Endowment Narratives in the Book of Mormon, Part 3b -- Finding Meaning in the Symbols

This post will continue a detailed discussion of the symbols I've listed in the endowment pattern we find throughout the Book of Mormon. Today I'll be discussing three more elements:

• The new covenant people passes through a wilderness on their journey
• A list of animals (sometimes "of every kind")\
• "Many days"

The connection between 'wilderness,' 'the word,' and 'flocks and herds'

As I studied the concept of wilderness in preparation, for this post, I made an important and very satisfying connection between 'wilderness,' 'flocks and herds,' and 'the word.' Keep in mind that when I set out to document and flesh out the "endowment pattern" in the Book of Mormon, I did so by first identifying repeating details between many different accounts.  I didn't pick and choose the details based on their connection to Adam and Eve. So it is inspiring to see that these details have deep and meaningful connections back to Adam and Eve. As I've previously demonstrated in Parts 1 and 2, "wilderness" and "flocks and herds" are two of the repeating details. 

What I didn't know when I added them to the list is that there is a profound connection between these two elements built into the Hebrew language, and it centers around hearkening to the word.

In the Old Testament, "wilderness/desert" is most often translated from the Hebrew word 'midbar' --

midbar: desert (מִדְבָּר) -- desert (11), deserts (1), wilderness (257)

This word comes from the root 'dabar' which means 'to speak.' At first, this made no sense to me. What does a wilderness have to do with speaking? Biblehub helped me out:

From dabar in the sense of driving; a pasture (i.e. Open field, whither cattle are driven); by implication, a desert; also speech (including its organs) -- desert, south, speech, wilderness.

So the name of the place where a shepherd leads his flocks to graze comes from the root word 'to speak.' 

This adds a whole new layer of depth to an already fascinating word.  See this previous post by Stisa on the connection between 'dabar' and other Hebrew words, including the order of the priesthood. The "place of speaking" in the Holy of Holies (Hebrew: 'debir') also derives from this root. In other words, the covenant path begins in a wilderness (Hebrew 'midbar') and ends at a place of speaking (Hebrew: 'debir').

In light of this, look at Lehi's dream of the Tree of Life as recorded in 1 Nephi 8.  After explaining that he is fearful for Laman and Lenuel, he uses these words to begin describing his dream:

4 ... for behold, methought I saw in my dream, a dark and dreary wilderness.

After partaking of the fruit, he says this:

12 And as I partook of the fruit thereof it filled my soul with exceedingly great joy; wherefore, I began to be desirous that my family should partake of it also; for I knew that it was desirable above all other fruit. ...

14 And ... 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.

The dream begins in a wilderness and ends with Lehi calling out to his loved ones "with a loud voice" to come and partake. Receiver becomes giver by passing through a wilderness.

In this context, read this description of the symbolic meaning of the wilderness:   

... a wilderness symbolizes any place in which the people are tested, tried, proven, refined by trials, taught grace, and prepared to meet the Lord (see Alma 17:9; see also Christ’s preparations in the wilderness in Matthew 4:1–2). Scriptural journeys often symbolize man’s earthly walk from birth through the spiritual wildernesses of a fallen world (see Ether 6:4–7 for the ocean allegory of man’s journey; see also 1 Nephi 8 for the path leading to the tree of life). God seeks to teach that His children cannot be self-prospering and thereby fulfill the purposes of their earthly lives. They must learn to seek and accept His grace to reach their destinations, which are promised lands or places of deliverance and spiritual peace where Zion can be established. The Lord speaks to modern Israel: “Zion cannot be built up unless it is by the principles of the law of the celestial kingdom; otherwise I cannot receive her unto myself. And my people must needs be chastened until they learn obedience, if it must needs be, by the things which they suffer” (D&C 105:5–6). Therefore, the Lord provides in our lives wildernesses and waterlessness and overwhelming challenges to entice His children to involve Him as they struggle through life. (Source)

The wilderness is the place where natural man gives way to God's will and learns to be obedient to Him.  The domesticated animal is perhaps the perfect metaphor.

'Flocks and Herds'

In the endowment pattern detailed in parts 1 and 2, those who hearken are not only called to enter a wilderness, and they also take their flocks with them. These flocks and herds consist of domesticated animals -- those animals that are useful to man and follow his voice. So in this pattern we see that man acts both as hearer and speaker of the word -- being led by God and leading flocks and herds along into the wilderness.

