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Let’s move now to First Nephi Chapter 1. Let’s see how this record begins. It begins with this record of Nephi. Nephi is an Israelite, he is from the Tribe of Joseph, specifically the Tribe of Manasseh. He is not Jewish, even though he lived his life in Jerusalem, the capital of the Kingdom of Judah. Lehi and Nephi and some of their Tribe of Joseph ancestors likely fled south to the Southern Kingdom of Judah during the time of the Assyrians conquering of the Northern Kingdom of Israel in 722 BC (see 2 Kings 17-18).  

1 Nephi 1

1 Nephi 1 begins in the first-person, which is very interesting. The Bible does not begin that way, but the Book of Mormon does. We can probably recite 1 Nephi 1 verse 1, but we should examine the verse because it does contain some very important and interesting information to know, so let’s have a look. It begins, “I Nephi,”— first person. The first part of the Book of Mormon, from 1 Nephi chapter 1 to the end of Jacob-Omni, will be in the first person. It will read, ‘I did this, I did that.’ After the book of Jacob and then Jarom, Enos, and Omni, Mormon is going to interject, and he is going to change from first-person accounts to third-person accounts, and Mormon takes over from there as the Narrator. So, from 1 Nephi chapter 1 until the end of Omni, we will see first-person accounts of whoever is named after this book narrating the text for us. After that, when we get to the Words of Mormon and into Mosiah chapter 1, we start to get a narration from Mormon himself in the third-person.  

Here it begins: “I, Nephi, having been born of goodly parents, therefore, I was taught  somewhat in all the learning of my father;…”  

Now I hope as we study this year, we are not just reading the Book of Mormon, but that we will take the time to study it very carefully—word by word. I would like to point out a few important words that we often gloss over. One of them is in this first verse. It is the word “therefore.” We often gloss over this word in modern English because it doesn’t really mean much to us in these days. You must remember that Nephi, as an Israelite from the Tribe of Joseph and living in Jerusalem around 600 BC, would be speaking Hebrew. All of the Jews and anyone else who was living in Judah were all speaking Hebrew at that time. Nephi and Lehi and their whole family were speaking Hebrew; they were thinking in Hebrew and speaking in Hebrew. The Book of Mormon is going to be written using a different language than Hebrew, and Nephi is going to address that next. The word “therefore” in Hebrew is a very specific word, “עַל־כֵּן ’al ken.” The Hebrew word “ ’al ken” literally means “upon thus.”  A better way to think of this word is to say to yourself, “That is why.” Try it whenever you see a “therefore” in the Book of Mormon and place it in there, “That is why” in the place of “therefore.” Sometimes, it draws out a little more meaning to the intention of the verse.

Let’s try it. “I Nephi, having been born of goodly parents, that is why I was taught somewhat in all the learning of my father.” Isn’t that interesting? It tells us something about Nephi the son and his family—“and having seen many afflictions in the course of my days, nevertheless, having been highly favored of the Lord in all my days; yea, having had a great knowledge of the goodness and the mysteries of God, therefore (or that is why) I make a record of my proceedings in my days.”
 

Try it as you go through the Book of Mormon, there are probably hundreds of these references.  

“Wherefore” is another word that will pop up throughout the Book of Mormon. “Wherefore” means something like, “This is why.” Try it when you get to “wherefore” by using instead— “this is why.”  

Let’s continue to 1 Nephi 1:2:

“Yea, I make a record in the language of my father” (which is Hebrew) “which consists of the learning of the Jews” (that is another reference to Hebrew) “and the language of the Egyptians.”  

