Ether 2:1 the name of the valley was Nimrod, being called after the
mighty hunter
Jared’s company left Babylon
(Map 2, F-4) in a northerly direction (Ether 1:42) and entered a valley named
after Nimrod. The mighty hunter was famous for more than just hunting. He was a
leader in the building of the tower of Babel, and excited his people to rebel
against God. “He persuaded them not to ascribe [their prosperity] to God, as if
it was through his means they were happy…He also said he would be revenged on
God, if he should have a mind to drown the world again; for that he would build
a tower too high for the waters to be able to reach! And that he would avenge
himself on God for destroying their forefathers! Now the multitude were very
ready to follow the determination of Nimrod, and to esteem it a piece of
cowardice to submit to God; and they built a tower.” (Josephus, Antiquities
of the Jews, chap. IV, v. 2-3)
Hugh Nibley
“This
Nimrod seems to be the original arch-type of the Mad Hunter. His name is for
the Jews at all times the very symbol of rebellion against God and of usurped
authority; he it was ‘who became a hunter of men,’ established false priesthood
and false kingship in the earth in imitation of God’s rule and ‘made all men to
sin.’…There is another common tradition that Nimrod’s crown was a fake, and
that he ruled without right ‘in the earth over all the sons of Noah, and they
were all under his power and counsel’; he ‘did not go in the ways of the Lord,
and was more wicked than all the men that were before him.’
“…In
the book of Ether the name of Nimrod is attached to ‘the
valley which was northward,’ and which led ‘into
that quarter where there never had man been’ (v. 2,5), which suits very
well with the legendary character of Nimrod as the Mad Hunter of the Steppes’”
(Lehi in the Desert and the World of the Jaredites, p. 156-7)
Ether 2:2 they did carry with them the fish of the waters
Why would they need to take
fish with them? The Jaredite crossing took 344 days in vessels that were
anything but fishing vessels (Ether 6:11). Apparently, these fish, as well as
the birds, were brought along as a source of food for the long journey.
Ether 2:3 deseret, which, by interpretation is a honey bee
Hugh Nibley
“By
all odds the most interesting and attractive passenger in Jared's company is deseret,
the honeybee. We cannot pass this creature by without a glance at its name and
possible significance, for our text betrays an interest in deseret that
goes far beyond respect for the feat of transporting insects, remarkable though
that is. The word deseret we are told (Ether 2:3), ‘by interpretation is a honeybee,’ the word plainly
coming from the Jaredite language, since Ether (or Moroni) must interpret it.
Now it is a remarkable coincidence that the word deseret, or something
very close to it, enjoyed a position of ritual prominence among the founders of
the classical Egyptian civilization, who associated it very closely with the
symbol of the bee. The people, the authors of the so-called Second
Civilization, seem to have entered Egypt from the northeast as part of the same
great outward expansion of peoples that sent the makers of the classical
Babylonian civilization into Mesopotamia. Thus we have the founders of the two
main parent civilizations of antiquity entering their new homelands at
approximately the same time from some common center -- apparently the same
center from which the Jaredites also took their departure, ... the Egyptian
pioneers carried with them a fully developed cult and symbolism from their
Asiatic home. Chief among their cult objects would seem to be the bee, for the
land they first settled in Egypt was forever after known as ‘the land of the
bee,’ and was designated in hieroglyphic by the picture of a bee, while every
king of Egypt ‘in his capacity of King of Upper and Lower Egypt' bore the
title, ‘he who belongs to the sedge and the bee.’
“From
the first, students of hieroglyphic were puzzled as to what sound value should
be given to the bee-picture.... We know that the bee sign was not always
written down, but in its place the picture of the Red Crown, the majesty of
Lower Egypt was sometimes ‘substituted for superstitious reasons.’ If we do not
know the original name of the bee, we do know the name of this Red Crown -- the
name it bore when it was substituted for the bee. The name was dsrt (the
vowels are not known, but we can be sure they were all short).” (Lehi in the
Desert and the World of the Jaredites, pp. 184-85.)
Ether 2:6-7 they did travel in the wilderness, and did build barges,
in which they did cross many waters
Contrary to popular belief,
the Jaredites made barges on two separate occasions. Upon leaving the valley of
Nimrod, they came to a body of water which was not the same as the ocean which
is described as the great sea which divideth the
lands (v. 13). They crossed this sea in barges, landed on the other
side, and kept traveling. Hence Moroni’s statement, the
Lord would not suffer that they should stop beyond the sea in the wilderness,
but he would that they should come forth even unto the land of promise.
