List of Book of Mormon’s Masculine Power Verses
Some of the following verses are modified into Plain English (emphasis added):
D&C 39:12:
… power shall rest upon you; you shall have great faith, and I will be with you and go before your face.
2 Nephi 31:20:
… press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope ... Wherefore, … press forward, … and endure …
Ether 14:12:
And it came to pass that he fought with Lib, in which Lib did smite upon his arm that he was wounded; nevertheless, the army of Coriantumr did press forward upon Lib, that he fled to the borders upon the seashore.
Mormon 2: 23-27:
And it came to pass that I did speak unto my people, and did urge them with great energy, that they would stand boldly before the Lamanites and fight for their wives, and their children, and their houses, and their homes.
24 And my words did arouse them somewhat to vigor, insomuch that they did not flee from before the Lamanites, but did stand with boldness against them. And it came to pass that we did contend with an army of thirty thousand against an army of fifty thousand. … we did stand before them with such firmness that they did flee from before us.
… when they had fled we did pursue them with our armies, and did meet them again, and did beat them; nevertheless the strength of the Lord was not with us; yea, we were left to ourselves, that the Spirit of the Lord did not abide in us; therefore we had become weak like unto our brethren. And my heart did sorrow because of this the great calamity of my people, because of their wickedness and their abominations. But behold, we did go forth against the Lamanites and the robbers of Gadianton, until we had again taken possession of the lands of our inheritance.
Book of Moses 1: 20, 25-26:
"[Moses,] calling upon God, he received strength, … And calling upon the name of God, he beheld [God's] glory again, for it was upon him; and he heard a voice, saying: Blessed are you, Moses, for I, the Almighty [the Deity/Supreme Power], have chosen you, and you shall be made stronger than many waters; for they shall obey your command as if you were God. And lo, I am with you, even unto the end of your days; for you shall deliver my people from bondage, even Israel my chosen.
Joseph Smith’s Bible Translation (the JST) of Genesis 14:27-31:
And thus, having been approved of God, he was ordained an high priest after the order of the covenant which God made with Enoch … It being after the order of the Son of God; … For God having sworn unto Enoch and unto his seed with an oath by himself; that every one being ordained after this order and calling should have power, by faith, to break mountains, to divide the seas, to dry up waters, to turn them out of their course; To put at defiance the armies of nations, to divide the earth, to break every band, to stand in the presence of God; to do all things according to his will, according to his command, subdue principalities and powers; and this by the will of the Son of God which was from before the foundation of the world.
Moses 7: 13:
And so great was the faith of Enoch that he led the people of God, and their enemies came to battle against them; and he spake the word of the Lord, and the earth trembled, and the mountains fled, even according to his command; and the drivers of water were turned out of their course; and the roar of the lions was heard out of the wilderness; and all nations feared greatly, so powerful was the word of Enoch, and so great was the power of the language which God had given him.
Ephesians 3:16 (RBT):
That He may give you on the basis of the riches of His glory to become strong by means of power through His Spirit in your inner being.
Up to 2 Nephi 9, I will be quoting from the Book of Mormon published by the Utah-based LDS Church. However after this, I will be quoting from a modernized version of The Book of Mormon by measuringdoctrine.org (November 2019 Edition). Note that when I got to the book of Enos I started using Hebrew Wars Over Christ in America, due to its even better plain english version.
Re-reading the Book of Mormon from a Emerging Paradigm (or Metaphorical or Sacramental Paradigm) and using The Book of Mormon Modern Expansion Theory, I could see that Joseph Smith in many ways encourages a Muscular Christianity. Smith’s Christianity is not the watered down and often emasculating version of many Progressive Christianites today. Rather than merely a text encouraging “niceness,” it calls on men to be manly and courageous. As I read through beginning chapters, 1st and 2nd Nephi, I found myself feeling inspired and empowered by the words and images of the text. Nephi follows what Joseph Campbell called the hero's journey cycle. So by connecting to the energy of the character of Nephi (who is in my view in part Joseph Smith’s alter ego) you can feel motivated to undergo your own hero’s journey.
After finishing these two chapters I watched a video where a Christian talked about cowards and complainers versus creators and cultivators. It occurred to me that the story of 1 and 2 Nephi is about the creative cultivator Nephi overcoming the cowardly complainers (Laman and Lemuel) who stand in the way of Nephi’s ambitious and constructive antifragile spirit. What I see in the text is Joseph Smith expressing his unstoppable drive to thrive by overcoming obstacles one by one; including those who murmur and complain and think negatively.
Joseph Smith expressed his ambitious drive to thrive in the story with characters who dare to dream and achieve great things. Then, like his Book of Mormon characters he acted out the same ambitious drive by becoming a successful religious leader, city planner, mayor, and military general; and even ran for president of the United States. This is a guy who did not lack ambition sitting around doing nothing with his life. He was not afraid to take chances, dream big, and go for it.
I also notice that Joseph Smith presents the Spirit of God as not just a unifying force but a force of power, similar to the Force in Star Wars. We see the first glimpses of this in Nephi shocking his brothers with God’s power. In my view the Book of Mormon is at the very least, an inspiring book along the lines of self-improvement literature, with the same kind of motivational energy of a Tony Robbins or Norman Vincent Peale; e.g., what the mind of man can conceive and believe it can achieve, kind of thing. Only there is an added Christian element of God will empower you to accomplish great things, just as he spiritually energized the Israelites to cross the Red Sea. God will part the waters of your obstacles on your way to your goal. You too can build your own ship like Nephi did, and crush your goals and cross your own ocean of obstacles.
