Rel A 121 Reading Questions

for Monday, February 1

The Small Plates (Nephi1’s abridgment of his own record on the Large Plates)
1 Nephi III [10–14]
1 Nephi IV [15]

Today we’re going to read some of the most important chapters in all Nephi1’s writings. Nephi1’s
panoramic vision is the big revelatory event that will most define the rest of his life. He’s going
to return to this vision again and again. Even his inclusion of the Isaiah1 chapters, followed by
his multi-chapter discussion of Isaiah1, is ultimately just a retelling of the doctrinal and historical
themes he first learns as a teenager in the desert.

Structurally, the end of chapter 9 and the beginning of chapter 10 marks the end of Nephi1’s
abridgment of Lehi1’s records and the beginning of Nephi1’s record about himself (see 1 Nephi
1:17). Nephi1 was a player in chapters 1–9, of course, and Lehi1 will continue to be important
after this. But this big vision marks the beginning of Nephi1’s prophetic career, and he shifts the
focus here from Lehi1 as prophet to himself as prophet.

However, before Nephi1 can tell us about his vision (“And now I, Nephi, proceed to give an
account upon these plates of my proceedings …”), he first needs to give us a little more
information about Lehi1’s teachings (“to proceed with mine account, I must speak somewhat of
the things of my father”). Lehi1’s prophecies will form an important backdrop to Nephi1’s vision.

1. Lehi1 had previously prophesied that Jerusalem would be destroyed by the Babylonians
and that the Jews contemporary with Lehi1 would be exiled to Babylon (1 Nephi 1:13). In
1 Nephi 10:3, Lehi1 extends this history to explain that, in the Lord’s appointed timing,
what positive thing would happen to these people in exile?

You should stop and read 1 Nephi 10:12–14 over and over—these verses are super important.
This is the first time that Nephi1 has brought up the concept of “the house of Israel,” and if you
know anything about Nephi1’s writings you know that this is going to come up repeatedly. Lehi1
apparently gave more details about this concept at the time, but here Nephi1 just gives us a quick
overview so that we’re ready for more detailed discussions later. Note this three-step sequence:

(1) Verse 12: The house of Israel (allegorically compared to an olive tree) will be broken
up and some of its people (allegorically compared to branches) will be scattered to
other locations away from the land of Israel.
 (2) Verse 14: After Israel is scattered, the Gentiles (non-Israelites) will receive the fulness
of the gospel.

(3) Verse 14: After Gentiles receive the gospel, scattered Israel will be gathered back
together again. A physical component to this gathering is implied because this event
reverses the physical scattering in v. 12, but Lehi1 defines this gathering mostly in
terms of coming back to lost knowledge—knowledge of the true Messiah.

Notice also that in the middle of this three-part sequence of events, Lehi1 inserts a parenthetical
explanation that sets his own family’s situation against this larger historical backdrop:
“Wherefore, he said it must needs be that we should be led with one accord …, that we should be
scattered” (1 Nephi 10:13). This is important. Lehi1 and Nephi1 had been told by the Lord before
that their family would leave Israel and journey to a new land of promise, but now their family’s
exile is explained in terms of the larger scattering of Israel occurring in their day. They, and their
children, and all their future descendants will be part of this huge, divinely orchestrated series of
events that will be in motion for thousands of years to come.

2. Nephi1 summarizes Lehi1’s three-step prophecy of what will happen to the house of Israel
(1 Nephi 10:12, 14). What are the three steps?

Orson Pratt’s chapter divisions separate Nephi1’s vision into four chapters, numbered 11–14.
Chapter 10 was separated out because it largely deals with Lehi1’s prophecies before Nephi1’s
vision occurs. In Nephi1’s original system, however, chapters 10–14 are one unit, meant to be
read together. As you read Nephi1’s vision account, you should keep Lehi1’s teachings from
chapter 10 in the back of your mind. Nephi1 had a good reason for grouping Lehi1’s prophecies
with his own vision account: Nephi1’s vision will elaborate on Lehi1’s dream of the tree of life
from 1 Nephi 8, but Lehi1’s prophecies in 1 Nephi 10—about the Messiah, John the Baptist, the
three-step pattern of Israel’s scattering and gathering, and role of Lehi1’s family in all of this—
will all appear in Nephi1’s vision as well. Nephi1 himself tells us that his vision responds to both
of these sources: “And it came to pass after I, Nephi, having heard all the words of my father,
concerning [1] the things which he saw in a vision [=the tree of life dream from 1 Nephi 8], and
also [2] the things which he spake by the power of the Holy Ghost [=the prophesies from
1 Nephi 10], … I, Nephi, was desirous also that I might see, and hear, and know of these things
[=the words of his father from both chapters 8 and 10] …” (1 Nephi 10:17).

