General Comments on 3 Nephi 1-4 It is safe to assume the events of these chapters center on the Nephite capital of Zarahemla. We are told explicitly in 3:23 that all the people gather to Zarahemla. Prior to that the location is not explicitly identified. However, we are informed the land of Nephi's nativity is Zarahemla (cf. Hela 7:1-3) and his permanent residence is there as well (cf. Hela. 7:10). We are told Samuel preached to the people of Zarahemla (cf. Hela.13:2), and that Nephi was in that same city receiving those who believed Samuel's testimony (cf. Hela. 16:1-5). All of these things suggest the setting for these chapters is Zarahemla. This is important because Zarahemla is the political capital of the Nephites. As such, when we have passages talking about the general condition of the Nephites we can assume it applies to the entire Nephite people and not just some local smaller population. There were numerous small populations of apostate Nephites (e.g., the Zoramites, the people of Ammonihah), but that isn't what Mormon is talking about here. He is commenting on Zarahemla, and that reflects on the Nephites in general. Comments on 3 Nephi 1 v1-3 In the ninety-first year of the reign of the judges (v. 1) Nephi turns over the plates to his oldest son, also named Nephi (v. 2), and then leaves the land of Zarahemla for lands unknown (v. 3). Nephi's departure is similar to Alma's, cp. Alma 45:18-19. In this case Mormon does not indicate whether any legends became popular concerning his death and burial as was the case with Alma. The passage in 2:9 suggests people were looking for him, but we are not informed why. v4-8 Despite the many miracles and signs among the people (v. 4) some naysayers insist the time of the fulfilment of Samuel's prediction of a night of light has failed (v. 5), and they mock the believer's faith because of it (v. 6). They cause considerable disturbance throughout all the land, and the believers have their faith shaken (v. 7). Nevertheless, the believers steadfastly look for Samuel's prediction to be fulfilled (v. 8). v7 "a great uproar throughout the land", one would assume this referring to the land of Zarahemla as opposed to all the lands of the Nephites, as is suggested in the much more inclusive v. 17. "the people who believed", the believers were in the minority, cf. Hela. 16:10. v9-14 The nonbelievers plan on executing the believers if Samuel's predicted sign doesn't come to pass (v. 9). When Nephi finds out about these plans he is upset about them (v. 10), and spends all day on his knees pleading with the Lord for the faithful (v. 11-12). The voice of the Lord comes to Nephi and informs him the sign will occur that very night, and thus the believers will be spared. The Lord is condescending into mortal flesh on the next day to fulfil the predictions of the Messiah (v. 13) and to fulfil the Atonement (v. 14). v9 How these plans came about we are left uninformed. Whether it was a covert plan or not, or if it was something popularly supported or privately planned we are not told. Nephi does find out about it in v. 10, suggesting it couldn't have been all that covert. And v. 16 says "many...fell to the earth" because "the great plan of destruction...had been frustrated". Whether "many" means a majority or just a large number of people isn't clear. Previous cases of such a thing were the people at Ammonihah who murdered the believers (cf. Alma 14:8) and the Zoramites who expelled the believers (cf. Alma 35:3-6). In both of these cases it was the corrupt leaders who instigated. Since the nonbelievers already think the time for Samuel's prediction has lapsed per v. 7, their ultimatum is just an arbitrary and artificial one. An alternative reading is there was a date set for the executions to occur and it wasn't delivered with an ultimatum that the sign occur or else. In this case the second half of the verse is read as what would spare the believers from the planned day of execution. "there was a day set apart", the day set apart is soon per the statement "those who were about to be destroyed" in v. 11, but not necessarily the next day. That it is "a day" and not "the morrow", as in v. 13, suggests the day is imminent but not the very next day. So, the mortal birth probably didn't have to be rushed to save the believers. v13 "on the morrow come I into the world", presuming this is the pre-mortal Jesus speaking, not an angel speaking in His behalf, a tangential point of doctrine derived from this is pre-mortal spirits do not join their mortal bodies until birth or shortly before birth. This position is generally supported by the rule in the Law which does not categorize causing a stillbirth with murder, cf. Exod. 21:22. If the spirit were in the womb early on then it seems likely a violence induced stillbirth would be categorized as