1 Nephi: Headnote, Part X
“Nephi’s brethren rebel against him. He confoundeth them, and buildeth a ship. They call the name of the place Bountiful. They cross the large waters into the promised land, and so forth.”
So now we get to the next big conflict: the ship. So why is this significant enough to merit inclusion in the headnote? I believe the significance is twofold. First, we have the contrast that Nephi is working so hard to show us: that between himself and his brothers; and secondly, the necessary backstory for how they “cross[ed] the large waters.” But why in such proximity? I believe that, too, has a dual significance.
The first significance of this arguable conjugate is the obvious one, that of temporal proximity. The “rebellion” Nephi here cites occurs in 1 Nephi 17, immediately following the Lord’s commandment that he build a ship (v.8). So of course, these two things go together. However, these is a greater significance of these two items, especially when coupled with the seemingly out of place middle phrase, “They call the name of the place Bountiful.”
We must remember that Nephi is writing all this, some thirty years after the events. By this point, he is well aware of the brothers’ later separation into two opposing nations (smallness notwithstanding). So what happens in Second Nephi?
Likening the scriptures unto myself:
When I joined the Church, my best friend, Keith, joined with me. We studied the Church together, read the Book of Mormon together, were baptized and confirmed the same night, were ordained to the Priesthood the same day. Eventually, we were each ordained to the Melchizedek Priesthood and called on stake missions. But one day, something changed: Keith came to my house with a sadness in his eyes. He told me we couldn’t be friends anymore, and disappeared from my life. Years later, Anna and I sought him out and found him at work. The sadness in his eyes had turned to hatred, and I expect it was expressly because he was at work that no altercation ensued.
Keith is the closest thing to a brother I’ve ever had, I to be honest, I still love him that way. But much like Nephi’s elder brothers, my elder brother “rebelled against me” for reasons I still can’t even begin to understand—and yet I’ve remained faithful. Perhaps not as faithful as Nephi—have I built the “ship” the Lord wants me to? Have I “crossed the great waters” of my life?—but I’m still here, still trying to serve the Lord, and still missing my big brother immensely, even 16 years later. I can only imagine how Nephi missed his brothers, who were probably even closer to him than Keith was, to me.
The first significance of this arguable conjugate is the obvious one, that of temporal proximity. The “rebellion” Nephi here cites occurs in 1 Nephi 17, immediately following the Lord’s commandment that he build a ship (v.8). So of course, these two things go together. However, these is a greater significance of these two items, especially when coupled with the seemingly out of place middle phrase, “They call the name of the place Bountiful.”
We must remember that Nephi is writing all this, some thirty years after the events. By this point, he is well aware of the brothers’ later separation into two opposing nations (smallness notwithstanding). So what happens in Second Nephi?
- Brothers rebel against Nephi? Check.
- Nephites escape to a place called Bountiful? Check.
- And where does this all happen? The Promised Land—the very place they were trying to get.
Likening the scriptures unto myself:
When I joined the Church, my best friend, Keith, joined with me. We studied the Church together, read the Book of Mormon together, were baptized and confirmed the same night, were ordained to the Priesthood the same day. Eventually, we were each ordained to the Melchizedek Priesthood and called on stake missions. But one day, something changed: Keith came to my house with a sadness in his eyes. He told me we couldn’t be friends anymore, and disappeared from my life. Years later, Anna and I sought him out and found him at work. The sadness in his eyes had turned to hatred, and I expect it was expressly because he was at work that no altercation ensued.
Keith is the closest thing to a brother I’ve ever had, I to be honest, I still love him that way. But much like Nephi’s elder brothers, my elder brother “rebelled against me” for reasons I still can’t even begin to understand—and yet I’ve remained faithful. Perhaps not as faithful as Nephi—have I built the “ship” the Lord wants me to? Have I “crossed the great waters” of my life?—but I’m still here, still trying to serve the Lord, and still missing my big brother immensely, even 16 years later. I can only imagine how Nephi missed his brothers, who were probably even closer to him than Keith was, to me.
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