Another parallel between the word of God and the covenant people

14 And it shall come to pass that my people, which are of the house of Israel, shall be gathered home unto the lands of their possessions; and my word also shall be gathered in one. And I will show unto them that fight against my word and against my people, who are of the house of Israel, that I am God, and that I covenanted with Abraham that I would remember his seed forever. (2 Nephi 29)

Writing about the miraculous preservation of a remnant of Joseph of Egypt's coat (see here) got me thinking about the verse above.

The preservation of the coat is a symbol of both the promises made by God about His seed and also about His word. Both would be miraculously preserved by the hand of God until the day comes when they shall be gathered in one. We live in the day when that has begun. The covenant people are the ones who make sacred promises to live by the word of God. Both are miraculously preserved by the Word of God, who came into the world to be a light unto it.

12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name (John 1)

In this post, I will review some of the key verses which detail how these promises are written about in the Book of Mormon.

The Words of Jacob/Israel

Here are the words of Jacob as quoted by Moroni as he rallied an army (by covenant) to defend the liberty of the Nephites:

24 Yea, let us preserve our liberty as a remnant of Joseph; yea, let us remember the words of Jacob, before his death, for behold, he saw that a part of the remnant of the coat of Joseph was preserved and had not decayed. And he said—Even as this remnant of garment of my son hath been preserved, so shall a remnant of the seed of my son be preserved by the hand of God, and be taken unto himself, while the remainder of the seed of Joseph shall perish, even as the remnant of his garment.

25 Now behold, this giveth my soul sorrow; nevertheless, my soul hath joy in my son, because of that part of his seed which shall be taken unto God.

26 Now behold, this was the language of Jacob. (Alma 46)

(The phrase "taken unto himself" in red is interesting and related, but outside the scope of this post, It will be the subject of a post in the next few days.)

Notice how Israel describes the remnant: "preserved and not decayed." He prophesies that the same will happen to a remnant of his son's seed.  What will make the difference between decaying and being preserved?  The word of God, of course. Having it and "keeping" it. In a magnificent and directly relevant sermon to his son Joseph, Lehi teaches this very clearly:

23 Wherefore, because of this covenant thou art blessed; for thy seed shall not be destroyed, for they shall hearken unto the words of the book. (2 Nephi 3)

As I read the words of Joseph of Egypt in Alma 46, I was immediately reminded of two key phrases in the Book of Mormon which revolve around the same theme, which equally apply to the people of God and the word of God and which have been the subject of several previous posts:

• "Kept and Preserved" (see this post)
• "Retain their Brightness" (see this post)

"Kept and Preserved"

Summarizing from the post linked above, we find various contexts in which the phrase "kept and preserved" appears in the Book of Mormon:

• the plates of brass (see Mosiah 1:3-5, Mosiah 28:11, Alma 37:3-4 and 14)
• the plates of Nephi (see 2 Nephi 25:21, Mosiah 28:11)
• righteous leaders (see Mosiah 2:11)
• God's people (see Omni 1:6, Mosiah 2:20, Mosiah 7:20, Alma 9:22, Alma 44:4)
• the Urim and Thummim (Mosiah 28:14)

The express purpose of the word of God is to bring about covenants (see 1 Nephi 13:40-41), thereby creating a covenant people.  Keep in mind that the word of God goes far beyond the written word.  It includes all that is necessary to walk to the tree of life.

"Retain their brightness"

Another phrase/symbol that can be applied to the word of God and the people of God is the concept of brightness. 