Of course, as I read these chapters I saw a lot of Protestant language and long quotes from Isaiah which were difficult to tread through. LDS scholar Terryl Givens discusses in detail how some Protestant Calvanist language filtered their ways into the Book of Mormon for different reasons, but the LDS Restored Gospel actually rejects Calvinism. So Terryl Givens suggests a more sophisticated way of reading the Book of Mormon so as to read the Restored Gospel into the Book of Mormon.
I see the Protestant language as the result of Smith, at that time between 1827 and 1830 (being in his early 20s), being indoctrinated by Augustine and Protestant dogma in his surrounding culture. He simply had no choice but to use that language as a fish swimming in the fishbowl of Evangelical Protestant Fundamentalism. But later on, as he grew intellectually, reading from good books and studying Hebrew; he gained greater light and knowledge and fully rejected Augustinian Calvanism and developed his 1840s doctrine of Abrahamic Expansionism, which I discuss on my blog at https://emergentmormon.blogspot.com/2021/09/sex-gods-mormon-zion-blog-series.html
Yet despite Joseph being affected by anti-body Protestantism, Smith's inner masculine energy and athletic embodiment was manifesting itself right from the start. We see evidence of an attempt to present Christniaty more in line with the masculine and hierarchical Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) in the early 1830s (right after the publication of the Book of Mormon); when Joseph Smith put together his own Bible Translation which was completed in 1833. Joseph Smith added the following verses to the Gospel of Matthew. Here is Mathew 2: 24-26 in The Joseph Smith Translation:
24 And … Jesus grew up with his brethren, and waxed strong, and waited upon the Lord for the time of his ministry to come. 25 And he served under his father, and he spake not as other men, neither could he be taught; for he needed not that any man should teach him. 26 And after many years, the hour of his ministry drew nigh.
These verses above, when combined with the Book of Mormon saying that Jesus' countenance smiled upon his disciples (3 Nephi 19:25, 30); reveals that Smith intended to portray Jesus as not merely a Teacher who is always serious and never smiles, but as someone who smiles upon people; and as a man who "waxed strong" and was self-educated so that he "needed not that any man should teach him." This is of course possibly or likely a reflection of Joseph Smith himself (perhaps his own personality), as every author often reflects his own nature; which biblical scholars point out occurs with the New Testament Gospels as well. Yet Smith's portrayals of Jesus also actually mirrors the information from Biblical Scholars on how the Historical Jesus most likely was. For example, see The Humor of Christ by D. Elton Trueblood.
Joseph Smith also accepted the nickname “Mormon,” and he played around with the etymology of the word “Mormon,” and claimed that it meant “more good.” In this sense, The Mormon Church could be presented this way below using a painting of Jesus by Anthony Sweat:
Image Sources: https://i.pinimg.com and
Note my subtitle for the name of the Church. Since Mormon means “more good,” and the word "Saints" means literally "Set-apart Ones" (or separated out ones), then Latter-day Saints are simply Set-apart Good People. This doesn’t mean they are so good they are weak people; but good in the sense of being strong and courageous by Choosing the Right.
Note how in Anthony Sweat’s painting above, Jesus is presented as more muscular and rugged; and Jesus is painted how a Jewish man would have looked in the days of the Historical Jesus. Jesus was also likely a stone worker and thus strong from working with his hands all day. He would have lived a life of physicality, and would not have lived a sedentary life of study like a modern scholar today.
The real Jesus would have been more active, gritty, and earthy. In this sense, the Jesus portrayed in Mormon Scripture is historically accurate when saying Jesus waxed strong and was basically self-educated and more sociable and smiling.
The Book of Mormon also takes a further step beyond what we know about the historical Jesus (through naturalistic historical methodology). The Book of Mormon is not a book of history but supernatural religion and theology. Thus, Jesus is also representing theologically the manifestation in the flesh of the Mighty God of the Hebrew Bible (the Lord of Hosts/Armies). So that Jesus is not just kind and compassionate, smiling and joyful, but also the supernatural embodiment of Yahweh: a man of war being strong and fierce.
The heroes in the Book of Mormon are the opposite of monastic prayerful meditators on a hilltop preaching only pacifism, making themselves vulnerable to enemy attack. They are down in the ground in the dirt working and toiling; and fighting for freedom and practicing self-defense for the cause of democratic liberty and freedom of religion. For example, consider these verses (words in bold for emphasis):
Alma 30:32:
Now Alma said unto him: Thou knowest that we do not glut ourselves upon the labors of this people; for behold I have labored even from the commencement of the reign of the judges until now, with mine own hands for my support, notwithstanding my many travels round about the land to declare the word of God unto my people.
Alma 48:7-18:
7 Now it came to pass that while Amalickiah had thus been obtaining power by fraud and deceit, Moroni, on the other hand, had been preparing the minds of the people to be faithful unto the Lord their God.
8 Yea, he had been strengthening the armies of the Nephites, and erecting small forts, or places of resort; throwing up banks of earth round about to enclose his armies, and also building walls of stone to encircle them about, round about their cities and the borders of their lands; yea, all round about the land.
9 And in their weakest fortifications he did place the greater number of men; and thus he did fortify and strengthen the land which was possessed by the Nephites.
10 And thus he was preparing to support their liberty, their lands, their wives, and their children, and their peace, and that they might live unto the Lord their God, and that they might maintain that which was called by their enemies the cause of Christians.
11 And Moroni was a strong and a mighty man; he was a man of a perfect understanding; yea, a man that did not delight in bloodshed; a man whose soul did joy in the liberty and the freedom of his country, and his brethren from bondage and slavery;
12 Yea, a man whose heart did swell with thanksgiving to his God, for the many privileges and blessings which he bestowed upon his people; a man who did labor exceedingly for the welfare and safety of his people.