The “language of the Egyptians” that he is referring to is the script that he is going to be using to write on the plates. We must be very cognizant that Nephi is thinking in Hebrew, his native language, but he is writing Hebrew using a certain script – an Egyptian script of his time. Those are two different languages—Hebrew and Egyptian. Hebrew is an alphabetic language; you have to write each alphabetic letter to make a word, and it takes more space to do that. Egyptian is different. It is a language of signs, and one sign can mean a whole word, a whole concept, a syllable, or a whole sentence sometimes. This reformed Egyptian is a shorthand script that Nephi and Lehi know because they were likely merchants who were moving back and forth from Jerusalem to Egypt doing some kind of trade, hence their wealth. Lehi and Nephi know these caravan routes moving south of Judah, understand the languages of international trade, and use them often. 

Let me show you what Hebrew looks like and this Egyptian shorthand.  

Here, you can see what Hebrew looks like, an alphabetic language read from right to left, written in Hebrew consonants. Hebrew at the time of Lehi and Nephi was written mostly in consonants, with each letter being an alphabetic letter, and you sound out words using the Hebrew alphabet.
 

In reformed Egyptian, called Demotic Egyptian used at the time of Nephi, you can see an example of Demotic Egyptian Hieroglyphics that are not letters but really signs. You have probably seen Egyptian Hieroglyphics before when you looked at things to do with Egypt. Each of these hieroglyphs can mean a word, a sound, or a whole concept. Above the traditional Hieroglyphics, you can see the reformed Egyptian shorthand. It is a real Egyptian language or shorthand of the more pictographic Hieroglyphic Egyptian language. This reformed Egyptian is called demotic.  

Let me show you a papyrus with this demotic written on it from Egypt. Here, you can see the shorthand signs in demotic Egyptian. This is very similar to the language that Nephi developed to write on the plates what they are thinking in Hebrew and what they would say in Hebrew, but they are writing in this shorthand which represents signs. If you look at the famous Book of Mormon drawings of the characters, you see a copy of the characters from the Book of Mormon, which uses a shorthand similar to this Demotic Egyptian.  

You must understand that Nephi is trying to explain here in verse 2 that he is using the Hebrew thought process and the learning of the Jews, but they are writing it down in this shorthand language of Egyptian. We see this a lot with other languages like Chinese, Babylonian, and Sumerian, for example, are languages that also use signs as language. These are very sophisticated languages using signs to express clear messages. Yiddish, also, for example, is German written with Hebrew letters. So, this practice has happened many times.  

Concerning the development of this new Nephite language, King Benjamin said:

For it were not possible that our father, Lehi, could have remembered 

all these things, to have taught them to his children, except it were for 

the help of these plates; for he having been taught in the language of 

the Egyptians therefore he could read these engravings, and teach 

them to his children, that thereby they could teach them to their 

children, and so fulfilling the commandments of God, even down to 

this present time. (Mosiah 1:4, emphasis added)

Moroni adds to this when he said:

And now, behold, we have written this record according to our 

knowledge, in the characters which are called among us the reformed 

Egyptian, being handed down and altered by us, according to our 

manner of speech.

And if our plates had been sufficiently large we should have written in 

Hebrew; but the Hebrew hath been altered by us also; and if we could 

have written in Hebrew, behold, ye would have had no imperfection in 

our record.

But the Lord knoweth the things which we have written, and also that 

none other people knoweth our language; and because that none 

other people knoweth our language, therefore he hath prepared 

means for the interpretation thereof. (Mormon 9:32-34, emphasis added)

In 1 Nephi verse 3, we get Nephi’s testimony of his record.  

“And I know the record which I make is true; and I make it with mine own hand; and I make it according to my knowledge.” 

If we believe Nephi and follow the Spirit, we will also know his record is true. Here, Nephi is testifying to us of the truthfulness of his record. At the very end of the Book of Mormon, Moroni gives us his testimony of the truthfulness of this record and testament of Jesus Christ (Moroni 10). So, at the very beginning and end, we get two testimonies of the key authors of the Book of Mormon.  

Now, 1 Nephi 1 continues in verse 4:  

“For it came to pass in the commencement of the first year of the reign of Zedekiah, king of Judah, (my father, Lehi, having dwelt at Jerusalem in all his days); and in that same year there came many prophets, prophesying unto the people that they must repent, or the great city Jerusalem must be destroyed.”  