The wilderness is the place where natural man gives way to God's will and learns to be obedient to Him.  The domesticated animal is perhaps the perfect metaphor.

This also ties in to the creation itself, and the commandment given to Adam and Eve in Genesis 1:28-30 --

28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.

29 ¶ And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat.

30 And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so.

Domesticating animals is an act of subduing and having dominion over part of God's creation, just as they were commanded to do. In a subtle, powerful way covenant people taking the flocks and herds into the wilderness shows their desire to fulfill God's commandments and act as Adam and Eve.

Before the Fall, animals in general appear to be in an intimate relationship with humans. This is shown, among other things, by the fact that they are given names by humans, which indicates not just the human control of animals but intimacy as well (cf. Gen 2:23, where the man names his helper). At least, it is assumed that humans were in perfect harmony with the animals. Apparently this situation has changed after the Fall. Note the following circumstances: the sin of humans affected the animal world; animals are divided into two classes, clean and not clean (Gen 7:2; NIV unclean; cf. Lev 11); there is a distance between animals and humans (Gen 9:2); animals may be eaten by humans for food (9:3); carnivorous animals may attack human beings (9:5); and finally, as is discussed below, Isa 11:6–8 presents an image of the animal world in which carnivorous animals undergo a metamorphosis in their nature, returning to their primordial situation (see below). (VanGemeren, W. (Ed.). (1997). New international dictionary of Old Testament theology & exegesis (Vol. 1, p. 612). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.)

This symbolism is deep and far-reaching. Think of all of the pastoral metaphors in the Gospel. I'll circle back to it in future posts as we talk about how often the wilderness theme appears in scripture.

"Many days"

I'll end this post with a few words about "many days." For me, the surprising thing about this seemingly mundane phrase is that it actually shows up so often in this endowment pattern context and not very often otherwise.  It appears 7 times in 1 Nephi 16-18, always as Nephi describes the journey in the wilderness (and on the sea). See 1 Nephi 16:15, 17, 33; 17:7, 52; 18:9, 23.

Perhaps the most notable use of the phrase 'many days' comes from the Book of Moses in the context of Adam and Eve's actions after being expelled from the Garden of Eden (actions which involve the firstlings of their flocks!):

6 And after many days an angel of the Lord appeared unto Adam, saying: Why dost thou offer sacrifices unto the Lord? And Adam said unto him: I know not, save the Lord commanded me. (Moses 5)

Conclusion

At the end of part three, I'll start to pull these various symbols together and demonstrate how they help us find numerous links between temple worship and scripture.  The details we've looked at in more depth offer great examples.  Of course much more could be written about these topics, and I will certainly revisit these topics, but I hope you can see how the creation of animals and the commandments given to Adam in the Garden of Eden to subdue the creation play into the symbolism of God calling those who will hearken to His voice to leave the fallen world behind and depart into the wilderness (and why they would bring their flocks and herds with them).  This ties into Noah bringing animals of all kinds on the ark. This ties into the concept of the grand feast in the ancient Egyptian temple rites. 

In the next post, we'll continue to look at additional details from the endowment pattern.

Endowment Narratives in the Book of Mormon, Part 2a -- The (first half of the) Big Picture

This post is a continuation of my previous post on the endowment narrative in the Book of Mormon. This is part 2a. In this part (and part 2b to follow), I'll lay out the evidence I've found so far about the general pattern described in part 1. Before I get to that, I will make a few general comments on the importance of stepping back from our "hyper-factual historical" approach when we study scriptural symbols.  In part 3, I will begin to discuss possible meanings of each element of the pattern and why I believe it belongs in this endowment narrative.

A note about the modern "Hyper-factual historical" mindset 

Our modern worldview is practically obsessed with historical accuracy. There isn't anything inherently wrong with this, and in many ways it is a blessing to be able to discern between things that actually happened and things that didn't.  But in other ways, our laser focus on historical accuracy limits us, in that it causes us to ascribe value to stories only to the extent that we can prove they faithfully recount what actually happened. In this mindset, "myth" takes on a very negative connotation, because it suggests a thing didn't happen precisely as it is told.

The stories of Adam and Eve and Noah are three perfect examples of this.  These accounts are so important they occupy a prime position in the Bible, and yet modern discussions rapidly descend into debates about belly buttons and the plausibility of global floods. 

