1 Ne 14:26-30
From Feast upon the Word (http://feastupontheword.org). Copyright, Feast upon the Word.
The Book of Mormon > First Nephi > Chapter 14
| Previous (1 Ne 14:21-25) | Next (1 Ne 15:1-5) |
Contents |
Questions
Verse 26
- Is this the only place in the scriptures where the purpose for sealing scriptures is explained as not physical protection but as purity preservation?
Verse 27
- Why did Nephi say the apostle's name "was" John, rather than "would be" John?
Verse 28
- Was Nephi forbidden in verse 25 from writing down what he heard, or was it just what he saw?
Verse 29
- Was Lehi forbidden, like Nephi was, from recording the full contents of his vision?
Verse 30
Lexical notes
- Click the edit link above and to the right to add lexical notes
Exegesis
Verse 30
The following can be confusing. Nephi writes: "if all the things which I saw are not written, the things which I have written are true." The construction here ("if ..., ...") suggests a logical if-then connection between the two halves of this quote. But that is confusing because this interpretation leads to a nonsensical reading, something like: you can know that the things which I have written are true because I didn't write down everything I saw.
Instead of reading the "if" as suggesting some logical if-then connection, we might read it more like the way we use "though" today. That gives us something like: though I wasn't able to write everything I saw, what I was able to write is true. Even so the connection between the two halves may seem like a stretch. One way to bring them a bit closer would be to see Nephi as trying to respond to the perceived dissapointment the reader will have in not getting to know everything Nephi saw. In that case we might see Nephi's statement "the things which I have written are true" as either a consolation (at least you got to know part) or as a reminder to us to focus on what we got to know rather than on what we didn't.
Related links
- Click the edit link above and to the right to add related links
| Previous (1 Ne 14:21-25) | Next (1 Ne 15:1-5) |
