1 Nephi 11
People in this chapter
Chapter 10 ended with Nephi wanting to see, and hear, and know what his father saw. Chapter 11 is the answer. Nephi sits pondering, and the Spirit carries him to a mountain he has never seen. The first thing he is asked is not a test of knowledge. It is a question about his heart: What desirest thou?
What follows is one of the great visions of scripture. Lehi's dream comes back, scene by scene: the tree, the rod of iron, the fountain, the great and spacious building. But this time each symbol is explained, and every explanation leads to Jesus Christ.
Tap any highlighted phrase to jump to the commentary that unpacks it.
1 Nephi 11:1-7What Desirest Thou?
1For it came to pass after I had desired to know the things that my father had seen, and believing that the Lord was able to make them known unto me, as I sat pondering in mine heart I was caught away in the Spirit of the Lord, yea, into an exceedingly high mountain, which I never had before seen, and upon which I never had before set my foot.
Nephi desired, believed, and then sat pondering in mine heart. That is when the revelation came. The pattern still works.
2And the Spirit said unto me: Behold, what desirest thou? 3And I said: I desire to behold the things which my father saw. 4And the Spirit said unto me: Believest thou that thy father saw the tree of which he hath spoken? 5And I said: Yea, thou knowest that I believe all the words of my father.
The Spirit asks two questions: what do you want, and do you believe? Nephi says he wants to see what his father saw, and that he believes all his father's words.
6And when I had spoken these words, the Spirit cried with a loud voice, saying: Hosanna to the Lord, the most high God; for he is God over all the earth, yea, even above all. And blessed art thou, Nephi, because thou believest in the Son of the most high God; wherefore, thou shalt behold the things which thou hast desired. 7And behold this thing shall be given unto thee for a sign, that after thou hast beheld the tree which bore the fruit which thy father tasted, thou shalt also behold a man descending out of heaven, and him shall ye witness; and after ye have witnessed him ye shall bear record that it is the Son of God.
When Nephi says he believes, the Spirit shouts Hosanna. Nephi is blessed for believing in the Son of the most high God, and he is promised he will see that Son come down from heaven.
1 Nephi 11:8-12The Tree Which Is Precious above All
8And it came to pass that the Spirit said unto me: Look! And I looked and beheld a tree; and it was like unto the tree which my father had seen; and the beauty thereof was far beyond, yea, exceeding of all beauty; and the whiteness thereof did exceed the whiteness of the driven snow. 9And it came to pass after I had seen the tree, I said unto the Spirit: I behold thou hast shown unto me the tree which is precious above all.
Nephi sees the tree his father saw. It is beautiful beyond all beauty and whiter than snow, and Nephi calls it precious above all.
10And he said unto me: What desirest thou? 11And I said unto him: To know the interpretation thereof—for I spake unto him as a man speaketh; for I beheld that he was in the form of a man; yet nevertheless, I knew that it was the Spirit of the Lord; and he spake unto me as a man speaketh with another. 12And it came to pass that he said unto me: Look! And I looked as if to look upon him, and I saw him not; for he had gone from before my presence.
Nephi asks what the tree means. He sees that the Spirit of the Lord is in the form of a man and speaks to him as a man speaketh with another. Then the Spirit leaves, and the lesson begins.
1 Nephi 11:13-23Knowest Thou the Condescension of God?
13And it came to pass that I looked and beheld the great city of Jerusalem, and also other cities. And I beheld the city of Nazareth; and in the city of Nazareth I beheld a virgin, and she was exceedingly fair and white. 14And it came to pass that I saw the heavens open; and an angel came down and stood before me; and he said unto me: Nephi, what beholdest thou? 15And I said unto him: A virgin, most beautiful and fair above all other virgins.
Nephi asked about a tree. He is shown a young woman in Nazareth instead. She is a virgin, and the most beautiful Nephi has ever seen.
16And he said unto me: Knowest thou the condescension of God? 17And I said unto him: I know that he loveth his children; nevertheless, I do not know the meaning of all things.
