Earlier Jacob had said he was going to record on the small plates “revelation which was great” (Jac 1:4). The revelation Jacob considered to be great may have been the Lamanites’ sexual fidelity, and that the Nephites must look to the Lamanites, whom they despised and considered inferior, to teach them how to keep their own covenants.
Jacob recognizes that the Nephites need the radical otherness of the Lamanites to see reality—and their place in it—accurately. The mode of revelation is not accidental: in order to live the life God intends, one must be willing to do whatever God instructs, even if that instruction comes from an unexpected or unwelcome other…With this example of the Lamanites, and with others, Jacob typifies Jesus Christ by giving voice to and lifting up the outcast as a divine teacher (see, for example, Luke 7:36–50 and Luke 18:9–14). Within the Book of Mormon, the resurrected Christ is the only other authority to make an outsider to Nephite society (and that outsider’s teachings) normative. Recall that in 3 Nephi 23, Christ rebukes Nephi and the Nephite disciples for not recording the words of Samuel the Lamanite on the plates and commands that his words be included (3 Ne. 23:11, 13). Here, Jesus affirms that it was he who commanded Samuel to preach and further prompts the Nephite disciples to verify that Samuel’s words had actually been fulfilled (verses 9–10). It is only Christ and Jacob who make the Lamanites, the quintessential other, an example for the Nephites’ lives of faith. One scholar observes the following of the account of Christ’s concern with the inclusion of Samuel’s prophecy: “Laid bare here is a reluctance on the part of the Nephite prophets to include in their narrative something they themselves recognize as true prophecy, because, at least in part it seems, it came from a Lamanite.” When Christ endorses the words of Samuel and insists that they be recorded, the “literal voice of God in the text singles out for distinction precisely the voice the Nephite narrative does not, at least not willingly, include—the prophetic voice of the Lamanite.”4 Although the Nephite tendency to exclude the Lamanite voice proves true overall in the Book of Mormon, Jacob’s contribution to the Nephite record is an important exception which prepares the reader to receive Samuel the Lamanite as a religious authority. Far from being reluctant to give airtime to ethnic, cultural, or religious others, at times Jacob privileges their witness over his own.
Dierdre Green, Jacob: A Brief Theological Introduction
1 pure in heart, once again, only Jacob and Jesus use this phrase.
look unto God…and pray, counsel to those who are marginalized, abused, or who have no power. Small consolation perhaps, but the reason they must pray for deliverance is because they have no other legal recourse. And yet, by choosing to speak to the women in front of their husbands, Jacob may be hoping to effect change by guilting the Nephite male elite to give power back to their wives.
he will console you…plead your cause, and send down justice, promises made. The image of God ‘pleading the cause’ of a human being in a court-like setting occurs 10x in the OT, but only here in the BoM. It does occur in the D&C (45:3-5).
2 lift up your heads, in self-validation. The Lord is telling women they are worthy of much better, and should expect better, even if they are now treated poorly
the pleasing word of God, earlier he had said he would not be preaching pleasing things, but now he is. Of course, what may be pleasing to some may not be pleasing to others, such as in this case, the husbands. What things constitute the ‘pleasing word of God’ for me?
feast upon his love…if your minds are firm, wow. What does it mean? A variation on the earlier, ‘feast upon his word’ (2:8-9). It would not have been easy to maintain dignity and self worth given the issues of their husbands. This is the only use of the phrase in all scripture.
The provocative idea that feeling God’s love is contingent on the firmness of the human mind implies that divine love is perpetually available to us, but it becomes fully palpable to us only when we establish certain internal conditions. In the context of Jacob’s sermon, the righteous people who have been denigrated and objectified by the proud and self-righteous of their society may need to commit to loving themselves as they love their neighbors. Perhaps Jacob is saying that, while humility is crucial for salvation, a person must also have the self-love and self- respect to recognize her own dignity and worth.
Diedre Green, Jacob: A Brief Theological Introduction
3 except ye repent, now back to the husbands. This is the first occurrence of this characteristic phrase of Nephite prophets, used 19x in the BofM; but in the NT only in Lk 13:3, 5.
the Lamanites, which are not filthy like unto you, they may be filthy in their own way, but not like you. Verses 5, 8-9 speak of skins, but more likely there was a sense that their manner of life, out in the wild, hunters say, was somehow filthy; but the Nephites are filthy inwardly. Jesus taught the same truth, “Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man” (Matt 15:11). The Nephites regularly accused the Lamanites of “filthiness” (1 Ne 12.23; Jacob 3.5, 9; Enos 1.20; Morm 5.15), yet Jacob here accuses his people of an even greater, moral filth.
