Nephi prays to see what his father saw, and he experiences an expansive vision. In this first section of the vision, he sees events from the life of Jesus Christ, and an angel explains the connections between what he sees and the symbols of his father’s dream.
Chapter Outline
- Introduction: Nephi affirms his desire and his belief (v. 1-12).
- Life of Jesus, part 1: Birth. The tree = the love of God (v. 13-23).
- Life of Jesus, part 2: Ministry. The iron rod = the word of God (v. 24-31).
- Life of Jesus, part 3: Crucifixion. The great and spacious building = the pride of the world (v. 32-36).
My Takeaways
- Pondering prepares the way for revelation.
- Good questions can engage learners more fully than simply giving them answers.
- When you confront difficult questions, begin with what you know.
- Consistent study of God’s word will bring us closer to Him.
- If your objective is to be above other people, you are building on an unstable foundation.
Featured Blog Posts
Nephi’s Vision
The prophet Nephi was so impressed with his father’s dream and his father’s prophecies that he prayed to see what his father had seen. As a result, he saw a sweeping vision in which an angel showed him many future events and used them to explain the symbols from his father’s dream. Today, I summarized the…
Learning How to Learn – Nephi’s Vision
Nephi’s vision is unlike any other that I am aware of. It consists of a guided tour through a sweeping series of future events. Nephi is accompanied throughout the vision, first by the Spirit of the Lord, and then by an angel. These guides not only explain what he is seeing; they also teach him…
Knowest Thou the Meaning of the Tree? – 1 Nephi 11:20-23
20 And I looked and beheld the virgin again, bearing a child in her arms. 21 And the angel said unto me: Behold the Lamb of God, yea, even the Son of the Eternal Father! Knowest thou the meaning of the tree which thy father saw? 22 And I answered him, saying: Yea, it is…
❖ Nephi Prays to Understand What His Father Saw – 1 Nephi 11:1
As I Sat Pondering in Mine Heart – 1 Nephi 11:1
1 For it came to pass after I had desired to know the things that my father had seen, and believing that the Lord was able to make them known unto me, as I sat pondering in mine heart I was caught away in the Spirit of the Lord, yea, into an exceedingly high mountain,…
I Desire… I Believe… – 1 Nephi 11:1-6
1 For it came to pass after I had desired to know the things that my father had seen, and believing that the Lord was able to make them known unto me, as I sat pondering in mine heart I was caught away in the Spirit of the Lord, yea, into an exceedingly high mountain,…
❖ THE BIRTH OF JESUS – 1 NEPHI 11:13-23
How Does the Birth of Jesus Christ Help Us Understand the Love of God?
Near the beginning of the Book of Mormon, the prophet Lehi describes a dream to his family. The focal point of this dream is “a tree, whose fruit was desirable to make one happy” (1 Nephi 8:10). Every character in the dream is defined by his or her response to the tree. Lehi tastes the…
Knowest Thou the Condescension of God? – 1 Nephi 11:14-17
14 And it came to pass that I saw the heavens open; and an angel came down and stood before me; and he said unto me: Nephi, what beholdest thou? 15 And I said unto him: A virgin, most beautiful and fair above all other virgins. 16 And he said unto me: Knowest thou the…
“Which Sheddeth Itself Abroad”
Nephi and Paul both testified that God’s love is “shed abroad in our hearts.” Like light from the sun, God’s love shines on all of His children. We can open our hearts to receive that love, and we can in turn share that love with others.
❖ The Life of Jesus – 1 Nephi 11:24-31
The Rod of Iron – 1 Nephi 11:25
25 And it came to pass that I beheld that the rod of iron, which my father had seen, was the word of God, which led to the fountain of living waters, or to the tree of life; which waters are a representation of the love of God; and I also beheld that the tree…
What Does It Mean to “Cast Out Devils?”
Twenty-four times in the New Testament we read about devils being “cast out” of people. All of these passages appear in the synoptic Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke. The gospel of Mark even ends with the Savior promising that those who believe in Him will have power to cast out devils (Mark 16:17). The…
❖ THE DEATH OF JESUS – 1 NEPHI 11:32-36
What Does the “Great and Spacious Building” Represent?
In Lehi’s dream, after arriving at the tree of life and tasting its sweet fruit, after guiding family members to the same tree, and after seeing many other people arrive at that tree by following a rod of iron through a mist of darkness, Lehi saw something which perplexed him. Some of the people who…
Old Testament Foundations
“A Little Lower than the Angels”
David marveled that God made us only “a little lower than the angels.” Paul marveled at the opposite: that Jesus, who rules over the angels, was willing to live in mortality, placing Himself below them with us.
Living Water
The ancient prophet Jeremiah bemoaned the spiritual state of his people, which he attributed to two poor decisions: Forsaking “the fountain of living waters” Building for themselves “cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water” (Jeremiah 2:13, Jeremiah 17:13) Lehi, who was a contemporary of Jeremiah, had a dream in which he saw the tree…
New Testament Parallels
Mary
When Nephi needed to understand God’s love, he saw Mary. About 600 years before the birth of Jesus Christ, Nephi’s father shared with the family a dream he had experienced while they were traveling in the wilderness. The central symbol in that dream was “a tree, whose fruit was desirable to make one happy” (1 Nephi 8:10). Intrigued by…
Rivers of Living Water
Jesus testified that He is the source of “living water,” which is the love of God. When we come to Him, He not only quenches our thirst, He also makes it possible for us to share that living water with others.
