Enos 1
People in this chapter
Enos wrote only one chapter, and it may be the most personal prayer in the Book of Mormon. He was a son of Jacob, the brother of Nephi. He grew up hearing his father speak concerning eternal life, and the joy of the saints (v. 3). One day, alone in the forest, those words sunk deep into his heart, and he knelt.
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Enos 1:1-4My Soul Hungered
1Behold, it came to pass that I, Enos, knowing my father that he was a just man—for he taught me in his language, and also in the nurture and admonition of the Lord—and blessed be the name of my God for it— 2And I will tell you of the wrestle which I had before God, before I received a remission of my sins.
Enos begins by thanking God for his father, Jacob. Jacob was a just man who taught his son about the Lord.
Enos calls his prayer a wrestle. It was long and hard, and it happened before he was forgiven.
3Behold, I went to hunt beasts in the forests; and the words which I had often heard my father speak concerning eternal life, and the joy of the saints, sunk deep into my heart. 4And my soul hungered; and I kneeled down before my Maker, and I cried unto him in mighty prayer and supplication for mine own soul; and all the day long did I cry unto him; yea, and when the night came I did still raise my voice high that it reached the heavens.
Enos went hunting, and while he was alone, his father's teachings about eternal life and joy sunk deep into his heart.
Enos was spiritually hungry. He knelt and prayed all day, and when night came he kept praying.
Enos 1:5-8Lord, How Is It Done?
5And there came a voice unto me, saying: Enos, thy sins are forgiven thee, and thou shalt be blessed. 6And I, Enos, knew that God could not lie; wherefore, my guilt was swept away.
God told Enos his sins were forgiven. Enos believed Him, because God cannot lie, and his guilt was gone.
7And I said: Lord, how is it done? 8And he said unto me: Because of thy faith in Christ, whom thou hast never before heard nor seen. And many years pass away before he shall manifest himself in the flesh; wherefore, go to, thy faith hath made thee whole.
Enos 1:9-18I Did Pour Out My Whole Soul unto God for Them
9Now, it came to pass that when I had heard these words I began to feel a desire for the welfare of my brethren, the Nephites; wherefore, I did pour out my whole soul unto God for them. 10And while I was thus struggling in the spirit, behold, the voice of the Lord came into my mind again, saying: I will visit thy brethren according to their diligence in keeping my commandments. I have given unto them this land, and it is a holy land; and I curse it not save it be for the cause of iniquity; wherefore, I will visit thy brethren according as I have said; and their transgressions will I bring down with sorrow upon their own heads. 11And after I, Enos, had heard these words, my faith began to be unshaken in the Lord; and I prayed unto him with many long strugglings for my brethren, the Lamanites. 12And it came to pass that after I had prayed and labored with all diligence, the Lord said unto me: I will grant unto thee according to thy desires, because of thy faith.
Once Enos was forgiven, he started to care about other people. He prayed with all his soul for the Nephites.
Then Enos prayed for the Lamanites, the people who were his enemies. The Lord promised to grant his desires because of his faith.
13And now behold, this was the desire which I desired of him—that if it should so be, that my people, the Nephites, should fall into transgression, and by any means be destroyed, and the Lamanites should not be destroyed, that the Lord God would preserve a record of my people, the Nephites; even if it so be by the power of his holy arm, that it might be brought forth at some future day unto the Lamanites, that, perhaps, they might be brought unto salvation— 14For at the present our strugglings were vain in restoring them to the true faith. And they swore in their wrath that, if it were possible, they would destroy our records and us, and also all the traditions of our fathers. 15Wherefore, I knowing that the Lord God was able to preserve our records, I cried unto him continually, for he had said unto me: Whatsoever thing ye shall ask in faith, believing that ye shall receive in the name of Christ, ye shall receive it. 16And I had faith, and I did cry unto God that he would preserve the records; and he covenanted with me that he would bring them forth unto the Lamanites in his own due time. 17And I, Enos, knew it would be according to the covenant which he had made; wherefore my soul did rest. 18And the Lord said unto me: Thy fathers have also required of me this thing; and it shall be done unto them according to their faith; for their faith was like unto thine.
Enos asked God to keep the Nephite record safe so that it could someday reach the Lamanites, even if the Nephites were destroyed.
God made a covenant with Enos to bring the record to the Lamanites in His own time. Enos trusted that promise, and his soul was at rest.