There’s a difference between the ‘foedus’ and ‘spurcus’. It’s a very interesting thing…The worst thing you could ever say to a Roman in the most depraved period of their history, which was plenty depraved, was to call him ‘spurcus’, to call him nasty or immoral—having uncontrolled appetites. Pure hedonism is what it is; if it feels good, that’s that. There was a lot of that then, but they were ashamed of it. It was under cover…But being ‘foedus’ is just being dirty, not being properly washed, not bathing often enough [thus] the Roman passion for bathing. See, because of their morals they felt dirty, and they thought they would be clean if they bathed all the time. The emperor Caligula, a very immoral man, bathed eight times a day. You see the two kinds of dirtiness. He thought he could be clean with that…”All the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand,” says Lady MacBeth [as she washes her hands after a murder]…Will all great Neptune’s ocean wash this blood Clean from my hand? No, this my hand will rather The multitudinous seas incarnadine, Making the green one red”… We see some disturbing signs around [the Nephites] of the same sort of thing.
Hugh Nibley, Teachings of the BofM
4 the Lord will lead away the righteous out from among you, this will happen at the end of the book of Omni, when Mosiah leads a group out of the Land of Nephi and joins the people of Zarahemla.
5 the Lamanites your brethren, whom ye hate…are more righteous than you, classic. One caution here for the reader—even while Jacob speaks against prejudice, he engages in it himself; and while we may relegate that to his time, culture, and family upbringing, we still should point it out. A few of the next verses are laced with racial stereotypes as they stand. In any event, Jacob makes two fascinating statements: (1) he separates skin color from righteousness and (2) he calls out the Nephites’ prejudice and racism.
6 because of this observance…the Lord God will not destroy them, this is poignant—the reason the Lamanites will out-survive the Nephites is because they observe this one commandment, even though they break others. Rather than being the Lamanites’ judges, the Nephites were to be their students! How freely do we learn from those around us, regardless of their other faults and failures?
7 husbands love their wives, throughout the BoM, it appears that Lamanite women were accorded more respect and autonomy than their Nephite counterparts. For example, Abish and the three queens in the book of Alma were all Lamanites (Alma 19, 22, 47), as were the celebrated mothers of the stripling warriors (Alma 56.47–48).
Jacob…writes that the Lamanites have observed “this commandment.” Note the singularity. The Lamanites have their own problems and failures. And yet they are in better standing than the Nephites because of how they treat the women of their society…This one piece of their culture has ripple effects in their society, strong enough that Jacob writes that the Lord “will be merciful unto them; and one day they shall become a blessed people.” (v6) We know today that societies in which women have protected rights and an equal standing are more stable, less violent, and more prosperous. Jacob’s words indicate that was just as true in ancient times. An entire community is elevated when it treats women with dignity.”
Fatimeh & Salleh, The BofM For The Least of These
their hatred towards you is because of…their fathers, the presupposition is that Nephite hatred toward the Lamanite is because of what is in their hearts—they have no one to blame but themselves. The Lamanites, however, suffer from a generational curse (Ex 20:5-6; 34:7; see also D&C 123:12).
how much better are you than they, in the sight of your great Creator, in god’s eyes, no one is better than another, that’s the point. The Nephites thought otherwise. ‘Great Creator’ is a phrase used exclusively by Jacob in the BoM (see 2 Ne 9:5–6).
8 their skins will be whiter than yours, we know the point Jacob is making, but he uses very problematic language here. Does he know that, and yet use it because it will resonate with his people? Even if symbolic, Jacob’s language is fraught with racial stereotyping and prejudice that can be toxic and hurtful to those who read it.
These verses [8-10] say some deeply harmful things, mixed with some good things. Do not be afraid to separate them. We can hold prophets accountable and recognize the bad that sometimes comes with the good. Sometimes our holy texts can do toxic work even in their goodness. The way Jacob repeatedly associates filthiness with dark skin and whiteness with righteousness is not okay. We need to recognize the damage that this pairing does; it feeds unrighteous thoughts and ideas about skin color and human worth. This language hurts people. Jacob is unaware of how his own prejudice is seeping into his theology. And yet, he attempts to offer grace. He tells the Nephites to remember their own filthiness rather than revile the Lamanites. He is creating a grace that is marred with discrimination and shadowed with contingencies. Even as he strives toward the divine, he carries with him his own human frailty.