Where It Listeth
Nicodemus was tentative and cautious. Jesus taught him that people who are born of the Spirit exercise faith. They don’t have to know everything before they are willing to do something. Like Nephi, they embrace uncertainty and move forward.
Church History Connections
Ascension, Descension, and Comprehension
In the sixty-eighth psalm, King David offers the following words of praise to God: Thou hast ascended on high, thou hast led captivity captive: thou hast received gifts for men; yea, for the rebellious also, that the Lord God might dwell among them. Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation. Psalm 68:18-19 Verse 19 is somewhat ambiguous in the original…
Rolling Waters
In his epistle from Liberty Jail, Joseph Smith used the imagery of moving water to illustrate the principle that continuous revelation helps the gospel remain current and relevant in our lives. “How long can rolling waters remain impure?” he asked. “What power shall stay the heavens?” Then he went on to compare the powerful current of…
All Posts Referencing 1 Nephi 11
- Fire, Snow, Sun, and Great Waters (10/3/2025)
- Ascending and Descending as a Disciple of Jesus Christ (8/17/2025)
- Being Bound (7/24/2025)
- Biblical References in Doctrine and Covenants 76 (7/8/2025)
- Springing Up (6/14/2025)
- “The Rod of My Mouth” (3/6/2025)
- Serious Reflection (1/22/2025)
- Christ’s New Testament Church (1/4/2025)
- Authority Restored (1/2/2025)
- It Began with a Question (1/1/2025)
- A Book of Mormon Nativity (12/25/2024)
- For Our Welfare and Happiness (9/3/2024)
- “My Mind Caught Hold” (8/1/2024)
- Christmas, Easter, and the Book of Mormon (3/27/2024)
- Nephi’s Vision and Nephi’s Prophecy (3/12/2024)
- Sacred Spaces (2/17/2024)
- Innovation vs. “Vain Imaginations” (1/25/2024)
- “Which Sheddeth Itself Abroad” (1/23/2024)
- The Title Page and Nephi (1/4/2024)
- Made Known Abroad / Pondered in Her Heart (12/20/2023)
- “A Little Lower than the Angels” (11/5/2023)
- Numbered with the Transgressors (6/3/2023)
- Rivers of Living Water (4/28/2023)
- Where It Listeth (2/8/2023)
- The Tree (12/23/2022)
- A Tree of Life (9/4/2022)
- “There Shall Be a Place” (5/18/2022)
- “Eternity Was Our Covering” (2/13/2022)
- Glory (12/28/2021)
- The Healer (12/22/2021)
- Spirit (11/10/2021)
- Angels (11/9/2021)
- Rolling Waters (10/23/2021)
- Ascension, Descension, and Comprehension (8/10/2021)
- Living Water (6/11/2021)
- “I Know” / “I Know Not” (5/13/2021)
- “The Greatest of All the Gifts of God” – 1 Nephi 15:36 (2/16/2021)
- John the Baptist (2/12/2021)
- Son of God (12/27/2020)
- Mary (12/26/2020)
- “I Have Spoken Unto You Plainly” – Alma 5:43 (6/3/2020)
- Hosanna (4/6/2020)
- “I Do Not Know All Things” – Words of Mormon 1:7 (3/28/2020)
- Nephi’s Vision (1/25/2020)
- Learning How to Learn – Nephi’s Vision (1/21/2020)
- What Does the Book of Mormon Affirm? (12/28/2019)
- How Does the Birth of Jesus Christ Help Us Understand the Love of God? (12/24/2019)
- What Do We Know About God’s Love for Us? (12/2/2019)
- What Does the “Great and Spacious Building” Represent? (11/21/2019)
- What Does It Mean to Ponder? (11/12/2019)
- What Does It Mean to “Cast Out Devils?” (10/24/2019)
- What Is Pride? (9/2/2019)
- What Does It Mean to Minister? (8/3/2019)
- What Does the Book of Mormon Teach About Happiness? (5/6/2019)
- Why Is Firsthand Spiritual Knowledge Important? (4/14/2019)
- What Can We Learn About Prayer From Nephi? (3/26/2019)
- What Is the Significance of the Title “the Lamb of God?” (3/7/2019)
- What Is the Meaning of the Title “Lord of Hosts?” (3/4/2019)
- What Does the Book of Mormon Teach About the Baptism of Jesus? (2/20/2019)
- What Is the Tree of Life? (2/7/2019)
- What Should I Do When There Are Questions I Can’t Answer? (1/6/2019)
- Knowest Thou the Meaning of the Tree? – 1 Nephi 11:20-23 (3/8/2018)
- Knowest Thou the Condescension of God? – 1 Nephi 11:14-17 (3/7/2018)
- I Desire… I Believe… – 1 Nephi 11:1-6 (3/5/2018)
- As I Sat Pondering in Mine Heart – 1 Nephi 11:1 (3/4/2018)
- The Rod of Iron – 1 Nephi 11:25 (7/13/2017)
- Knowest Thou the Meaning of the Tree? – 1 Nephi 11:21-23 (7/12/2017)
- He Went Forth Ministering – 1 Nephi 11:28 (11/30/2016)
- The Most Joyous to the Soul – 1 Nephi 11:21-23 (9/12/2016)
- The Lamb of God Went Forth and Was Baptized – 1 Nephi 11:26-27 (6/14/2016)
- It Is the Most Desirable Above All Things – 1 Nephi 11:22-23 (1/5/2016)
- 1 Nephi 11:16-17 I Know That He Loveth His Children (1/16/2015)