I introduced the concept of "shekinah" in my previous post with a promise to connect Lehi's tent and the tabernacle of Israel. In 1 Nephi, Nephi repeatedly stresses the fact that his father lived in a tent. For example:
And it came to pass that I, Nephi, returned from with the Lord, to the tent of my father. (1 Nephi 3:1)
A Jewish rabbi comments on this verse:
Nephi had been speaking with the Lord. There's nothing in the narrative that indicates that Nephi had a vision so this conversation must have happened with a direct manifestation of G-d to Nephi. So Nephi was in G-d's presence - ie. the Shechinah (שכינה). One of the words used for tent in Hebrew is the word mishkan (משכן) which comes from the very same root. This word-play cannot be coincidental.
Nephi is not only informing us what kind of accomodation they had in the wilderness. In that case, informing us once would do and even that would be unneccesary really. It is not like any reader would wonder what hotels they were staying at along the way. But Nephi is stressing the fact that this journey was undertaken because of God's commandments and He was with them, leading them to a promised land like Israel of old.
Another textual clue in the Book of Mormon linking Lehi's tent to the tabernacle of Israel are the accounts of sacrifices.
7 And when we had returned to the tent of my father, behold their joy was full, and my mother was comforted.
8 And she spake, saying: Now I know of a surety that the Lord hath my husband to into the wilderness; yea, and I also know of a surety that the Lord hath protected my sons, and delivered them out of the hands of Laban, and given them power whereby they could the thing which the Lord hath commanded them. And after this manner of language did she speak.
9 And it came to pass that they did rejoice exceedingly, and did offer and burnt offerings unto the Lord; and they gave unto the God of Israel. (1 Nephi 5)
And it came to pass that we did come down unto the tent of our father. And after I and my brethren and all the house of Ishmael had come down unto the tent of my father, they did give unto the Lord their God; and they did offer and burnt offerings unto him. (1 Nephi 7:22)
Both accounts of offering sacrifice and burnt offerings in the wilderness occur when it is explicitly mentioned that they get to Lehi's tent. It is interesting to note Nephi's emphasis on his father's tent when the group obviously had many tents. For instance, in 1 Nephi 17:6, they pitched their tents (plural) by the seashore. Still, on special occasions like the ones quoted above, Nephi goes to his father's tent. Does this mean that Lehi's tent actually functioned as a tabernacle and that the offerings happened inside it? We don't know, but there is an unexpected source confirming what is only hinted at in the Book of Mormon text itself.
A Palmyra resident named Fayette Lapham interviewed Joseph Smith Sr. after the translation of the lost pages. His account is unique since Joseph Smith Sr. who had read the manuscript before it was lost told Lapham about some of the contents. When Lapham later recounts it, he may not remember everything perfectly, but there are still some interesting elements in his account. In his book, "The lost 116 pages", Don Bradley includes and discusses this account. According to Lapham, after Nephi obtained Laban's record and returned to his father,
The family then moved on, for several days, when they were directed to stop and get materials to make brass plates upon which to keep a record of their journey; also to erect a tabernacle, wherein they could go and inquire whenever they became bewildered or at a loss what to do. After all things were ready, they started on their journey, in earnest; a gold ball went before them, having to pointers, one pointing steadily the way they should go, the other the way to where they could get provision and other necessaries.
On this account, Don Bradley comments
Comparing this with Nephi's small plates account, it becomes clear that Lapham garbled some of what he heard. Yet even where Lapham has misinterpreted, the details he gives are, with one exception, known elements of the Lehi narrative. Elements or retrieving the brass plates, acquiring gold for Nephi's own record, and discovering the Liahona are swapped around, but the construction of "a tabernacle, wherein they could go and inquire" is a unique detail and not merely a combination or facile misreading of elements of that narrative.
I agree with Bradley's comments here. This account from Fayette Lapham further strengthens the connection between Lehi's tent and Israel's tabernacle in the desert. This explains the heavy focus on Lehi's tent in 1 Nephi. It was a sanctuary, a place for the shekinah glory. Lehi dwelt [shakan] in a tent [mishkan] and God dwelt with them and guided them along. The journey to the promised land was commanded by God and he was with them every step being a light to them in the wilderness and preparing the way (see 1 Nephi 17:13).
In the next post, I will go deeper into the roles of Lehi and Nephi regarding the tent/tabernacle and temple, respectively.