Nephi gives an honest answer: I know that he loveth his children; nevertheless, I do not know the meaning of all things. He holds on to what he knows and admits what he doesn't.
18And he said unto me: Behold, the virgin whom thou seest is the mother of the Son of God, after the manner of the flesh. 19And it came to pass that I beheld that she was carried away in the Spirit; and after she had been carried away in the Spirit for the space of a time the angel spake unto me, saying: Look! 20And I looked and beheld the virgin again, bearing a child in her arms.
21And the angel said unto me: Behold the Lamb of God, yea, even the Son of the Eternal Father! Knowest thou the meaning of the tree which thy father saw?
22And I answered him, saying: Yea, it is the love of God, which sheddeth itself abroad in the hearts of the children of men; wherefore, it is the most desirable above all things. 23And he spake unto me, saying: Yea, and the most joyous to the soul.
1 Nephi 11:24-31The Son of God Going Forth among the Children of Men
24And after he had said these words, he said unto me: Look! And I looked, and I beheld the Son of God going forth among the children of men; and I saw many fall down at his feet and worship him. 25And it came to pass that I beheld that the rod of iron, which my father had seen, was the word of God, which led to the fountain of living waters, or to the tree of life; which waters are a representation of the love of God; and I also beheld that the tree of life was a representation of the love of God.
The rod of iron is the word of God, and it leads to the tree. The fountain of living waters and the tree both represent the love of God.
26And the angel said unto me again: Look and behold the condescension of God! 27And I looked and beheld the Redeemer of the world, of whom my father had spoken; and I also beheld the prophet who should prepare the way before him. And the Lamb of God went forth and was baptized of him; and after he was baptized, I beheld the heavens open, and the Holy Ghost come down out of heaven and abide upon him in the form of a dove. 28And I beheld that he went forth ministering unto the people, in power and great glory; and the multitudes were gathered together to hear him; and I beheld that they cast him out from among them. 29And I also beheld twelve others following him. And it came to pass that they were carried away in the Spirit from before my face, and I saw them not.
The angel says again, Behold the condescension of God! Nephi sees Jesus baptized by John, the Holy Ghost descending like a dove, the crowds gathering, the people casting Him out, and twelve following Him.
30And it came to pass that the angel spake unto me again, saying: Look! And I looked, and I beheld the heavens open again, and I saw angels descending upon the children of men; and they did minister unto them. 31And he spake unto me again, saying: Look! And I looked, and I beheld the Lamb of God going forth among the children of men. And I beheld multitudes of people who were sick, and who were afflicted with all manner of diseases, and with devils and unclean spirits; and the angel spake and showed all these things unto me. And they were healed by the power of the Lamb of God; and the devils and the unclean spirits were cast out.
Nephi sees angels ministering to people, and multitudes who were sick or troubled by evil spirits healed by the power of the Lamb of God.
1 Nephi 11:32-33Lifted Up upon the Cross
32And it came to pass that the angel spake unto me again, saying: Look! And I looked and beheld the Lamb of God, that he was taken by the people; yea, the Son of the everlasting God was judged of the world; and I saw and bear record. 33And I, Nephi, saw that he was lifted up upon the cross and slain for the sins of the world.
Nephi says, I saw and bear record. He is keeping the promise of verse 7: he saw the Son of God, and now he testifies of Him.
1 Nephi 11:34-36The Pride of the World
34And after he was slain I saw the multitudes of the earth, that they were gathered together to fight against the apostles of the Lamb; for thus were the twelve called by the angel of the Lord. 35And the multitude of the earth was gathered together; and I beheld that they were in a large and spacious building, like unto the building which my father saw. And the angel of the Lord spake unto me again, saying: Behold the world and the wisdom thereof; yea, behold the house of Israel hath gathered together to fight against the twelve apostles of the Lamb. 36And it came to pass that I saw and bear record, that the great and spacious building was the pride of the world; and it fell, and the fall thereof was exceedingly great. And the angel of the Lord spake unto me again, saying: Thus shall be the destruction of all nations, kindreds, tongues, and people, that shall fight against the twelve apostles of the Lamb.
