Nephi’s “dry ground”/”wither” wordplay; plus some interesting connections between 1 Nephi 17 and Moses 1

As I was researching creation-covenant themes in Helaman, I found an interesting example of probable Hebrew wordplay in Nephi’s words to his brothers as they build the ship in Bountiful. 1 Nephi 17 is a complex chapter, with all kinds of interesting literary devices on display. Nephi makes numerous direct and indirect references to Moses, and compares himself to Moses in several key ways. I’ve posted about those over the past few years as I’ve identified them (see here for example).

To make this new example of wordplay clear, we must first establish the connection between “dry ground” and “wither” in the Hebrew language. They come from the same root:

From NIDOTTE

The noun form ‘yabashah’ is found early in the creation account:

9 ¶ And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so.
10 And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas: and God saw that it was good.

Genesis 1

Note that God created the dry land by causing the waters to gather together unto one place, and He called the dry land “Earth.” As I explained in this post, the creation of “dry land” is created by an act of division (dividing the waters above from the waters which were under by placing an “expanse” in the midst). The basic pattern is that a cut leads to dry ground.

The verb form of the same root is ‘yabesh’ — it shows up numerous times in the Old Testament, for example in this Psalm in which mankind is likened to grass:

6 In the morning [the grass] flourisheth, and groweth up; in the evening it is cut down, and withereth.

Psalm 90

Now that we’ve established the relationship between these concepts, notice how Nephi responds to his brothers’ anger. First he rebuts their claim that the people in Jerusalem were righteous because they kept the law of Moses by listing many miraculous acts performed by Moses, including this one:

26 Now ye know that Moses was commanded of the Lord to do that great work; and ye know that by his word the waters of the Red Sea were divided hither and thither, and they passed through on dry ground.

1 Nephi 17

As he finishes his masterful rebuttal, they begin to take action against him. Nephi describes what happens next by contrasting “wither” with “earth” (the name of the “dry ground”).

48 And now it came to pass that when I had spoken these words they were angry with me, and were desirous to throw me into the depths of the sea; and as they came forth to lay their hands upon me I spake unto them, saying: In the name of the Almighty God, I command you that ye touch me not, for I am filled with the power of God, even unto the consuming of my flesh; and whoso shall lay his hands upon me shall wither even as a dried reed; and he shall be as naught before the power of God, for God shall smite him. …
50 And I said unto them: If God had commanded me to do all things I could do them. If he should command me that I should say unto this water, be thou earth, it should be earth; and if I should say it, it would be done.

1 Nephi 17

It’s yet another subtle example of how the Book of Mormon often makes more sense when we try to reconstruct its original language.

Incidentally, there are other textual connections between 1 Nephi 17 and Moses 1. Consider the following:

• In both accounts, an experience with God is immediately followed by an encounter with an adversary.
• Moses 1 takes place as Moses is “caught up into an exceedingly high mountain” (Moses 1:1). Compare this with 1 Nephi 17:7.
• During Moses’ visionary experience, “the glory of God was upon [him]; therefore [he] could endure his presence” (Moses 1:2). Later, Moses counters Satan by saying: “I should have withered and died in [God’s] presence; but his glory was upon me; and I beheld his face, for I was transfigured before him” (Moses 1:11). Compare this with Nephi’s comments to his brothers: “I am filled with the power of God, even unto the consuming of my flesh; and whoso shall lay his hands upon me shall wither even as a dried reed; and he shall be as naught before the power of God, for God shall smite him” (1 Nephi 17:48).
• After Moses withstands Satan’s temptations and thoroughly rebukes him, “Satan began to tremble, and the earth shook” (Moses 1:21). Compare this with 1 Nephi 17:45 (“he has spoken unto you like unto the voice of thunder, which did cause the earth to shake as if it were to divide asunder”), and verses 54-55 (“the Lord did shake them, even according to the word which he had spoken … they said: We know of a surety that the Lord is with thee, for we know that it is the power of the Lord that has shaken us”).
• Moses is commanded by Satan to “worship” him, and he refuses (Moses 1:12,19). At the end of the account in 1 Nephi 17, Laman and Lemuel “fell down before me, and were about to worship me, but I refused them” (1 Nephi 17:55). He then recites one of the ten commandments, given to Moses by God on Mount SInai.

Given the similarities, I have to believe that Nephi detailed his exchange with his brothers with Moses 1 in mind. Seems pretty stark to compare your brothers to Satan and yourself to Moses, but given the situation the family was in and the irony that they claimed righteousness came from obedience to the law of Moses (rather than recognizing the Messiah as the true source of righteousness and the heavenly power associated with true righteousness), it all fits.