1 Ne 13:21-25

From Feast upon the Word (http://feastupontheword.org). Copyright, Feast upon the Word.

The Book of Mormon > First Nephi > Chapter 13

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Contents 1 Questions 1.1 Verse 21 1.2 Verse 22 1.3 Verse 23 1.4 Verse 24 1.5 Verse 25 2 Lexical notes 3 Exegesis 4 Related links

Questions

Verse 21

• Was the angel really asking about the what the book contents meant or was he continuing the biblical tradition of finding "meaning" in visions (see Dan 8:15, 1 Ne 11:17, and 1 Ne 11:21)?

Verse 22

• Why didn't Nephi guess that there was a connection between the brass plates in his possession and the book he saw?

Verse 23

• Why is the singular wording, "a Jew," used in the first sentence of this verse?

• The angel says that the Bible contains the covenants of the Lord and some of the prophecies of the prophets, and he repeats that they are important because it contains the covenants of the Lord. What covenants is he referring to? Why are they important to Lehi’s people?

• The word "covenants" is used here in the singular, and yet is never used in the plural in the Old Testament (at least "covenants" never turns up in the KJV according to this search, though it shows up a couple times in the New Testament). Why does Nephi use the plural form of the word covenants and how does this relate to and differ from the meaning we should take from the Old Testament passages concerning covenant(s)?

• What can we learn about the nature, purpose(s), and character of the Bible from Nephi's description of it here?

• "Not so many." Is this saying that the Bible does not contain as many records as the plates of brass, or is there another way to read this?

• Why are the covenants that the Lord made with Israelites "of great worth unto the Gentiles"? Were other covenants made with other people (e.g., the Jaredites)? Would other such covenants be significant to the Gentiles?

Verse 24

• How much did Nephi witness and how much was elaboration from the angel?

Verse 25

• If the Bible went forth from the Jews in purity, what does that suggest about when or how things might have been removed from the record? What does it mean to say that the book went forth “in purity"? In this case is purity the same as completeness? as accuracy? or does the angel mean something else? Does “in purity” modify the book or the way that it was transmitted or . . . ?

Lexical notes

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Exegesis

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Related links

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