Enos 1:19-24Exceedingly Great Plainness of Speech
19And now it came to pass that I, Enos, went about among the people of Nephi, prophesying of things to come, and testifying of the things which I had heard and seen. 20And I bear record that the people of Nephi did seek diligently to restore the Lamanites unto the true faith in God. But our labors were vain; their hatred was fixed, and they were led by their evil nature that they became wild, and ferocious, and a blood-thirsty people, full of idolatry and filthiness; feeding upon beasts of prey; dwelling in tents, and wandering about in the wilderness with a short skin girdle about their loins and their heads shaven; and their skill was in the bow, and in the cimeter, and the ax. And many of them did eat nothing save it was raw meat; and they were continually seeking to destroy us. 21And it came to pass that the people of Nephi did till the land, and raise all manner of grain, and of fruit, and flocks of herds, and flocks of all manner of cattle of every kind, and goats, and wild goats, and also many horses.
Enos spent his life preaching about what he had heard and seen. The Nephites kept trying to reach the Lamanites, even when it did not work.
22And there were exceedingly many prophets among us. And the people were a stiffnecked people, hard to understand. 23And there was nothing save it was exceeding harshness, preaching and prophesying of wars, and contentions, and destructions, and continually reminding them of death, and the duration of eternity, and the judgments and the power of God, and all these things—stirring them up continually to keep them in the fear of the Lord. I say there was nothing short of these things, and exceedingly great plainness of speech, would keep them from going down speedily to destruction. And after this manner do I write concerning them. 24And I saw wars between the Nephites and Lamanites in the course of my days.
The Nephites were stubborn. The prophets had to speak very plainly and warn them often to keep them from destruction.
Enos 1:25-27I Shall See His Face with Pleasure
25And it came to pass that I began to be old, and an hundred and seventy and nine years had passed away from the time that our father Lehi left Jerusalem. 26And I saw that I must soon go down to my grave, having been wrought upon by the power of God that I must preach and prophesy unto this people, and declare the word according to the truth which is in Christ. And I have declared it in all my days, and have rejoiced in it above that of the world.
Enos is old now. He has preached the truth about Christ his whole life, and it has made him happier than anything the world could give.
27And I soon go to the place of my rest, which is with my Redeemer; for I know that in him I shall rest. And I rejoice in the day when my mortal shall put on immortality, and shall stand before him; then shall I see his face with pleasure, and he will say unto me: Come unto me, ye blessed, there is a place prepared for you in the mansions of my Father. Amen.
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.
- Enos, Son of JacobA short entry on Enos and the book that bears his name.
- How Did Enos Liken the Scriptures to His Own Life?Scholars explore parallels between Enos's wrestle and the story of his ancestor Jacob, who wrestled until he received a blessing (Genesis 32).
- PrayerHow to pray to Heavenly Father in the name of Jesus Christ, with sincerity and real intent.
- RepentanceHow forgiveness comes through faith in Jesus Christ and sincere repentance.
Where this echoes in Scripture
My Soul Hungered
- Jacob 7:27I said unto my son Enos: Take these plates.Jacob hands the record to Enos.
- Ephesians 6:4Bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.
- Genesis 32:24-26I will not let thee go, except thou bless me.The first Jacob wrestles until he is blessed.
- Luke 18:1Men ought always to pray, and not to faint.
- Alma 34:27Let your hearts be full, drawn out in prayer unto him continually.
Lord, How Is It Done?
- Mosiah 3:13Whosoever should believe that Christ should come, the same might receive remission of their sins.
- Mark 5:34Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace.
- 1 Peter 1:8Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice.
- D&C 58:42He who has repented of his sins, the same is forgiven, and I, the Lord, remember them no more.
I Did Pour Out My Whole Soul unto God for Them
- D&C 10:46-48Their faith... that my gospel... might come unto their brethren the Lamanites.The Lord confirms that the Nephite prophets prayed for this.
- Matthew 5:44Love your enemies, bless them that curse you... and pray for them which despitefully use you.
- Mosiah 28:3They could not bear that any human soul should perish.
- 3 Nephi 18:20Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, which is right, believing that ye shall receive, behold it shall be given unto you.
- Mormon 5:12They are to be hid up unto the Lord that they may come forth in his own due time.
Exceedingly Great Plainness of Speech
- Jarom 1:10-12They did prick their hearts with the word, continually stirring them up unto repentance.
- Helaman 15:12-13They shall again be brought to the true knowledge, which is the knowledge of their Redeemer.Samuel's later prophecy for the Lamanites.
- 2 Nephi 25:26We talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ.