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[[The Book of Mormon]] > [[Jacob]] > [[Jacob 1:1-19 | Chapter 1 (Verses 1:1-19)]] <br>
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[[Home]] > [[The Book of Mormon]] > [[Jacob]] > [[Jacob 1:1-19 | Chapter 1]] <br>
 
[[Jacob | Previous page: Jacob]]  
 
[[Jacob | Previous page: Jacob]]  
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; [[Jacob 2:1-3:14 | Next page: Chapter 2-3]]
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&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; [[Jacob 2-3 | Next page: Chapters 2-3]]
  
  
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== Summary ==
 
== Summary ==
  
''This heading should be brief and may include an outline of the book. Click the link above and to the right to edit or add content to this heading. →''
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''This heading should be very brief. Click the link above and to the right to edit or add content to this heading. →''
  
  
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''This heading is for more detailed discussions of all or part of a passage. Discussion may include the meaning of a particular word, how a doctrinal point is developed throughout the passage, insights to be developed in the future, and other items. Contributions may range from polished paragraphs down to a single bullet point. The focus, however, should always be on understanding the scriptural text consistent with LDS doctrine. Click the link above and to the right to edit or add content to this heading. →''
 
''This heading is for more detailed discussions of all or part of a passage. Discussion may include the meaning of a particular word, how a doctrinal point is developed throughout the passage, insights to be developed in the future, and other items. Contributions may range from polished paragraphs down to a single bullet point. The focus, however, should always be on understanding the scriptural text consistent with LDS doctrine. Click the link above and to the right to edit or add content to this heading. →''
  
=== Verse 5: Anxiety ===
+
:'''Verse 1:5: Anxiety'''
  
 
The words ''great anxiety'' are surprisingly strong and we may wonder if anxiety at the time the Book of Mormon was translated had less edge than it does today. In fact though [http://machaut.uchicago.edu/?resource=Webster%27s&word=anxiety&use1828=on Webster's 1828 dictionary definition] seems to be just as harsh
 
The words ''great anxiety'' are surprisingly strong and we may wonder if anxiety at the time the Book of Mormon was translated had less edge than it does today. In fact though [http://machaut.uchicago.edu/?resource=Webster%27s&word=anxiety&use1828=on Webster's 1828 dictionary definition] seems to be just as harsh
 +
 
:concern or solicitude respecting some event, future or uncertain, which disturbs the mind, and keeps it in a state of painful uneasin[ess]. it expresses more than uneasiness or disturbance, and even more than trouble or solicitude. it usually springs from fear or serious apprehension of evil, and involves a suspense respecting an event, and often, a perplexity of mind, to know how to shape our conduct.
 
:concern or solicitude respecting some event, future or uncertain, which disturbs the mind, and keeps it in a state of painful uneasin[ess]. it expresses more than uneasiness or disturbance, and even more than trouble or solicitude. it usually springs from fear or serious apprehension of evil, and involves a suspense respecting an event, and often, a perplexity of mind, to know how to shape our conduct.
  
=== Verse 7 ===
+
:'''Verse 1:7'''
  
 
The text "that they might enter into his rest, lest be any means he should swear in his wrath they should not enter in, as in the provocation in the days of temptation while the children of Israel were in the wilderness" is an allusion to [[Ps 95:8]]-11:
 
The text "that they might enter into his rest, lest be any means he should swear in his wrath they should not enter in, as in the provocation in the days of temptation while the children of Israel were in the wilderness" is an allusion to [[Ps 95:8]]-11:
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The implication of this and the following narrative suggests that Jacob in his sermon which he is about to deliver is telling the people that they will not be able to return to the land of their inheritance under the present course of their behavior. And even while it talks of the Messianic Christ figure, the implication doesn't seem to move beyond a temporal salvation into the rest of God as a future state of the righteous (as it does in the New Testament).
 
The implication of this and the following narrative suggests that Jacob in his sermon which he is about to deliver is telling the people that they will not be able to return to the land of their inheritance under the present course of their behavior. And even while it talks of the Messianic Christ figure, the implication doesn't seem to move beyond a temporal salvation into the rest of God as a future state of the righteous (as it does in the New Testament).
  
=== Verse 11 ===
+
:'''Verse 1:11'''
  
* This practice is also described in the Book of Jasher 24:20-21, when Benmalich, son of Abimelech, becomes known as Abimelech himself.
+
This practice is also described in the Book of Jasher 24:20-21, when Benmalich, son of Abimelech, becomes known as Abimelech himself.
  
