As always, use the Official Gospel Doctrine Manual in your preparation, these ideas are supplemental.
We are first introduced to the name of “Nephi” at the beginning of the Book of Mormon with Nephi, son of Lehi and Sariah. In the book of Helaman, we are introduced to Nephi son of Helaman, (or Nephi 2 as the index calls him). In this chapter, we are introduced to Nephi, son of Nephi, who was the son of Helaman (the index calls him Nephi 3).
3 Nephi 1
2-3 – “whither he went, no man knoweth” Perhaps Nephi (son of Helaman) was translated; notice the footnote to Alma 45:18-19 where details of Alma the Younger’s last days on earth are explained.
7 – “the people who believed began to be very sorrowful” Perhaps, as President Ezra Taft Benson has commented, the events surrounding Jesus’ first coming will be similar to the events preceding his Second Coming. D&C 45:26-27 describes the feelings of those who will wait for the Lord to come again:
And in that day shall be heard of wars and rumors of wars, and the whole earth shall be in commotion, and men’s hearts shall fail them, and they shall say that Christ delayeth his coming until the end of the earth. And the love of men shall wax cold, and iniquity shall abound.
8-9 – “they did watch steadfastly” To be steadfast means “resolutely or dutifully firm and unwavering” (dictionary.com).
9 – “those who believed in those traditions should be put to death” It is hard to know exactly what state the government was in when some could justify putting others to death based only on their beliefs. Evidently, there was no “agree to disagree” here.
12 – “he cried mightily unto the Lord all that day” This was a long prayer, a marathon wrestle with the Lord. We can only imagine Nephi’s exact words, but Nephi was aware that their enemies had counted the time since Samuel’s prophecy, and had set apart a day to put them all to death. No wonder his prayer was so urgent.
13 – “on this night shall the sign be given” Sometimes, it seems, the Lord waits until the very last minute to answer prayers. Nephi prayed “all that day,” and when the Lord finally answered, he said “on this night.” So it doesn’t sound like Nephi’s prayer was answered at Noon, but at the close of the day (In Matthew 14:23-27, we are reminded that the Lord came to the distressed disciples during the “fourth watch,” and not the first, second or third when they were being tossed upon the sea).
12-13 – “the voice of the Lord” who is speaking here? When the scripture says the voice of the Lord, does it mean Jesus, who was still, at this point, in Mary’s womb? Robert L. Millet and Joseph Fielding McConkie have written:
These verses cause us to reflect upon what is yet an unanswered (unrevealed) matter- the time when the individual spirit enters the body. This is the day before Jesus is to be born to Mary in Bethlehem of Judea. We would assume that by this time the spirit of Jesus is within that infant body which is housed within the womb of Mary. How, then, does the voice of Jesus come to Nephi?
Does the spirit enter the body at the time of conception; at the time of quickening, when the mother first feels signs of life within her; or at the time of physical birth? Can it possibly come and go before the time of birth? We do not know. Such has not been made known to us in the latter days. We do know, however, that the words of God are often spoken through his servants by divine investiture of authority (see Commentary 2:227-29). To Adam the Holy Ghost spoke for and in behalf of the Only Begotten Son (see Moses 5:9). Such may have been the case here: The Spirit may have been commissioned by the Father to speak to Nephi in the first person for Christ, as though Jesus himself were speaking. Another possibility is that an angel, acting by that same investiture of authority, spoke to Nephi the words of Christ (see Mortal Messiah 1:349, note 1; compare Revelation 22:6-9). In any event, whether the Lord’s words are spoken by himself or by his anointed servants, “it is the same” (D&C 1:38). (Joseph Fielding McConkie and Robert L. Millet, Doctrinal Commentary on the Book of Mormon, 4: 6.)
