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 pla...