1 Nephi 17: 7

7 And it came to pass that after I, Nephi, had been in the land of Bountiful for the space of many days, the voice of the Lord came unto me, saying: Arise, and get thee into the mountain. And it came to pass that I arose and went up into the mountain, and cried unto the Lord.

Obviously, if the Lord could talk to Nephi in this place to tell him to go to the mountain, he could have told him everything he needed to know about the ship right there. But the Lord talked to him just enough to tell him to go into the mountain, where he would receive further instruction (light and knowledge). Mountains have often represented the temple in the scriptures, and that may be the case here. It also could be that the Lord needed to tell Nephi things without the distractions of “civilization” competing for his attention. This is similar to what happens in the temple as well. We leave the world outside so we may more fully worship.

I find it interesting that the Lord is now working directly with Nephi. We have seen a transition from Lehi telling Nephi what the Lord wanted (return for the plates and again for wives), to Nephi taking initiative, but asking Lehi what the Lord wanted (where to go hunting), to now the Lord is working through Nephi directly. I doubt that Lehi is a fallen prophet or anything like that, but maybe his health is not the greatest. This does become an issue on the ship, and he dies shortly after they arrive in the Promised Land. I just wonder if the mantle of the prophet hasn’t passed on to Nephi by this time.

1 Nephi 17: 6

6 And it came to pass that we did pitch our tents by the seashore; and notwithstanding we had suffered many afflictions and much difficulty, yea, even so much that we cannot write them all, we were exceedingly rejoiced when we came to the seashore; and we called the place Bountiful, because of its much fruit.

I can just imagine what it must have been like, after eight years of hard travel and difficulties, especially with regards to diet, to arrive in this place with more fruit and vegetation than they had seen for a long time. Finally they could really stop and know they weren’t getting ready for another hike across the desert. Finally they could eat their fill without worrying about rationing for tomorrow. Finally they could bathe and relax on some parts of this difficult life. I imagine there was quite a celebration when they arrived in this land they called Bountiful. I’m sure they built an alter at some point and gave their thank offerings to the Lord, but for now, I’m sure it was a time of just celebrating. All differences forgotten for the moment, I’m sure they just rejoiced together.

1 Nephi 17: 5

5 And we did come to the land which we called Bountiful, because of its much fruit and also wild honey; and all these things were prepared of the Lord that we might not perish. And we beheld the sea, which we called Irreantum, which, being interpreted, is many waters.

When I think of the part of the world where this passage of the Book of Mormon takes place I do not think of the word “bountiful.” That is simply evidence of my ignorance. In researching where this land that the Lehites called Bountiful may have been, I have been treated to some beautiful, lush photographs. Certainly the desert is a major part of the landscape. However, every once in awhile, near the coasts, there are places that truly are bountiful. This, in fact, is one small piece of evidence in favor of the authenticity of the Book of Mormon as a translation rather than fabrication. No way did Joseph Smith have any detailed information about the Arabian Peninsula. Many of these discoveries of this region have only been known by the outside world for less than 100 years. Yet here was a land with probably more fruit than they had seen in years, and bees to support that vegetation.

One thing I find curious about the Book of Mormon is when the authors use a word, then give the translation of that word. This verse is a good example of that. I wonder what language the term “Irreantum” was originally. Apparently a language other than what the Lehites normally spoke. Other examples of using another language include the words, “Rabbanah” (Alma 18:13), “Rameumptom” (Alma 31:21), “Liahona” (Alma 37:38), “deseret” (Ether 2:3), and “Ripliancum” (Ether 15:8).

1 Nephi 17: 4

4 And we did sojourn for the space of many years, yea, *even eight years in the wilderness. (*592 B.C.)

Eight years in the wilderness, living off the land and faith seems like an awful long time, especially considering it was just temporary. One obvious reason for them being out there so long is that periods of rebellion could have slowed things down because the Liahona only worked according to faith, diligence, and obedience (see 1 Nephi 16:28). This is why the children of Israel wandered in the wilderness for 40 years before being allowed to enter their promised land (see Numbers 14:26–35; Deuteronomy 8:2). It could have just been tough and slow, but eight years really seems an awful long time to travel straight through about 1500–2000 miles. We know they stopped and camped for periods of time, such as in the Valley of Lemuel. Whatever the reason, by the end, they were tough and prepared to settle a new land. In fact, after all they had been through and done without, they may have thought the Americas were easy by comparison. There they would have food in abundance, they would have wood for burning and building, there would be rain, and resources in general were more abundant. I think the Lord was preparing them in many ways, but not least of those was just learning how to survive off the land, and to establish a social order.