13 Yea, and he was a man who was firm in the faith of Christ, and he had sworn with an oath to defend his people, his rights, and his country, and his religion, even to the loss of his blood.
14 Now the Nephites were taught to defend themselves against their enemies, even to the shedding of blood if it were necessary; yea, and they were also taught never to give an offense, yea, and never to raise the sword except it were against an enemy, except it were to preserve their lives.
15 And this was their faith, that by so doing God would prosper them in the land, or in other words, if they were faithful in keeping the commandments of God that he would prosper them in the land; yea, warn them to flee, or to prepare for war, according to their danger;
16 And also, that God would make it known unto them whither they should go to defend themselves against their enemies, and by so doing, the Lord would deliver them; and this was the faith of Moroni, and his heart did glory in it; not in the shedding of blood but in doing good, in preserving his people, yea, in keeping the commandments of God, yea, and resisting iniquity.
17 Yea, verily, verily I say unto you, if all men had been, and were, and ever would be, like unto Moroni, behold, the very powers of hell would have been shaken forever; yea, the devil would never have power over the hearts of the children of men.
18 Behold, he was a man like unto Ammon, the son of Mosiah, yea, and even the other sons of Mosiah, yea, and also Alma and his sons, for they were all men of God.
Mosiah 2:14:
And even I, myself, have labored with mine own hands that I might serve you, ...
Mosiah 18:24
And he also commanded them that the priests whom he had ordained should labor with their own hands for their support.
Moroni 9:6:
And now, my beloved son, notwithstanding their hardness, let us labor diligently; for if we should cease to labor, we should be brought under condemnation; for we have a labor to perform whilst in this tabernacle of clay, that we may conquer the enemy of all righteousness, and rest our souls in the kingdom of God.
The theme of toiling to carry your own weight and laboring with your people to protect and provide, to build healthy boundaries of strength and security, and spreading Positive Generational Contagion, are masculine virtues. This is the language of fortifying, defending and conquering in the name of the good, the just and the righteous. It is the language of not enjoying bloodshed but the manly virtue of courage, not being on the offensive but on the defensive, ready to defend and protect your rights and your loved ones.
A major theme of the restored gospel is active work. In the 1835 Lectures on Faith, in the first lecture faith is described as a principle of action. In D&C 4:1 we read:
Now behold, a marvelous work is about to come forth among the children of men.
The restored gospel is a great and marvelous work. God also works:
Moses 1 :39:
For behold, this is my work and my glory—to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.
From the beginning man was to work to achieve dominion:
Moses 5:1:
And it came to pass that after I, the Lord God, had driven them out, that Adam began to till the earth, and to have dominion over all the beasts of the field, and to eat his bread by the sweat of his brow, as I the Lord had commanded him. And Eve, also, his wife, did labor with him.
This is not the language of buddhistic monasticism. This is not the idleness of the freeloader. This is a Theology of Action, of conquering and becoming. These scriptures no doubt led to the Mormon hymn Put your Shoulder to the Wheel. This is the language and energy of action and industry, protecting loved ones, building healthy boundaries, conquering the enemies of the Good by establishing a higher ideal in hearts and minds through your good example and noble masculine leadership.
The recurrent willpower and drive to thrive in the Book of Mormon, I credit to Joseph Smith himself. I see him like grass breaking out of concrete, the concrete being some of the pacifistic and weakening theologies he grew up with. I see the Protestant language in the Book of Mormon as a transitional stage in Smith's philosophical development, on his way toward Abrahamic Expansionism. So as I read the text with this in mind, I read between the lines of the Protestant language and see the early seedbed of the later emerging Joseph Smith as Abrahamic Expansionist. In other words, underneath the surface of the Protestant language you can sense the athletic masculine power of Smith slowly breaking through the Puritan dogma like a blade of grass cutting through concrete.
To put it another way, we see glimpses of Smith's drive to thrive provided in these excerpts from 1 and 2 Nephi, which clearly present a version of Masculine Christianity, or the “Possibility Christianity” described on The Hour of Power led by Pastor Bobby Schuller.
The Masculine Power verses:
The following excerpts reveal how the text of the Book of Mormon actually inspires men to act with noble masculine power.
Note: Words in bold are my own for emphasis.
Verses from 1 Nephi:
… my father did speak unto them in the valley of Lemuel, with power, being filled with the Spirit, until their frames did shake before him.
…I, Nephi, being exceedingly young, nevertheless being large in stature, and also having great desires to know of the mysteries of God, wherefore, I did cry unto the Lord; and behold he did visit me, and did soften my heart that I did believe all the words which had been spoken by my father;…
… thou shalt be made a ruler and a teacher over thy brethren.
Know ye not that the Lord hath chosen him to be a ruler over you,
Therefore let us go up; let us be strong like unto Moses;
I did obey the voice of the Spirit, and took Laban by the hair of the head, and I smote off his head with his own sword. And after I had smitten off his head with his own sword, I took the garments of Laban and put them upon mine own body; yea, even every whit; and I did gird on his armor about my loins.
“And now I, Nephi, being a man large in stature, and also having received much strength of the Lord, therefore I did seize upon the servant of Laban, and held him, that he should not flee.”
For she had supposed that we had perished in the wilderness; and she also had complained against my father, telling him that he was a visionary man; saying: Behold thou hast led us forth from the land of our inheritance, and my sons are no more, and we perish in the wilderness.