  
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''This heading is for unanswered questions and is an important part of the continual effort to improve this wiki. Please do not be shy, as even a basic or "stupid" question can identify things that need to be improved on this page. Click the link above and to the right to edit or add content to this heading. →''
 
''This heading is for unanswered questions and is an important part of the continual effort to improve this wiki. Please do not be shy, as even a basic or "stupid" question can identify things that need to be improved on this page. Click the link above and to the right to edit or add content to this heading. →''
  
=== Verse 1 ===
+
* '''''Verses 1:1.''''' Why are these plates described as "small"?
 
+
* Why are these plates described as "small"?
+
 
+
=== Verse 2 ===
+
 
+
* Why is Jacob commanded only to write "a few of the things...considered to be most precious"?  What are the limitations on writing in these plates?  Is the writing limited by the size of the plates or is there some other consideration?
+
 
+
* Why is Jacob commanded not touch "save it were lightly" the history of the community?
+
 
+
* What do we know about "this people which are called the people of Nephi"? Who are they?  Are they only members of Lehi's original party, or are there others included in the group now?  Why are they called the "people of Nephi"?
+
 
+
=== Verse 3 ===
+
 
+
* Why does Nephi command Jacob to maintain this spiritual record within his lineage?  What might that indicate about hereditary social roles among the community?  Are Jacob's descendants expected to hold the same priestly position within the community as held by Jacob?  What might this tell us about the organization of early Nephite society?
+
 
+
=== Verse 4 ===
+
 
+
* Jacob says that he has been instructed to record the dominant and important parts (heads) of any sacred revelation, preaching, prophecy, etc...He states at the end of the verse that he should do this for the sake of his people (Nephites, I assume) and for Christ's sake. Why does he say that this should be done for Christ's sake, when the Nephites would be the principle beneficiaries of the recorded prophecies?
+
 
+
* What is meant by "heads" here? 
+
 
+
* Jacob is commanded to write only "a few" things on these plates (v.2), yet he is also commanded to write "as much as it were possible" about them.  How are we to reconcile these commands?  What do they mean and what does that tell us about how these teachings were to be valued and recorded?
+
 
+
* How much sacred preaching, revelation, and prophesying is ultimately recorded in these small plates?  How well did Jacob's descendants fulfill this commandment?
+
  
* What does it mean to "touch upon" sacred things?   
+
* '''''Verses 1:2.''''' Why is Jacob commanded only to write "a few of the things...considered to be most precious"What are the limitations on writing in these plates?  Is the writing limited by the size of the plates or is there some other consideration?
  
* What does Nephi mean when he tells Jacob to record these things "for Christ's sake"?  In what ways might recording these things be for or in behalf of Christ?
+
* '''''Verses 1:2.''''' Why is Jacob commanded not touch "save it were lightly" the history of the community?
  
* How might these records be recorded "for the sake" of the people?
+
* '''''Verses 1:2.''''' What do we know about "this people which are called the people of Nephi"? Who are they?  Are they only members of Lehi's original party, or are there others included in the group now?  Why are they called the "people of Nephi"?
  
* What is Nephi saying about the community when he refers to it as "our" peopleWhy doesn't he just say "our family" or "our descendants" or "our seed"Is this an acknowledgement that there are more lineages incorporated into the community than just the original Lehites?
+
* '''''Verses 1:3.''''' Why does Nephi command Jacob to maintain this spiritual record within his lineage?  What might that indicate about hereditary social roles among the community?  Are Jacob's descendants expected to hold the same priestly position within the community as held by JacobWhat might this tell us about the organization of early Nephite society?
  
=== Verse 5 ===
+
* '''''Verses 1:4.''''' Jacob says that he has been instructed to record the dominant and important parts (heads) of any sacred revelation, preaching, prophecy, etc...He states at the end of the verse that he should do this for the sake of his people (Nephites, I assume) and for Christ's sake. Why does he say that this should be done for Christ's sake, when the Nephites would be the principle beneficiaries of the recorded prophecies?
  
* Why are Nephi and Jacob so anxious about their people?
+
* '''''Verses 1:4.''''' What is meant by "heads" here?
  
*What does ''anxiety'' mean in the context of this verse?  Is a similar ''anxiety'' found in other scriptural accounts where revelation is received?
+
* '''''Verses 1:4.''''' Jacob is commanded to write only "a few" things on these plates (v.2), yet he is also commanded to write "as much as it were possible" about them.  How are we to reconcile these commands?  What do they mean and what does that tell us about how these teachings were to be valued and recorded?
  