Fatimeh & Salleh, The BofM For The Least of These
Although suggesting that righteousness is reflected in skin color is both egregious and offensive, it is critical to note that Jacob seems to be working within his people’s problematic assumptions about the world and their place within it in order to explode these assumptions. That is, he takes language that will gain the attention of the prideful Nephites because it seems to support their belief in their own intrinsic superiority. By relying on the Nephites’ own conceptual framework, he follows a pattern of conveying truth attested elsewhere in the scriptures (see 2 Ne. 31:3 and D&C 1:24). Yet, he uses their language not to reinforce their faulty notions but instead to destabilize them. Jacob already made clear that he does not share the Nephites’ views; he does not believe that righteousness and skin color bear any sort of relation to one another.
Dierdre Green, Jacob: A Brief Theological Introduction
9 a commandment—revile no more against them because of…their skins [or] their filthiness; but ye shall remember your own filthiness, it’s what Jesus kept trying to teach the Jews. It’s funny how once the gospel is accepted, we spend a lifetime trying to learn how to actually live it! The Book of Mormon is addressed primarily to those who consider themselves followers and not to those outside the faith except by way of invitation.
their filthiness came because of their fathers, so what’s your excuse, Nephites? The same could be asked of anyone professing to follow Jesus.
10 remember your children, the generational curse. This is how apostasy comes. Elder Jeffrey R. Holland once gave a classic talk on this tragic reality called A Prayer For The Children, noting “From a grandfather who is cynical to a son who is agnostic to a grandson who is now looking desperately for what God had already once given his family.” Jacob makes clear that our decisions affect our families, and he invites us to remember that sobering truth when we make decisions (D&C 93:36-37,39).
There is a big emphasis in these verses about how children may inherit an unhealthy legacy. That will be a theme that runs throughout the Book of Mormon, a text in which the hatred of Lehi’s sons for each other gets passed down for hundreds of years. But the beauty of the story is when we see the inbreaking of God in releasing the children from the sins of their parents. Later in the narrative, we will see periods in which the gospel gives people the strength they need to let go of the bias and hatred and patterns of marginalization that were passed down to them. God sets us free, breaking the generational chains of prejudice that were never ours to carry, even when we unknowingly repeated them. The Nephites may not be ready for it here, but eventually the lines between the groups will be torn down, and the people will be bonded together.
Fatimeh & Salleh, The BofM For The Least of These
11 arouse…shake…loose, sobering language that came from his father Lehi who used similar phrases when exhorting his sons in 2 Ne 1. Wealth and ease have a spiritually soporific effect on us.
angels to the devil, Jacob had taught this earlier in 2 Ne 9:8-9. He is the only one in scripture to teach it.
the second death, the phrase appears 4x in the NT (all in Revelation) and 4x in the BoM, and is defined in Alma 12:15–18 as the eternal separation of the wicked from God after the Final Judgment. Note also D&C 29:41; Hel 14:16-18; Alma 12:16,32; 40:26
12 fornication and lasciviousness, notable because he hasn’t really been talking about those to this point; rather, he’s been addressing wealth, pride, sexual agency and the commodification of women.
telling them the awful consequences of sin, painting these ‘awful consequences’ is an effective way of preaching the gospel
13 a hundredth part…cannot be written, see WoM 1.5; Hel 3.14; 3 Ne 5.8; 26.6; Ether 15.33. And yet Jacob chose to record this sermon!
contentions, internal affairs (culture, politics, community discord, etc.) as opposed to ‘wars’ which are outward affairs. There were likely lots of both given that the small Nephite core were now mixing with wide swaths of native populations with their own cultures and histories.
14 plates of Jacob…made by the hand of Nephi, small plates.
Conclusion
The prevalent theme of this chapter is generational legacy: how some of what we inherit is unhealthy and destructive, and what we do with that inheritance and who is held accountable for it. This last verse serves as a perfect metaphor for that theme; Jacob writes his own words, but Nephi made the plates on which Jacob writes. The foundational material he uses came from Nephi, his elder brother and mentor. Jacob carries over a fundamental ideology to his own prophetic era. The ideas of Nephi—including his hatred and othering of groups of people—will be handed down, like the plates themselves, through the rest of the Book of Mormon. The gifts of our ancestors are often good, but we also get a lot of mess built into the good. That is why we believe in continuing revelation and hope that revelation releases us from the past. This is not to say that the prophets of old were not good people or did not perform miracles. It is to accept that they were human, and now we have a responsibility to free ourselves and the next generation from harmful and hateful ideologies. There will be times in the Book of Mormon that we will see that liberation in glorious ways.
Fatimeh & Salleh, The BofM For The Least of These
Holy Envy 