After the Savior's death, the world gathers to fight against His Apostles. They gather in the great and spacious building from Lehi's dream, which is the world and the wisdom thereof.
The building is the pride of the world, and it falls. Every nation that fights against the Lamb's Apostles will fall the same way.
Research trail
Sources & further study
These references support the historical, linguistic, manuscript, and contextual notes in this chapter. Scripture remains the primary text; external sources are provided so readers can inspect the research directly.
- What Does the Virgin Mary Have to Do with the Tree of Life?Summarizes Daniel C. Peterson's observation that the words describing the virgin in verses 13-15 echo the words describing the tree in verses 8-9, and that a tree bearing fruit and a mother bearing a child are parallel images.
- Why Didn't Nephi Mention Mary's Name?Explores a proposed wordplay: an Egyptian root possibly behind the name Mary means "beloved" or "desired," and "love" and "desirable" come together in verse 22.
- Why Were Lehi and Nephi Guided by Angelic Escorts in Their Visions?On the heavenly guides in Nephi's vision: the Spirit of the Lord "in the form of a man" (v. 11) and then an angel who asks questions and points out each scene, a common feature of ancient visions.
- Printer's Manuscript of the Book of Mormon, page 16The 1829 printer's manuscript of this part of the chapter, with the original reading of verse 18, "the Mother of God after the manner of the flesh."
Where this echoes in Scripture
What Desirest Thou?
- D&C 138:11As I pondered over these things which are written, the eyes of my understanding were opened.Another vision that came while pondering.
- Moses 1:1-2Moses was caught up into an exceedingly high mountain, and he saw God face to face.The same setting for another great vision.
- Psalm 118:25-26Save now, I beseech thee, O LORD… Blessed be he that cometh in the name of the LORD.The psalm behind "Hosanna."
- Matthew 21:9Hosanna to the Son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest.
- Revelation 21:10He carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain.John's vision begins the same way.
The Tree Which Is Precious above All
- 1 Nephi 8:10-11A tree, whose fruit was desirable to make one happy… white, to exceed all the whiteness that I had ever seen.Lehi's description of the same tree.
- Matthew 17:2His face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light.
- Ether 3:15-16This body, which ye now behold, is the body of my spirit.The premortal Lord showed Himself to the brother of Jared as a spirit in the form of a man.
- D&C 130:22The Holy Ghost has not a body of flesh and bones, but is a personage of Spirit.
Knowest Thou the Condescension of God?
- Luke 1:26-27, 35To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph… that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.The same moment, told by Luke.
- Isaiah 7:14Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.
- Alma 7:10He shall be born of Mary… she being a virgin, a precious and chosen vessel.Alma names the virgin Nephi saw.
- John 3:16God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son.The love of God, in one verse.
- Philippians 2:6-8Took upon him the form of a servant… and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.Paul's description of the condescension.
The Son of God Going Forth among the Children of Men
- Matthew 3:16-17He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove… This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
- John 1:1, 14In the beginning was the Word… And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us.Jesus Christ, the living Word of God.
- Jeremiah 2:13They have forsaken me the fountain of living waters.
- Alma 7:11-12He will take upon him the pains and the sicknesses of his people… that he may know… how to succor his people.
- 1 Nephi 1:10He also saw twelve others following him.Lehi saw the same twelve.
Lifted Up upon the Cross
- 3 Nephi 27:14My Father sent me that I might be lifted up upon the cross… that I might draw all men unto me.The risen Lord uses Nephi's words.
- John 3:14-15As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up.
- Isaiah 53:5, 7He was wounded for our transgressions… he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter.
- 2 Nephi 25:26We talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ.
The Pride of the World
- 1 Nephi 8:26-28A great and spacious building… in the attitude of mocking and pointing their fingers.The building in Lehi's dream.
- Matthew 7:26-27A foolish man, which built his house upon the sand… it fell: and great was the fall of it.
- Acts 5:40-41They departed… rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name.The Apostles facing the world.
- 1 Corinthians 3:19The wisdom of this world is foolishness with God.
- Helaman 5:12It is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation.The foundation the building lacked.