When reading the scriptural record, it is helpful for the reader to keep in mind what the writer (prophet) had in mind when he wrote the text. It is also important to know what the language was at the time the original writing was interpreted or translated. In the case of the Book of Mormon, Pearl of Great Price, and the Doctrine & Covenants, this language was the language known to Joseph Smith in the early to mid 19th-Century. Therefore, it is critical that the reader know and understand who is being referred to, what is being discussed, the relationships between thoughts, and the actual words used.
• Know Who is Being Referred to.
2 Nephi 3:10-25:
Joseph in Egypt
Joseph of Egypt is speaking in the future tense of two events (Moses birth and leadership, and Joseph Smith's birth and ministry), and he is speaking, at times, in the first tense of the Lord who has spoken to him.
“And, Moses will I raise up, to deliver thy [Joseph of Egypt] people out of the land of Egypt. But a seer [Joseph Smith] will I raise up out of the fruit of thy loins; and unto him will I give power to bring forth my word [Book of Mormon] unto the seed of thy loins [descendants of Joseph of Egypt: Nephites and Lamanites]; and not to the bringing forth my word only, saith the Lord, but to the convincing them of my word, which shall have already gone forth among them [Bible]. Wherefore, the fruit of my loins shall write [Nephites]; and the fruit of the loins of Judah shall write [Jews]; and that which shall be written by the fruit of thy loins [Book of Mormon], and also that which shall be written by the fruit of the loins of Judah [Bible], shall grow together, unto the confounding of false doctrines and laying down of contentions, and establishing peace among the fruit of thy loins [descendants of Ephraim and Manasseh], and bringing them to the knowledge of their fathers [Book of Mormon prophets] in the latter days; and also the knowledge of my covenants, saith the Lord.
And out of weakness he shall be made strong, in that day when my work shall commence among all my people, unto the restoring thee, O house of Israel, saith the Lord. And thus prophesied Joseph [Joseph of Egypt]: "Behold, that seer [Joseph Smith] will the Lord bless, and they that seek to destroy him, shall be confounded: for this promise. of which I have obtained of the Lord, of the fruit of thy loins, shall be fulfilled. Behold, I am sure of the fulfilling of this promise.
And his name [Joseph Smith] shall be called after me [Joseph of Egypt]; and it shall be after the name of his father [Joseph Smith's father]. And he shall be like unto me [Joseph of Egypt]; for the thing [Book of Mormon] which the Lord shall bring forth by his hand, by the power of the Lord shall bring my people [descendants of Ephraim and Manasseh] unto salvation"; yea, thus prophesied Joseph [Joseph of Egypt]:
"I am sure of this thing, even as I am sure of the promise of Moses: for the Lord hath said unto me, 'I [the Lord] will reserve thy seed forever.' And the Lord hath said 'I will raise up a Moses; and I will give power unto him in a rod, and I will give judgment unto him in writing. Yet I will not loose his [Moses] tongue, that he shall speak much: for I will not make him mighty in speaking. But I will write unto him [Moses] my law, by the finger of mine own hand; and I will make a spokesman [Aaron] for him [Moses].'
And the Lord said unto me also, 'I will raise up unto the fruit of thy loins [Joseph of Egypt]; and I will make for him [Joseph Smith] a spokesman [missionaries]. And I [the Lord], behold I, will give unto him [Joseph Smith] that he [Joseph Smith] shall write the writing of the fruit of thy Loins [Nephite prophets], unto the fruit of thy loins [descendants of Ephraim and Manasseh]; and the spokesman of thy loins [missionaries] shall declare it.
And the words which he shall write, shall be the words which is expedient in my [the Lord] wisdom, should go forth unto the fruit of thy loins [descendants of Ephraim and Manasseh]. And it shall be as if the fruit of thy loins [Nephite prophets] had cried unto them from the dust [grave]: for I [the Lord] know their [Nephi prophets] faith.
And they [Nephite prophets] shall cry from the dust; yea, even repentance unto their brethren [Nephite and Lamanite descendants], even that after many generations [400 A.D. to 1830 A.D.] have gone by them [Nephite prophets].
And it shall come to pass that their [Nephite prophets] cry shall go, even according to the simpleness of their words [Book of Mormon in simple language]. Because of their [Nephite prophets] faith, their words shall proceed forth out of my mouth [Lord's mouth--he speaks for Nephite prophets] unto their [Nephite prophets] brethren [Nephite and Lamanite descendants of today] which are the fruit of thy loins [Joseph of Egypt]; and the weakness of their words [Nephite prophets] will I make strong in their faith, unto the remembering of my covenant which I [the Lord] made unto thy [Joseph of Egypt] fathers [Abraham, Isaac and Jacob].
