Blog

1 Nephi 18:23-25  

23 And it came to pass that after we had sailed for the space of many days we did arrive at the promised land; and we went forth upon the land, and did pitch our tents; and we did call it the promised land.
24 And it came to pass that we did begin to till the earth, and we began to plant seeds; yea, we did put all our seeds into the earth, which we had brought from the land of Jerusalem. And it came to pass that they did grow exceedingly; wherefore, we were blessed in abundance.
25 And it came to pass that we did find upon the land of promise, as we journeyed in the wilderness, that there were beasts in the forests of every kind, both the cow and the ox, and the ass and the horse, and the goat and the wild goat, and all manner of wild animals, which were for the use of men. And we did find all manner of ore, both of gold, and of silver, and of copper.

With those words, Nephi ends the story he began in chapter one. The concluding chapters of First Nephi are a kind of summing up of—not his story—but his intent. Their connection with the narrative can probably best be understood in light of Nephi’s “thesis statement”:

And when the Jews heard these things they were angry with him; yea, even as with the prophets of old, whom they had cast out, and stoned, and slain; and they also sought his life, that they might take it away. But behold, I, Nephi, will show unto you that the tender mercies of the Lord are over all those whom he hath chosen, because of their faith, to make them mighty even unto the power of deliverance (1 Nephi 1:20).

A corollary to that is:

And I, Nephi, did go into the mount oft, and I did pray oft unto the Lord; wherefore the Lord showed unto me great things (1 Nephi 18:3).

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

1 Nephi 18:22 ”

22 And it came to pass that I, Nephi, did guide the ship, that we sailed again towards the promised land.

Walton discussed the possible routes:

The normal wind movement is northward into the Indian Ocean, which includes the Arabian Sea, during the summer months, and in the opposite direction in winter, generally with periods of calm in between. Had they sailed in the early summer, they certainly could have made no progress against the summer winds, so we must assume they sailed in the early autumn. Thus, they could very easily have gone through the period of calm referred to, followed by favorable winds. …

An examination of the Pilot charts of the world reveals that if the Nephites embarked in late summer, after the harvest, they would have two or three months of northerly winds, or about 100 days, and, if they floated at the normal rate of from 3 to 5 miles per hour, they would reach a south latitude of about 40 degrees in that length of time, or slightly south of the line connecting Cape Town, South Africa and Melbourne, Australia. Here they would encounter the …’Prevailing Westerlies,’ as they would here enter the ocean currents that travel eastward around the globe the year round. These currents continue their eastward course until they encounter the southern tip of South America, which extends southward to 56 degrees south latitude, where they split. Those south of 56 degrees continue on around the earth, while those striking the Chilean coast are deflected northward along the shoreline, turning seaward again at about 35 degrees south latitude during the warm months, but continuing northward to about 20 degrees during the winter.{1}

Brown and his party have suggested essentially the same route.{2} However, some scholars are now suggesting that the Nephite civilization was in the northeastern United States. If that is correct, then their route might have been across the Atlantic, and the storm a hurricane.
—————————————

FOOTNOTES

{1} Leon C. Walton, “Routes To The Promised Land,” Liahona, The Elders Journal, August 8, 1944, 101-03.

{2} John Sorenson and Kelly DeVries in S. Kent Brown and Peter Johnson, Journey of Faith, from Jerusalem to the Promised Land  (Provo, Utah, The Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship, BYU, 2006),

92-94.
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

1 Nephi 18:13-15  

If all or part of First Nephi is patterned after the sequence of events of the Feast of Tabernacles temple drama, then this is the place where the king remains in the underworld for three days, confronted by the dual monsters of death and hell. He says it was on the fourth day that he was liberated by the powers of Jehovah. Here again, Nephi’s story fits the outline of that temple drama sequence.

13 Wherefore, they knew not whither they should steer the ship, insomuch that there arose a great storm, yea, a great and terrible tempest, and we were driven back upon the waters for the space of three days; and they began to be frightened exceedingly lest they should be drowned in the sea; nevertheless they did not loose me.
14 And on the fourth day, which we had been driven back, the tempest began to be exceedingly sore.
15 And it came to pass that we were about to be swallowed up in the depths of the sea. And after we had been driven back upon the waters for the space of four days, my brethren began to see that the judgments of God were upon them, and that they must perish save that they should repent of their iniquities; wherefore, they came unto me, and loosed the bands which were upon my wrists, and behold they had swollen exceedingly; and also mine ankles were much swollen, and great was the soreness thereof.

