2 Nephi 3
People in this chapter
Lehi's last son was born in the hardest years of the desert journey, in the days of my greatest sorrow (v. 1). Lehi named him Joseph, the name of the ancestor whose prophecy he is about to quote.
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2 Nephi 3:1-5Joseph Truly Saw Our Day
1And now I speak unto you, Joseph, my last-born. Thou wast born in the wilderness of mine afflictions; yea, in the days of my greatest sorrow did thy mother bear thee. 2And may the Lord consecrate also unto thee this land, which is a most precious land, for thine inheritance and the inheritance of thy seed with thy brethren, for thy security forever, if it so be that ye shall keep the commandments of the Holy One of Israel. 3And now, Joseph, my last-born, whom I have brought out of the wilderness of mine afflictions, may the Lord bless thee forever, for thy seed shall not utterly be destroyed.
Joseph was born in the days of my greatest sorrow, during the hardest part of the journey. Now Lehi blesses him with a share of the promised land and a promise that his descendants will not be destroyed.
4For behold, thou art the fruit of my loins; and I am a descendant of Joseph who was carried captive into Egypt. And great were the covenants of the Lord which he made unto Joseph. 5Wherefore, Joseph truly saw our day. And he obtained a promise of the Lord, that out of the fruit of his loins the Lord God would raise up a righteous branch unto the house of Israel; not the Messiah, but a branch which was to be broken off, nevertheless, to be remembered in the covenants of the Lord that the Messiah should be made manifest unto them in the latter days, in the spirit of power, unto the bringing of them out of darkness unto light—yea, out of hidden darkness and out of captivity unto freedom.
Lehi descends from Joseph, who was sold into Egypt. That Joseph truly saw our day and was promised that a branch of his family would be broken off and remembered in the last days. Lehi's family is that branch.
Jacob called Joseph a fruitful bough whose branches run over the wall. Lehi's family is one of those branches, broken off and carried far away, but not forgotten.
2 Nephi 3:6-11A Choice Seer Will I Raise Up
6For Joseph truly testified, saying: A seer shall the Lord my God raise up, who shall be a choice seer unto the fruit of my loins. 7Yea, Joseph truly said: Thus saith the Lord unto me: A choice seer will I raise up out of the fruit of thy loins; and he shall be esteemed highly among the fruit of thy loins. And unto him will I give commandment that he shall do a work for the fruit of thy loins, his brethren, which shall be of great worth unto them, even to the bringing of them to the knowledge of the covenants which I have made with thy fathers.
Joseph of Egypt foresaw a choice seer, raised up from his own descendants. That seer is Joseph Smith, the Prophet of the Restoration.
The seer's work is to bring Joseph's descendants to the knowledge of the covenants the Lord made with their fathers. The Restoration is about covenants.
8And I will give unto him a commandment that he shall do none other work, save the work which I shall command him. And I will make him great in mine eyes; for he shall do my work. 9And he shall be great like unto Moses, whom I have said I would raise up unto you, to deliver my people, O house of Israel. 10And Moses will I raise up, to deliver thy people out of the land of Egypt. 11But a seer will I raise up out of the fruit of thy loins; and unto him will I give power to bring forth my word unto the seed of thy loins—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.
The seer will be great like unto Moses. Moses delivered Israel from Egypt and received the law. The latter-day seer will bring forth the Lord's word and help gather Israel again.
2 Nephi 3:12-16They Shall Grow Together
12Wherefore, the fruit of thy loins shall write; and the fruit of the loins of Judah shall write; and that which shall be written by the fruit of thy loins, and also that which shall be written by the fruit of the loins of Judah, shall grow together, unto the confounding of false doctrines and laying down of contentions, and establishing peace among the fruit of thy loins, and bringing them to the knowledge of their fathers in the latter days, and also to the knowledge of my covenants, saith the Lord.
Joseph's descendants will write (the Book of Mormon), and Judah's descendants will write (the Bible). The two records will grow together to confound false doctrine and bring peace.
13And 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. 14And thus prophesied Joseph, saying: Behold, that seer will the Lord bless; and they that seek to destroy him shall be confounded; for this promise, which I have obtained of the Lord, of the fruit of my loins, shall be fulfilled. Behold, I am sure of the fulfilling of this promise; 15And his name shall be called after me; and it shall be after the name of his father. And he shall be like unto me; for the thing, which the Lord shall bring forth by his hand, by the power of the Lord shall bring my people unto salvation. 16Yea, thus prophesied Joseph: I am sure of this thing, even as I am sure of the promise of Moses; for the Lord hath said unto me, I will preserve thy seed forever.
The seer would be made strong out of weakness. Joseph Smith was a farm boy with little schooling. His enemies killed him, but they could not destroy the work.
Joseph of Egypt even foresaw the seer's name: Joseph, the same as his father's. Joseph Smith Jr. was named after his father, Joseph Smith Sr.
2 Nephi 3:17-25As If They Had Cried from the Dust
17And 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 tongue, that he shall speak much, for I will not make him mighty in speaking. But I will write unto him my law, by the finger of mine own hand; and I will make a spokesman for him. 18And the Lord said unto me also: I will raise up unto the fruit of thy loins; and I will make for him a spokesman. And I, behold, I will give unto him that he shall write the writing of the fruit of thy loins, unto the fruit of thy loins; and the spokesman of thy loins shall declare it.
