2 Ne 9:6-10
From Feast upon the Word (http://feastupontheword.org). Copyright, Feast upon the Word.
The Book of Mormon > Second Nephi > Chapter 9
| Previous (2 Ne 9:1-5) | Next (2 Ne 9:11-15) |
Contents |
[edit]
Questions
- What does Jacob mean by an "infinite atonement" (verse 7)?
- Why is it that if we weren't resurrected we would become subject to the devil? What is the connection between Jesus' conquering of physical death and his conquering of spiritual death?
- vv. 8-9: What would happen to us if there were no resurrection? Since there is a resurrection, what do we learn from v. 9? Does that teach us anything about the traditional Christian understanding of hell, where those not saved are punished by being eternally in the presence of Satan?
- v. 9: What are “secret combinations"? Does secrecy make a combination bad? If so, why? If not, why is it the modifier used here? How are secret combinations antithetical to the gospel? (2 Ne 26:22-28 discusses this.) What kinds of things might count as secret combinations today? beyond the things that we sometimes hear mentioned in very conservative political discussions? Given the definition cited in Webster's 1828 dictionary (see lexical notes below), can we be part of a secret combination without knowing that we are? How do we avoid such combinations? How did the Book of Mormon people avoid them, when they did?
- v. 10: When Jacob mentions “death and hell,” he seems to mean two things. (This doesn’t seem to me to be a repetition for emphasis.) What does he mean by “death"? What does he mean by “hell"? What does he mean by “death of the body"? by “death of the spirit"? How are these pairs of terms related to each other?
[edit]
Lexical notes
- The word "infinite" (verse 7) appears in the King James Version of the Bible just three times, and in each case it is the translation of a different Hebrew word or words. ("Infinite" does not appear in the KJV New Testament.) In Job 25, the Hebrew qets means "without end" and refers to the iniquity of the wicked. In Psalm 147:5, the word micpar means basically "innumerable" and refers in that instance to the understanding or wisdom of the Lord. In Nahum 3:9 a pair of words is used that literally mean "without border" to refer to the limitless strength of Ethiopia (land of Cush) and Egypt.
- v. 9: Webster’s 1828 dictionary says that a combination is an intimate union of several persons that has the purpose of bringing something about together.
[edit]
Exegesis
Click the edit link above and to the right to add exegesis
[edit]
Related links
[edit]
Verse 7
- Shayne M. Bowen, "The Atonement Can Clean, Reclaim, and Sanctify Our Lives," Ensign, Nov 2006, pp. 33–34. Elder Bowen taught: "The Atonement of Jesus Christ is available to each of us. His Atonement is infinite. It applies to everyone... It can clean, reclaim, and sanctify even you. That is what infinite means–total, complete, all, forever."
| Previous (2 Ne 9:1-5) | Next (2 Ne 9:11-15) |