• Nephi's brother Jacob knew the things which were written upon plates "must remain" (Jacob 4:1), whereas anything written "upon anything save it be upon plates must perish and vanish away."
• Lehi, upon receiving the plates of brass, states: "these plates of brass should never perish; neither should they be dimmed any more by time." (1 Nephi 5:19)
• King Benjamin says this about the words he was commanded to deliver to his people by an angel: "They shall stand as a bright testimony against this people, at the judgment day" (Mosiah 3:24)
• Alma-2 tells his son Helaman that "if they are kept they must retain their brightness; yea, and they will retain their brightness; yea, and also shall all the plates which do contain that which is holy writ." (Alma 37:5)

Conclusion

This promise given by God to the ancient patriarchs underscores the intimate connection between God's covenant people and His word.  The connection between covenant-making and the scriptures is emphasized in our modern temples, too, in several important ways. I'll close this post with a prophecy of Joseph in Egypt about a Latter-day Joseph who restore this everlasting covenant to the earth and begin the final gathering of Israel:

7 Yea, Joseph truly said: Thus saith the Lord unto me: A choice seer will I raise up out of the fruit of thy loins; and he shall be esteemed highly among the fruit of thy loins. And unto him will I give commandment that he shall do a work for the fruit of thy loins, his brethren, which shall be of great worth unto them, even to the bringing of them to the knowledge of the covenants which I have made with thy fathers. (2 Nephi 3)

Lehi, Nephi and the shekinah -- Part 5 (The Feasts of Tabernacles)

This is presumably the last post of this series. Here are links to 

• Part 1
• Part 2
• Part 3
• Part 4

In the last part, we read about the expanding tent and the feast for a covenant people in Isaiah 54 and Revelation 19-21 in the latter days. I mentioned that this can be viewed as a grand and final Feast of Tabernacles. This post will discuss the Jewish Feast of Tabernacles, or Sukkot in Hebrew, and attempt to tie together a lot of the concepts that have been written on this blog, not only as part of this series, but other recent posts as well. 

Shekinah is a major theme in the Feast of Tabernacles. It is celebrated by creating temporary dwellings (tents or booths) where God can dwell with you, like he did among Israel as they journeyed in the wilderness. Leviticus 23 describes the commandments and instructions pertaining to it

33 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying,

34 Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, The fifteenth day of this seventh month shall be the feast of tabernacles for seven days unto the Lord.

35 On the first day shall be an holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work therein.

36 Seven days ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the Lord: on the eighth day shall be an holy convocation unto you; and ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the Lord: it is a solemn assembly; and ye shall do no servile work therein.

37 These are the feasts of the Lord, which ye shall proclaim to be holy convocations, to offer an offering made by fire unto the Lord, a burnt offering, and a meat offering, a sacrifice, and drink offerings, every thing upon his day:

38 Beside the sabbaths of the Lord, and beside your gifts, and beside all your vows, and beside all your freewill offerings, which ye give unto the Lord.

39 Also in the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when ye have gathered in the fruit of the land, ye shall keep a feast unto the Lord seven days: on the first day shall be a sabbath, and on the eighth day shall be a sabbath.

40 And ye shall take you on the first day the boughs of goodly trees, branches of palm trees, and the boughs of thick trees, and willows of the brook; and ye shall rejoice before the Lord your God seven days.

41 And ye shall keep it a feast unto the Lord seven days in the year. It shall be a statute for ever in your generations: ye shall celebrate it in the seventh month.

42 Ye shall dwell in booths seven days; all that are Israelites born shall dwell in booths:

43 That your generations may know that I made the children of Israel to dwell in booths, when I brought them out of the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.

44 And Moses declared unto the children of Israel the feasts of the Lord. (Leviticus 23)

I have highlighted several parts that come together with other themes discussed on this blog recently.

Dwelling in tabernacles/booths

First off, there is an evident Feast of Tabernacles theme in the passages discussed in the previous post (Isaiah 54 and Revelation 19-21). Initially, the covenant people, Israel, were living in tents and enjoying the divine presence as he led them out of Egypt to the promised land. Even though they were in a wilderness, he provided for them. This was to be commemorated with a feast where they gathered the harvest and rejoiced. From an ancient Israelite perspective, I can easily see the expanding tent of Isaiah and the feast in Revelation to represent a latter-day fulfillment of the Feast of Tabernacles. This also fits into a general pattern of fulfillment of Jewish festivals, that I will bring up in a future post.