Moses was not a strong speaker, so the Lord gave him Aaron as a spokesman. Joseph's prophecy says the same pattern will happen again: one writes, and a spokesman declares it.
19And the words which he shall write shall be the words which are expedient in my wisdom should go forth unto the fruit of thy loins. And it shall be as if the fruit of thy loins had cried unto them from the dust; for I know their faith. 20And they shall cry from the dust; yea, even repentance unto their brethren, even after many generations have gone by them. And it shall come to pass that their cry shall go, even according to the simpleness of their words. 21Because of their faith their words shall proceed forth out of my mouth unto their brethren who are the fruit of thy loins; and the weakness of their words will I make strong in their faith, unto the remembering of my covenant which I made unto thy fathers. 22And now, behold, my son Joseph, after this manner did my father of old prophesy.
The record of Joseph's descendants will speak as if… from the dust, like a voice from the grave. The words are simple, but the Lord makes them strong.
23Wherefore, because of this covenant thou art blessed; for thy seed shall not be destroyed, for they shall hearken unto the words of the book. 24And there shall rise up one mighty among them, who 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, and unto the seed of thy brethren. 25And now, blessed art thou, Joseph. Behold, thou art little; 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.
Lehi brings the prophecy home to his son. Joseph's descendants will hearken to the book, and one mighty among them will bring restoration. Joseph is still little, so Lehi asks him to listen to Nephi and remember his father.
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.
- How Lehi Likened the Scriptures to HimselfCompares Lehi's quotation of Joseph of Egypt (vv. 6-21) with the Joseph Smith Translation of Genesis 50:24-38 and shows how Lehi applied the prophecy to his own descendants.
- Should 2 Nephi 1:1-4:12 Be Called the “Testament of Lehi”?Places Lehi's deathbed blessings, including this one, alongside Jacob's blessings in Genesis 49 and ancient Jewish “testaments” of dying patriarchs.
- Why Is Lehi Depicted as Similar to Moses?Opens with verses 9-10 and traces how Lehi's farewell draws on Moses' last words in Deuteronomy.
Where this echoes in Scripture
Joseph Truly Saw Our Day
- Genesis 49:22-26Joseph is a fruitful bough, even a fruitful bough by a well; whose branches run over the wall.Jacob's blessing on Joseph, which Lehi's family fulfills.
- 1 Nephi 5:14My father, Lehi, also found upon the plates of brass a genealogy of his fathers; wherefore he knew that he was a descendant of Joseph.
- Alma 10:3Lehi, who came out of the land of Jerusalem, who was a descendant of Manasseh, who was the son of Joseph who was sold into Egypt.
- JST Genesis 50:24-38A seer shall the Lord my God raise up, who shall be a choice seer unto the fruit of my loins.The same prophecy, restored to Genesis through Joseph Smith.
- 3 Nephi 21:7It shall be a sign unto them, that they may know that the work of the Father hath already commenced.
A Choice Seer Will I Raise Up
- Mosiah 8:13-17A seer is greater than a prophet… a seer is a revelator and a prophet also.What a seer is, in the Book of Mormon's own words.
- D&C 21:1Thou shalt be called a seer, a translator, a prophet, an apostle of Jesus Christ.The Lord's words to Joseph Smith on the day the Church was organized.
- D&C 110:11Moses appeared before us, and committed unto us the keys of the gathering of Israel.Moses gives the latter-day seer the keys of the gathering.
- Deuteronomy 18:15The Lord thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee… like unto me.Moses' own prophecy of a prophet like him, fulfilled in Christ (Acts 3:20-23).
- Joseph Smith—History 1:33-34God had a work for me to do… There was a book deposited, written upon gold plates.
They Shall Grow Together
- Ezekiel 37:15-17Write upon it, For Judah… For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim… and they shall become one in thine hand.
- 1 Nephi 13:39-41These last records… shall establish the truth of the first… and shall make known the plain and precious things which have been taken away.Nephi saw the same two records growing together.
- D&C 1:19The weak things of the world shall come forth and break down the mighty and strong ones.
- D&C 122:1The ends of the earth shall inquire after thy name, and fools shall have thee in derision.
- Ether 12:27Then will I make weak things become strong unto them.
As If They Had Cried from the Dust
- Exodus 4:10-16I am slow of speech… Is not Aaron the Levite thy brother? I know that he can speak well… he shall be thy spokesman.
- Isaiah 29:4Thy speech shall be low out of the dust, and thy voice shall be, as of one that hath a familiar spirit, out of the ground.
- Moroni 10:27Did I not declare my words unto you, which were written by this man, like as one crying from the dead, yea, even as one speaking out of the dust?
- Ether 12:23-27Lord, the Gentiles will mock at these things, because of our weakness in writing… my grace is sufficient for the meek.Moroni's worry about weak words, and the Lord's answer.
- D&C 100:9-11You, my servant Sidney, should be a spokesman unto this people… even to be a spokesman unto my servant Joseph.The Lord later appoints a spokesman for Joseph Smith.