To be clear, I personally believe in a literal Garden of Eden, a literal Adam and Eve, and a literal Noah who protected his family from a massive flood by obeying God's command to build a ship. But I also believe that the reason we are given these stories has little to do with their historical accuracy.  Rather, we are given these stories as archetypes. These stories embody grand themes relating to the arc of mortality: humanity's fall into carnal sin and their efforts to reclaim God's presence through obedience to His word.

In other words, the ancients were far more concerned with archetypal patterns than historical fact, and if we read an archetypal story with a modern "hyper-factual historical" worldview, we are likely to miss the point entirely. To the ancients, archetypal myth held a higher place of importance in their minds than factual accuracy, because myth conveyed more important information than simply factual recounting of historical events. 

How this relates to the Book of Mormon

I believe the authors of each of the following accounts in the Book of Mormon were following a specific literary tradition of embedding deeper messages within their accounts by conforming their descriptions of these groups of people to specific archetypal patterns. I'll discuss what I believe the meaning of the pattern is in much more detail in part 3 of this series, but it can be summarized as: "this new group of covenant-keeping people accepted God's gift to them and became like Adam and Eve in their efforts to regain God's presence." That is the message that is transmitted without being overtly stated. (It also happens to be one of the central messages of the endowment narrative found in the Book of Moses and in modern temple worship.)

One other note: Please do not just take my word for it as I lay out this pattern. I strongly encourage you to take your time and look up each of these stories on your own and find each of the details listed. As I've been studying these accounts repeatedly, I've gained a deep respect for the deeper message, and I've found more examples and details each time I've taken the time to look. 

As a reminder, here is the list of details:

1. Commanded/warned (often in a dream or vision) to depart
2. The group they leave are involved in secret combinations or intend to kill them.
3. They seek to bring all who will hearken/listen
4. The new covenant people passes through a wilderness on their journey
5. "Many days"
6. Tents (a symbol of the presence of the Lord)
7. A list of animals (sometimes "of every kind")
8. They inherit a land
9. New names are given (see Genesis 2:20)
10. They obey the commandments of the Lord
11. Abundance/Prosper
12. They are usually led by a righteous patriarch/king/royal family member

Examples

I'll begin with a quick recap of the story contained in 1 Nephi of Lehi's family leaving Jerusalem and becoming a new branch of the covenant people as they passed through the wilderness to a land of promise. This was discussed in more detail in part 1, but there is a recap:

	Detail	Lehi
1	Warned to depart	1 Nephi 2:2
2	Escaping from secret combinations/plan to murder	1 Nephi 1:20; 2:13;16:37-38
3	Bring all who would "hearken"/listen	Family, Zoram, Ishmael and Family
4	Pass through a wilderness	1 Nephi 2:2, 4-6
5	"Many days"	1 Nephi 16:15, 17, 33
6	Tents	1 Nephi 2:4, 6, 15; 7:5, 21-22
7	Animals "of every kind"	1 Nephi 18:25
8	Inherit a new land	1 Nephi 2:20
9	New names	1 Nephi 2:8 (Lehi names a river and a valley)
10	Obedience to the commandments of God	1 Nephi 2:3 (many other examples)
11	Abundance/Prosper	1 Nephi 18:24
12	Led by a righteous patriarch/king/royal family member (occasionally specifically the non-eldest son)	Lehi/Nephi (patriarch and non-oldest son)

The second Lehite example

Just after Lehi dies, the separation narrative repeats itself in 2 Nephi 5. This pattern is perhaps the most complete and concise, with all twelve items showing up in verses 2-18, essentially in the order I list them (with the exception of items 1 & 2).

	Detail	Nephi
1	Warned to depart	2 Nephi 5:5
2	Escaping from secret combinations/plan to murder	2 Nephi 5:2-4
3	Bring all who would "hearken"/listen	2 Nephi 5:5-6
4	Pass through a wilderness	2 Nephi 5:6
5	"Many days"	2 Nephi 5:7
6	Tents	2 Nephi 5:7
7	Animals "of every kind"	2 Nephi 5:11 ("of every kind")
8	Inherit a new land	2 Nephi 5:8
9	New names	2 Nephi 5:9
10	Obedience to the commandments of God	2 Nephi 5:10
11	Abundance/Prosper	2 Nephi 5:11
12	Led by a righteous patriarch/king/royal family member	2 Nephi 5:18

Additional notes about this example: This example is also positioned right after the account of Lehi's death/Nephi's psalm and just before Jacob (the anointed priest) gives an important sermon at the temple about "learn[ing]" and "glorify[ing]" the name of God, which echoes the language used to describe Adam and Eve (see Moses 5:8-12).