In other words, they had crossed many waters but
had not yet reached their final destination. Hugh Nibley explains that
in ancient Asia Minor, there were many large bodies of water, “Now it is a fact
that in ancient times the plains of Asia were covered with ‘many waters’, which have now disappeared but are
recorded as existing well down into historic times; they were of course far
more abundant in Jared’s time…The steady and continual drying up of the Asiatic
‘heartland’ since the end of the last ice age is one of the basic facts of
history.” (Lehi in the Desert and the World of the Jaredites, pp. 178)
“It [is] our guess that the Caspian was ‘the sea in
the wilderness’ that the Jaredites had to cross (Ether 2:7).” (An
Approach to the Book of Mormon, p. 330)
We get more evidence that
they built barges on two separate occasions in verse 16. The Lord explicitly
tells the brother of Jared, Go to work and build,
after the manner of barges which ye have hitherto built.
Ether 2:12 this is a choice land…if they will but serve the God of
the land, who is Jesus Christ
Thomas S. Monson
“Are
we today serving the God of the land, even the Lord Jesus Christ? Do our lives conform
with His teachings? Are we entitled to His divine blessings?
“Headlines
from America's leading newspapers, depicting recent events, pass silently in
review, that you and I may judge: ‘Serious Crime Registers 10% Increase in Past
Year,’ ‘Violence Rocks South,’ ‘Racial Strife Hits East.’ Murder, rape, arson,
burglary, assault, narcotics violations are all on the increase in the America
of today. These are the headlines of today's newspapers.
“The
revered Abraham Lincoln accurately described our plight: ‘We have been the
recipients of the choicest bounties of Heaven. We have been preserved, these
many years, in peace and prosperity. We have grown in numbers, wealth, and
power as no other nation has ever grown; but we have forgotten God. We have
forgotten the gracious hand which preserved us in peace, and multiplied and
enriched and strengthened us; and we have vainly imagined, in the deceitfulness
of our hearts, that all these blessings were produced by some superior wisdom
and virtue of our own. Intoxicated with unbroken success, we have become too
self-sufficient to feel the necessity of redeeming and preserving grace, too
proud to pray to the God that made us.’ (Proclamation for a National Fast Day,
March 30, 1863.)
“Can
we extricate ourselves from this frightful condition? Is there a way out? If
so, what is the way? We can solve this perplexing dilemma by adopting the
counsel given by Jesus to the inquiring lawyer who asked: ‘Master, which is the
great commandment in the law?’ Jesus said unto him, ‘Thou shalt love the Lord
thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This
is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt
love thy neighbour as thyself.’ (Matthew 22:36-39.)” (Be Your Best Self,
p. 96-97)
Joseph Fielding Smith
“These
passages of scripture from the Book of Mormon are true; this nation is not
exempt, and the people, if they continue to pursue the course of evil and
ungodliness that they are now treading, shall eventually be punished. If they continue to disregard the warning
voice of the Lord, deny their Redeemer, turn from his gospel unto fables and
false theories, and rebel against all that he has through his servants in this
day declared for the salvation of man; and if they increase in the practice of
iniquity, I want to say to you, that if they do these things, the judgments of
the Lord will come upon this land, and this nation will not be saved; we will
not be spared from war, from famine, from pestilence and finally from destruction,
as a nation.
"Therefore,
I call upon the people, not only Latter-day Saints but to all throughout the
whole land, to repent of their sins and to accept the-Lord Jesus Christ, who is
our Redeemer and the God of this land.
Turn from your evil ways, repent of your sins and receive the fulness of
the gospel through the waters of baptism and obedience, that the judgments
which shall be poured out upon the ungodly may pass you by." (Doctrines of Salvation 3:321-22.)
Ether 2:14 the Lord came again…and stood in a cloud
“Just
as Jehovah appeared to and conversed with Moses and led the children of Israel
in the wilderness in a cloud by day and in a pillar of fire at night (see
Exodus 13:21; Numbers 11:25; Numbers 12:5), so did he lead the Jaredites as
they were in the wilderness. From this
cloud of glory the Lord directed them and gave them directions for their
journey. The image of a cloud
associated with the Lord's appearance is not unique to his dealings with
ancient peoples. In this dispensation
the Lord also spoke of a cloud of glory, one that will surround him when he
again returns to earth and appears to man (see D&C 34:7).” (McConkie,
Millet, and Top, Doctrinal Commentary on the Book of Mormon, vol. 4, p.