15 – “at the going down of the sun” One can only imagine the terrifying prospect of death among the faithful, wondering if this could be their last night on earth, while watching the setting sun. We do not know if the day that had been set apart to put the believers to death was the very next day, only that “there was a day set apart by the unbelievers” (3 Nephi 1:9). Whether it was the next day or not, however, we can only imagine the terrible discussion between husbands and wives in these families: “Should we tell them we are believers? What will happen to our children? What if they kill us, and make our children slaves? Wouldn’t it be better to say that we are not believers to save our children’s lives?”
15 – “there was no darkness when the night came” This would be a pretty tough sign to fake. To call it “spectacular” would be an understatement. At the very time when the “Light of the World” was to be born on earth, this part of the world experienced a miraculous sign of a night of light. The reaction of the unbelievers is classic: they were so astonished they “fell to the earth and became as if they were dead.”
And what night was this exactly? Today, we would call it Christmas Eve (April, but Christmas Eve). We often think of the wise men presenting gifts, and continue that tradition with Christmas presents, but perhaps we could say that Jesus himself gave the first Christmas gifts when the told Nephi, in effect, “I am coming tonight so that you can all live.”
16 – “that great plan of destruction” An interesting phrase, a stark contrast to the Lord’s plan of salvation, redemption, and happiness.
17 – “so exceedingly astonished they fell to the earth” If you’ll forgive a note of humor, it seems that no one in the Book of Mormon is ever mildly surprised. They are instead somewhere on the continuum of being astonished, greatly astonished, exceedingly astonished, or even the maximum “astonished beyond all measure” (Alma 31:19). In this regard, the Book of Mormon language is similar in its descriptions to the Gospel of Mark where those who encountered Jesus were often “amazed” and “astonished” at his words and acts.
20 – “It had come to pass, yea all things, every whit” After so many predictions, so many prophecies, so many “it shall come to pass,” statements, this time, it finally happened, just as promised, “all things, every whit.” Don’t doubt prophecy!
22 – “Lyings sent forth among the people” Satan immediately begins to circulate his own spin on the events, just as he always has and will, but the more part did believe.
30 – “they became for themselves” In other words, a “me” generation arose, not dissimilar to our day as we anticipate the Second Coming.
3 Nephi 2
1-2 – “Imagining up some vain thing in their hearts” They cannot dismiss or explain the sign, so they conclude it must be the power of the devil. Critics of the Book of Mormon have trended in this direction.
8 – “reckon their time from this period” In the Book of Mormon text, the Nephites counted the years in three different ways: 1) Since Lehi left Jerusalem, 2) the Reign of the Judges, and 3) the sign of the birth of Christ.
11-12 – “The Nephites and the Lamanites should take up arms against them” Latter-day Saints have sometimes joined with those of other faiths to combat societal problems. Although we may have significant doctrinal differences with those in other faiths, it is nice to find areas where we can come together and work for good things.
3 Nephi 3
1-10 – “Lachoneus, most noble and chief governor of the land” Verse 1-10 are an epistle from Giddianhi, and although this letter is ancient and translated, we sense a flattering, cunning, and sarcastic tone coming from this leader of the Gadianton Robbers. Remove all the arrogant language, and what is he really asking? “Just give us your lands without a fight.”
10 – “Their rights of government” Although it has been nearly six centuries since Lehi left Jerusalem, the birth order of Lehi’s family is still an issue for the Lamanites. In other words, since “Laman was the oldest, and we claim Laman as our ancestor, we should be ruling over you.” Imagine someone sending a letter to your family making a demand of you because of something that happened back in the year 1400 A. D.! (It might be nice to have notes that old about our family history, even if they were a record of fights and squabbles).
11 – “they had wronged themselves” Lachoneus was “exceedingly astonished” because he knew that no one had really “wronged” them, as much as they had “wronged themselves.” It is much easier on the ego to blame our problems on others. Someone once said that if we could kick the person responsible for most of our troubles, we wouldn’t be able to sit down for six months. Footnote 11a takes us to Helaman 14:30 in which Samuel the Lamanite observed:
And now remember, remember, my brethren, that whosoever perisheth, perisheth unto himself; and whosoever doeth iniquity, doeth it unto himself; for behold, ye are free; ye are permitted to act for yourselves; for behold, God hath given unto you a knowledge and he hath made you free.