Give/offer followed by receive/feast

Lord Wilmore has written extensively recently about the small and grand meal, giving/sacrificing and receiving and linked these concepts to the temple. In the video clip linked in this post, the Feast of Tabernacles is in fact mentioned as representing the grand meal. 

In this context of what Lord Wilmore has written, it is also interesting to note the Noahic pattern of giving and receiving described here. The Feast of Tabernacles happens in tents, enwrapped in the shekinah and isolated from the wicked world around, just like the ark. The harvest is gathered like the animals in the ark and some of it is offered as sacrifice. Then you feast on the fruit of the land that you have gathered but ultimately have received from the Lord as a blessing. Again, like Noah, who sacrificed and then had everything delivered into his hands by covenant, the giver becomes the receiver.

Eight days

Incidentally, the Feast of Tabernacles also happens to link to another recent post. This is a follow-up of a previous discussion on the symbolic value of the number 8. The Feast of Tabernacles starts on a Sabbath and ends on a Sabbath so that there is an eight day festival altogether. This is not surprising considering the symbolic meaning where 8 represents new beginnings and abundance. Abundance is found both physically in the harvest and spiritually in the divine presence, represented by the grand meal or feast. New beginnings is the major theme for the events that the Israelites were supposed to commemorate. The journey in the wilderness would culminate in entry into the promised land. This is why I think the passages in Isaiah 54 and Revelation 19-21 can be viewed as fulfillment of the Feast of Tabernacles. Referring to the video clip here once again, it talks about the meal both as reminder and a pointer to future events. The Feast of Tabernacles therefore also points to a future event in the latter days when Israel is gathered again in a feast in their promised lands and the tent just can't get big enough. It's a new beginning for all involved.

A final note on Lehi and Nephi

True to the title of this series, I end with a note on Lehi and Nephi. In this post I make a case for Lehi leaving Jerusalem at the time of Sukkot. Actually, the case is mostly laid out in the links of that post and especially this one demonstrates clearly how the Feast of Tabernacles is used as a major theme permeating the first part of 1 Nephi. These are not only textual clues, according to ancient Israelite scribal style, to inform the reader that Lehi left Jerusalem at the time of Sukkot. It is used as an overarching theme throughout to teach deeper lessons. As an example, let's return to one of the passages shared in part 2

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 commanded my husband to flee 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 accomplish 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 sacrifice and burnt offerings unto the Lord; and they gave thanks unto the God of Israel. (1 Nephi 5)

The rejoicing and feasting as outlined in the commandment in Leviticus goes hand in hand with the sacrifice. Their joy being full reminds of the fullness that Lord Wilmore has discussed in this context. But it is also possible that the underlying Hebrew is shalom (as in "their joy was complete"). This would constitute a wordplay hinting at the conditions in Jerusalem (Yeru-shalom) at the time and how the Shekinah had withdrawn from it and moved into Lehi's tent instead. The blessings follow the separation from the wicked.

Another Feast of Tabernacles reference is found in 1 Nephi 8:5. But let's first revisit Revelation 19:8 that I discussed in the previous post.

And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.

As commented before, this white linen symbolizes how all covenant people become Tsadiks (Righteous Ones) at the latter day grand feast (of tabernacles). Interestingly, the eighth day assembly of the Feast of Tabernacles traditionally consists of a prayer meeting led by a cantor who wears a symbolic white robe. This is also showing up in 1 Nephi 8:5, where Lehi in his dream sees such a leading figure wearing a white robe.

As a final example, consider how the symbolism of 8 just discussed is used by Nephi in light of this Feast of Tabernacles theme.

4 And we did sojourn for the space of many years, yea, even eight years in the wilderness.

5 And we did come to the land which we called Bountiful, because of its much fruit and also wild honey; and all these things were prepared of the Lord that we might not perish. And we beheld the sea, which we called Irreantum, which, being interpreted, is many waters.

