Talk:1 Ne 19:1-22:31

On the sacred text

Matthew, have you read my comments (posted some time ago) at 1 Ne 19:1-5? I engage this quite briefly there. I think you are working here at the crux of Nephi's organization of his record (a theme I can't get away from myself). The tenor of these verses seems to me to be such that one must understand Nephi to be saying that 2 Nephi 6-30 are the commanded, and therefore sacred, part of his text. The apology in these verses, then, is that one might conclude that the remainder of his writings are not sacred. He is trying to explain that the remainder is also sacred, but in a different way from the commanded portion. 1 Nephi 1-2 Nephi 5 is sacred because it is contextualization in the manner of the ancients: if 2 Nephi 6-30 speaks in a threefold manner of the atonement, 1 Nephi 1-2 Nephi 5 offer a sort of creation/fall introduction to that atonement portion. I think this is what is at play here. It has been long enough since we discussed these themes, that it might be worth resurrecting them. --Joe Spencer 15:44, 4 Sep 2006 (UTC)

Making his arm bare

• As members of the church we have the scriptures and prophets to look to for learning doctrine. Where did the prophets of ancient times learn doctrine since they didn't have the scriptures? Verse 2 explains that it is the voice of the spirit by which all things are made known to the prophets.--Mdn32

• Related to the question on verse 10 "In the scriptures, what does it mean for a man to make his arm bare, i.e., to reveal his arm? How does restoring his covenants make his arm bare?"

Well, one explanation of what it means to "make his arm bare" could be to reveal his power. When 2 men are going to fight, it is customary for them to roll up their sleeves, I think, to show their muscles to the opposition. So, applying this meaning to the covenants of the Lord, would be that when the Lord restored his covenants, it was that He was arming his people with power. --JLisonbee