Tag: 1 Nephi 4
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“From the blood of Abel unto the blood of Zacharias”
This curious phrase is used by Jesus as he condemns the lawyers who “load people with burdens hard to bear, and you yourselves do not lift a finger to ease them” (Luke 11:46, NRSV). I’ll be honest here in admitting that for most of my life, I’ve had an aversion to pondering the concept of…
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Captivity
Captivity is a very central theme in both the Old Testament and the Book of Mormon. Searching for that particular word gives 163 results in those two volumes of scripture combined and 4 results in the rest of the standard works! No wonder, perhaps, considering the captivity in Egypt between Abraham and Moses, when the…
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"Divided hither and thither" — a sermon in a phrase, part 2
Please read part 1 of this series before reading on. We left off with a brief discussion of several unique elements had in common among Nephi-2, Elijah, and Moses. These are the three prophets mentioned in connection with “divid[ing] hither and thither.” Other details at least two of them share in common are these: Sealing…
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More references to the creation account — The parting of the Red Sea
I have come to realize that the creation account was very important to ancient Israelites, including the Nephites. It only covers the first two chapters of Genesis, but it is often referred to, directly or indirectly, both in the Bible and in the Book of Mormon. A few examples from the Book of Mormon are…
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The penalty for Nephi's slaying of Laban
I came across this article from BOMC discussing the legal justification of Nephi’s slaying of Laban. The article points out that the act itself was justified by the law, due to the fact that Laban had committed three capital offenses against Nephi and his brothers (accusing them of being robbers, robbing them of their riches,…
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Deliverance in 1 Nephi 4
Nephi must have had significant training in a scribal tradition. His writing is multilayered and contains interwoven messages. Consider the theme of deliverance in 1 Nephi 4. 1) Nephi reminds his brothers of the Lord\’s power to deliver the children of Israel. Nephi exhorts his brothers to be faithful and strong \”like unto Moses\” and…
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Moses speaking to the waters?
Nephi tries to encourage his brothers when they have failed to obtain the plates by referring to Moses and the Exodus. Therefore let us go up; let us be strong like unto Moses; for he truly spake unto the waters of the Red Sea and they divided hither and thither (1 Nephi 4:1) Nowhere in the Old Testament do…
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L Tom Perry's lesson from 1 Nephi 3-4
Deceased Apostle, L. Tom Perry, reflects on the following lesson from 1 Nephi 3-4 in an adress to youth that is very applicable to adults as well. I often think of what happened in the Book of Mormon, in 1 Nephi 3–4. Lehi sent his sons back to Jerusalem to get from Laban the record known as…
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Parallels between Moses and Nephi
Nephi refers to Christ as \”the Lamb of God\” numerous times. It is no wonder that in this paper, Don Bradley contends that Lehi\’s departure with his family from Jerusalem happened around the time of Passover. I find the argument to be persuasive, but there isn\’t a way to know for sure. A few interesting…