… my father, Lehi, also found upon the plates of brass a genealogy of his fathers; wherefore he knew that he was a descendant of Joseph; yea, even that Joseph who was the son of Jacob, who was sold into Egypt, and who was preserved by the hand of the Lord, that he might preserve his father, Jacob, and all his household from perishing with famine.
And they were also led out of captivity and out of the land of Egypt, by that same God who had preserved them.
.. that I may persuade men to come unto the God of Abraham.
I prayed unto the Lord, saying: O Lord, according to my faith which is in thee, wilt thou deliver me from the hands of my brethren; yea, even give me strength that I may burst these bands with which I am bound.
I, Nephi, beheld the power of the Lamb of God, that it descended upon the saints of the church of the Lamb, and upon the covenant people of the Lord, who were scattered upon all the face of the earth; and they were armed with righteousness and with the power of God in great glory.
… And thus we see that by small means the Lord can bring about great things.
… And so great were the blessings of the Lord upon us, that while we did live upon raw meat in the wilderness, our women did give plenty of suck for their children, and were strong, yea, even like unto the men; and they began to bear their journeyings without murmurings.
… God he doth nourish them, and strengthen them, and provide means whereby they can accomplish the thing which he has commanded them; wherefore, he did provide means for us.
… And when my brethren saw that I was about to build a ship, they began to murmur against me, saying: Our brother is a fool, for he thinketh that he can build a ship; yea, and he also thinketh that he can cross these great waters.
18 And thus my brethren did complain against me, and were desirous that they might not labor, for they did not believe that I could build a ship; neither would they believe that I was instructed of the Lord.
... I, Nephi, was exceedingly sorrowful because of the hardness of their hearts; and now when they saw that I began to be sorrowful they were glad in their hearts, insomuch that they did rejoice over me, saying: We knew that ye could not construct a ship, for we knew that ye were lacking in judgment; wherefore, thou canst not accomplish so great a work.
… I, Nephi, spake unto them, saying: Do ye believe that our fathers, who were the children of Israel, would have been led away out of the hands of the Egyptians if they had not hearkened unto the words of the Lord?
Yea, do ye suppose that they would have been led out of bondage, if the Lord had not commanded Moses that he should lead them out of bondage?
… Now ye know that Moses was commanded of the Lord to do that great work; and ye know that by his word the waters of the Red Sea were divided hither and thither, and they passed through on dry ground.
… And they did harden their hearts from time to time, and they did revile against Moses, and also against God; nevertheless, ye know that they were led forth by his matchless power into the land of promise.
… Ye are swift to do iniquity but slow to remember the Lord your God. Ye have seen an angel, and he spake unto you; yea, ye have heard his voice from time to time; and he hath spoken unto you in a still small voice, but ye were past feeling, that ye could not feel his words; wherefore, he has spoken unto you like unto the voice of thunder, which did cause the earth to shake as if it were to divide asunder.
And ye also know that by the power of his almighty word he can cause the earth that it shall pass away; yea, and ye know that by his word he can cause the rough places to be made smooth, and smooth places shall be broken up. O, then, why is it, that ye can be so hard in your hearts?
… when I had spoken these words they were angry with me, and were desirous to throw me into the depths of the sea; and as they came forth to lay their hands upon me I spake unto them, saying: In the name of the Almighty God, I command you that ye touch me not, for I am filled with the power of God, even unto the consuming of my flesh; and whoso shall lay his hands upon me shall wither even as a dried reed; and he shall be as naught before the power of God, for God shall smite him.
I, Nephi, said unto them that they should murmur no more against their father; neither should they withhold their labor from me, for God had commanded me that I should build a ship.
And I said unto them: If God had commanded me to do all things I could do them. If he should command me that I should say unto this water, be thou earth, it should be earth; and if I should say it, it would be done.
And now, if the Lord has such great power, and has wrought so many miracles among the children of men, how is it that he cannot instruct me, that I should build a ship?
… the Lord said unto me: Stretch forth thine hand again unto thy brethren, and they shall not wither before thee, but I will shock them, saith the Lord, and this will I do, that they may know that I am the Lord their God. …
… after I had finished the ship, according to the word of the Lord, my brethren beheld that it was good, and that the workmanship thereof was exceedingly fine; wherefore, they did humble themselves again before the Lord.
… after they had loosed me, behold, I took the compass, and it did work whither I desired it. … I prayed unto the Lord; and after I had prayed the winds did cease, and the storm did cease, and there was a great calm.
… ... we did begin to till the earth, and we began to plant seeds; yea, we did put all our seeds into the earth, which we had brought from the land of Jerusalem. … they did grow exceedingly; wherefore, we were blessed in abundance.
… Nevertheless, 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.
the Holy One of Israel must reign in dominion, and might, and power, and great glory.
Yea, at that day, will they not receive the strength and nourishment from the true vine? Yea, will they not come unto the true fold of God?
2 Nephi 1:
Wherefore, I, Lehi, have obtained a promise, that inasmuch as those whom the Lord God shall bring out of the land of Jerusalem shall keep his commandments, they shall prosper upon the face of this land; …
… having power given them to do all things by faith …
… Arise from the dust, my sons, and be men …
[Nephi's] sharpness was the sharpest of the power of the word of God, which was in him; and that which ye call anger was the truth, according to that which is in God, which he could not restrain, manifesting boldly concerning your iniquities. And it must needs be that the power of God must be with him, even unto his commanding you that ye must obey.