God always moves in natural ways to show his power. Sorenson shows that the horrific storm they encountered can easily be explained as a monsoon. Sorenson wrote:

When they left the Arabian Peninsula, the land of Bountiful, if they followed the course that later Arab sailors followed, they would have gone virtually straight east across the Indian Ocean. And that required that it was during the season of the monsoon, when winds are from the south but veering over toward the Indian Peninsula.{1}

That argues for the historicity of Nephi’s account, but it does not emphasize what was most meaningful to Nephi—that the compass did not work during the storm, so the brothers had no idea where they were or where they were going.
—————————————

FOOTNOTE

{1} John Sorenson in S. Kent Brown and Peter Johnson, Journey of Faith, from Jerusalem to the Promised Land (Provo, Utah, The Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship, BYU, 2006),
92.
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

1 Nephi 18:11 

11 And it came to pass that Laman and Lemuel did take me and bind me with cords, and they did treat me with much harshness; nevertheless, the Lord did suffer it that he might show forth his power, unto the fulfilling of his word which he had spoken concerning the wicked.

There is a quality of sublime trust in Nephi’s statement. Only a short time before, if the brothers had even touched Nephi they would have sizzled. Now they no longer feel any reverence toward him, his calling as a prophet, or his God. They presume to prove their superiority over him by showing he does not have power to defend himself when they all ganged up on him together.
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

1 Nephi 18:8-10  

8 And it came to pass after we had all gone down into the ship, and had taken with us our provisions and things which had been commanded us, we did put forth into the sea and were driven forth before the wind towards the promised land.
9 And after we had been driven forth before the wind for the space of many days, behold, my brethren and the sons of Ishmael and also their wives began to make themselves merry, insomuch that they began to dance, and to sing, and to speak with much rudeness, yea, even that they did forget by what power they had been brought thither; yea, they were lifted up unto exceeding rudeness.
10 And I, Nephi, began to fear exceedingly lest the Lord should be angry with us, and smite us because of our iniquity, that we should be swallowed up in the depths of the sea; wherefore, I, Nephi, began to speak to them with much soberness; but behold they were angry with me, saying: We will not that our younger brother shall be a ruler over us.

Singing and dancing were part of ancient ceremonial rejoicing rituals. While such activities may not have been a problem at first, they soon got out of hand. Nephi seems to be saying that it got progressively worse, as he reports, “and to speak with much rudeness…yea, they were lifted up unto exceeding rudeness.” Ricks quotes Sjodahl to suggest that at least some of the dancing may have been legitimate. He wrote,

There is a French translation by Brasseur de Bourbourg of a Mexican tradition that runs as follows: “Here is the beginning of the accounts of the arrival of the Mexicans from the place named Aztlan. It was through the midst of the water that they made their way to this locality, being four tribes. And in coming they were rowing in their ships.” Bourbourg, who records this tradition in his Ancient Monuments of Mexico, explains that the word in the original language that he translated “rowing” actually is the native word for “dancing.” But because he could make no sense out of “dancing” in reference to ships he had translated it “rowing.”{1}

However the dancing aboard ship may have begun, its eventual rudeness convinced Nephi that it had to be stopped, and he stepped in with his usual determination to stop it.

Ricks suggests that their anger was more than frustration over their younger brother’s trying to ruin their party. But it was a deepseated, pent up resentment and a reminder that the angel had once told them, “Know ye not that the Lord hath chosen him to be a ruler over you, and this because of your iniquities?” (1 Nephi 3:29) Ricks wrote,

Nephi had meant no offense, but the more clearly Laman and Lemuel realized that they were really headed for a new land the more they resented any reminder of the prophecy that their younger brother would one day rule over them (See also 2:22; 3:29; 16:37.)”{2}

The brothers did not simply toss him into the water, but rather they tied him up and exercised complete dominance over him. Probably they taunted him as they made him watch the frolics of their rudeness.

—————————————

FOOTNOTES

{1} Eldin Ricks, Book of Mormon Commentary, Volume 1, Comprising the Complete Text of The First Book of Nephi with Explanatory Notes (Salt Lake City, Deseret News Press, 1953), 218-19. His quote is from,
Janne M. Sjodahl, “Commentary on the First Book of Nephi” (unpublished manuscript), 430.
Italics in original.

