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What We Learn about Nephi

General Truths

Theological Implications

I, Nephi

There is one storyteller, a being named Nephi.

having been born

The storyteller is human.

Human viewpoints are subject to the limitations of a person's intelligence and shaped by his own experiences, so we can look for Nephi's account to tell us things about Nephi beyond what he intends to tell us.

When speaking as a prophet, Nephi is not limited in his perspectives or intelligence.

of goodly parents,

Nephi's parents were goodly. This could mean prosperous, but it could also refer to their moral goodness.  In either case, Nephi was privileged because of the stature of his parents.  Not everyone has the benefits that were Nephi's by birth.  Nephi recognizes this; if he did not, he would not have gone to the trouble to mention it immediately after telling us his name.

We can look at Nephi's advantageous circumstances as one of the filters that will color his account.

therefore I was taught

Not only was Nephi given lessons, but he also received them.  Aware of the value of knowledge, he was receptive to the lessons he was taught.

somewhat in all the learning

Nephi received an education in numerous disciplines.

of my father;

Nephi was either taught by his father or was taught by a student of his father.

Nephi's father must have had knowledge of his own that was worthy of being passed down, and he must have cared for his son in order to make sure that Nephi was taught. 

and having seen many afflictions

"Seen" can refer to personal experience as well as to observation, so Nephi no doubt saw others experience afflictions even as he experienced them himself.

in the course of my days

This was written from a future vantage point, which implies that the afflictions seen by Nephi made a powerful enough impression on him for him to remember them and no doubt to learn from them.

nevertheless,

The word "nevertheless," when added to the phrase that follows, implies that the afflictions Nephi refers to were primarily his own.

having been highly favored of the Lord

Nephi has a belief in God that he is not ashamed of.  He assumes his readers/listeners are also acquainted with God and accept his existence as a given.  And third, he acknowledges that he has been greatly blessed by the Lord, which shows that he is able to discern that he has been blessed, and is able to acknowledge the source of those blessings. 

A center of Nephi's teachings will be that the Lord's tender mercies "are over all those whom he hath chosen, because of their faith." (see 1 Nephi 1: 20).

in all my days;

This is a very important passage, because if Nephi has "seen" many afflictions, he has spent a lot of time suffering - but he acknowledges that every day of his life he has been greatly blessed.  Thus, he says he is blessed even as he is being afflicted.  He is grateful for his lot in life - afflictions and all.

Is being greatly blessed part of the process of being afflicted?  Do afflictions and blessings come together?  Does our ability to endure the afflictions govern whether we will receive the blessings?

yea, having had a great knowledge

We have to go forward to see Nephi's reference here.  He is speaking that he is well acquainted with God's mysteries as well as His goodness, which implies that he has made the effort to get to know God.

Joseph Smith received the same return on his spiritual investment (a knowledge of the mysteries of God). 

We are told in Doctrine and Covenants 42:61 that we can all learn God's mysteries and revelations.  We have only to ask.

of the goodness and the mysteries of God,

If some mysteries still remain unexplained as this passage implies (otherwise they would not still be mysteries), Nephi acknowledges that he does not understand why God does things, but firmly states that despite his lack of understanding he knows that the Lord's purposes are good.  "Nevertheless," he will explain later, "I do not know the meaning of all things." (see 1 Nephi 11: 17)

therefore I make a record

Nephi confirms that this is his story - which would of necessity be different from the same story as told from the viewpoint of even one of Nephi's close family members. Imagine the same story as told by Lemuel!

As much as we believe we can empathize, nobody can tell someone else's story. If Nephi hadn't told his story, his perspective would have been lost.

This underscores the importance of keeping journals, if only to jog our own memories as time passes and we forget the details of our lives.

of my proceedings

Nephi is concerned about recording his own experiences.  He realizes that others can learn from the things he has undergone.

As the last passage implies, our journals can only be our own.  And others can learn from our experiences.

in my days.

Nephi is writing this account during his lifetime.

This life is our only opportunity to do some things - and writing a journal of our earthly experiences as they happen to us and as we are in the midst of the learning process may well be one of them.

Amulek will later teach that "this life is the time for men to prepare to meet God; yea, behold the day of this life is the day for men to perform their labors."  (see Alma 34: 32)  Nephi understood this principle.