267)
Ether 2:14 for the space of three hours did the Lord talk with the
brother of Jared, and chastened him
We often make the mistake of
expecting perfection from the prophets. One of the main reasons why some early
saints apostasized was because of perceived imperfections in the Prophet Joseph
Smith. Joseph openly admitted that he was not perfect, and in the D&C, he
was sorely chastised because he feared man more than God (DC 3:7). Similarly,
Nephi struggled with his weakness, which was an uncharitable anger towards his
enemies (2 Ne 4:17,27-29). Moses’ faithless disobedience brought upon him a
sore chastisement (Num 20:11-12). And the brother of Jared became, for a time,
negligent with his prayers, only to suffer an unimaginable three-hour rebuke
from the Lord. Yet, the brother of Jared later became legendary for his great
faith. What are we to learn from this?
Rather than be critical of
the prophets, or make the equally fatal mistake of covering their sins, we
should rejoice that the Lord’s most valuable servants were, after all, only
human. In this, we can take consolation. If Joseph feared man more than God,
maybe there is hope for us. If Nephi felt anger, Moses was disobedient, and the
brother of Jared forgot to pray, maybe there is hope for the rest of us. We can
only hope!
Neal A. Maxwell
”Jesus
was a principle-centered leader but also a people-centered leader. Jesus spoke ‘the truth in love’ (Ephesians 4:15), both
correcting and commending. As noted, during the space of a three-hour visit
with the Lord the admirable brother of Jared was reproved for not remembering
to be sufficiently prayerful (see Ether 2:14). Yet later Jesus warmly commended
this same prophet by saying, ‘Never has man believed
in me as thou hast’ (Ether 3:15).” (A Wonderful Flood of Light,
p. 113)
Ether 2:15 thou shalt not sin any more
The word of the Lord to the
brother of Jared was an ultimatum, thou shalt not
sin any more! With the brother of Jared, a prophet who had conversed
with the Lord, this warning was particularly stern. However, this message is
not just for a once negligent prophet, but to all repentant sinners. While we
marvel at the wisdom of Jesus who dispelled the crowd ready to stone an
adulterer, we sometimes forget that his last words to her were ‘go, and sin no more’ (Jn 8:11).
Spencer W. Kimball
“In
all our expressions of wonder and gratitude at our Father's loving and
forgiving attitude we must not be misled into supposing either that forgiveness
may be considered lightly or that sin may be repeated with impunity after
protestations of repentance. The Lord will indeed forgive, but he will not
tolerate repetitions of the sin:
‘And the Lord
said unto him: I will forgive thee and thy brethren of their sins; but thou
shalt not sin any more, for ye shall remember that my Spirit will not always
strive with man; wherefore, if ye will sin until ye are fully ripe ye shall be
cut off from the presence of the Lord.’
(Eth. 2:15.)”
(The
Miracle of Forgiveness, p. 357)
Ether 2:15 my Spirit will not always strive with man
Harold B. Lee
“’…my Spirit will not always strive with man; wherefore, if
ye will sin until ye are fully ripe ye shall be cut off from the presence of
the Lord.’ (Ether 2:15.)
“This
means the withdrawing of that vital light which all could have enjoyed if they had
kept the commandments.
“Now,
may I take another example to impress how much further one may go. One day
there came to my office a man who a few years before had been excommunicated
from the Church because of a very serious transgression. After these years of
sad, humiliating, tragic experiences, he is wondering how he can find his way
back into the Church….This man who had been excommunicated had attended a stake
conference shortly before he came to see me. One of the General Authorities was
there and said, ‘One of the most terrible things that you can experience is to
lose the Spirit of the Lord.’…With these things on his mind, he went home and
began to write, and he put in my hands the results of his thinking. This
statement is one of the saddest things that I have read in a long time. This
man had been a teacher, and he said: While I was enjoying the Spirit of the
Holy Ghost, I could read the scriptures and the unfoldment of truths would come
before me, and I was thrilled. That power is gone today. That day I heard that
terrible word in the high council trial, 'You are hereby excommunicated,' it
was as though a pall of darkness fell, and now instead of light, there is doubt
and wavering in my faith. I am wondering and I am struggling without that light.
I used to be able to kneel down and get a tremendous lift from my prayer. Even
while I was sinning, even up to the point of my excommunication, I got some
comfort from it, but now it is as though a dome of steel is over my head, and I
seem not to be able to pray. The spirit that leads to the presence of our
Father has been lost.
“I
used to enjoy performing the ordinances of the Church, especially in behalf of
my own children-to bless them, to baptize them, to confirm them, to ordain them
to the priesthood; and now to have to stand by while some other takes my place
has been one of the saddest experiences that has come to me. And, of course, I
have been refused the privilege of going to the temple. I no longer can go
there and enjoy the sweet peace. I stand as though I had never been within
those sacred walls. When I go to sacrament meeting, I can't partake of the
sacrament. I have lost the respect of my family. My children, including a son
now grown, tolerate me, but I know that deep in their hearts there is a shame
because they bear the name of a father who hasn't lived worthily.” (Stand Ye
in Holy Places, p. 119-20)
Ether 2:19 there is no light…we cannot breathe
Sister Dwan J. Young
“We
can endure all things when our hope is centered in one who will never fail
us—our Savior, Jesus Christ, who is the light of the world.
