1 Nephi 19
People in this chapter
The ship has landed and the seeds are in the ground. Before Nephi tells us anything else, he stops to explain his record. He made two sets of plates. One holds the history, the kings, and the wars. The other, the one we are reading, holds the more sacred things (v. 5). He also tells us his rule as a writer: I do not write anything upon plates save it be that I think it be sacred (v. 6).
Tap any highlighted phrase to jump to the commentary that unpacks it.
1 Nephi 19:1-6I Do Not Write Anything save It Be Sacred
1And it came to pass that the Lord commanded me, wherefore I did make plates of ore that I might engraven upon them the record of my people. And upon the plates which I made I did engraven the record of my father, and also our journeyings in the wilderness, and the prophecies of my father; and also many of mine own prophecies have I engraven upon them. 2And I knew not at the time when I made them that I should be commanded of the Lord to make these plates; wherefore, the record of my father, and the genealogy of his fathers, and the more part of all our proceedings in the wilderness are engraven upon those first plates of which I have spoken; wherefore, the things which transpired before I made these plates are, of a truth, more particularly made mention upon the first plates.
Nephi made two sets of plates. The first set holds the history of his people. The second, the small plates we are reading, holds the sacred things.
3And after I had made these plates by way of commandment, I, Nephi, received a commandment that the ministry and the prophecies, the more plain and precious parts of them, should be written upon these plates; and that the things which were written should be kept for the instruction of my people, who should possess the land, and also for other wise purposes, which purposes are known unto the Lord. 4Wherefore, I, Nephi, did make a record upon the other plates, which gives an account, or which gives a greater account of the wars and contentions and destructions of my people. And this have I done, and commanded my people what they should do after I was gone; and that these plates should be handed down from one generation to another, or from one prophet to another, until further commandments of the Lord. 5And an account of my making these plates shall be given hereafter; and then, behold, I proceed according to that which I have spoken; and this I do that the more sacred things may be kept for the knowledge of my people.
The large plates hold wars and kings. The small plates hold the more plain and precious things: the ministry and the prophecies. Nephi chose to keep the sacred things.
6Nevertheless, I do not write anything upon plates save it be that I think it be sacred. And now, if I do err, even did they err of old; not that I would excuse myself because of other men, but because of the weakness which is in me, according to the flesh, I would excuse myself.
Nephi admits he might make mistakes, because of the weakness which is in me. A prophet's record can be true and still be written by a human being.
1 Nephi 19:7-10The God of Israel Yieldeth Himself
7For the things which some men esteem to be of great worth, both to the body and soul, others set at naught and trample under their feet. Yea, even the very God of Israel do men trample under their feet; I say, trample under their feet but I would speak in other words—they set him at naught, and hearken not to the voice of his counsels. 8And behold he cometh, according to the words of the angel, in six hundred years from the time my father left Jerusalem.
Some people treasure what others trample. Nephi says people even trample the God of Israel, then softens it: they set him at naught and ignore His counsel.
Nephi gives the timing: the Lord will come six hundred years after Lehi left Jerusalem. The Book of Mormon later records the exact year it was fulfilled.
9And the world, because of their iniquity, shall judge him to be a thing of naught; wherefore they scourge him, and he suffereth it; and they smite him, and he suffereth it. Yea, they spit upon him, and he suffereth it, because of his loving kindness and his long-suffering towards the children of men.
They scourge Him, smite Him, and spit on Him, and three times Nephi says he suffereth it. He allows it, out of love.
10And the God of our fathers, who were led out of Egypt, out of bondage, and also were preserved in the wilderness by him, yea, the God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, yieldeth himself, according to the words of the angel, as a man, into the hands of wicked men, to be lifted up, according to the words of Zenock, and to be crucified, according to the words of Neum, and to be buried in a sepulchre, according to the words of Zenos, which he spake concerning the three days of darkness, which should be a sign given of his death unto those who should inhabit the isles of the sea, more especially given unto those who are of the house of Israel.
Nephi names three prophets from the brass plates, Zenock, Neum, and Zenos, who foretold Christ being lifted up, crucified, and buried. Their books are not in our Bible.
1 Nephi 19:11-17The God of Nature Suffers
11For thus spake the prophet: The Lord God surely shall visit all the house of Israel at that day, some with his voice, because of their righteousness, unto their great joy and salvation, and others with the thunderings and the lightnings of his power, by tempest, by fire, and by smoke, and vapor of darkness, and by the opening of the earth, and by mountains which shall be carried up. 12And all these things must surely come, saith the prophet Zenos. And the rocks of the earth must rend; and because of the groanings of the earth, many of the kings of the isles of the sea shall be wrought upon by the Spirit of God, to exclaim: The God of nature suffers.
Zenos says the Lord will visit all the house of Israel when He dies: some with His voice, others with storms, fire, and earthquakes.
13And as for those who are at Jerusalem, saith the prophet, they shall be scourged by all people, because they crucify the God of Israel, and turn their hearts aside, rejecting signs and wonders, and the power and glory of the God of Israel. 14And because they turn their hearts aside, saith the prophet, and have despised the Holy One of Israel, they shall wander in the flesh, and perish, and become a hiss and a byword, and be hated among all nations.
Zenos foretells suffering for those who are at Jerusalem. But the Book of Mormon never lets this become hatred. The Lord rebukes anyone who despises the Jews.
15Nevertheless, when that day cometh, saith the prophet, that they no more turn aside their hearts against the Holy One of Israel, then will he remember the covenants which he made to their fathers. 16Yea, then will he remember the isles of the sea; yea, and all the people who are of the house of Israel, will I gather in, saith the Lord, according to the words of the prophet Zenos, from the four quarters of the earth. 17Yea, and all the earth shall see the salvation of the Lord, saith the prophet; every nation, kindred, tongue and people shall be blessed.
