Endowment Narratives in the Book of Mormon, Part 4 -- More symbols and their meaning

This has turned into a pretty long series so far, but we aren't done yet.  I hope you've enjoyed the ride.

This post will cover a few additional symbols which appear frequently in the 'endowment pattern' I've outlined in this series.  

Before I get to that, it's probably useful for us to recap what we've covered already:

In part 1, I outlined the basic story structure:

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.

I included a list of twelve symbols commonly included in the story.

In part 2a and part 2b, I detailed eight different examples of this story pattern in the Book of Mormon.

Part 3 focused on the meaning of each of these twelve symbols and how they relate to the symbolism of the endowment. (Part 3a, part 3b, and part 3c.)

Two Additional Symbols

In the process of reading and rereading these example, I noticed a few additional elements which seem to belong on the list: 'Seeds' and 'crying for mercy.'

Seeds/Grain

The symbolism of the seed is found in many of the examples I've listed. The symbolism here is pretty easy to see.  Partly, the seed "of every kind" language evokes creation imagery. Also, the seed is often likened to the word of God. In another sense, seed/grain represent domesticated plants which are useful for man, and so the same symbolism related to flocks and herds applies to seeds/grain. This helps explain why these two elements are often mentioned together.

A related symbol ("tilling the ground") is a reference to Adam and Eve and is also found immediately after Lehi and his family reach the promise land (1 Nephi 18:24) and right after Jared and his group reach the promise land (Ether 6:13). See also Mosiah 9:9.

Lehi: 

1 Nephi 8:1; 1 Nephi 18:6

Nephi:  

2 Nephi 5:11

Mosiah - Benjamin - Mosiah: 

Not found.

Limhi: 

Mosiah 23:1

Alma-1: 

• (First Pattern) Mosiah 23:1
• (Second Pattern) Mosiah 24:18

(This is very interesting. In consecutive chapters this pattern is repeated in describing two different escapes by the same group of people, and both times it describes them bringing their grain with them. That indicates to me that the grain is an important symbol.)

Anti-Nephi-Lehi: (Not found)

Jared: 

Ether 1:41

Omer: 

Ether 9:17

'Crying' or praying with 'all their heart'

I've posted on this topic in the past (here, here, and here). A person finds mercy through Christ after they cry out to God. In the covenant/endowment context, this is extremely powerful symbolism.

Lehi: 

1 Nephi 1:5 - "my father, Lehi, as he went forth prayed unto the Lord, yea, even with all his heart, in behalf of his people."

Nephi:  

2 Nephi 5:1 "I, Nephi, did cry much unto the Lord my God"

Mosiah - Benjamin - Mosiah: 

Mosiah 4:2 - "they all cried aloud with one voice, saying: O have mercy, and apply the atoning blood of Christ that we may receive forgiveness of our sins, and our hearts may be purified; for we believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who created heaven and earth, and all things; who shall come down among the children of men."

Limhi: 

Mosiah 21:14 "they did cry mightily to God; yea, even all the day long did they cry unto their God that he would deliver them out of their afflictions."

Alma-1: 

(First Pattern) Mosiah 23:28 

...they hushed their fears, and began to cry unto the Lord that he would soften the hearts of the Lamanites, that they would spare them, and their wives, and their children.

(Second Pattern) Mosiah 24:10-12

10 And it came to pass that so great were their afflictions that they began to cry mightily to God.

11 And Amulon commanded them that they should stop their cries; and he put guards over them to watch them, that whosoever should be found calling upon God should be put to death.

12 And Alma and his people did not raise their voices to the Lord their God, but did pour out their hearts to him; and he did know the thoughts of their hearts.

Anti-Nephi-Lehi: 

I couldn't find a perfect fit, but Alma 22:17 describes the King of all the land crying to God.

Jared: 

38 And it came to pass that Jared spake again unto his brother, saying: Go and inquire of the Lord whether he will drive us out of the land, and if he will drive us out of the land, cry unto him whither we shall go. And who knoweth but the Lord will carry us forth into a land which is choice above all the earth? And if it so be, let us be faithful unto the Lord, that we may receive it for our inheritance.

39 And it came to pass that the brother of Jared did cry unto the Lord according to that which had been spoken by the mouth of Jared. (Ether 1)

Omer: 

Ether 9:34 "...Now when the people saw that they must perish they began to repent of their iniquities and cry unto the Lord."

Conclusion

Now that we've added in these two details, I think our list is pretty strong.  So many common elements between these eight stories cannot be a coincidence. The creation of a new covenant people is recorded with these Adam and Eve symbols in order to tell the reader they were striving to fulfill the first commandment God gave to Adam and Eve.

In the next part, we'll look at a few additional scripture stories and see how the archetypal Adam and Eve endowment narrative follows in the stories of Christ, Moses, Abraham, Enos, Lehi's dream, and a few others. Recognizing the pattern helps us unlock additional meaning from these important stories.

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.