1 Nephi 16 to 22 – “I Will Prepare the Way Before You”

January 29, 2024, to February 4, 2024

Nephi learned from Lehi and from his visionary experiences to act in faith, without murmuring. He treasured the words of Isaiah and found comfort in them.

 

“Nephi: An Ideal Teacher of Less-Than-Ideal Students” Tyler J. Griffin, The Religious Educator

Nephi’s vision shaped how he made his own decisions  and how he interacted with his brothers. He remained teachable and acted with purpose, contrasted by his brothers’ living in reaction to circumstances.

“What Is Isaiah Doing in First Nephi? Or, How Did Lehi’s Family Fare So Far Away from Home?” S. Kent Brown, From Jerusalem to Zarahemla: Literary and Historical Studies of the Book of Mormon

“The prophet Nephi incorporated words of Isaiah in his first book for both public and private reasons. Nephi openly declared that he intended to deepen people’s faith in the Holy One of Israel while linking his family’s experiences to prophecies concerning the scattering and gathering of Israel. In Isaiah, Nephi found calming solace as well as evidence of prophetic fulfillment.”

“The Exodus of Lehi Revisited,” Mark J. Johnson, Journal of Book of Mormon Studies 3, no. 2

“To the many studies comparing the exodus of the children of Israel out of Egypt and the exodus made by the Lehites from Jerusalem, I add two additional parallels. The first deals with the death of Ishmael in the desert and the second with the transfiguration of Nephi (1 Ne. 17).”

“Nephi’s Bows and Arrows,” William Hamblin, Reexploring the Book of Mormon

This two-page article discusses the symbolic use of Nephi’s bow as a political symbol and ancient weapon technology.

“A History of NaHoM,” Warren Aston, BYU Studies, vol. 51, no. 2

An altar created about 700 BC in Yemen, unearthed in 1988, may be linked to Nahom in 1 Nephi 16. For further discussion on this topic, see the following articles: “Book of Mormon Minimalists and the NHM Inscriptions: A Response to Dan Vogel,” Neal Rappleye and Stephen O. Smoot, Interpreter: A Journal of Mormon Scripture; “Lehi’s Trail and Nahom Revisited,” Warren Aston, Michaela J. Aston, Stephen D. Ricks, and John W. Welch, Reexploring the Book of Mormon, and “The Place—or the Tribe—Called Nahom? NHM as Both a Tribal and Geographic Name in Modern and Ancient Yemen” by Neal Rappleye.

“Journey of Faith,” YouTube video, 2005, 1 hour 26 minutes

Presentations on Lehi’s family in Jerusalem and their journey to the promised land, by S. Kent Brown, Robert Millet, Virginia Pearce, John W. Welch, and fifteen others, directed by Peter Johnson. Filmed on location in the Middle East and Guatemala.