1 Ne 5:6-10

This verse marks the first mention of Israel in the writings of Nephi and, hence, in the whole of the Book of Mormon. Like the first mention of "the Jews" in 1 Ne 1:2, it colors every subsequent mention of Israel throughout the whole Nephite text. If there is any question in study of the Book of Mormon as to the meaning of Israel, it must begin with this verse. Quite interestingly, Israel is first mentioned in a rather ritualistic setting, as opposed to the first mention of the Jews, which is in a rather politico-cultural setting. Some attention deserves to be given to this first mention of Israel.

The mention of Israel follows immediately upon the return of Nephi and his brothers from Jerusalem with the brass plates. In response to their safe arrival, Lehi--and Sariah, apparently--offer "sacrifice and burnt offerings unto the Lord." Setting up a brief parallelism, this mention of "the Lord" is set against "the God of Israel." Two points become immediately obvious: first, it is clear that the introduction of the term "Israel" is poetic here, functioning, as it does, in a parallelism; second, the itnroduction of "Israel" is specifically ritual, in fact, is bound up with an act that is specifically performed without a "legitimate" priesthood. But there is more to the situation than just this: this sacrifice apparently differs from the one mentioned in 1 Ne 2:7, where the name of Israel is never mentioned. The difference seems to be that the brass plates themselves here enter into the situation.

Without delving too early into a thorough discussion of the contents of the brass plates, it should at least be noted that the record seems to have been an odd compilation of Northern and Southern traditions. If it contains Lehi's genealogy, tying him specifically to lands in the Northern Kingdom (as part of Manasseh), then it is unquestionably a Northern document. At the same time, Nephi will describe it as containing a history of the Jews, and not of Israel. This seems to mark it as a Southern text. But then the prophets it has are often unknown to the Southern tradition: Zenos' allegory of the olive tree likely ties him to the Northern Kingdom, where the olive culture was extensive and of common knowledge. But then the text has the words of Isaiah and of Jeremiah, undeniably Southern prophets. In the end, it appears as if the brass plates were originally a Northern set of scriptures, but which was brought into the Southern Kingdom at the time of the collapse of the Northern Kingdom, and it then became a Northern text made Southern. The addition of Southern materials to the brass plates, and the regular upkeep that seems to have introduced even the contemporary words of Jeremiah into it, seem to suggest that the Northern story was being interpreted through the developments in the Southern Kingdom. The brass plates were, it seems, a Northerner's take on the Northern Kingdom from the perspective of living in the Southern Kingdom after the fall of the Northern Kingdom. This rather curious document is tied, here, to the introduction of the name "Israel."

The significance of this introduction is, therefore, double significant. On the one hand, "Israel" enters the discussion in the context of ritual, in the context of a system of ritual that transcends national boundaries to tie the Northern and Southern Kingdoms together. The duplicit nature of the brass plates seems to confirm this introduction as well, being the reason for giving thanks. On the other hand, the introduction of the term Israel, even at the moment of performing rites that were being forbidden in the Southern Kingdom, might betray a sort of movement beyond the concerns of the Southern Kingdom. The return to "Israel" in this verse might mark a sort of joy in sloughing off the Southern yoke. This might be doubled also by the presence of the brass plates, a text that has, by Nephi's work of retrieval, been taken from the hands of Judah back into the hands of the Israelites. In short, the introduction is somewhat ambiguous.

This ambiguity, it might be noted, seems then to run through the whole of the Book of Mormon. It is never quite clear when and where one should draw a line between "the Jews" and "Israel." The ambiguity colors the very first mention of the name. Some passages, perhaps, must be considered, however, that do suggest some sort of division between these groups.

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1 Ne 5:6-10

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

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Verse 6

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Verse 10

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