“How
do we develop that hope—that hope that lights our way across life’s stormy
seas? There are times, as there were for our family, when darkness surrounds us
and threatens to engulf us altogether. At such times we can take a lesson from
the brother of Jared. You remember the Lord instructed the brother of Jared to
make barges so his people could travel safely to the promised land. But because
these boats were dark and without air, the brother of Jared took his concerns
to the Lord in words that any of us might use to describe our own troubled
times: ‘There is no light. … we cannot breathe’ (Ether 2:19).
“How
does a person venture out into the darkness without fear? How do any of us
venture out day after day into a world where there are no guarantees of safety?
The Lord gave a profound answer that again applies not just to the dark sea the
brother of Jared faced, but to our own dark seas as well: ‘Ye cannot cross this great deep save I prepare you
against the waves of the sea’ (Ether 2:25). ‘I will
bring you up again out of the depths of the sea’ (Ether 2:24).
The Lord was not going to spare the Jaredites from the experience, but he
prepared them for it and gave them the sweet promise of bringing them up again
out of the depths of the sea.
“…Like
the Jaredites, we’re afraid of traveling in the darkness, and we need light,
which is hope. Sometimes, in the midst of our problems, we lose the vision of
why we’re here or where we’re going. We wonder if we’re equal to the tasks that
are given us. It is then that we can ask the Lord to touch the unlighted stones
of our lives with light. He can deliver peace and hope when all around us speak
against it.
“’Touch
my life with light,’ we can ask the Lord. ‘Fill my heart with hope.’ The Lord
will do this if we ask in faith and continue to live his commandments. Like the
brother of Jared, it is only with the Lord’s light that we can see all things
clearly.” (Ensign, Nov. 1986, “The Light of Hope”)
Ether 2:23-4 the mountain waves shall dash upon you
Hugh Nibley
“The
Lord explained why it would be necessary to build such peculiar vessels:
because he was about to loose winds of incredible violence that would make the
crossing a frightful ordeal at best: any windows, he warns, will be dashed to
pieces; fire will be out of the question; ‘ye shall
be as a whale in the midst of the sea; for the mountain waves shall dash upon
you…This was no normal crossing and no brief passing storm: ‘The wind did never cease to blow towards the promised
land while they were upon the waters’ (Ether 6:8)—‘the
Lord God caused that there should be a furious wind blow upon the face of the
waters; . . . they were many times buried in the depths of the sea,
because of the mountain waves which broke upon them, and also the great and
terrible tempests which were caused by the fierceness of the wind’
(Ether 6:5-6; italics added). It is perfectly clear from our account that the
party was to spend a good deal of time below the surface of the sea!” (Lehi
in the Desert and the World of the Jaredites, p. 178)
Ether 2:25 what will ye that I should prepare for you that he may
have light
Jeffrey R. Holland
“Clearly
the brother of Jared was being tested. God had done his part. Unique, resolutely
seaworthy ships for crossing the ocean had been provided. The brilliant
engineering had been done. The hard part of the construction project was over.
Now the Lord wanted to know what the brother of Jared would do about
incidentals.” (Christ And The New Covenant, p. 16)
Harold B. Lee
“Then
the Lord went away and left him alone. It was as though the Lord were saying to
him, ‘Look, I gave you a mind to think with, and I gave you agency to use it.
Now you do all you can to help yourself with this problem; and then, after
you've done all you can, I'll step in to help you.’” (Stand Ye in Holy
Places, p. 243)
Harold B. Lee
“This
is the principle in action. If you want the blessing, don't just kneel down and
pray about it. Prepare yourselves in every conceivable way you can in order to
make yourselves worthy to receive the blessing you seek.
“…When
we are situated that we cannot get anything to help ourselves, then we may call
upon the Lord and His servants who can do all. But it is our duty to do what we
can within our own power.
“That
is a tremendous principle. In order to teach young people how to approach the
Lord and how to prepare to receive what the Lord has promised for those who are
faithful, we must teach them these fundamental steps. After Moroni had read
this great experience of the brother of Jared, he added: ‘. . . wherefore, dispute not because ye see not, for ye
receive no witness until after the trial of your faith.’ (Ether 12:6.)”
(Stand Ye in Holy Places, p. 244-5)