Matthew Bowen has pointed out that the rod of iron in Lehi’s dream, which signifies the word of God, according to 1 Nephi 11:25 and 15:23–24, has an interesting parallel in the Egyptian word mdw, which means both “staff, rod” and “speech, word”; Bowen argues that Nephi’s record, which was written in “the language of the Egyptians” (1 Nephi 1:2), contains a wordplay on the two senses of this word.
This point is interesting enough, since Nephi clearly had familiarity with the language of the Egyptians, and the Book of Mormon clearly links the "rod of iron" with the "word of God."
23 And they said unto me: What meaneth the rod of iron which our father saw, that led to the tree?
24 And I said unto them that it was the word of God; and whoso would hearken unto the word of God, and would hold fast unto it, they would never perish; neither could the temptations and the fiery darts of the adversary overpower them unto blindness, to lead them away to destruction. (1 Nephi 15)
I noticed, however, that Lehi never describes using any kind of rod to get to the tree. Instead, he describes his journey to the tree like this:
A man in a white robe said to Lehi, "Come, follow me," and he did. This is how he got to the tree.
5 And it came to pass that I saw a man, and he was dressed in a white robe; and he came and stood before me.
6 And it came to pass that he spake unto me, and bade me follow him.
7 And it came to pass that as I followed him I beheld myself that I was in a dark and dreary waste.
8 And after I had traveled for the space of many hours in darkness, I began to pray unto the Lord that he would have mercy on me, according to the multitude of his tender mercies.
9 And it came to pass after I had prayed unto the Lord I beheld a large and spacious field.
10 And it came to pass that I beheld a tree, whose fruit was desirable to make one happy. (1 Nephi 8)
Why is Lehi's journey to the tree so different than everyone else's?
What if it wasn't? What if the journey to the tree involves being led to the tree by a divine messenger/minister leading a person to the tree with a "rod of iron?" What if getting to the tree involves following a person who is leading by example rather then just walking along a handrail?
The paper continues, making this point about the symbolism of rods in the ancient Near East?
Nephi’s understanding of the significance of the rod may even have been informed by his knowledge of this word’s two meanings. John Tvedtnes has also shown, again in connection with the rod as the word of God in Lehi’s dream, that shepherd’s rods and royal scepters were symbolically linked with the word of God in the cultural milieu of the ancient Near East. If the evidence cited by Bowen and Tvedtnes is appropriate, however, then this would imply that the rod of iron was actually a rod or staff and not the usually-depicted railing. Zachary Nelson observes that railings are “seldom seen in ancient architecture,” and he argues that the rod of iron in Lehi’s dream was a kind of staff or walking stick. “Though railings were rare in Lehi’s world,” writes Nelson, “rods or staffs were not.”
This flies in the face of every piece of artwork I've ever seen depicting this dream, and for that reason alone I'm inclined to be dubious, but I have to admit that this notion fits in nicely with the concept of "the two ways" and also the concept of the Holy Order of the Priesthood, both of which have been on my mind quite a bit lately. Part of being converted is sharing the glad tidings, as Lehi does in his account:
14 And I looked to behold from whence it came; and I saw the head thereof a little way off; and at the head thereof I beheld your mother Sariah, and Sam, and Nephi; and they stood as if they knew not whither they should go.
15 And it came to pass that I beckoned unto them; and I also did say unto them with a loud voice that they should come unto me, and partake of the fruit, which was desirable above all other fruit.
16 And it came to pass that they did come unto me and partake of the fruit also.
17 And it came to pass that I was desirous that Laman and Lemuel should come and partake of the fruit also; wherefore, I cast mine eyes towards the head of the river, that perhaps I might see them.
18 And it came to pass that I saw them, but they would not come unto me and partake of the fruit. (1 Nephi 8)
Notice there is no mention of a rod of iron, just an invitation from a loved one who has tasted of the fruit. See an angel, be an angel.
Is it possible the "rod of iron" is a staff held by a divine messenger resulting in a personal, one-by-one journey to the tree of life? I don't know, but I really like the symbolism here. This sets up a contrast between the personal, loving invitations to be led to the tree of life and the fountain of living water, contrasted with the mocking from the great and spacious building, which leads to a fountain of filthy water.
There are temple themes here as well, when we consider a divine messenger finding the man Lehi in the dark and dreary waste and teaching him how to walk to the tree of life.
One last point to consider. Nephi describes the rod of iron twice, once in 1 Nephi 15, while speaking to his brothers, and one other time, describing his vision:
24 And after he had said these words, he said unto me: Look! And I looked, and I beheld the Son of God going forth among the children of men; and I saw many fall down at his feet and worship him.It is very interesting to me that in Nephi's vision, as he is learning the meaning of various elements of the dream, he does not describe seeing people reading the scriptures when he learns about the rod of iron. He sees Christ "going forth among the children of men," presumably inviting them to follow Him, and the people "fall[ing] down at his feet" to "worship [H]im." This is more personal.
25 And it came to pass that I beheld that the rod of iron, which my father had seen, was the word of God, which led to the fountain of living waters, or to the tree of life; (1 Nephi 11)
(Update) What about 1 Nephi 8:19-20?
A few readers mention a point that flies in the face of this idea. Verses 19 and 20 describe the rod this way:19 And I beheld a rod of iron, and it extended along the bank of the river, and led to the tree by which I stood.
20 And I also beheld a strait and narrow path, which came along by the rod of iron, even to the tree by which I stood; and it also led by the head of the fountain, unto a large and spacious field, as if it had been a world. ( 1 Nephi 8)
Calabro explains these verses as follows in his paper:
It may be difficult to see how this fits with Lehi’s statement, as recorded in 1 Nephi 8:19, that the rod “extended along the bank of the river and led to the tree by which I stood.” However, this problem may be solved by the double meaning of another Egyptian word, m3C. This verb means both “lead, guide, direct” and “extend.” If the text used this Egyptian word, then the original meaning of 1 Nephi 8:19 could have been something like “it guided (people) along the bank of the river, up to the tree by which I stood.” The current translation could arise from an assumption that the “rod” was a railing. The idea that this Egyptian word was used in the text is especially likely in view of Bowen’s arguments about the Egyptian word mdw. In fact, there may be a similar wordplay at work with the word m3C, since the homonymous Egyptian adjective m3C means “true (of speech); just, righteous.” The wordplay would imply that the word of God is true and that it leads people in righteous actions.
So I guess the visual interpretation of this theory would suggest that Lehi saw people being guided along the bank of the river to the tree (presumably by divine messengers who are not directly mentioned who are holding the rod in their hand and inviting people to grab a hold). Why would they not be directly mentioned? Perhaps due to the sacred nature of this calling and possible temple connections. The path is the covenant path, and the guides are divine messengers akin to the cherubim and flaming sword authorized by Jehovah to guard the way of life.
Conclusion
So was the rod of iron in Lehi's dream a hand-rail or a shepherd's staff? In the end I don't think our salvation rests on it, but my understanding of the dream, and its relevance to the conversion process, has been deepened by thinking about this alternative explanation.