6 And it came to pass that we did pitch our tents by the seashore

 

Nephi seems to make a direct link between their journey in the wilderness in tents (lasting for eight years) and the Feast of Tabernacles (lasting for eight days). It ends with the great harvest of much fruit and honey in Bountiful (and eventually the promised land). This is where they obtain the blessings ("prepared of the Lord") for the sacrifices of their journey.

Summary and conclusion

Since we have touched upon many aspects of a bigger theme in this series, I just want to wrap it all up in a summary. The Hebrew verb, shakan, means to abide or dwell. Both the words for tabernacle ("dwelling place") and Shekinah (the divine presence) are derived from this root. There is an idea of a temporary dwelling with God here on earth as preparation for a future permanent dwelling with God embedded in the Hebrew language.

This idea permeates much of 1 Nephi. As Latter-Day Saints, we tend to make fun of Nephi's focus on his father's tent rather than understanding the significance of it. There are textual clues to indicate both that Lehi's tent functioned as a tabernacle where God dwelled with them guiding them on their journey, as well as a celebration of the Feast of Tabernacles at the time they left Jerusalem. We see this theme sprinkled throughout first Nephi, teaching us about the relation between sacrifice and blessings and the importance of making space for God to dwell with us.

There is also a scriptural idea of a future grand Feast of Tabernacles in the latter days, where all children of the covenant are invited. We live in a time where these prophecies are about to be fulfilled and are therefore invited to prepare.

Lehi, Nephi and the shekinah -- Part 2 (Lehi's tent as tabernacle)

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 speaking 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 commanded my husband to flee 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 accomplish 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 sacrifice and burnt offerings unto the Lord; and they gave thanks 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 thanks unto the Lord their God; and they did offer sacrifice 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.

The Brightness of the Scriptures

Not only are the scriptures of great worth, they are enduring.  The metal upon which they were recorded is a symbol of the timelessness of their message.  As demonstrated in this post, a fundamental aspect of the 'way of life' is that it is unchanging -- it transcends time. This creates a variant of the past/present/future symbolism we find in many places in the scriptures.  A reminder that pursuing the way of life leads us to a state of never-ending happiness in God's presence.

I noticed this from Nephi's summary of the words of his father Lehi after receiving the brass plates:

19 Wherefore, he said that these plates of brass should never perish; neither should they be dimmed any more by time. (1 Nephi 5)

This parallels similar statements from other Book of Mormon prophets.

Nephi makes this comment:

11 And if they are not the words of Christ, judge ye—for Christ will show unto you, with power and great glory, that they are his words, at the last day; and you and I shall stand face to face before his bar; and ye shall know that I have been commanded of him to write these things, notwithstanding my weakness. (2 Nephi 33)

He knows his words will be around all the way until the last day.

Jacob puts it this way:

1 Now behold, it came to pass that I, Jacob, having ministered much unto my people in word, (and I cannot write but a little of my words, because of the difficulty of engraving our words upon plates) and we know that the things which we write upon plates must remain;
2 But whatsoever things we write upon anything save it be upon plates must perish and vanish away; but we can write a few words upon plates, which will give our children, and also our beloved brethren, a small degree of knowledge concerning us... (Jacob 4)

King Benjamin says this:

23 And now I have spoken the words which the Lord God hath commanded me.
24 And thus saith the Lord: They shall stand as a bright testimony against this people, at the judgment day; whereof they shall be judged, every man according to his works, whether they be good, or whether they be evil. (Mosiah 3)

Alma-2 tells his son Helaman this about the records as he puts him in charge of their safekeeping:

4 Behold, it has been prophesied by our fathers, that they should be kept and handed down from one generation to another, and be kept and preserved by the hand of the Lord until they should go forth unto every nation, kindred, tongue, and people, that they shall know of the mysteries contained thereon.
5 And now behold, if they are kept they must retain their brightness; yea, and they will retain their brightness; yea, and also shall all the plates which do contain that which is holy writ. (Alma 37)

The prophecy Alma mentions is probably the one Lehi makes in 1 Nephi 5. Alma does a few other really interesting things with his words to Helaman, which I'll detail in my next post.