* Why do Nephi and presumably Jacob have so much anxiety about the future of their people?  Is their anxiety for the possible downfall of their people the source of the vision that Nephi recorded about his posterity, or is the vision itself the source of the anxiety?
+
* '''''Verses 1:4.''''' How much sacred preaching, revelation, and prophesying is ultimately recorded in these small plates? How well did Jacob's descendants fulfill this commandment? 
  
* Isn't anxiety an expression of fear? If so, how do we reconcile that fear with the faith mentioned here?  Was it that faith led to Nephi's original vision, which then brought fear because of what it showed about the future of his posterity?   
+
* '''''Verses 1:4.''''' What does it mean to "touch upon" sacred things?   
  
* Does this anxiety about the future of the people at some point become almost a self-fulfilling prophecyWhat is the role of anxiety or fear in motivating spiritual teaching and preaching?  Can preaching motivated by fear or anxiety ever transcend that fear?
+
* '''''Verses 1:4.''''' What does Nephi mean when he tells Jacob to record these things "for Christ's sake"In what ways might recording these things be for or in behalf of Christ?
  
=== Verse 8 ===
+
* '''''Verses 1:4.''''' How might these records be recorded "for the sake" of the people?
  
* Jacob says that he and his people would to God that all would view Christ's death, suffer his cross and bear the shame of the world. How do we do this?
+
* '''''Verses 1:4.''''' What is Nephi saying about the community when he refers to it as "our" people?  Why doesn't he just say "our family" or "our descendants" or "our seed"?  Is this an acknowledgement that there are more lineages incorporated into the community than just the original Lehites?
  
=== Verse 9 ===
+
* '''''Verses 1:5.''''' Why are Nephi and Jacob so anxious about their people?
  
* Why doesn't Jacob give us the name of the man who is anointed kingWhy don't we know the name of any of the kings until the time of the first Mosiah?
+
* '''''Verses 1:5.''''' What does ''anxiety'' mean in the context of this verseIs a similar ''anxiety'' found in other scriptural accounts where revelation is received?
  
=== Verse 10 ===
+
* '''''Verses 1:5.''''' Why do Nephi and presumably Jacob have so much anxiety about the future of their people?  Is their anxiety for the possible downfall of their people the source of the vision that Nephi recorded about his posterity, or is the vision itself the source of the anxiety?
  
* Who has Nephi had to fight off by wielding the sword of Laban?
+
* '''''Verses 1:5.''''' Isn't anxiety an expression of fear? If so, how do we reconcile that fear with the faith mentioned here?  Was it that faith led to Nephi's original vision, which then brought fear because of what it showed about the future of his posterity?
  
* As far as we can tell, metal weapons were very rare in the Americas during the early Book of Mormon period. How might the sword of Laban, and perhaps other swords fashioned after it, have changed the power dynamics in an area where obsidian and bone weapons may have been prevalent?
+
* '''''Verses 1:5.''''' Does this anxiety about the future of the people at some point become almost a self-fulfilling prophecy? What is the role of anxiety or fear in motivating spiritual teaching and preaching?  Can preaching motivated by fear or anxiety ever transcend that fear?
  
* What is the significance of the sword of Laban in Nephite history?
+
* '''''Verses 1:8.''''' Jacob says that he and his people would to God that all would view Christ's death, suffer his cross and bear the shame of the world. How do we do this?
  
* Could this sword of Laban have been "double-edged," both protecting the early Nephites, while legitimizing military conflict in a society that would ultimately both live and die by the sword?
+
* '''''Verses 1:9.''''' Why doesn't Jacob give us the name of the man who is anointed king?  Why don't we know the name of any of the kings until the time of the first Mosiah?
  
=== Verse 11 ===
+
* '''''Verses 1:10.''''' Who has Nephi had to fight off by wielding the sword of Laban?
  
* Jacob tells us that the kings are named Nephi, but we never hear about another King Nephi. The next king that we hear anything about is not named Nephi, but MosiahWhy is that?  What happened to this practice of naming the kings Nephi?  Why does Jacob tell us this bit of information, if it never comes up again in the narrative?
+
* '''''Verses 1:10.''''' As far as we can tell, metal weapons were very rare in the Americas during the early Book of Mormon periodHow might the sword of Laban, and perhaps other swords fashioned after it, have changed the power dynamics in an area where obsidian and bone weapons may have been prevalent?
  