… And now, Zoram, I speak unto you: Behold, thou art the servant of Laban; nevertheless, thou hast been brought out of the land of Jerusalem, and I know that thou art a true friend unto my son, Nephi, forever. Wherefore, because thou hast been faithful thy seed shall be blessed with his seed, that they dwell in prosperity long upon the face of this land; and nothing, save it shall be iniquity among them, shall harm or disturb their prosperity upon the face of this land forever.
… Nevertheless, Jacob, my firstborn in the wilderness, thou knowest the greatness of God; and he shall consecrate thine afflictions for thy gain.
… why should my heart weep and my soul linger in the valley of sorrow, and my flesh waste away, and my strength slacken, because of mine afflictions?
… Do not anger again because of mine enemies. Do not slacken my strength because of mine afflictions. … Wilt thou deliver me out of the hands of mine enemies? … O Lord, wilt thou encircle me around in the robe of thy righteousness! O Lord, wilt thou make a way for mine escape before mine enemies! Wilt thou make my path straight before me! Wilt thou not place a stumbling block in my way—but that thou wouldst clear my way before me, and hedge not up my way, but the ways of mine enemy. … I know that God will give liberally to him that asketh. Yea, my God will give me, if I ask not amiss; therefore I will lift up my voice unto thee ...
“For it must needs be, that there is an opposition in all things. If not so, my firstborn in the wilderness, righteousness could not be brought to pass, neither wickedness, neither holiness [or happiness] nor misery, neither good nor bad. Wherefore, all things must needs be a compound in one ..
And all things which were created must have remained in the same state in which they were after they were created; and they must have remained forever, and had no end. And they would have had no children; wherefore they would have remained in a state of innocence, having no joy, for they knew no misery; doing no good, for they knew no sin. “But behold, all things have been done in the wisdom of him who knoweth all things. Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy.
… For 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. Wherefore, 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. “For 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.’ ... And 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. And 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. ... ... 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 confounding of false doctrines and laying down of contentions ... And 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.
And out of weakness he [Joseph] shall be made strong, ... and they that seek to destroy him shall be confounded ... 15 ... And he shall be like unto me [Joseph of Egypt]; ...
… And behold, according to the words of the prophet, the Messiah will set himself again the second time to recover them; wherefore, he will manifest himself unto them in power and great glory, unto the destruction of their enemies, ...
O house of Israel, is my hand shortened at all that it cannot redeem, or have I no power to deliver? Behold, at my rebuke I dry up the sea, …
And now, my brethren, I have spoken plainly that ye cannot err. And as the Lord God liveth that brought Israel up out of the land of Egypt, and gave unto Moses power that he should heal the nations after they had been bitten by the poisonous serpents, if they would cast their eyes unto the serpent which he did raise up before them, and also gave him power that he should smite the rock and the water should come forth
Who will contend with me? Let us stand together. Who is mine adversary? Let him come near me, and I will smite him with the strength of my mouth. … For the Lord God will help me. And all they who shall condemn me, behold, all they shall wax old as a garment, and the moth shall eat them up.
Awake, awake! Put on strength, O arm of the Lord; awake as in the ancient days. Art thou not he that hath cut Rahab, and wounded the dragon? Art thou not he who hath dried the sea, the waters of the great deep; that hath made the depths of the sea a way for the ransomed to pass over? Therefore, the redeemed of the Lord shall return, and come with singing unto Zion; and everlasting joy and holiness shall be upon their heads; and they shall obtain gladness and joy; sorrow and mourning shall flee away.
Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid; for the Lord JEHOVAH is my strength and my song
2 Nephi 4:
4 For the Lord God hath said that: ‘Inasmuch as ye shall keep my commandments ye shall prosper in the land …
11 And after he had made an end of speaking unto them, he spake unto Sam, saying, “Blessed art thou, and thy seed; for thou shalt inherit the land like unto thy brother Nephi. And thy seed shall be numbered with his seed; ... and thou shalt be blessed in all thy days.”
Note the emphasis on prospering and bearing seed. This is the Hebew worldview of "God's People" thriving through powerful conquest and birthing strong and healthy future generations. This expansion of seed/progeny and conquering prosperously is also "the way of the gods" (or Pauline holy ones) in D&C 132.
SIN AS SELF-DOUBT & LOSS OF STRENGTH:
20 My God hath been my support; he hath led me through mine afflictions in the wilderness [when Laman and Lemuel were murmuring from being afflicted with hunger from lack of food] and he hath preserved me upon the waters of the great deep. [When his brethren and the sons of Ishmael were rude on the boat and Nephi was tied up but then untied when they feared drowning in the sea] 21 He hath filled me with his love, even unto the consuming of my flesh. 22 He hath confounded mine enemies, unto the causing of them to quake before me.[Referring to when Nephi confounded his brothers and they withered before him and he shocked with God's power] ... 24 And by day have I waxed bold in mighty prayer before him; yea, my voice have I sent up on high; and angels came down and ministered unto me. ... 26 ... if the Lord in his condescension unto the children of men hath visited men in so much mercy, why should my heart weep and my soul linger in the valley of sorrow, and my flesh waste away, and my strength slacken, because of mine afflictions? ... 27 And why should I yield to sin [self-doubt], because of my flesh? Yea, why should I give way to temptations, that the evil one have place in my heart to destroy my peace and afflict my soul? Why am I angry because of mine enemy? 28 Awake, my soul! No longer droop in sin [self-doubt and weakness], Rejoice, O my heart, and give place no more for the enemy of my soul. 29 Do not anger again because of mine enemies. Do not slacken my strength because of mine afflictions. 30 Rejoice, O my heart, and cry unto the Lord, and say: “O Lord, I will praise thee forever.” Yea, my soul will rejoice in thee, my God, and the rock of my salvation [deliverance]. ... 33 O Lord, wilt thou encircle me around in the robe of thy righteousness! O Lord, wilt thou make a way for mine escape before mine enemies! Wilt thou make my path straight before me! Wilt thou not place a stumbling block in my way— but that thou wouldst clear my way before me, and hedge not up my way, but the ways of mine enemy.