This is a key time in the history of Israel. Zedekiah was the very last king of Judah, who was placed on the throne of Judah by the Babylonians (600-587 BC; see 2 Kgs 24:17-20). The Babylonians were on their way to completely destroy Jerusalem, and Nephi realized this. The LORD Yehovah sent the prophets Jeremiah, Lehi, and others to preach and help the people, and many of the people rejected their words (see 2 Chronicles 36:14-15).

In 1 Nephi verse 5, it says: “Wherefore” (this is why) “it came to pass that my father, Lehi, as he went forth prayed unto the Lord” and he sees a vision, a pillar of fire, and he is overcome by the Spirit and carried away in a vision. This pillar of fire reminds us of the pillar of fire that rescues and blesses Moses and the Tribes of Israel on the Exodus. It also is reminiscent of the holy hymn, The Spirit of God like a fire is burning. The first thing he sees in verse 8 is the heavens opened and he thought he saw God sitting on his throne surrounded by numberless concourses of angels in the attitude of singing and praising their God. This is Lehi’s first vision, and he sees God. This is like the revelation of John that we studied last month. (See also Exodus 3:2; 14:24; JS-H 1:16; D&C 110:1-4; 93:36; 50:24, 27; D&C 88:4-13; Moses 1:9-11).

1 Nephi 1:9-10: “And it came to pass that he saw One descending out of the midst of heaven, and he beheld that his luster was above that of the sun at noon-day. And he also saw twelve others following him, and their brightness did exceed that of the stars in the firmament.”  

They tell Lehi to read this book/scroll (this is very close to Isaiah’s experience in Isaiah chapter 6 and in John’s experience in Revelation 4-5) they tell him to read it in verse 12:

1 Nephi 1:12-13: “And it came to pass that as he (Lehi) read, he was filled with the Spirit of the Lord. And he read saying: (Notice the colon [ : ] tells us that what comes next is a quote. You could put quotation marks there as it is Lehi’s talking) “Wo, wo, unto Jerusalem, for I have seen thine abominations!” (Then Nephi continues narrating here) “Yea, and many things did my father read concerning Jerusalem – that it should be destroyed, and the inhabitants thereof; many should perish by the sword, and many should be carried away captive into Babylon.”  

1 Nephi 1:14: “And it came to pass that when my father had read and seen many great and marvelous things, he did exclaim many things unto the Lord; such as: (Lehi’s testimony) “Great and marvelous are thy works, O Lord God Almighty! Thy throne is high in the heavens, and thy power and goodness and mercy are over all the inhabitants of the earth; and, because thou art merciful, thou wilt not suffer those who come unto thee that they shall perish!” 

What a great and powerful testimony in chapter 1. This is Lehi’s testimony, and we must remember it. “How great and marvelous are thy works, O Lord God Almighty and that His power and goodness and mercy.” God is merciful and will never turn away anyone who will come unto Him. This is almost the main theme throughout the whole Book of Mormon. 

Starting in verse 16, we get an excerpt from the Book of Lehi. Lehi rejoices and his whole heart is filled because of the Lord.

1 Nephi 1:16-18: “And now, I, Nephi, do not make a full account of the things which my father hath written” (this is referring to the Book of Lehi) “for he hath written many things which he saw in visions and dreams; and he also hath written many things which he prophesied and spake unto his children, of which I shall not make a full account. But I shall make an account of my proceedings in my days, Behold, I make an abridgment of the record” (this is referring to Nephi’s book) “of my father, upon plates which I have made with mine own hands; wherefore,” (this is why) “after I have abridged the record of my father then I will make an account of mine own life. Therefore,” (that is why) “I would that ye should know that after the Lord had shown so many marvelous things unto my father, Lehi, yea, concerning the destruction of Jerusalem, behold he went forth among the people, and began to prophesy and to declare unto them concerning the things which he had both seen and heard.”  