12 – “Lachoneus … was a just man” The account of Lachoneus and of this one battle is shorter than the multiple battles in the war chapters, but it is easy to see in this brief account that Lachoneus had many of the same attributes and used a similar approach as Captain Moroni:
Lachoneus also gathered his people into “one land and in one body” and exhorted them to repent (or to be of “one heart”).
3 Nephi 4
4 – “that they might subsist for the space of seven years” The Nephites took a seven-year supply of food with them. Notice the footnote to Genesis 41:36, where Joseph advised Pharaoh to begin his own food storage program.
5 – “There was no way that [the robbers] could subsist” The robbers relied on hunting rather than farming in order to eat. Farming requires a long-term commitment to the land, and a lot of daily work. Hunting, on the other hand, is quicker and requires less work, and is more characteristic of the life of the Gadianton robbers, who would come out of their hiding places, rob and plunder then retreat. But since the Nephites left with their animals, and since there were no wild beasts or game in those lands (see verse 2), the Gadianton robbers were forced to attack.
10 – “the Nephites did not fear them; but they did fear their God” Like the people of captain Moroni, the Nephites relied on God to help them fight their battles, as evidenced by the phrase “in the strength of the Lord” used in verse 10. When people rely on their own strength, the Lord leaves them on their own.
18 – “because of their much provision” This verse is the triumph of food storage!
28 – “Zemnarihah was taken and hanged upon a tree” This rather strange story of the demise of Zemnarihah has some ancient parallels. John W. Welch, has published an interesting article about Zemnarihah which can be found here.
31-33 – “praising their God for the great thing which he had done for them” Like Captain Moroni, these Nephites gave the credit to God when they were successful in defending themselves, and took the blame upon themselves when they failed. These verses do not even mention the brilliant military strategy of Gidgiddoni, or the marvelous plan and preparation of Lachoneus – a good example of acknowledging the Lord’s hands in all things (see D&C 59:21).
3 Nephi 5
4 – “did cause the word of God to be preached unto them” The gospel was shared with those who were taken prisoners – can you imagine? “You are hereby sentenced to listen to the missionaries.”
The Nephite approach to the captured Gadianton members was remarkable in light of many trends in our present society. Modern societies expend millions of dollars trying to psychoanalyze and rehabilitate criminals. Notice the twofold approach of the Nephites, who understood the GAdianton conspiracy posed a real threat to both the government and the Church. The Nephites preached the gospel to the robbers to see if they would be converted. If converted, the Gadiantons were freed – a remarkable bit of jurisprudence in and of itself! If the Gadiantons refused to repent, they were “condemned and punished according to the law” (Book of Mormon Student Manual, , 113).
8 – “this book cannot contain even a hundredth part” This is an oft repeated phrase or idea in the Book or Mormon – an expression to let us know that we are only getting a fraction of what happened among the Nephites. If we were to take this statement literally, that we have only 1/100th, that would mean for every one page we have, Mormon discarded ninety-nine. So instead of a 531 page book, it could have been 53,100 pages! Therefore each and every page is important, and was included so that we could learn the lessons and the doctrine contained thereon (see also Jacob 3:13, Helaman 3:14, 3 Nephi 26:6, Ether 15:33).
12 – “I am called Mormon” Here, the abridger, the voice or narrator we have become accustomed to in the Book of Mormon introduces himself for the first time.
13 – “I am a disciple of Jesus Christ” Many missions around the church have their missionaries stand and repeat this verse at various mission meetings to remind them of their purpose and the purpose of the gospel for those they teach.
3 Nephi 6
4 – “they began again to prosper and wax great” This should be good news, but unfortunately, it is almost always a red flag and a warning of bad things to come. It appears the Lord wants to prosper his people, but when he does, they set their hearts on the riches, instead of keeping their hearts on God.
