseh stir up thy strength, and come and save us.” The psalmist repeatedly prays, “Turn us again, O God, and cause thy face to shine; and we shall be saved” (Psalm 80:1–3, 7, 19).

The account of the miraculous conversion of the Lamanites in Helaman draws upon the language and themes from Exodus in order to show how the blessings the Lord and Moses had unsuccessfully tried to bestow upon Israel in the wilderness were bestowed upon their Lehite descendants.

Without Food

Both accounts begin after the prophets have been without food for an extended period of time. Moses had been on the Mount with God. For forty days and nights, “he did neither eat bread, nor drink water” (Exodus 34:28). In the book of Helaman, Nephi and Lehi were in the prison for “many days without food” before the Lamanites tried to kill them (Helaman 5:22).

Faces Shine

When Moses descended from Sinai after having been in the Lord’s presence, “Moses wist not that the skin of his face shone when he talked with him. And when Aaron and all the children of Israel saw Moses, behold the skin of his face shone” (Exodus 34:29–30). In the Helaman account, the Nephite dissenter Aminadab saw “the faces of Nephi and Lehi; and behold, they did shine exceedingly, even as the faces of angels. And he beheld that they did lift up their eyes to heaven; and they were in the attitude as if talking or lifting their voices to some being whom they beheld” (Helaman 5:36). After Aminadab drew their attention, the others in the prison “did behold the faces of Nephi and Lehi” (Helaman 5:37). It is interesting that like Moses, Nephi and Lehi were initially unaware of the glory which surrounded them, but when they perceived it “their hearts did take courage” (Helaman 5:24).

Fear of the Multitude

In both accounts the people were afraid. When Aaron and the people saw the shining face of Moses, they were afraid to come nigh him” (Exodus 34:30). Similarly, the Lamanites and dissenters who had come into the prison to kill Nephi and Lehi were overwhelmed with fear. The text says that “an awful solemn fear came upon them” (Helaman 5:28), and also “they were immovable because of the fear which did come upon them” (Helaman 5:34).

The Prophets Call Out to the People

When Aaron and the people reacted in fear, “Moses called unto them; and Aaron and all the rulers of the congregation returned unto him: and Moses talked with them” (Exodus 34:31). In the book of Helaman, when Aminadab saw the faces of Nephi and Lehi, Aminadab “did cry unto the multitude, that they might turn and look” (Helaman 5:37).

Veiled Glory

In each account, a covering distinguished the prophets from the people. When Moses spoke the words of the Lord, his face shone, but when he was not speaking the Lord’s words to the people, he covered his face with a veil (Exodus 34:33–34). When speaking with the Lord, however, Moses removed the veil (Exodus 34:35). In other words, Moses, unlike the people at that time, had access to the presence of the Lord.

In the Exodus account, Moses knew God face to face (Exodus 33:11). “At Sinai, the presence is visible to the people but shielded. Only Moses is able to glimpse a great manifestation of that presence and glory in Exodus 33–34, which has a remarkable and lasting impact on his face.”⁷ The Lamanites in the prison were enveloped in an oppressive cloud of darkness (Helaman 5:28–29, 31, 34) although they could see Nephi and Lehi’s faces through the cloud (Helaman 5:37).

Returning and Repenting

The Exodus account says that when Moses called unto the people they “returned unto him” (Exodus 34:31). The Hebrew word rendered “returned” in this passage is šûb, the most common word associated with repentance in the Old Testament.⁸ The same word is used in Psalm 80 where the psalmist pleads “turn us again and cause thy face to shine” (Psalm 80:3).⁹ Notably, the Lamanites are given power to “turn and look” in order to see the shining faces of Nephi and Lehi (Helaman 5:37).

They then ask, “What shall we do, that this cloud of darkness may be removed from overshadowing us?” They are told, “You must repent, and cry unto the voice, even until ye shall have faith in Christ” (Helaman 5:40–41). When they do so, the darkness is removed, and they too are surrounded in glory. “And it came to pass that there came a voice unto them, yea, a pleasant voice, as if it were a whisper, saying Peace, peace be unto you, because of your faith in my Well Beloved, who was from the foundation of the world” (Helaman 5:46–47), a remarkable fulfillment of the priestly blessing in Numbers 6:25–26.