{2} Eldin Ricks, Book of Mormon Commentary, Volume 1, Comprising the Complete Text of The First Book of Nephi with Explanatory Notes (Salt Lake City, Deseret News Press, 1953), 219.
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

1 Nephi 18:7 

7 And now, my father had begat two sons in the wilderness; the elder was called Jacob and the younger Joseph.

This casual statement, seemingly inserted just to mention that there were younger brothers who also came on board the ship, also teaches us that Lehi and his family had succeeded in living relatively normal lives, even while away from home.
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

1 Nephi 18:4-6 

4 And it came to pass that after I had finished the ship, according to the word of the Lord, my brethren beheld that it was good, and that the workmanship thereof was exceedingly fine; wherefore, they did humble themselves again before the Lord.
5 And it came to pass that the voice of the Lord came unto my father, that we should arise and go down into the ship.
6 And it came to pass that on the morrow, after we had prepared all things, much fruits and meat from the wilderness, and honey in abundance, and provisions according to that which the Lord had commanded us, we did go down into the ship, with all our loading and our seeds, and whatsoever thing we had brought with us, every one according to his age; wherefore, we did all go down into the ship, with our wives and our children.

It is significant that Nephi, under whose direction the ship had been built, did not go aboard first and then welcome everyone else as they came on. Neither did each person just casually get on the ship when it was ready. Rather, as Eldin Ricks has pointed out, their going aboard the ship was a formal, even ceremonial event that not only gave honor to their parents but also acknowledged the older, wayward sons as having birthright superiority to Nephi and Sam. Ricks wrote:

It was a sacred moment and a breathlessly exciting one. After years of overland travel they were now actually going to brave the timeless challenge of the seas. It was their final great test of faith, and they were ready for the test. For reasons not apparent to one reared in a western tradition, they seem to have sought expression for the dignity and solemnity of the occasion by forming a ceremonial procession and filing aboard their ship according to the ancient patriarchal order. Nephi’s allusion to the detail marks the outcropping of a Hebrew custom at a point in the narrative where we least expected it.{1}
—————————————

FOOTNOTE

{1} Eldin Ricks, Book of Mormon Commentary, Volume 1, Comprising the Complete Text of The First Book of Nephi with Explanatory Notes (Salt Lake City, Deseret News Press, 1953), 217.
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

1 Nephi 18:3 

3 And I, Nephi, did go into the mount oft, and I did pray oft unto the Lord; wherefore the Lord showed unto me great things.

Nephi’s purpose is not to tell us all he knows, and as a corollary, his purpose in writing is not to produce an autobiography. He knows much more than he has any intention of telling us. When we read this verse, we cannot help but reflect upon how little we know of this great prophet and of his personal relationship with the God he loved so much. But even in not telling, he fulfills the purpose for which he said he was writing. Just as he related enough about his troubles and blessings that we can better understand our own, he described to us some of his earliest experiences with revelation. He explained his vision of the tree of life and the future history of his people. But after that, he stopped giving us many details about his visions and conversations with the Lord.

In a very real way, he told us all we need to know. As he led us to this mountain, he gave sufficient evidence that he is a true prophet. He bore testimony of the eternal divinity of the Savior. He demonstrated that the Lord keeps his promises to his children—and he told us how we must proceed from there. “Mountain” is code for sacred space. It is the place where one goes to meet God, and was symbolized by the ancient temple. His words, while autobiographical in their form, are invitational in their intent:

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

1 Nephi 18:1-2 

1 And it came to pass that they did worship the Lord, and did go forth with me; and we did work timbers of curious workmanship. And the Lord did show me from time to time after what manner I should work the timbers of the ship.
2 Now I, Nephi, did not work the timbers after the manner which was learned by men, neither did I build the ship after the manner of men; but I did build it after the manner which the Lord had shown unto me; wherefore, it was not after the manner of men.

In the premortal world when we made covenants to come to the earth to do the Father’s will, he made a reciprocating covenant that he would remove any hindrance that would actually prevent us from fulfilling that covenant. He did not promise that it will not at times seem impossible for us to do, only that it will never actually be impossible. The whole of First Nephi has given us multiple examples that God keeps his covenants. Nephi’s account has led us through impossible challenges: times of hunger, pain, and inexplicable fatigue. Now we are about to go with him on a ship where the entire outcome of the voyage depends on God’s doing what he promised he would do—not just leading the ship to the Promised Land but also sustaining Nephi and making sure it is he who is in command.

Nephi did not build his ship according to the methods he might have learned during his travels along the shore of the Red Sea. Several have wondered what those innovations might have been. Brown and members of his group have suggested that,{1}

The plank ships at this time were built in what is known as the “clinker method:’ which is to suggest that the hull is constructed before the skeleton is. The planks were put together in overlapping form and nailed together or, frequently, they were put together with mortise and tenon, one on top of the other.

What finally took Columbus’s ships across the Atlantic was a deep tall hull that had to be built skeleton first. This was not done regularly at the time of Nephi.

Building the skeleton first would have meant that Nephi’s ship could have been taller and also deeper into the water. It could also have been multidecked, thus giving far more room below decks to house people and also to store food. This also means that the vessel did not need to be as long as it would if it had been narrow and hull construction only—clinker construction.