Lehi serves a very short mission to the people of Jerusalem, like Jeremiah. The reaction of the Jews to the Prophets sent by Yehovah is very similar.

1 Nephi 1:19: “And it came to pass that the Jews did mock him because of the things which he testified of them; for he truly testified of the wickedness and their abominations; and he testified that the things which he saw and heard, and also the things which he read in the book, manifested plainly of the coming of a Messiah, and also the redemption of the world.”  

What is interesting is that 2 Chronicles 36 in the Old Testament described this very same reaction for the same period of time:  

2 Chronicles 36:14-15: “Moreover all the chief of the priests, and the people, transgressed very much after all the abominations of the heathen; and polluted the house of the Lord which he had hallowed in Jerusalem.” (this is talking about the Temple in Jerusalem) “And the Lord God of their fathers sent to them by his messengers” (these are the prophets like Jeremiah and Lehi and others), “rising up betimes, and sending; because he had compassion on his people, and on his dwelling place:” (meaning His Temple).

But listen to what it says next. It is the same thing in 1 Nephi 1:19.

2 Chronicles 36:16: “But they mocked the messengers of God, and despised his words” (the word of God), “and misused his prophets, until the wrath of the Lord arose against his people, till there was no remedy.”

Isn’t that interesting? The Jews did mock God’s sent prophets, as it says in 1 Nephi 1:19. Moreover, the Prophet Jeremiah himself said:

Jeremiah 25:2-4: “The which Jeremiah the prophet spake unto all the people of Judah,  and to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, saying, From the thirteenth year of Josiah the  son of Amon king of Judah, even unto this day, that is the three and twentieth year, the  word of the Lord hath come unto me, and I have spoken unto you, rising early and  speaking; but ye have not hearkened. 

And the Lord hath sent unto you all his servants the prophets, rising early and sending  them; but ye have not hearkened, nor inclined your ear to hear.

1 NEPHI 2

In 1 Nephi 2, the Lord blessed Lehi and commanded him in a dream that he was to take his family and depart into the wilderness or the desert.  

1 Nephi 2:1-4: “For Behold, it came to pass that the Lord spake unto my father, yea, even in a dream, and said unto him: Blessed art thou Lehi, because of the things which thou hast done; and because thou hast been faithful and declared unto this people the things which I have commanded thee, behold, they seek to take away thy life.  

And it came to pass that the Lord commanded my father, even in a dream, that he should take his family and depart into the wilderness. And it came to pass that he was obedient unto the word of the Lord, wherefore (this is why) he did as the Lord commanded him. And it came to pass that he departed into the wilderness (this is an English way to say the desert). And he left his house, and the land of his inheritance, and his gold, and his silver, and his precious things, and took nothing with him, save it were his family, and provisions, and tents, and departed into the wilderness.”  

Lehi took the most important things with him: 1) his family, 2) provisions, including supplies and food, and 3) tents (shelter). Lehi traveled from Jerusalem in Judah and headed south toward the Red Sea. The Red Sea goes all the way from the Sinai Peninsula, follows the coast heading south to “Bountiful” (which is in modern-day Yemen), and departs on the sea from there.  

It is interesting what happened to this family as they go along. You know the storyline, but paying attention to some wording is important. For example, in 1 Nephi 2:16 it says: 

“And it came to pass that I, Nephi, being exceedingly young, nevertheless being large in stature, and also having great desires to know of the mysteries of God, wherefore” (this is why) “I did cry unto the Lord; and behold he did visit me, and did soften my heart that I did believe all the words which had been spoken by my father; wherefore” (this is why) “I did not rebel against him like unto my brothers.” (Emphasis added).