* What has changed by the time of Mosiah and Benjamin that they now go by their own names, instead of being called Nephi? What does that say about their society? What does it say about their connection to the fathers? Does it change when Mosiah leads some people <i>out</i> of the normal Nephite society, and especially when they join with the people of Zarahemla?  
+
* '''''Verses 1:10.''''' What is the significance of the sword of Laban in Nephite history?
  
* If this change does happen when Mosiah leaves, at what point can this new group justify calling itself Nephites, and what happened to the group they broke off from?
+
* '''''Verses 1:10.''''' Could this sword of Laban have been "double-edged," both protecting the early Nephites, while legitimizing military conflict in a society that would ultimately both live and die by the sword?
  
=== Verse 15 ===
+
* '''''Verses 1:11.''''' Jacob tells us that the kings are named Nephi, but we never hear about another King Nephi.  The next king that we hear anything about is not named Nephi, but Mosiah.  Why is that?  What happened to this practice of naming the kings Nephi?  Why does Jacob tell us this bit of information, if it never comes up again in the narrative?
  
* Was the sin of the Nephites that they ''had'' many wives and concubines, or just that they ''wanted'' many wives and concubines?
+
* '''''Verses 1:11.''''' What has changed by the time of Mosiah and Benjamin that they now go by their own names, instead of being called Nephi? What does that say about their society? What does it say about their connection to the fathers? Does it change when Mosiah leads some people <i>out</i> of the normal Nephite society, and especially when they join with the people of Zarahemla?  
  
* Does this verse suggest that it was wrong for David to either desire or have many wives and concubines? If so, how do we reconcile that with [[D&C 132:38]]. (It doesn't seem like Jacob is referring specifically to Bathseba when he says "wicked practices, such as like unto David ... desiring many wives and concubines.")
+
* '''''Verses 1:11.''''' If this change does happen when Mosiah leaves, at what point can this new group justify calling itself Nephites, and what happened to the group they broke off from?
  
=== Verse 17 ===
+
* '''''Verses 1:15.''''' Was the sin of the Nephites that they ''had'' many wives and concubines, or just that they ''wanted'' many wives and concubines?
  
* What does it mean that Jacob obtained an errand from the Lord?  How does one obtain such an errand?
+
* '''''Verses 1:15.''''' Does this verse suggest that it was wrong for David to either desire or have many wives and concubines? If so, how do we reconcile that with [[D&C 132:38]]. (It doesn't seem like Jacob is referring specifically to Bathseba when he says "wicked practices, such as like unto David ... desiring many wives and concubines.")
  
* Why does Jacob tell us that he taught these things at the templeWhat does the location of his teaching add to our understanding of his sermon on chastity and consecration of wealth for the poor?
+
* '''''Verses 1:17.''''' What does it mean that Jacob obtained an errand from the LordHow does one obtain such an errand?
  
=== Verse 19 ===
+
* '''''Verses 1:17.''''' Why does Jacob tell us that he taught these things at the temple?  What does the location of his teaching add to our understanding of his sermon on chastity and consecration of wealth for the poor?
  
* What does Jacob mean by magnify?
+
* '''''Verses 1:19.''''' What does Jacob mean by magnify?
  
* Where does Jacob draw on the imagery of blood on garments (cf. Ex 29:21, Lev. 6:25-27, 8:30)? Does the fact that Jacob's sermon was delivered in the temple have any relevance to this imagery?
+
* '''''Verses 1:19.''''' Where does Jacob draw on the imagery of blood on garments (cf. Ex 29:21, Lev. 6:25-27, 8:30)? Does the fact that Jacob's sermon was delivered in the temple have any relevance to this imagery?
  
  
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[[Jacob | Previous page: Jacob]]  
 
[[Jacob | Previous page: Jacob]]  
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; [[Jacob 2:1-3:14 | Next page: Chapter 2-3]]
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&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; [[Jacob 2-3 | Next page: Chapters 2-3]]

Revision as of 19:41, 5 March 2014

Home > The Book of Mormon > Jacob > Chapter 1
Previous page: Jacob                      Next page: Chapters 2-3


This page would ideally always be under construction. You are invited to contribute.


