1 Nephi 19: 2

2 And I knew not at the time when I made them that I should be commanded of the Lord to make these plates; wherefore, the record of my father, and the genealogy of his fathers, and the more part of all our proceedings in the wilderness are engraven upon those first plates of which I have spoken; wherefore, the things which transpired before I made these plates are, of a truth, more particularly made mention upon the first plates.

Nephi wants to be as clear as possible about the records he has kept. His first record has become the official state record of the more day-to-day affairs of the kingdom. It goes into more detail about histories and genealogies. This record (the small plates) is the official record of the “church,” even though there doesn’t seem to be an official, organized church at the time Nephi is making his records. This might be compared to our Doctrine and Covenants in today’s canon of scriptures. These plates, at any rate, record the spiritual matters of the people, while the other plates record the more temporal matters of the kingdom.

It occurs to me that this is a model that I should follow more closely. I keep this journal of my research and thoughts about my study of the Book of Mormon, but I should be more diligent in my journal of more day-to-day, temporal matters.

• 1 Nephi 9:2 (1–5)

1 Nephi 19: 1

1 And it came to pass that the Lord commanded me, wherefore I did make plates of ore that I might engraven upon them the record of my people. And upon the plates which I made I did engraven the record of my father, and also our journeyings in the wilderness, and the prophecies of my father; and also many of mine own prophecies have I engraven upon them.

It would be interesting to see the fuller account of the Nephites. However, if we had the large plates of Nephi translated, I think that for many, the significant doctrine and testimony of Christ would probably get lost in the details of their history and society. We commonly note that the reason the Lord had these small plates made was in preparation to lose the 116 manuscript pages during translation. But another reason for the small plates could be so we, as readers, don’t get so bogged down with history that we forget the main purpose of the Book of Mormon: to testify of Christ.

1 Nephi Chapter 19 Overview

Nephi makes plates of ore and records the history of his people—The God of Israel will come six hundred years from the time Lehi left Jerusalem—Nephi tells of His sufferings and crucifixion—The Jews will be despised and scattered until the latter days, when they will return unto the Lord. About 588–570 B.C.

This chapter seems to mark a transition in Nephi’s record. He talks about the other plates, which hold more history than this set. It’s almost as if all the chapters leading up to this one have been by way or recapping what has gone on up to this point, to give context to what will be recorded hereafter. Up until now, any preaching has been directed to Laman and Lemuel. Now Nephi seems to shift his attention to future generations, including us. If we haven’t been paying attention up until now, it’s time for us to start, because everything from here on out is written for our benefit.

1 Nephi 18:25

25 And it came to pass that we did find upon the land of promise, as we journeyed in the wilderness, that there were beasts in the forests of every kind, both the cow and the ox, and the ass and the horse, and the goat and the wild goat, and all manner of wild animals, which were for the use of men. And we did find all manner of ore, both of gold, and of silver, and of copper.

Recent research has been leaning to the theory that when the Lehites came to the Americas they simply joined other races that were already here. Certainly, we know that at least one of the last of the Jaredites was still alive either in what is now North, Central, or South America, because he lived “for the space of nine moons” with the Mulekites, who left Jerusalem after Lehi did (Omni 1:15, 21). It is possible that when Ether described the complete destruction of his people he was referring to the main body of citizens. With that, it is also possible that there were settlements outside the main body. I bring this up because of the curious use of the word “ox” as a species the Lehites found in this new land. In our modern language this generally refers to a castrated bull. I doubt, however, that this is the sense the word is being used in this verse. There are several cud-chewing species that could be called “ox,” including other species besides cow. These would be animals that were domesticated for use in their farms, etc. So while they could have joined with another group of people, this is probably not evidence of that. Surely, however, even Laman had to have been happy with the rich resources they found in this new land.

1 Nephi 18: 23–24

23 And it came to pass that after we had sailed for the space of many days we did arrive at the promised land; and we went forth upon the land, and did pitch our tents; and we did call it the promised land.
24 And it came to pass that 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. And it came to pass that they did grow exceedingly; wherefore, we were blessed in abundance.

After all they had been through, the storms, eight years (at least) in the wilderness, most of which was probably pretty rough country, then to leave the land Bountiful behind, Lehi’s company must have been very gratified to see that the place the Lord led them to was a fertile and beautiful land. They got right to work. Although this was their Promised Land, it was no Garden of Eden. They did have to put in the effort to get things to grow, but their seeds grew “exceedingly.” I’m sure there was plenty of rejoicing at night after the work was done for the day. We don’t, however, have any report of things getting out of hand, as they did on the ship. So this was either the good side of Laman, or he was simply biding his time, waiting for Lehi to die so he could rule over this blessed land.

1 Nephi 18: 22

22 And it came to pass that I, Nephi, did guide the ship, that we sailed again towards the promised land.

Nephi clearly sees that he is the key person in this voyage. I don’t believe he is discounting the Lord’s ultimate contributions, but of the members in this company, Nephi is the key to its successful completion of this journey. I have a hard time believing that while he was tied up nobody prayed to the Lord or tried to get the Liahona to work. Nothing worked until Nephi was released. Then, “I took the compass, and it did work,” and “I prayed unto the Lord; and…there was great calm.” Therefore, “I, Nephi, did guide the ship.” These are things that nobody else was able to do, even the prophet, Lehi. There is no doubt now that Nephi is the Lord’s prophet. I don’t know that Lehi has gone to emeritus status, but Nephi is the vital one now.

1 Nephi 18: 21

21 And it came to pass after they had loosed me, behold, I took the compass, and it did work whither I desired it. And it came to pass that 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.

Nephi saves the day again. It’s too bad this faithless element of his family could not appreciate what they had in Nephi. Time and again his faith is what saves the family from disaster. Once again he is set free; once again he has the wisdom to take the best course of action. Nephi takes the compass, and it works again. Apparently everyone in the company needs to at least cooperate for the compass to work, even if their hearts are not totally committed to the Lord. Is this further evidence that we are judged on our actions? I say this because Nephi was not the only person of faith on that boat. Lehi could have made the compass work. Remember how Nephi had his father consult the Liahona when he needed to find food after making a new bow? The prophet’s mantle seems to have fallen completely to Nephi now. He was the one who could get the compass to work again. It was his prayer that calmed the storm. And yet even he could not do it as long as his brethren kept him tied up. Only after he was loosed did his prayers become effective in calming the storm. Good will conquer evil, at least in the long run, but this incident makes me wonder what would have happened if Laman were so far gone that he never untied Nephi. Would the Lord have actually let them perish in the storm? Probably if it came to that He would have taken Laman out. After all, “it is better that one man should perish than that a nation should dwindle and perish in unbelief” (1 Nephi 4:13). Laman is probably lucky he changed his mind about keeping Nephi tied up.