Is this what Nephi means when he says that he did not build it after the manner of men? The manner of men was building the hull first and then adding the skeleton. That Nephi turned it around and built the skeleton first and then added the hull would be the same innovation that would ultimately take the ships across the Atlantic in the age of the sail.

This might mean that Nephi made the ship round, which you can do using the skeleton construction first. That roundness might have meant that he could have shortened the ship considerably. And noting that he only had one large sail, as was conventional at the time, he would have needed to make a shorter vessel because a long ship can simply not be propelled by a single long sail. If this ship was built round and wide, it need not have been longer than 35 or 40 feet. We know that later on the Viking vessels are estimated to have had one foot per warrior designated on that vessel. That meant that for 40 people, you would need a vessel that was 20 feet long. That’s a pretty cramped style. And perhaps Nephi and his family would not have wanted to be this cramped. On the other hand, space is a modern luxury. We know that premodern peoples did not have the concerns about space that we do. And so we cannot imagine that they would have needed a very large vessel to take this utilitarian mission of traveling from one place to the next. ….{2}

There were several different ancient techniques for holding a ship together. Plank vessels were often sewn with ropes. The entire vessel itself would be waterproofed. That’s always the most difficult thing, but we have good evidence that in the Arabian Peninsula shipbuilders used a bitumen substance to create the water sealing that needed to cover all of the hull. And it was very effective. Bitumen could be found locally and in abundance in that region. It was mixed together with sap and other substances to create the glue. This would make the vessel quite seaworthy.{3}

The Hiltons suggested a different method. They wrote,

The earliest ships of record were put together by the sewing method. For example, the sun boat of Pharaoh Cheops, who built one of the great pyramids in Egypt, was a sewed boat. It recently has been discovered and reassembled at Giza just outside Cairo (see Figure 12-2). If sewed ships were “after the manner of men,” it is possible and we advance the theory that Nephi perhaps discovered how to build a nailed ship by direct revelation. We know he had ore and a smelter and tools, so why not hammer out some nails to fasten the planks to the ribs and make his craft truly sea-worthy.

While nails had been known and used at least 400 years before Nephi’s day, there is no indication they were used in ship-building. King David, about 1000 B.C., prepared among other supplies iron “nails” in abundance for Solomon to use in building the First Jerusalem Temple; specifically they were to be used “for the doors of the gates and for the joinings” of the temple (1 Ch. 22:3). But we do not know who got the inspiration to use them in a ship-building application. Perhaps Nephi?

Tim Serevin, who recently built a sewed-ocean-going dhow under Omani sponsorship, reports that the stitched vessel took three times as long to build as would have been required had he built a nailed ship. He had to go to the Laccadive Islands of India to find the only men left in the world who knew how to sew a boat. He also notes that the earliest texts make it abundantly clear that early ships were sewed.{4}
—————————————

FOOTNOTES

{1} For their discussion of ways Nephi might have built his ship see S. Kent Brown and Peter Johnson, Journey of Faith, from Jerusalem to the Promised Land (Provo, Utah, The Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship, BYU, 2006), 77-95

{2} Kelly DeVries in S. Kent Brown and Peter Johnson, Journey of Faith, from Jerusalem to the Promised Land, 80-82.

{3} Kelly DeVries in S. Kent Brown and Peter Johnson, Journey of Faith, from Jerusalem to the Promised Land, 84.

{4} Lynn M. Hilton and Hope A. Hilton, Discovering Lehi (Springville, Ut., Cedar Fort, Incorporated, 1969), 114.
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

1 Nephi 17:53

53 And it came to pass that the Lord said unto me: Stretch forth thine hand again unto thy brethren, and they shall not wither before thee, but I will shock them, saith the Lord, and this will I do, that they may know that I am the Lord their God.

It is often too easy for us to let the picturesque excitement of Nephi’s stories obscure the intent of his telling them. This is an excellent example. It would make a wonderful movie scene, and the movie would probably obscure its message even more. Nephi has been telling us all along that his purpose was to show that God has the power to clear the way so that his servants can accomplish their covenantal responsibilities. That principle is a major premise on which the entire book of First Nephi has been built. While Nephi demonstrates it perfectly, he does not stop to explain why it is so. To learn that, we have to recall Paul’s explanation of our premortal covenants with our Heavenly Father in the first chapter of Ephesians and other scriptures. The promise of invulnerability does not preclude our being subject to suffering in this world, but it does preclude the possibility that any external power will prevent us from fulfilling the covenants we made while we were in the Council in Heaven.

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>