5 – “nothing to hinder … except … transgression” Was it possible for the Nephites to be prosperous and righteous at the same time? Yes, it happens for a while in 4 Nephi, but it never seems to last very long.
12 – “distinguished by ranks, according to their riches and their chances for learning” This verse may remind us of the “Perpetual Education Fund” which was instituted by President Gordon B. Hinckley.
On a personal note, when I served my mission in the Philippines in the early 1980s, I went from my middle-class standard of living to something lower. None of my apartments had air-conditioning, and some of them did not have hot water. Only two of my apartments had a telephone. We usually communicated with the mission office through teletype or RCPI (Radio Communication of the Philippine Islands). By contrast, many of my Filipino companions took a big step upward in their standard of living by going on a mission. All of our apartments had electric fans to keep us cool at night and to keep the mosquitos off of us while we slept. All apartments had a house-help (a member of the church who did our laundry and cooking so that we could spend more time doing missionary work – these members were of the same gender as the missionaries in the apartment, and it provided them with good employment). When my mission concluded, I came home to hot and cold running water, air conditioning, telephones in the house, a two-car garage, and I thought of myself as rich. Many of my Filipino companions, on the other hand, returned to their homes to a cycle of low housing, low employment and low education. Their “chances for learning” were not very good. How wonderful that President Hinckley initiated the Perpetual Education Fund! Those of us who have had numerous “chances for learning” can donate to the fund and help our brother and sisters around the world get an education. What a “Zion” idea! I had a companion who became involved in a school called ACE or the Academy for Creating Enterprise in the Philippines. I began to hear stories about returned Filipino missionaries attending the school using PEF funds, and getting much better jobs, much better incomes and being able to support their families and in turn help the poor as every Christian is obligated to do. As a result of the Perpetual Education Fund, every member of the church has an opportunity to help their brothers and sisters who have limited “chances for learning.” In a true Zion society, there are no ranks or “-ites,” only children of God (see 4 Nephi 1:17).
For more information on PEF see here.
In another revolution of the pride cycle, we see the Nephites go from righteousness and prosperity all the way back to the instituting of secret combinations:
Steps to downfall:
Divided into ranks (vs 12)
Great inequality in the land (vs 14)
People give in to Satan’s power (vs 15-17)
They sin knowingly (vs 18)
They put the prophets to death ( vs 25)
Secret combinations arise against “all righteousness” (vs 28-30)
3 Nephi 7
5 – “They did yield themselves unto the power of Satan” We can yield our agency to Satan or to God. King Benjamin taught that the natural man is an enemy to God unless he “yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit” (Mosiah 3:19).
18-20 – “Not possible to disbelieve” If it was not possible to disbelieve, then why didn’t they follow Nephi? Somehow they could not or would not connect what they heard Nephi say with their behavior. They believed, but they did not want to believe because of the change of behavior it might require. At one time or another, we may serve as teachers in the church. Wouldn’t it be nice if people could not disbelieve us? Perhaps another goal, if people won’t believe us, is that they will at least understand what we are saying. President Harold B. Lee admonished teachers: “Now you as teachers are not being sent out to teach new doctrine. You’re to teach the old doctrines, not so plain that they can just understand, but you must teach the doctrines of the Church so plainly that no one can misunderstand.” – Teachings of Harold B. Lee, 459
20 – “angry with him because of his power” This is the reaction of the wicked to miracles. They saw with their own eyes, but instead of wanting to learn more, it just made them angry. We are reminded of those who sought to kill Jesus.
23 – “commencement of the thirty and third year” In other words, thirty-three years since the sign of Jesus’ birth. The Savior lived to be thirty-three years old before he was crucified, so the prophets knew that the visit of the Savior was near.
24-25 – “baptized with water” First principles, once again, are mentioned in these verses, repentance and baptism – a reminder to always keep first things first.