Having great desires to know something doesn’t mean that he knows everything. Sometimes, we think Nephi was this big, strong guy who knew everything and did everything right. No, he had desires to know. Think about that. Do we have the desire to know? Personal Revelation begins with desires, and we have to start somewhere. Where we start on our journey to know the truthfulness of these things, even the Book of Mormon starts with desires. Nephi’s desires now lead him to action, and he prayed and shared his desires with the Lord. 

“And behold, he did visit me” (that is personal revelation) “and did soften my heart that I did believe all the words which had been spoken by my father.”  

The softening of the heart is so important. This is the “broken heart” that is talked about by Jesus (2 Nephi 2:7), and it causes one to believe the truths told to us by our parents or grandparents or those whom we trust and love. “Wherefore, (this is why) I did not rebel against him like unto my brothers.” The softened heart that allows the Lord to work wonders with our soul, starting with our heart, causes us not to rebel against him (see D&C 64:36).  

1 Nephi 2:17: “And I spake unto Sam” (his brother), “making known unto him the things which the Lord had manifested unto me by his Holy Spirit” (that is the key to knowing). “And it came to pass that he believed in my words.”  

This is the same process that Nephi went through. Sam’s heart was also softened, and the Lord could work wonders in him also, and now he believed his brother's words. Do you see what we can do, friends? When our heart gets softened, and we allow the Lord to work with us, and we communicate with Him our desires, then we know the truths that others are saying are true. Then you can pass that on to your brothers, sisters, and those who need to hear these things. 

Look at the contrast in verse 18. 

1 Nephi 1:18: “But, behold, Laman and Lemuel would not hearken unto my words; and being grieved because of the hardness of their hearts I cried unto the Lord for them.” 

Nephi was grieved because of the hardness of their hearts so much that he cried unto the Lord for them. What a contrast between the softened hearts of Nephi and Sam and the hardness of the hearts of his brothers, Laman and Lemuel. Jesus is trying to say this when he tells us that we need a broken heart and a contrite spirit. The Lord is trying to say that the hard shell of a hard heart needs to be broken. In Hebrew, it says that the hardened heart needs to be “shattered” (shāvar שָׁבַר) so that it can’t be hard again but only soft. A contrite spirit is the other part of the Law of Sacrifice. In Hebrew, it says, we must pulverize (dāka’ דָּכַא) the spirit, which means the hardness of the spirit is pulverized so that you can never put the hardness back around the spirit or the heart again. Now, you only have this soft heart and this soft spirit to receive the Holy Spirit and to receive our Lord Jesus Christ’s promptings.  

1 Nephi 1:19-24 is a very significant Spiritual Formula to know as we study the Book of Mormon.  This is the sacred Covenant Formula from the Old Testament and is introduced here in the Book of Mormon. This Covenant Formula is introduced to Lehi and Nephi as he did to the Patriarchs, including Abraham.  The Lord declares blessings upon the faithful and humble, and He leads them to holy places. The Lord’s Covenant Formula provides not only blessings but also cursings as penalties for rebelling against God and His sacred covenants. 

Therefore, or that is why “lowliness of heart” allows God to bless us, have His presence to always be with us, and He will lead us to holy places. Hardness of heart, or rebellion against God means one would be “cut off from the presence of the Lord,” which is a curse or a penalty.  We should understand this Covenant Formula applied here to the doctrines of the Book of Mormon. We must understand that blessings and cursings are part of the conditional terms of God’s covenants with us.  

And foremost, we must understand that the covenant blessings mean we will be blessed with God’s presence and Spirit and that any curse for rebellion against God means being cut off from his Spirit, power, and presence. The blessing of the Covenant leads to Spirit, Light, and Truth. Cursing for rebellion leads to no Spirit, no Light but darkness, and lies. We will revisit this Covenant Formula doctrine again when we see the Nephite People's choices compared to the Laminate people's decisions. (See also 1 Nephi 12:23; 2 Nephi 5:21; 30:6; Jacob 3:3, 8; Alma 3:6-10; 3 Nephi 2:15). 

—AnthonyR אר