Worth

In 1 Nephi 5:21, Nephi says

And we had obtained the records which the Lord had commanded us, and searched them and found that they were desirable; yea, even of great worth unto us, insomuch that we could preserve the commandments of the Lord unto our children.

It seems that this realization is what inspires Nephi to write about his own record just a few verses later

Wherefore, I shall give commandment unto my seed, that they shall not occupy these plates with things which are not of worth unto the children of men.(1 Nephi 6:6)

These are the first two uses of the word, "worth" in the Book of Mormon. The next is in 1 Nephi 13:23, where Nephi in vision sees the coming forth of the Bible and says it will be of "great worth unto the Gentiles". Interestingly, the first three uses of that word in the Book of Mormon refer to the worth of the brass plates, the plates of Nephi and the Bible, respectively.

In fact, most of the 17 uses of that word in the Book of Mormon are related to the scriptures and especially the coming forth of the Book of Mormon as part of the marvelous work in the latter days. Some examples:

And after our seed is scattered the Lord God will proceed to do a marvelous work among the Gentiles, which shall be of great worth unto our seed (1 Nephi 22:8)

confine the words unto mine own people; for I know that they shall be of great worth unto them in the last days (2 Nephi 25:8)

And the things which shall be written out of the book [of Mormon] shall be of great worth unto the children of men (2 Nephi 28:2)

When Moroni decides to write more, contrary to his initial plan, it is only because he thinks his words might be of worth

I had supposed not to have written any more; but I write a few more things, that perhaps they may be of worth unto my brethren (Moroni 1:4)

The Book of Mormon authors are very clear: The scriptures, including their own engravings are of great worth. Nephi acknowledges, however, that the definition of "great worth" is highly subjective

But behold, there are many that harden their hearts against the Holy Spirit, that it hath no place in them; wherefore, they cast many things away which are written and esteem them as things of naught. But I, Nephi, have written what I have written, and I esteem it as of great worth (2 Nephi 33:2-3)

For the things which some men esteem to be of great worth, both to the body and soul, others set at naught and trample under their feet. (1 Nephi 19:7)

Zeezrom, for instance, initially was one of those setting "at naught" the word of God as Nephi described, and claimed that his silver was of "great worth" (Alma 11:25). Contrast that with Moroni's message:

And I am the same who hideth up this record unto the Lord; the plates thereof are of no worth, because of the commandment of the Lord. For he truly saith that no one shall have them to get gain; but the record thereof is of great worth (Mormon 8:14)

1 Nephi 3:7

This is one of the most famous verses in the entire Book of Mormon. Much wisdom packed in a few words. We sing about it in Primary and memorize it in Seminary. As I have read the Book of Mormon, I have noticed Nephi repeating this several times. It seems to be one of his favorite scriptures too! Well, at least it seems to be a principle he felt strongly about and a point he really wants to get across to his readers. Let us first review

I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them.

Only 8 verses later, Nephi repeats the last part of it

But behold I said unto them that: As the Lord liveth, and as we live, we will not go down unto our father in the wilderness until we have accomplished the thing which the Lord hath commanded us.

Nephi's mother repeats it in 1 Nephi 5:8

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 accomplish the thing which the Lord hath commanded them.

The only difference is "given them power" instead of "prepared a way". A variant of this theme in 1 Nephi 9:6

But the Lord knoweth all things from the beginning; wherefore, he prepareth a way to accomplish all his works among the children of men;

Not only the thing which he has commanded but "all his works". Again, in 1 Nephi 17:3

And if it so be that the children of men keep the commandments of God he doth nourish them, and strengthen them, and provide means whereby they can accomplish the thing which he has commanded them

"Provide means", "give them power" or "prepare a way". These are just different wordings of the same fundamental principle that Nephi is really eager to convey to his readers and demonstrate how it has applied to his life.