3. One nice feature of the Maxwell Institute Study Edition is that it sometimes identifies
unfamiliar literary genres for you. For example, the heading above 1 Nephi 8 identified
Lehi1’s dream as “an allegory” so that you would know up front what kind of literature
you were about to read. Look at the heading above 1 Nephi 11–14. What genre does the
MISE identify for these chapters? (We’ll discuss how this genre works below.)
 4. What does the word “condescension” mean? There are different definitions in the
dictionary, so find the one that seems to fit the context here in 1 Nephi 11:16, 26.

5. What does Nephi1 say he “know[s],” and what does he say he “do[es] not know”? Nephi1
models an important principle: if you have difficult gospel questions you don’t know the
answers to, you should start by at least affirming what basic truth?

6. In 1 Nephi 11:11, Nephi1 does not know what the meaning of the tree. In 1 Nephi 11:22,
he does. What did Nephi1 see in between those two verses to give him his answer? How
do you think what Nephi1 saw helped him understand what the tree symbolizes?

Notice that when the angel shows Nephi1 the tree from Lehi1’s dream, the tree is explained in
terms of the God of Israel coming down to earth as a mortal. This may be new information to
Nephi1. Lehi1 had earlier testified that “the Lord God [would] raise up” a “prophet” / “Messiah” /
“Redeemer” among the Jews, and that this figure would “take away the sins of the world”
(1 Nephi 10:4–10). There’s nothing there that identifies this person as a god on earth, but in his
own vision Nephi1 gets additional insight into the identity of this atoning Messiah.

As you read 1 Nephi 11:26–36, which describes the Redeemer’s mortal ministry and crucifixion,
it might start to sound like a straightforward historical narrative, but the longer you read the more
you will notice that this is still a highly thematic telling of the story. As the heading in the MISE
points out, Nephi1’s vision is an apocalypse, a genre of Jewish revelatory literature characterized
by angelic guides who give highly symbolic historical overviews (the classic example is the book
of Revelation in the New Testament). Nephi1 sees historical details—like the Messiah being
baptized, calling twelve followers, healing the sick, and getting crucified—but that history is
couched in the symbolic images of Lehi1’s dream, such as the “large and spacious building” that
holds all the people opposed to the Lamb and His apostles. In historical/literal terms, there is of
course no such building, but the ahistorical symbols help Nephi1 understand the history he is
seeing in terms of its deeper spiritual significance. That is why you should not read, for example,
about the fall of the great and spacious building (1 Nephi 11:36) and attempt to figure out what
historical event following Jesus’s crucifixion this could be describing. The angel is simply
teaching the idea that the prideful and wicked will fail in their efforts to fight the Lamb and His
servants; you aren’t supposed to peg this to a specific historical event.
 7. Nephi1 sees that, after His crucifixion, the Lamb of God would minister to Lehi1’s
descendants in the New World. A few generations later, however, Nephi1 sees that his
descendants will be overpowered and destroyed. What two factors would lead to their fall
(1 Nephi 12:19)?

As you read about the “great and abominable church,” you should once again be careful not to
read this as straightforward history (e.g., don’t go trying to find a specific historical church or
organization and say, “That’s exactly what Nephi’s talking about”). There are historical elements
here, but this is an apocalyptic presentation, which means that historical details are often leveled
and simplified in order to make larger thematic points. Case in point, what the vision report
describes as “a church” is probably a conglomerate of several historical forces, organizations,
and events. Note this explanation from the Book of Mormon Institute manual:

“Actually, no single known historical church, denomination, or set of believers meets all the
requirements for the great and abominable church: it must have formed among the Gentiles; it
must have edited and controlled the distribution of the scriptures; it must have slain the Saints of
God, including the Apostles and prophets; it must be in league with civil governments and use
their police power to enforce its religious views; it must have dominion over all the earth; it must
pursue great wealth and sexual immorality; and it must last until close to the end of the world.
No single denomination or system of beliefs fits the entire description. Rather, the role of
Babylon has been played by many different agencies, ideologies, and churches in many different
times.” (https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/book-of-mormon-student-
manual/chapter-4-1-nephi-12-15)

8. Nephi1 sees that the Gentiles carry “a book” among them, which we would identify as the
Holy Bible. When the angel asks Nephi1 what is the “meaning” (=purpose) of the book,
Nephi1 does not know. The angel then explains that the Bible is a container (“which
contains” / “it also containeth” / “they contain”) for what?

9. Nephi1 refers to the Bible as “the records of the prophets” and also “[the records] of the
twelve apostles of the Lamb.” What do we call these two sections of the Bible today?
(See footnote e at 1 Nephi 13:39 in the MISE.)

In 1 Nephi 13:35, 39, Nephi1 first learns about what we call the Book of Mormon—a Nephite
record that would be hid up and then come forth to the Gentiles in the last days. Notice, however,
that the angel describes this as a record containing the words that the Lamb of God would give to
future Nephites: “For, behold, saith the Lamb: 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; and
after thy seed shall be destroyed, and dwindle in unbelief, and also the seed of thy brethren,
behold, these things shall be hid up, to come forth unto the Gentiles” (1 Nephi 13:35). So Nephi1
learns here that his descendants will write in a record that will come forth in the last days to help
restore plain and precious things, but he apparently is not told at this point that Nephi1 himself
will contribute to this record. This will be important later when we talk about Nephi1’s evolving
sense of audience and purpose for the material in the Small Plates. It apparently takes some time
before Nephi1 connects his Small Plates project with the Nephite record he knows will come to
light in the last days. The Lord is giving Nephi1 pieces of the puzzle in stages, not all at once.