involuntary manslaughter and the offending party would have to flee to a city of refuge or risk death at the father's hands. v14 "to do the will, both of the Father and of the Son", in condescending into flesh Jesus does the will of His Father, but it is also his own will as well. He chooses to do it, so it is the will of both the Father and the Son, cp. D&C 93:4. "of the Father because of me, and of the Son because of my flesh", by "me" the Lord is referring to His antemortal self, His spirit and the things He has done while antemortal. The antemortal Lord did the Father's will in the Father's presence. Now, in the Father's absence, Jesus chooses to do His Father's will. Thus, the Son's will is the Father's will. He being the "Son" because he is mortal. Speaking possessively and abstractly of one's mortal flesh in a manner the Lord does here is unusual but not unprecedented, cp. Isa. 53:10, John 17:1-3, D&C 49:5-6. v15-21 That night the words which were spoken to Nephi are fulfilled because when the sun goes down there is still light (v. 15). Those who had planned to execute the believers are so stunned they fall to the ground (v. 16). And not only do they fall to the earth, but many people over all the face of the land fall down astonished because now they know the Son of God is born (v. 17) and are therefore stung by their wickedness, faithlessness, and ignorance of the prophets (v. 18). There was no darkness all that night, and the following morning the sun rose as usual, so it was that full night of light predicted (v. 19). Thus, all of the predictions by the prophets, including Samuel, were fulfilled (v. 20) including the new star (v. 21). v15 "at the going down of the sun there was no darkness", the symbolism of the light overpowering the darkness is obvious enough, cp. Gen. 1:4-5, John 1:5. What the source of the light is we do not know. It is common to speculate the cause is a supernova, which resulted in the new star mentioned in v. 21. v16-17 While the nonbelievers fall down astonished in v. 17, those who were plotting murder fall down as though they are dead in v. 16. The more wicked the people were the more overwhelming the sign was. It is not mentioned in the text, but the faithful were probably rejoicing over the sign. Nephi was certainly relieved anyway. v22-26 After the great sign Satan inspires people to send lies among the people in order to dissuade them from believing, but the majority of the people ignore these lies, repent, and are converted to the Lord (v. 22). Nephi and other believers go among the repentant Nephites and baptize them. The result is there is a great change in the people causing them to abandon sin, so there is peace all throughout the land (v. 23). Some few people think they don't have to observe the Law of Moses anymore since the Christ has come (v. 24), but they are set straight and realize the Law must be observed until Christ fulfils it in its entirety (v. 25). And, thus ends the 92nd year of the judges with the people in general turning around because the gospel has been made known to all of them as a result of the great sign (v. 26). v22 "lyings sent forth...that they might not believe", while signs can be overpowering, the most hardhearted people will rationalize them away rather then repent, cf. 2:2, 1 Ne. 16:38. v27-30 While the Nephites enjoy peace amongst themselves, the Gadianton Robbers are causing problems for them. They live in secret strongholds in the mountains and plunder the Nephites (v. 27). After only a couple of years time there are dissensions among the Nephites and people resort to the Robbers (v. 28). Among the Lamanites the younger people are flattered away by the vain words of the Zoramites to go and join the Robbers (v. 29). Thus, both the Nephites and Lamanites are afflicted because of the wickedness of the younger people among them (v. 30). v27 "the Gadianton Robbers", the apostate Zoramites never repented but instead form the core of the Robbers per v. 29. See Hela. 11:24-31 for the history of the Robbers being composed of dissident Nephites. While these are "Zoramites", the original Zoramites are probably all long gone as they had their origin some 75 years earlier, cf. Alma 31:1. Thus, we have the children and followers of the original Zoramites perpetuating the wickedness of the fathers in the form of the Gadianton Robbers. v29 One would assume the Zoramites would have to secretly come among the Lamanites and Nephites in order to do their recruiting otherwise the would have been executed as Robbers. Copyright © 2001 by S. Kurt Neumiller . All rights reserved. No part of this text may be reproduced in any form or by any means for commercial gain without the express written consent of the author. Digital or printed copies may be freely made and distributed for personal and public non-commercial use.