Sukkot in the Book of Mormon

The New Testament mentions several Jewish Holidays but rarely gives any details about the contents or way of celebration. The Book of Mormon is the opposite for some reason. Jewish festivals are not mentioned by name but the celebration according to Old Testament practice is described several places. We had a look at elements of Passover in the Book of Mormon in this post. Now we will turn our attention to Sukkot or the Feast of Tabernacles.

The most well-known example is in Mosiah 2. This article describes the elements of this feast and how they are reflected in Mosiah 2. In addition to what the article says, it is interesting to note that going to the temple to hear their king and living in tents is what Israel did in 1 Kings 8 at the dedication of Solomon's temple. This happened during the Feast of Tabernacles, which is celebrated in the month, Ethanim (1 Kings 8:2).

There is also another lesser-known example. When the Book of Mormon translation had started, before the loss of the 116 pages, Joseph Smith Sr. had read the translated pages and stated in an interview that there was a "great feast" in Jerusalem at the time Lehi and his family left. Don Bradley argues that this was Passover because he identifies narrative echoes of the Exodus. He might be right but my preliminary conclusion is that I disagree. Not because I am an expert, but because two other people who are more familiar with Jewish customs independently arrive at the conclusion that Lehi left Jerusalem during Sukkot. I think their arguments are persuasive. One is given by Bradley J Kramer here. The other is scattered in several posts on a discussion forum by a Jewish rabbi reading the Book of Mormon. I created a summary of his reasoning here. I find these observations really fascinating. Another observation I have made is that the only time they offer "sacrifice and burnt offerings" in the Book of Mormon, except for Mosiah 2, is during Lehi's exodus.

In any case this is my personal view. We know there was a "great feast" during Lehi's exodus but there are two competing theories as to which one and the readers presented with the different arguments may form their own conclusion.

"Nations, kindreds, tongues and people" - links to the Book of Revelation, Zenos and the brass plates

The expression, "nation, kindred, tongue and people" appears 19 times in the Book of Mormon. A closer look reveals some interesting connections. 3 of these are the testimony of the 3 and 8 witnesses and the testimony of Joseph Smith. Since these are influenced by the Book of Mormon text rather than a part of the original text, we ignore these for now. I will not quote the rest of the scriptures containing this expression, but they are found in 1 Nephi 5:18, 11:36, 14:11, 14:15, 19:17, 22:28, 2 Nephi 26:13, 30:8, Mosiah 3:20, 15:28, 16:1, 27:25, Alma 9:20, 37:4, 45:16 and 3 Nephi 28:29.

Some observations:

• In the Bible, this expression appears nowhere except for twice in Revelations (one of those times in a different order). There seems to be some kind of connection, since it is used 3 times in Nephi's vision in 1 Nephi 11-14, and Nephi states in 14:25, 27 that John the Revelator will write the rest of the vision
• The first time this expression is used is when Lehi gets the brass plates in 1 Nephi 5:18. The expression is related to the future of the brass plates as demonstrated in this post
• The expression is used in 1 Nephi 19:17 when Nephi is quoting Zenos as well as in 1 Nephi 22:28 where he also might be quoting Zenos (in this post, I argue that Nephi was quoting Zenos in the latter half of the chapter, even though he is only referred to as "the prophet"). Zenos seems to be an important prophet on the brass plates, which emphasizes the previous point. It seems that Zenos may be the originator of this expression and the Book of Mormon prophets adapt it.
• When Abinadi uses this expression twice, he makes a clear allusion to Zenos. Compare 1st Nephi 19:16-17

Yea, then will he remember the isles of the sea; yea, and all the people who are of the house of Israel, will I gather in, saith the Lord, according to the words of the prophet Zenos, from the four quarters of the earth.

Yea, and all the earth shall see the salvation of the Lord, saith the prophet; every nation, kindred, tongue and people shall be blessed.

with Mosiah 15:28

And now I say unto you that the time shall come that the salvation of the Lord shall be declared to every nation, kindred, tongue, and people.

and Mosiah 16:1

The time shall come when all shall see the salvation of the Lord; when every nation, kindred, tongue, and people shall see eye to eye