When Israel stops turning away, the Lord will remember the covenants and gather His people from the four quarters of the earth. Scattering is never the end of the story.
1 Nephi 19:18-24Liken All Scriptures unto Us
18And I, Nephi, have written these things unto my people, that perhaps I might persuade them that they would remember the Lord their Redeemer. 19Wherefore, I speak unto all the house of Israel, if it so be that they should obtain these things.
Nephi tells us why he wrote all of this: to persuade his people to remember the Lord their Redeemer.
20For behold, I have workings in the spirit, which doth weary me even that all my joints are weak, for those who are at Jerusalem; for had not the Lord been merciful, to show unto me concerning them, even as he had prophets of old, I should have perished also. 21And he surely did show unto the prophets of old all things concerning them; and also he did show unto many concerning us; wherefore, it must needs be that we know concerning them for they are written upon the plates of brass.
Nephi feels such strong workings in the spirit for the people of Jerusalem that it wears him out. He loves the people he left behind.
22Now it came to pass that I, Nephi, did teach my brethren these things; and it came to pass that I did read many things to them, which were engraven upon the plates of brass, that they might know concerning the doings of the Lord in other lands, among people of old. 23And I did read many things unto them which were written in the books of Moses; but that I might more fully persuade them to believe in the Lord their Redeemer I did read unto them that which was written by the prophet Isaiah; for I did liken all scriptures unto us, that it might be for our profit and learning.
Nephi read Moses to his brothers, but to more fully persuade them about the Redeemer, he read Isaiah. That is why the next two chapters are Isaiah.
To liken the scriptures means to read them as if they were written to you and to ask what they mean for your life.
24Wherefore I spake unto them, saying: Hear ye the words of the prophet, ye who are a remnant of the house of Israel, a branch who have been broken off; hear ye the words of the prophet, which were written unto all the house of Israel, and liken them unto yourselves, that ye may have hope as well as your brethren from whom ye have been broken off; for after this manner has the prophet written.
Nephi calls his family a branch who have been broken off from Israel. Isaiah's promises to scattered Israel are promises to them too.
Nephi's reason for likening is that ye may have hope. Reading scripture this way is meant to give hope.
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.
- Robert E. Parsons, “The Prophecies of the Prophets”A study of the messianic prophets Nephi draws on in 1 Nephi 19-22: Zenos, Zenock, Neum, and Isaiah. Summarizes what verse 10 credits to each of the three lost prophets.
- Why Did Zenos Quote from Psalm 46 in His Prophecy of Christ’s Death?Zenos's image of mountains which shall be carried up (v. 11) closely matches Psalm 46:2, and the two passages share other parallels. The article explores the link while noting that we cannot know whether Zenos was quoting the psalm.
- Did Prophets Such as Ezekiel Know the Writings of Zenos?Zenos was preserved on the brass plates but not in the Bible. Scholars have argued he lived before Isaiah and Jeremiah, and have looked for traces of his imagery in Ezekiel.
Where this echoes in Scripture
I Do Not Write Anything save It Be Sacred
- 1 Nephi 9:3-5The Lord hath commanded me to make these plates for a wise purpose in him, which purpose I know not.Nephi's first explanation of the two sets of plates.
- 2 Nephi 5:30-32Make other plates; and thou shalt engraven many things upon them which are good in my sight.When the Lord commanded the small plates.
- Jacob 1:2-4A few of the things which I considered to be most precious.Jacob's charge for the same plates.
- Words of Mormon 1:6-7I do this for a wise purpose; for thus it whispereth me.
- D&C 10:38-45Ye shall translate the engravings which are on the plates of Nephi.The wise purpose, revealed to Joseph Smith.
The God of Israel Yieldeth Himself
- Isaiah 50:6I gave my back to the smiters… I hid not my face from shame and spitting.
- John 10:17-18No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself.He suffered it. No one forced Him.
- Mosiah 15:1God himself shall come down among the children of men, and shall redeem his people.Abinadi teaches the same truth.
- Alma 33:15-17Zenock also spake of these things… because the people would not understand his words they stoned him to death.More on Zenock.
- 3 Nephi 1:1It was six hundred years from the time that Lehi left Jerusalem.The year verse 8 pointed to.
The God of Nature Suffers
- Matthew 27:45, 51There was darkness over all the land… and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent.The signs at Jerusalem.
- 3 Nephi 8:20-23It did last for the space of three days that there was no light seen.Zenos's three days of darkness, fulfilled.
- 3 Nephi 10:16The prophet Zenos did testify of these things, and also Zenock spake concerning these things.Mormon points back to these prophets.
- 2 Nephi 29:4-5O ye Gentiles, have ye remembered the Jews, mine ancient covenant people?The Lord rebukes those who despise the Jews.
- D&C 110:11Moses appeared before us, and committed unto us the keys of the gathering of Israel from the four parts of the earth.
Liken All Scriptures unto Us
- 2 Nephi 11:2My soul delighteth in his words. For I will liken his words unto my people.Why Nephi loved Isaiah.
- 2 Nephi 6:5They may be likened unto you, for ye are of the house of Israel.Jacob uses Nephi's method.
- 1 Nephi 15:12Are we not broken off from the house of Israel, and are we not a branch of the house of Israel?
- Romans 15:4Whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we… might have hope.Paul's version of verse 24.
- Jacob 4:4We knew of Christ, and we had a hope of his glory many hundred years before his coming.