According to Philpot, while the shining face of Moses in Exodus signifies God’s goodness, mercy, and power to bless, “the veil signifies the inability of the people to grasp that goodness. To be part of the covenant is to ‘know God.’ Thus, that the glory in Moses’ face was veiled means that the Israelites failed to grasp the core of the covenant—knowing God.”¹⁰ Significantly, the account in Helaman shows how the Lamanites were able to remove that which obscured their vision and partake of the goodness of God. Through sincere repentance and faith in Christ, they were able to understand and receive the covenant blessings promised to the fathers and be brought back within the circle of God’s love, glory, and peace.

Conclusion

In his study of the Exodus pattern in the Bible, David Daube explains how the events of the Exodus were understood by ancient writers to be evidence of the faithfulness of God to his covenant. “Later deliverances became manifestations of this eternal certainty-giving relationship between God and his people.”¹¹ The account in Helaman provides another example of how Book of Mormon prophets, following an ancient pattern, drew upon and expanded the language and themes of the Exodus “to show unto the remnant of the house of Israel what great things the Lord hath done for their fathers” (Title Page).

S. Kent Brown, “The Exodus Pattern in the Book of Mormon,” BYU Studies 30, no. 3 (Summer 1990): 111–126; reprinted in S. Kent Brown, From Jerusalem to Zarahemla: Literary and Historical Studies of the Book of Mormon (Provo, UT: Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University, 1998), 75–98.

David R. Seely, “‘A Prophet Like Moses’: Deuteronomy 18:15–18 in the Book of Mormon, the Bible, and the Dead Sea Scrolls,” in “To Seek the Law of the Lord”: Essays in Honor of John W. Welch, ed. Paul Y. Hoskisson and Daniel C. Peterson (Orem, UT: Interpreter Foundation, 2017), 360–374. 

Noel B. Reynolds, “The Israelite Background of Moses Typology in the Book of Mormon,” BYU Studies 44, no. 2 (2005): 5–23. 

Noel B. Reynolds, “Lehi as Moses,” Journal of Book of Mormon Studies 9, no. 2 (2000): 26–35.

Terrrence L. Szink, “Nephi and the Exodus,” in Rediscovering the Book of Mormon: Insights You May Have Missed Before, ed. John L. Sorenson and Melvin J. Thorne (Salt Lake City, UT: Deseret Book, 1991), 50–51.

Allen Goff, “Mourning, Consolation, and Repentance at Nahom,” in Rediscovering the Book of Mormon: Insights You May Have Missed Before, ed. John L. Sorenson and Melvin J. Thorne (Salt Lake City, UT: Deseret Book, 1991), 92–99.

George S. Tate, “The Typology of the Exodus Pattern in the Book of Mormon,” in Literature of Belief: Sacred Scripture and Religious Experience, ed. Neal E. Lambert (Provo, UT: BYU Religious Studies Center, 1981), 245–262.

BibleExodus 33:11Exodus 34:28Exodus 34:29Exodus 34:30Exodus 34:31Exodus 34:32Exodus 34:33Exodus 34:34Exodus 34:35 Numbers 6:25–26Psalm 67:1Psalm 80:1Psalm 80:2Psalm 80:3Psalm 80:7Psalm 80:19Psalm 119:135Book of MormonTitle page of the Book of Mormon1 Nephi 6:2Alma 10:3Helaman 5:22Helaman 5:24Helaman 5:28Helaman 5:31Helaman 5:34Helaman 5:36Helaman 5:37Helaman 5:38–48

Bible

Exodus 33:11

Exodus 34:28

Exodus 34:29

Exodus 34:30

Exodus 34:31

Exodus 34:32

Exodus 34:33

Exodus 34:34

Exodus 34:35

Numbers 6:25–26

Psalm 67:1

Psalm 80:1

Psalm 80:2

Psalm 80:3

Psalm 80:7

Psalm 80:19

Psalm 119:135

Book of Mormon

Title page of the Book of Mormon

1 Nephi 6:2

Alma 10:3

Helaman 5:22

Helaman 5:24

Helaman 5:28

Helaman 5:31

Helaman 5:34

Helaman 5:36

Helaman 5:37

Helaman 5:38–48

The Lamanites at Sinai