Here we see that "sin" is self-doubt, to lose your inner peace and strength due to one's enemies. As one grows frustrated and sorrowful (self-pitying) as their anger turns inward leading to one's own inner self-harming voice (amidst afflictions), which is one's own worst enemy. Here we see the inner strength of Joseph Smith as he channels his masculine energy and the energy of the Old Testament into the Protestant language of the sermons he grew up hearing, producing a complex pseudepigraphic text; that uses midrashic scripturalization to reframe the narrative: in that he reframes the language of Sin & Salvation into a more positive life-affirming Hebrew context of Woundedness & Deliverance.
Nephi then takes his family to wander in the wilderness like Moses. They are called the "people of Nephi" and follow the Law of Moses.
The Nephites Prosper
2 Nephi 5:
11 And the Lord was with us; and we did prosper exceedingly; for we did sow seed, and we did reap again [or grain] in abundance. And we began to raise flocks, and herds, and animals of every kind. ... 13 And it came to pass that we began to prosper exceedingly, and to multiply in the land.
Again note the increase of seed and prosperity as godly. Nephi then makes swords for self-defense.
15 And I did teach my people to build buildings ... 16 And I, Nephi, did build a temple; and I did construct it after the manner of the temple of Solomon ... and the workmanship thereof was exceedingly fine. 17 And ... I, Nephi, did cause my people to be industrious, and to labor with their hands. 18 And ... they would that I should be their king. But I, Nephi, was desirous that they should have no king; nevertheless, I did for them according to that which was in my power.
Note that Solomon had several wives and concubines with God's support.
Note that Joseph Smith envisioned a heroic character (Nephi) as a "builder," and Joseph Smith later embodies this in real life by building his own temples in Kirtland and Nauvoo. Joseph Smith was also accepted as a King in the Council of Fifty in the 1840s, thus becoming the near image of his literary hero character Nephi. Hence Joseph Smith dreamed a dream of Zion and envisioned masculine heroes and then he actually became like those heroes.
THE HEALING BRIGHT SMILING COUNTENANCE OF JESUS' WHITE-LIGHT VERSES THE FROWNING DARK/DIM/UNBRIGHT SKINS/AURA OF THE UNHEALED AND HATEFUL
In the story Nephi is then made ruler and teacher over his brethren.
Many LDS Scholars have explained that the Lamanites being cursed with a "skin of blackness" in 2 Nephi 5:20-28, is not talking about an actual change in skin color or skin pigmentation. Looking at their scholarship I am completely convinced that they are correct. The reference to "skins" is a metaphor for their change in spiritual demeanor or physiology as they are lacking the divine light of God's presence.
In secular psychological terms what is really going on in 2 Nephi chapter 5, is that Joseph Smith is using parabolic language to describe what Daniel Goleman (author of Emotional Intelligence) calls Negative Emotional Contagion. In the context of the entire Book of Mormon, what this chapter is saying is that those who have overcome the sin/error of self-doubt and have self-confidence to build something great and are hard working and industrious and ethically good are those who Walk in the Light; while those who are self-doubting, hate-filled, idle and not ethically good Walk in Darkness and are headed toward self-destruction. They dwindle in unbelief. They become a self reflection of their own negative energy. In other words, the strong, industrious and morally upright have a bright countenance about them, a positive aura or ambience living the Manner of Happiness; while those who are weak, idle, and wicked have a darkened countenance, a negative aura or ambience, from living the manner of unhappiness: as "wickedness never was happiness" (Alma 41:10). Dictionary.com defines ambience as:
the mood, character, quality, tone, atmosphere, etc., particularly of an environment or milieu: The restaurant had a delightful ambiance.
that which surrounds or encompasses; environment.
Joseph Smith composed the Book of Mormon for many reasons, one such reason was to counter the rise in skepticism and atheistic nihilism. If memory serves me correctly, some of Smith's relatives became atheists or anti-christian deists. So I think this is what Joseph Smith was getting at, that those who have an atheistic or nihilistic mindset often have a darkened ambience, they radiate a metaphorical darkness. They lack a belief in what Jordan Peterson refers to as the Concept of the Highest Good. They have no ethical standard, for without God “all is permitted,” as many famous atheists have reiterated. They end up being subjected to some form of nihilism and holding the weight of the world on their existential shoulders weighing them down. It is the ultimate self-absorbed state of mind, where selfishness reigns; yet in that state of ultimate meaninglessness there is also an unyielding despair as Bertand Russel put it. It produces a cloud of darkness and skepticism leading to Schopenhauerian pessimism, hence nihilistic “skins of blackness,” or a darkened and despairing ambience or countenance.
What this language of the white/bright-lightened ambient ones in comparison to a darkened countenanced ones does is provide a yin and yang, or chaos and order framework. It also provides a kind of healthy positive masculinity: wherein just as the noble leader Nephi shocks his wayward brothers out of their being naysayers and being a roadblock to their family's success and prosperity, by jolting them back to the upright path, back to the Light; those who "choose the right" with a sound work ethic and have confidence and courage, emanate a radiant light of positivity and a "can do" attitude. To be on the side of God is to be on the side of planting and harvesting (fruition or production), building and constructing, synergizing ethically, leading nobly, and believing in yourself as a God-infused soul with intrinsic worth; and trusting that God will give you the power, like he did Moses, to overcome obstacles and triumph over your enemies. The opposite mindset is those who murmur and are idle and do not plant and do not prosper, who do not build or construct, are faithless/untrusting in God’s antifragile power, are unethical, lacking noble leadership skills and synergy, and just complain and dwindle in unbelief as cowards or hateful murderers. They become darkened in their soul lacking the inner light of Christ.