And now, behold, my [Lehi] son Joseph [Joseph, Nephi's brother], after this manner did my father of old [Joseph of Egypt] prophesy. Wherefore, because of this covenant [the Lord made with Joseph of Egypt] thou [Joseph, Nephi's brother] art blessed: for thy [Joseph, Nephi's brother] seed shall not be destroyed, for they shall hearken unto the words of the Book [Book of Mormon]. And there shall raise up one [Joseph Smith], mighty among them [the seed of Joseph, Nephi's brother], which shall do much good, both in word and in deed, being an instrument in the hands of God, with exceeding faith, to work mighty wonders, and do that thing which is great in the sight of God, unto the bringing to pass much restoration unto the House of Israel [restoring the gospel in this last dispensation], and unto the seed of thy brethren [Lamanite and Nephite descendants]. And now, blessed art thou Joseph [Joseph, Nephi's brother]. Behold, thou art little [about 6 to 12 years of age]; wherefore, hearken unto the words of thy brother Nephi, and it shall be done unto thee, even according to the words which I have spoken. Remember the words of thy dying father. Amen.
• Nouns and Pronouns
Alma 22:28-30
Now, the more idle part of the Lamanites lived in the wilderness, and dwelt in tents; and they [Lamanites] were spread through the wilderness on the west, in the land of Nephi; yea, and also on the west of the land of Zarahemla, in the borders by the seashore, and on the west in the land of Nephi, in the place of their fathers' first inheritance [land first settled by Lamanites], and thus bordering along by the seashore. And also there were many Lamanites on the east by the seashore, whither the Nephites had driven them. And thus the Nephites were nearly surrounded by the Lamanites; nevertheless the Nephites had taken possession of all the northern parts of the land [north of the Lamanites] bordering on the wilderness, at the head of the river Sidon, from the east to the west, round about [not in a straight line] on the wilderness side; on the north, even until they came to the land which they called Bountiful. And it [Bountiful] bordered upon the land which they called Desolation, it [land of Desolation] being so far northward that it [Land of Desolation] came into the land which had been peopled and been destroyed [Jaredites], of whose bones we have spoken [previously mentioned], which was discovered by the people of Zarahemla [Limhi's 43-man expedition], it [the Land that had been peopled and destroyed, i.e., the Jaredite lands] being the place of their [Jaredites] first landing.
• Know the Relationships Involved—Grace
D&C 93:12-14
And I, John, saw that he received not of the fullness [perfection] at the first, but received grace for* grace. And he received not of the fullness [perfection] at first, but continued from grace to** grace, until he received a fullness [perfection];
* grace for grace is the result of our works
** grace to grace is the result of the gift of God—nothing we can do earns this for us. It is God's free gift to us: "after all you can do, it is the grace of God" that places us on a higher plane so we can continue to grow and develop, receiving grace for grace, then grace to grace, until we reach a fullness [perfection].
(See the next post, “What Did the Prophet Mean? - Part II,” for more information on interpreting what the prophet meant when writing the Book of Mormon).
Maybe I am wrong, but when I read 2 Nephi 3:10-25 I remain unconvinced that the certain Joseph mentioned is actually referring to Joseph Smith.
ReplyDeleteThis Joseph will live "in that day when my work shall commence among all my people, unto the restoring thee, O house of Israel" But Joseph Smith lived during the times of the Gentiles (D&C 109:60) before the prophesied (3 Nephi 16:7-13) SHIFT from Gentile to Israel.
And the promise that "they that seek to destroy him, shall be confounded" does not fit with the martyrdom of Joseph Smith.
The fact that Joseph Smith had the same first name as his father does not prove it is him either, because there is no reason that this could not be true for another prophet.
I think the problem here is the interpretation of the word Gentile. The word Gentile in Hebrew is Goy which means "Other Nation". This has been a real problem in the Church over the last 50 years or so. The so-called scholars in the Church began to interpret that the members were not of the house of Israel. That we are not blood Israel, but are adopted into the House of Israel.
ReplyDeleteWhen reading the BOM you have to keep in mind that the term Gentile is a generic term that just means "other nation". When you insert that term "other nation" when you see gentile, you can see that what Nephi was saying was other people other than the Nephites or Lamanites. So the term means the following in that context: Righteous and/or wicked members of the Church who are Israel, Non-Israelites both wicked and righteous. The term does not distinguish between these groups. You have to put the word in context.
In other words. The members of the Church are identified Israel. They are not non-Israelites that have been adopted in. There is provisions to adopt into Israel but that is not what the bulk of the members that were found through missionary work. They are literally of the blood of Israel.
2 Nephi 3:10-25 is indeed talking about Joseph Smith. Ancient Joseph even tells you how to identify him by his name. But the confusion of the term Gentile that Nephi uses has caused some great confusion in the Church today.