Summary

This heading should be very brief. Click the link above and to the right to edit or add content to this heading. →


Discussion

This heading is for more detailed discussions of all or part of a passage. Discussion may include the meaning of a particular word, how a doctrinal point is developed throughout the passage, insights to be developed in the future, and other items. Contributions may range from polished paragraphs down to a single bullet point. The focus, however, should always be on understanding the scriptural text consistent with LDS doctrine. Click the link above and to the right to edit or add content to this heading. →

Verse 1:5: Anxiety

The words great anxiety are surprisingly strong and we may wonder if anxiety at the time the Book of Mormon was translated had less edge than it does today. In fact though Webster's 1828 dictionary definition seems to be just as harsh

concern or solicitude respecting some event, future or uncertain, which disturbs the mind, and keeps it in a state of painful uneasin[ess]. it expresses more than uneasiness or disturbance, and even more than trouble or solicitude. it usually springs from fear or serious apprehension of evil, and involves a suspense respecting an event, and often, a perplexity of mind, to know how to shape our conduct.
Verse 1:7

The text "that they might enter into his rest, lest be any means he should swear in his wrath they should not enter in, as in the provocation in the days of temptation while the children of Israel were in the wilderness" is an allusion to Ps 95:8-11:

Harden not your heart, as in the provocation, and as in the day of temptation in the wilderness: When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my work. Forty years long was I grieved with this generation, and said, It is a people that do err in their heart, and they have not known my ways. Unto whom I sware in my wrath that they should not enter into my rest.

The meaning suggested by this use of the Old Testament seems to reflect the way that Jacob views the current condition of the Nephites. Shortly after arriving in the New World, the Nephites were forced into the wilderness (2_Ne_5:1-5). This use of the notion of the "rest" of God is also found in Deut 25:19:

Therefore it shall be, when the LORD thy God hath given thee rest from all thine enemies round about, in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee for an inheritance to possess it, that thou shalt blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven; thou shalt not forget it.

The implication of this and the following narrative suggests that Jacob in his sermon which he is about to deliver is telling the people that they will not be able to return to the land of their inheritance under the present course of their behavior. And even while it talks of the Messianic Christ figure, the implication doesn't seem to move beyond a temporal salvation into the rest of God as a future state of the righteous (as it does in the New Testament).

Verse 1:11

This practice is also described in the Book of Jasher 24:20-21, when Benmalich, son of Abimelech, becomes known as Abimelech himself.


Points to ponder

This heading is for prompts that suggest ways in which all or part of this passage can influence a person's life. Click the link above and to the right to edit or add content to this heading. →


I have a question

This heading is for unanswered questions and is an important part of the continual effort to improve this wiki. Please do not be shy, as even a basic or "stupid" question can identify things that need to be improved on this page. Click the link above and to the right to edit or add content to this heading. →