Jehovahian Energy in 2 Nephi 6:
The Maxwell Institute explains that this chapter is about
Promises to the Gentiles and to God’s Covenant People: An Explanation of Isaiah 49.22–26
The Jesus of the Book of Mormon is not the passive, hippie Guru of Progressive Christian authors who live in Ivory Towers at Universities. He is the embodiment of the Hebrew God, the man of war. As we read in Exodus 15:3 (KJV):
The LORD is a man of war: the LORD is his name.
Or, as in Young's Literal Translation:
Jehovah is a man of battle; Jehovah is His name.
So, because the Book of Mormon is in part a reunification of the Hebrew Bible's War God Jehovah and His masculine power energy, with the the more feminine peacemaking energy of the New Testament; Jesus is thus depicted in 2 Nephi 6 more clearly as not just the Prince of Peace, but the incarnation, the embodiment of Jehovah (a man of battle); thus we read:
14 And behold, according to the words of the prophet, the Messiah will set himself again the second time to recover them; wherefore, he will manifest himself unto them in power and great glory, unto the destruction of their enemies, when that day cometh when they shall believe in him; and none will he destroy that believe in him.
15 And they that believe not in him shall be destroyed, both by fire, and by tempest, and by earthquakes, and by bloodsheds, and by pestilence, and by famine. And they shall know that the Lord is God, the Holy One of Israel.
16 For shall the prey be taken from the mighty, or the lawful captive delivered?
17 But thus saith the Lord: Even the captives of the mighty shall be taken away, and the prey of the terrible shall be delivered; for the Mighty God shall deliver his covenant people. For thus saith the Lord: I will contend with them that contendeth with thee—
18 And I will feed them that oppress thee, with their own flesh; and they shall be drunken with their own blood as with sweet wine; and all flesh shall know that I the Lord am thy Savior and thy Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.
Believing that when you are going into the battles of life, you have the Mighty One of Jacob on your side, who will deliver you, and subdue your enemies, can't help but give you more confidence. This language empowered the ancient Israelites to overcome their obstacles. This language can also empower the modern individual dealing with life in the concrete jungle of modern society; while of course following the laws of the land. As the LDS Article of Faith #12 states, “We believe in being subject to kings, presidents, rulers, and magistrates, in obeying, honoring, and sustaining the law.”
2 Nephi 7: 7-9 (quoting from Isaiah 50):
7 For the Lord God will help me, therefore shall I not be confounded. Therefore have I set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be ashamed.
8 And the Lord is near, and he justifieth me. Who will contend with me? Let us stand together. Who is mine adversary? Let him come near me, and I will smite him with the strength of my mouth.
9 For the Lord God will help me. And all they who shall condemn me, behold, all they shall wax old as a garment, and the moth shall eat them up.
2 Nephi 8 (Isaiah 51):
9 Awake, awake! Put on strength, O arm of the Lord; awake as in the ancient days. Art thou not he that hath cut Rahab, and wounded the dragon?
10 Art thou not he who hath dried the sea, the waters of the great deep; that hath made the depths of the sea a way for the ransomed to pass over?
11 Therefore, the redeemed of the Lord shall return, and come with singing unto Zion; and everlasting joy and holiness shall be upon their heads; and they shall obtain gladness and joy; sorrow and mourning shall flee away.
12 I am he; yea, I am he that comforteth you. Behold, who art thou, that thou shouldst be afraid of man, who shall die, and of the son of man, who shall be made like unto grass?
15 But I am the Lord thy God, whose waves roared; the Lord of Hosts [Armies] is my name.
16 And I have put my words in thy mouth, and have covered thee in the shadow of mine hand, that I may plant the heavens and lay the foundations of the earth, and say unto Zion: Behold, thou art my people.
17 Awake, awake, stand up, …
24 Awake, awake, put on thy strength, O Zion; put on thy beautiful garments, …
2 Nephi 9:18:
But, behold, the righteous, the saints of the Holy One of Israel, they who have believed in the Holy One of Israel, they who have endured the crosses of the world, and despised the shame of it, they shall inherit the kingdom of God …
2 Nephi 9:25:
… because of the atonement…they are delivered by the power of him.
NOTE:
From this point forward I will be quoting from a modernized version of The Book of Mormon by measuringdoctrine.org (November 2019 Edition):
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. To view a copy of this license, visit http:// creativecommons.org/ licenses/ by-nc/ 4.0/.
2 Nephi 27:
23 For behold, I am God; and I am a god of miracles;
Jacob 2:
12 And now behold, my brethren, this is the word which I declare unto you, that many of you have begun to search for gold, and for silver, and for all manner of precious ores, in the which this land, which is a land of promise unto you and to your seed, does abound most plentifully. 13 And the hand of providence has smiled upon you most pleasingly, that you have obtained many riches; …
Jacob 4:
6 Wherefore, we search the prophets, and we have many revelations and the spirit of prophecy; and having all these witnesses we obtain a hope, and our faith becomes unshaken, insomuch that we truly can command in the name of Jesus and the very trees obey us, or the mountains, or the waves of the sea.
7 Nevertheless, the Lord God shows us our weakness that we may know that it is by his grace, and his great condescensions unto the children of men, that we have power to do these things.