Mosiah - Benjamin - Mosiah

This example comes next in the text of the Book of Mormon, but it is quite fragmented because of the missing portions of Mormon's abridgement. This one also plays out over three generations of righteous kings. There are some elements not clearly mentioned, yet many parts of the pattern fit pretty cleanly:

	Detail	Mosiah - Benjamin - Mosiah
1	Warned to depart	Omni 1:12
2	Escaping from secret combinations/plan to murder	Implied in Mosiah 1:14
3	Bring all who would "hearken"/listen	Omni 1:12-13
4	Pass through a wilderness	Omni 1:12-13
5	"Many days"	Not specifically found, but we are told in Mosiah 7:4 that it took "many days" to travel back to the land of Nephi from Zarahemla
6	Tents	Mosiah 2:5-6 (In the context of King Benjamin's sermon at the temple)
7	Animals	Mosiah 2:3 ("flocks" are mentioned in the context of sacrifice)
8	Inherit a new land	Omni 1:19 (united with people of Zarahemla)
9	New names	Mosiah 1:10
10	Obedience to the commandments of God	Mosiah 1:11
11	Abundance/Prosper	Mosiah 2: 22, 31
12	Led by a righteous patriarch/king/royal family member	Omni 1:10; Mosiah 1:10

Additional notes about this example: The connection between obedience and prospering is made abundantly clear in this example.  These two elements are mentioned both in the positive context and the negative context in multiple places.

Conclusion (to be continued)

Those were the first three examples of the pattern.  We have five more (generally shorter) examples to go in part 2b. I hope you can see the pattern and how it seems that the authors are following a specific archetypal pattern as the recount the events surrounding the formation of a new covenant group.

Endowment Narratives in the Book of Mormon, Part 1 -- Overview and Introduction

I've noticed something very interesting in the Book of Mormon. This concept will take several posts to fully flesh out, but here it is in a nutshell:  The Book of Mormon contains a recurring covenant pattern I will refer to as 'the endowment pattern,' which is told and retold many times. 

It is the story of humanity's redemption. The pattern follows a few basic steps:

1) There is a call to leave the fallen world behind. 

2) Those who heed this call find themselves cast out into the wilderness. 

3) Through obedience they gradually regain the presence of the Lord and they are led to a state of rest and abundance.

In order to add depth and meaning to the numerous symbols associated with this pattern, I will lay out of some background on how I came to see this recurring theme. I will then conclude this post (part 1) by laying out the most comprehensive example from the Book of Mormon (found throughout 1 Nephi) complete with a list of the common details and symbols we find when this story is later retold. Finally, I'll offer one final list at the very end of this post which will show how many times this basic story is retold in the Book of Mormon.

How I came to notice this pattern

This pattern became increasingly clear to me over many years.  The first aspect I noticed was the similarity between the locations through which Lehi's family pass:

1. Wicked Jerusalem
2. Wilderness
3. Bountiful
4. Promised land

...with the pattern of progression we experience in the temple:

1. Fallen world (outside the temple)
2. Telestial
3. Terrestrial
4. Celestial

The similarity is intriguing. Here's how I would describe each point along the progression:

1. Lost and fallen
2. Still in the presence of wickedness but learning from heavenly messengers
3. Abundance without a fulness, Satan's influence has been overcome
4. Fulness of joy, entered into the rest of the Lord.

I've been pondering this pattern for at least a few years. I've thought about the faith it would take to leave the world behind and wander into the desert.  And how much faith it would take to leave Bountiful to journey on a boat on your own making to an unknown destination.

The second realization relates to boats. Since that first realization, I've spent a lot of time studying the covenant symbols found in the story of Noah. You can find a long series on the topic beginning here. Seeing the ark as a symbol of the covenant which carries us safely through mortality opened my eyes to other examples of this pattern which will be discussed later on, including Ether 1-6.

Third, I began to find examples of 'metalepsis' in the Book of Mormon. This is an ancient literary device in which the author draws an entire story to the mind of a reader by referencing one unique part of that story. (Here is one such example.)