  • Verses 1:1. Why are these plates described as "small"?
  • Verses 1:2. Why is Jacob commanded only to write "a few of the things...considered to be most precious"? What are the limitations on writing in these plates? Is the writing limited by the size of the plates or is there some other consideration?
  • Verses 1:2. Why is Jacob commanded not touch "save it were lightly" the history of the community?
  • Verses 1:2. What do we know about "this people which are called the people of Nephi"? Who are they? Are they only members of Lehi's original party, or are there others included in the group now? Why are they called the "people of Nephi"?
  • Verses 1:3. Why does Nephi command Jacob to maintain this spiritual record within his lineage? What might that indicate about hereditary social roles among the community? Are Jacob's descendants expected to hold the same priestly position within the community as held by Jacob? What might this tell us about the organization of early Nephite society?
  • Verses 1:4. Jacob says that he has been instructed to record the dominant and important parts (heads) of any sacred revelation, preaching, prophecy, etc...He states at the end of the verse that he should do this for the sake of his people (Nephites, I assume) and for Christ's sake. Why does he say that this should be done for Christ's sake, when the Nephites would be the principle beneficiaries of the recorded prophecies?
  • Verses 1:4. What is meant by "heads" here?
  • Verses 1:4. Jacob is commanded to write only "a few" things on these plates (v.2), yet he is also commanded to write "as much as it were possible" about them. How are we to reconcile these commands? What do they mean and what does that tell us about how these teachings were to be valued and recorded?
  • Verses 1:4. How much sacred preaching, revelation, and prophesying is ultimately recorded in these small plates? How well did Jacob's descendants fulfill this commandment?
  • Verses 1:4. What does it mean to "touch upon" sacred things?
  • Verses 1:4. What does Nephi mean when he tells Jacob to record these things "for Christ's sake"? In what ways might recording these things be for or in behalf of Christ?
  • Verses 1:4. How might these records be recorded "for the sake" of the people?
  • Verses 1:4. What is Nephi saying about the community when he refers to it as "our" people? Why doesn't he just say "our family" or "our descendants" or "our seed"? Is this an acknowledgement that there are more lineages incorporated into the community than just the original Lehites?
  • Verses 1:5. Why are Nephi and Jacob so anxious about their people?
  • Verses 1:5. What does anxiety mean in the context of this verse? Is a similar anxiety found in other scriptural accounts where revelation is received?
  • Verses 1:5. Why do Nephi and presumably Jacob have so much anxiety about the future of their people? Is their anxiety for the possible downfall of their people the source of the vision that Nephi recorded about his posterity, or is the vision itself the source of the anxiety?
  • Verses 1:5. Isn't anxiety an expression of fear? If so, how do we reconcile that fear with the faith mentioned here? Was it that faith led to Nephi's original vision, which then brought fear because of what it showed about the future of his posterity?
  • Verses 1:5. Does this anxiety about the future of the people at some point become almost a self-fulfilling prophecy? What is the role of anxiety or fear in motivating spiritual teaching and preaching? Can preaching motivated by fear or anxiety ever transcend that fear?
  • Verses 1:8. Jacob says that he and his people would to God that all would view Christ's death, suffer his cross and bear the shame of the world. How do we do this?
  • Verses 1:9. Why doesn't Jacob give us the name of the man who is anointed king? Why don't we know the name of any of the kings until the time of the first Mosiah?
  • Verses 1:10. Who has Nephi had to fight off by wielding the sword of Laban?
  • Verses 1:10. As far as we can tell, metal weapons were very rare in the Americas during the early Book of Mormon period. How might the sword of Laban, and perhaps other swords fashioned after it, have changed the power dynamics in an area where obsidian and bone weapons may have been prevalent?
  • Verses 1:10. What is the significance of the sword of Laban in Nephite history?
  • Verses 1:10. Could this sword of Laban have been "double-edged," both protecting the early Nephites, while legitimizing military conflict in a society that would ultimately both live and die by the sword?
  • Verses 1:11. Jacob tells us that the kings are named Nephi, but we never hear about another King Nephi. The next king that we hear anything about is not named Nephi, but Mosiah. Why is that? What happened to this practice of naming the kings Nephi? Why does Jacob tell us this bit of information, if it never comes up again in the narrative?
  • Verses 1:11. What has changed by the time of Mosiah and Benjamin that they now go by their own names, instead of being called Nephi? What does that say about their society? What does it say about their connection to the fathers? Does it change when Mosiah leads some people out of the normal Nephite society, and especially when they join with the people of Zarahemla?
  • Verses 1:11. If this change does happen when Mosiah leaves, at what point can this new group justify calling itself Nephites, and what happened to the group they broke off from?
  • Verses 1:15. Was the sin of the Nephites that they had many wives and concubines, or just that they wanted many wives and concubines?
  • Verses 1:15. Does this verse suggest that it was wrong for David to either desire or have many wives and concubines? If so, how do we reconcile that with D&C 132:38. (It doesn't seem like Jacob is referring specifically to Bathseba when he says "wicked practices, such as like unto David ... desiring many wives and concubines.")
  • Verses 1:17. What does it mean that Jacob obtained an errand from the Lord? How does one obtain such an errand?
  • Verses 1:17. Why does Jacob tell us that he taught these things at the temple? What does the location of his teaching add to our understanding of his sermon on chastity and consecration of wealth for the poor?
  • Verses 1:19. What does Jacob mean by magnify?
  • Verses 1:19. Where does Jacob draw on the imagery of blood on garments (cf. Ex 29:21, Lev. 6:25-27, 8:30)? Does the fact that Jacob's sermon was delivered in the temple have any relevance to this imagery?


Resources

This heading is for listing links and print resources, including those cited in the notes. A short comment about the particular strengths of a resource can be helpful. Click the link above and to the right to edit or add content to this heading. →


Notes

Footnotes are not required but are encouraged for factual assertions that average readers cannot easily evaluate for themselves, such as the date of King Solomon’s death or the nuanced definition of a Greek word. In contrast, insights rarely benefit from footnoting, and the focus of this page should always remain on the scriptures themselves rather than what someone has said about them. Links are actively encouraged on all sections of this page, and links to authoritative sources are preferable to footnotes.




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