… 9 For behold, by the power of his word man came upon the face of the earth, which earth was created by the power of his word. Wherefore, if God being able to speak and the world was, and to speak and man was created, O then, why not able to command the earth, or the workmanship of his hands upon the face of it, according to his will and pleasure?
10 … ye yourselves know that he counsels in wisdom, …
13 … for the Spirit speaks the truth and lies not. Wherefore, it speaks of things as they really are, and of things as they really will be;
Jacob 7: 14-15:
Nevertheless, not my will be done; but if God shall smite you [Sherem], let that be a sign unto you that he has power, both in heaven and in earth; and also, that Christ shall come. And thy will, O Lord, be done, and not mine. And … when I, Jacob, had spoken these words, the power of the Lord came upon him, insomuch that he fell to the earth. …
Jacob 7:
24 And it came to pass that many means were devised to reclaim and restore the Lamanites to the knowledge of the truth; but it all was vain, for they delighted in wars and bloodshed, and they had an eternal hatred against us, their brethren. And they sought by the power of their arms to destroy us continually. 25 Wherefore, the people of Nephi did fortify against them with their arms, and with all their might, trusting in the God and rock of their salvation; wherefore, they became as yet, conquerors of their enemies.
Enos 1:
2 And I will tell you of the wrestle which I had before God, before I received a remission of my sins.
4 And my soul hungered; and I kneeled down before my Maker, and I cried unto him in mighty prayer and supplication for my own soul …
5 And there came a voice unto me, saying: Enos, your sins are forgiven you, and you shall be blessed. 6 And I, Enos, knew that God could not lie; wherefore, my guilt was swept away. 7 And I said: Lord, how is it done? 8 And he said unto me: Because of your faith in Christ, whom you have never before heard nor seen. And many years pass away before he shall manifest himself in the flesh; wherefore, go to, your faith has made you whole.
Note that Enos' wrestle with God was obeying the Torah perfectly, but faith/trust in the future coming Christ sweeps away all his guilt from feeling inadequate; and because of his faith alone he is made whole (healed, complete or worthy). This is an empowering language for any perfectionist. Compare this to the section above where I discuss how faith is about overcoming self-doubt to become strong and self-assured.
Enos 1:
10 And while I was thus struggling in the spirit, behold, the voice of the Lord came into my mind again, saying: I will visit your 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 [non-equity]; wherefore, I will visit your brethren according as I have said; and their transgressions will I bring down with sorrow upon their own heads.
Note that the supernatural language is couched in consequentialist philosophy: follow God's guidelines and directives to produce a healthy society or your own transgressions (failure to obey the Law) will bring sorrow upon your own heads. Break the traffic light laws and
suffer the consequences of a traffic accident or driving violation (a ticket).
Enos 1: 13:
And now behold, this was the desire which I desired … 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 …
RESENTMENT, WRATH, AND FIXED HATRED:
14 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. … 20 But our labors were vain; their hatred was fixed, and they were led by their nature that they became wild, and ferocious, and a blood thirsty people, full of idolatry and filthiness [uncleanness by Jewish law]; feeding upon beasts of prey;….
[Compare Jarom 1:6: "and they loved murder and would drink the blood of beasts. …"]
This is basically describing a Lawless Society or subculture? Basically, what one finds today when cities degenerate into societal sickness (unhealed woundedness) from disempowering mindsets, gang violence, fatherless homes and a lack of law and order. In contrast, the next verses (21-24) describe the Nephites tilling the soil and planting (implying less hunting and bloodthirstiness) and building a more healthy civilized culture. Prophets prophesying the consequences of lawlessness in the culture (like death coming upon them) to keep them civilized through "great plainness of speech." Note the power of plain speech. Compare Jarom 1:5:
And now, behold, two hundred years had passed away, and the people of Nephi had waxed strong in the land. They observed to keep the law of Moses … And the laws of the land were exceedingly strict.
Note the message throughout the BofM of lawlessness leading to dwindling/shrinking and rotting like rotten fruit into societal decay (a failed society); while lawfulness leads to societal health and strength.
THE BOOK OF JAROM
Jarom 1: 4:
4 And there are many among us who have many revelations, for they are not all stiffnecked. And as many as are not stiffnecked and have faith, have communion with the Holy Spirit, which makes manifest unto the children of men, according to their faith.
Note that "revelation" is not reserved for a single Church President alone.
Mighty Men, Building Fortifications (Self-Defenses), Multiplying & Prospering, Becoming Rich (Wealthy):
7 And it came to pass that they came many times against us, the Nephites, to battle. But our kings and our leaders were mighty men in the faith of the Lord [Exodus 15:3 (KJV): The LORD is a man of war: the LORD is his name."]; and they taught the people the ways of the Lord; wherefore, we withstood the Lamanites and swept them away out of our lands, and began to fortify our cities, or whatsoever place of our inheritance.
8 And we multiplied exceedingly, and spread upon the face of the land, and became exceedingly rich in gold, and in silver, and in precious things, and in fine workmanship of wood, in buildings, and in machinery, and also in iron and copper, and brass and steel, making all manner of tools of every kind to till the ground, and weapons of war—yes, the sharp pointed arrow, and the quiver, and the dart, and the javelin, and all preparations for war. 9 And thus being prepared to meet the Lamanites, they did not prosper against us. But the word of the Lord was verified, which he spoke unto our fathers, saying that: Inasmuch as you will keep my [Mosaic] commandments [i.e. orderly Laws] you shall prosper in the land.
THE BOOK OF OMNI
Omni 1