10. Nephi1 sees that after the Gentiles share “the book of the Lamb of God” (=the Bible) with
Lamanite descendants in the last days, then “other books” will come forth, first to the
Gentiles and then to the Lamanite descendants. What specific truth do these additional
records convince the Gentiles and Lamanite descendants of?

The angle says, “Behold there are save two churches only; the one is the church of the Lamb of
God, and the other is the church of the devil; wherefore, whoso belongeth not to the church of
the Lamb of God belongeth to that great church, which is the mother of abominations” (1 Nephi
14:10). This may sound confusing because you know that there are many churches on the earth
today. But remember how this is a genre of revelation called an apocalypse? One of the features
of apocalyptic visions is that they employ dualism—they divide everything up into stark
contrasts, black vs white, good vs evil, us vs them. Historical reality is usually more nuanced
than that, but apocalyptic literature streamlines that reality in order to draw out key truths that
might get obscured if you were to include all the nuance and detail. The angel here isn’t speaking
of “churches” in the literal sense, he’s dividing up all people into two broad camps based on
whether they follow light and truth and goodness or darkness and falsehood and evil.

11. Nephi1 is told he doesn’t need to write the things he sees about “the end of the world”
because a future apostle will do it. What is that apostle’s name? What do we call the book
that that apostle would write? (Hint: It’s the last book in the New Testament.)

12. Considering how much we sometimes struggle to get answers to certain prayers, you
might think that if you saw a vision of the scope and grandeur of Nephi1’s that you’d be
thrilled. But when it’s all over, Nephi1 is extremely unhappy—in fact, he is “grieved” to
the point of being “overcome,” and “considered that [his] afflictions were great above
all.” That’s strong language. What was it that hit him so hard that he feels like he’s
experiencing the worst thing ever?
Nephi1 learned about amazing, wonderful things in his vision, but also things that would weigh
on his soul for the rest of his life (see 1 Nephi 15:4–5; 2 Nephi 26:7; 33:3). We saw earlier that a
youthful, more naïve Nephi1 had confidently declared that the Lord could “destroy” Laban, only
to come to the sobering realization that justice wasn’t quite so satisfying when he himself was
asked to deliver the destroying blow (1 Nephi 4:3, 10). In a similar way, Nephi1’s vision forever
changes him. Nephi1 had accepted without hesitation that the evil “armies of Pharaoh” should be
“drowned in the waters of the Red Sea” (1 Nephi 4:2), but he cannot so easily dismiss the sheer
tragedy of it all when his own great-great-grandchildren are the ones who will be destroyed for
their wickedness. “O the pain, and the anguish of my soul for the loss of the slain of my people!
For I, Nephi, have seen it, and it well nigh consumeth me before the presence of the Lord; but I
must [is their resignation in his voice?] cry unto my God: Thy ways are just” (2 Nephi 26:7).

Book of Mormon scholar Grant Hardy commented on this tragic element of Nephi1’s spiritual
journey: “Prophetic knowledge can offer hope for eventual justification, but it can be a
tremendous burden as well….

“Recall that Lehi had described [the] tree as one ‘whose fruit was desirable to make one happy,’
and he had continued by saying, ‘I did go forth and partake of the fruit thereof; an I beheld that it
was most sweet above all that I ever before tasted … and as I partook of the fruit thereof, it filled
my soul with exceedingly great joy’ (1 Ne. 8:10–12). When the Spirit showed Nephi the same
tree and asked what he wanted, it would not have been unreasonable to respond, I want to taste
the fruit; I want to experience that exceedingly great joy…. Instead, he asks for knowledge: ‘to
know the interpretation thereof’ (1 Ne. 11:11). The Spirit leaves, an angel takes over, and in the
end Nephi is wiser but not happier. For the rest of his life, and through the entirety of his literary
labors, Nephi works through the implications of that choice” (Grant Hardy, Understanding the
Book of Mormon: A Reader’s Guide [Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2010], 85–86).

13. Nephi1’s brothers say they don’t get the whole olive tree thing. Nephi1 asks if they have
“inquired of the Lord.” What is their response? Their answer shows that they accept the
existence of God and the idea of revelation, so what is it exactly they lack faith in?

14. Interestingly, Nephi1 says that Lehi1 misunderstood the significance of the river of water
in his dream. What did Lehi1 miss? (Bonus: Can you think of other times in the scriptures
where a prophet/apostle sees a vision or receives revelation but either doesn’t understand
or misinterprets the meaning?) If Lehi1 could have a vision and not comprehend its full
meaning, what does that suggest for us as we seek personal revelation?