Fourth and finally, as I read Stisa's recent posts about the symbolic importance of tents and this blog post offering a speculative alternative explanation for the mention of horses by Nephi, I realized that the presence of a specific detail in a story can serve multiple purposes.  In addition to recounting an event, the detail could also have symbolic significance and could have been included to point the prepared mind to see deeper significance to the story.

Common Elements of the Endowment Pattern

Once these elements were in place, I began to dig deeper into the details of 1 Nephi. I created a list of details I felt were significant to the general endowment pattern. (This is a work in progress so I may add additional details to this list in the future.) Here is my list up to this point:

1. Commanded/warned (often in a dream or vision) to depart
2. The group they leave are involved in secret combinations or intend murder
3. They seek to bring all who will hearken/listen
4. The new covenant people passes through a wilderness on their journey
5. "Many days"
6. Tents (a symbol of the presence of the Lord)
7. A list of animals (sometimes "of every kind")
8. They inherit a land
9. New names are given (see Genesis 2:20)
10. They obey the commandments of the Lord
11. Abundance/Prosper
12. They are usually led by a righteous patriarch/king/royal family member

Many of these elements are quite easy to connect to the temple. Many of these details are found in the archetypal Adam and Eve narrative found in the Book of Moses, too.  This will be the subject of a future post.

1 Nephi as Endowment

Let's look at each of the elements listed above in the story of Lehi's family travelling to the promised land (I give references for most but list other details which are supported by the text in multiple places):

	Detail	Lehi
1	Warned to depart	1 Nephi 2:2
2	Escaping from secret combinations/plan to murder	1 Nephi 1:20; 2:13;16:37-38
3	Bring all who would "hearken"/listen	Family, Zoram, Ishmael and Family
4	Pass through a wilderness	1 Nephi 2:2, 4-6
5	"Many days"	1 Nephi 16:15, 17, 33
6	Tents	1 Nephi 2:4, 6, 15; 7:5, 21-22
7	Animals "of every kind"	1 Nephi 18:25
8	Inherit a new land	1 Nephi 2:20
9	New names	1 Nephi 2:8 (Lehi names a river and a valley)
10	Obedience to the commandments of God	1 Nephi 2:3 (many other examples)
11	Abundance/Prosper	1 Nephi 18:24
12	Led by a righteous patriarch/king/royal family member	Lehi/Nephi (patriarch and non-oldest son)

Additional Examples

Once you become familiar with the basic story outline, it's easy to see additional examples.  In fact, right after Lehi dies, the story repeats itself as the Nephites split off from the Lamanites.  It happens again with Mosiah-1, though many details are missing due to the loss of portions of that part of Mormon's record. Other elements of the story are present with King Benjamin. Then we see the same pattern again with Alma-1 and Limhi. It happens again with the Anti-Nephi-Lehites. We see additional elements in the origin story of Jaredites, and one additional time in Ether 9.

Of course we don't see every element each time, but in general, it is clear to me that a pattern is being followed by the author of the narrative.  Almost as if they are saying: "Here is yet another attempt by the Lord to re-establish His people."

Series overview

The next post in this series will begin with a big chart listing the references I've found so far supporting this pattern. After laying out the big picture, we'll take a few posts to walk through each example in detail.  After that, we'll look at the significance of each story element and list a few potential additional elements which might belong, as well as a few additional examples of this pattern playing out in variant form.  Finally, I'll end the series by discussing the significance of this repeated pattern.

Lehi, Nephi and the shekinah -- Part 3 (From tabernacle to temple)

Here are links to part 1 and part 2 of this series, where I have introduced the Hebrew concept of Shekinah, the presence/"dwelling place" of God's glory, that is typically found in the tabernacle and temple of Israel of old. I have also linked Lehi's tent to the tabernacle of Israel in the wilderness.

In this post, I will discuss a pattern that I admittedly do not fully understand. Whereas Lehi gets his revelations and enjoys the Shekinah in his tent, Nephi goes to the mountain. Let's first examine Lehi. This blog post states

The tabernacle in the wilderness serves as an allegory that Nephi draws upon. With this ancient connection established between Lehi and Moses, the verse, “And my Father dwelt in a Tent” takes on greater significance. In the world of Israel, this verse communicates that Lehi was a Tsadik (a holy or righteous one) who walked in the same pathway of the Holy Order, such as Moses, Abraham, Noah, Enoch, and Adam.  As he dwelt in a tent in the wilderness, he communed with God.  He received revelations, commandments, and decrees for his people...

