As Jacob is speaking boldly to his people on the subject of chastity, he makes the following comment:
3 But, wo, wo, unto you that are not pure in heart, that are filthy this day before God; for except ye repent the land is cursed for your sakes; and the Lamanites, which are not filthy like unto you, nevertheless they are cursed with a sore cursing, shall scourge you even unto destruction. ...
5 Behold, the Lamanites your brethren, whom ye hate because of their filthiness and the cursing which hath come upon their skins, are more righteous than you; for they have not forgotten the commandment of the Lord, which was given unto our father—that they should have save it were one wife, and concubines they should have none, and there should not be whoredoms committed among them.
6 And now, this commandment they observe to keep; wherefore, because of this observance, in keeping this commandment, the Lord God will not destroy them, but will be merciful unto them; and one day they shall become a blessed people.
7 Behold, their husbands love their wives, and their wives love their husbands; and their husbands and their wives love their children; and their unbelief and their hatred towards you is because of the iniquity of their fathers; wherefore, how much better are you than they, in the sight of your great Creator?
8 O my brethren, I fear that unless ye shall repent of your sins that their skins will be whiter than yours, when ye shall be brought with them before the throne of God.
9 Wherefore, a commandment I give unto you, which is the word of God, that ye revile no more against them because of the darkness of their skins; neither shall ye revile against them because of their filthiness; but ye shall remember your own filthiness, and remember that their filthiness came because of their fathers.
10 Wherefore, ye shall remember your children, how that ye have grieved their hearts because of the example that ye have set before them; and also, remember that ye may, because of your filthiness, bring your children unto destruction, and their sins be heaped upon your heads at the last day. (Jacob 3)
As usual, there is quite a bit to unpack from these verses. Once we look past the racial connotations of these verses, we are able to see the deeper covenant symbols, some powerful rhetoric becomes apparent, which I've highlighted above. Repeated phrases build and play off of each other Jacob tells them that whereas Lamanites have become separated from the covenant as a result of the choices of their fathers, the Nephites do not have that excuse, and their sins will potentially lead their children to destruction.
Here are just a few of the lessons we learn from this passage:
- Observing to keep the commandments brings mercy and causes us to become "blessed" and not be destroyed.
- The filthiness of the Lamanites ("their filthiness") came as a result of their fathers' iniquity and will not prevent them from becoming "blessed" and obtaining "mercy."
- The filthiness of the Nephites ("your filthiness") comes from their failure to keep the commandments and will lead their children to destruction (for which they will be held accountable). This point is a direct inversion of the previous point about the Lamanites and their fathers.
- Those who are not pure in heart cause grief in the hearts of their children.
- At the day of judgment, God will look more favorably on those who sin in ignorance as a result of their sins of their fathers than those who sin against a knowledge of the commandments and thereby lead their own children unto destruction.