1 Nephi 17: 3

3 And thus we see that the commandments of God must be fulfilled. And if it so be that the children of men keep the commandments of 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 while we did sojourn in the wilderness.

This is one of those verses that helps us draw conclusions. This happens throughout the Book of Mormon. The author (or editor—Mormon) records an experience, then says in effect, “This is what you should have learned from that.” In this case, Nephi is referring to the previous two verses about how even though there was a lot of hardship, they were able to handle it through the strength of the Lord. And those verses, especially in context of this verse and verse four, are a kind of brief summary of the whole journey. So the thing we are to learn is that the Lord takes care of you while on His errand. He won’t take away the problems, because that is how we learn and grow, but he will strengthen us to bear those trials. This happens again later on with Alma and his followers. They are being persecuted by Amulon, and the Lord strengthens them to bear it (Mosiah 24:14–15).

The Lord’s purposes will be accomplished (D&C 10:43), and one of our decisions in life is whether we will help or hinder that happening. Those who help, like Nephi, are rewarded with support and the means to accomplish the task. This is one of the blessings of being on the Lord’s side.

• 1 Nephi 3:7
• Mosiah 2:41
• Mosiah 24:14–15
• D&C 10:43
• D&C 98:3

1 Nephi 17: 2

2 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.

First of all, it should be noted that the Lord has always strictly forbidden eating blood (see T.G., Blood, Eating of). So I am sure that Lehi’s company, while eating raw meat, would have drained the blood first, as required by the Mosaic Law. Even still, eating raw meat was not the norm for that culture, which is partially why Nephi is careful to mention the fact. I don’t think they would have done it if it were not a commandment from the Lord. It went against everything they understood about nutrition, not to mention their traditions, and especially concerning nursing mothers.

As to the reason they were not cooking their meat, over in verse 12 of this chapter, Nephi tells us that the Lord did not want them to have much fire in this journey. At least part of the reason for that could have been for safety. I’m sure there were roving outlaw bands even at that time, and it probably just made sense to not draw attention to themselves. Another reason could have to do with scarcity of fuel in the parts of the wilderness the Lord took them. Or it may have simply been an expression of faith. Whatever the reason, it didn’t seem to hurt their health at all. In fact, the women, even while producing plenty of milk for their children, became strong like the men. Remember that Lehi and Ishmael were probably wealthy, with servants to do much of the regular chores. The women in that situation may not have had to do too much. This may be the first time that strenuous physical exertion had been required of them.

• 1 Nephi 17:12
• 1 Nephi 17:20 (for contrast)

1 Nephi 17:1

1 And it came to pass that we did again take our journey in the wilderness; and we did travel nearly eastward from that time forth. And we did travel and wade through much affliction in the wilderness; and our women did bear children in the wilderness.

Nephi has two running threads of narration: one that describes the chronology of the trip, and one that describes the conditions of the trip. At least that’s how I see this verse. The first sentence tells what they did after they left Nahom. The second sentence describes the circumstances of the journey, which could apply to the whole journey, not just the next segment. The hardships the company waded through obviously had more to do with weather and terrain than with the rigorous speed of travel. If the pace they kept were very fast, it would not have taken them eight years to go from Jerusalem to Bountiful. The fact that their women bore children during the trip says that they stopped occasionally at least. Maybe they stopped in one place long enough to plant and harvest crops. Of course there is no written indication of this, but when they left the Valley of Lemuel they took “seed of every kind that [they] might carry into the wilderness” (1 NE 16:11). Was that only for the Promised Land, or did they plant some of those seeds along the way to supplement their diet of meat? On the other hand, the next verse makes it sound as if they only ate meat, raw meat at that, so the seeds could have been strictly for the Promised Land.