Like ancient Israel camping in tents in the wilderness, a tsaddik or holy man would often be found living outside the bounds of the cities in the caves and tents of the wilderness.  In doing so, these men lead a consecrated or set apart existence similar to Moses dwelling in the Tabernacle enwrapped in the Glory of the Lord (Shekinah).

It is easy to see how the Book of Mormon portrays Lehi as a Tsadik who separated from the wickedness in Jerusalem dwelling in a tent. Once he left, he never set his foot in the city again but sent his sons to obtain the plates and persuade Ishmael and his family to come along. It is also clear that he "communed with God" in the tent. We saw in the previous post (part 2) that it was a place of sacrifice and offerings. Almost every time the tent is mentioned, the Shekinah is also manifest.

14 And it came to pass that my father did speak unto them in the valley of Lemuel, with power, being filled with the Spirit, until their frames did shake before him. And he did confound them, that they durst not utter against him; wherefore, they did as he commanded them.

15 And my father dwelt in a tent. (1 Nephi 2)

Perhaps the most well-known example of Lehi's communion with God is Lehi's dream. This verse immediately follows his dream in 1 Nephi 8.

And all these things did my father see, and hear, and speak, as he dwelt in a tent, in the valley of Lemuel, and also a great many more things, which cannot be written upon these plates. (1 Nephi 9:1)

Interestingly, Nephi says that Lehi said many more things that could not be written. But then he changes his mind

And now I, Nephi, proceed to give an account upon these plates of my proceedings, and my reign and ministry; wherefore, to proceed with mine account, I must speak somewhat of the things of my father, and also of my brethren. (1 Nephi 10:1)

Nephi goes on to recount some more of what his father said. I think this is done to give more context to his account of his own vision that includes both elements from his father's dream but also his teachings in chapter 10 about the Jews, Gentiles and the Savior's mission. After Nephi has ended this brief recount of his father's prophecies, he repeats yet again

And all these things, of which I have spoken, were done as my father dwelt in a tent, in the valley of Lemuel. (1 Nephi 10:16)

After his father had spoken about these things, Nephi wants to see what his father has seen. Nephi sees a grand vision as recorded in 1 Nephi 11-14. But it does not happen in a tent. Nephi is carried away in the spirit up on a high mountain. 

And it came to pass that after I, Nephi, had been carried away in the Spirit, and seen all these things, I returned to the tent of my father. (1 Nephi 15:1)

This description is similar to the one in 1 Nephi 3:1 described in my previous post, where Nephi had spoken with the Lord and then returned to his father's tent. We see a steady focus on Lehi's tent whenever divine manifestations have occured. Divine manifestations happen to Lehi in the tent, whereas for Nephi it happens outside the tent, followed by a return to his father's tent. This is an interesting pattern that I don't know if I quite understand. Contrast that with the description in 1 Nephi 16

31 And it came to pass that I did slay wild beasts, insomuch that I did obtain food for our families.

32 And it came to pass that I did return to our tents, bearing the beasts which I had slain; and now when they beheld that I had obtained food, how great was their joy!

When he had been hunting (rather than communing with God), Nephi returned to "our tents", not his father's tent.

It should be abundantly clear by now that Lehi's tent can be linked to the tabernacle and was thought to have a special function as dwelling place not only for Lehi but for God. But even though we know Nephi to be a prophet and great spiritual leader, it also seems clear that Lehi was the high priest of the tabernacle, while Nephi undoubtedly later became the king and high priest of the temple. After his father died, Nephi built a temple, as we can read in 2 Nephi 5. This was the permanent dwelling place for God in the promised land and replaced the tabernacle. Just as Lehi's tent/tabernacle mimics the tabernacle of Israel in the wilderness, Nephi's temple mimics the temple of Solomon in the promised land.

And I, Nephi, did build a temple; and I did construct it after the manner of the temple of Solomon save it were not built of so many precious things; for they were not to be found upon the land, wherefore, it could not be built like unto Solomon’s temple. But the manner of the construction was like unto the temple of Solomon; and the workmanship thereof was exceedingly fine. (2 Nephi 5:16)