While journeying in the wilderness, Lehi experienced what he called “a dream; or, in other words,…a vision” (1 Nephi 8:2). This dream teaches us about our relationship with the Savior using symbols, including a tree with delicious fruit, an iron rod which leads to the tree, and a “great and spacious building,” full of people who mock the people at the tree.
Chapter Outline
- Introduction (v. 1-4)
- Lehi finds the tree of life and invites his family to join him (v. 5-18).
- He sees a rod of iron which leads people through a mist of darkness to the tree (v. 19-24).
- He sees a great and spacious building filled with hecklers (v. 25-34).
- Lehi pleads with Laman and Lemuel to repent (v. 35-38).
My Takeaways
- Our greatest joy comes from experiencing God’s love.
- Study the scriptures consistently, not sporadically.
- Don’t mock others, and don’t heed those who mock you.
- Express your sincere feelings toward those you love, including your children.
Featured Blog Posts
Lehi’s Dream
Not long after Lehi and his family left Jerusalem, he related to them a spiritual dream he had experienced. The central focus of the dream was “a tree, whose fruit was desirable to make one happy” (1 Nephi 8:10). This tree represents the love of God (1 Nephi 11:21-22), and every character in the dream…
Sculpture of Lehi’s Dream
Three characters in my Uncle Paul’s sculpture of Lehi’s dream are particularly striking: the man on the left looking up with determination, the individual running toward the mocking crowd, and the woman lending a helping hand to a person in need.
❖ The Wilderness – 1 Nephi 8:4-8
Overcoming Dreariness
Lehi’s dream opens with a depressing scene: a “dark and dreary wilderness” (1 Nephi 8:4). A heavenly messenger beckons him forward, and then for several hours he walks through “a dark and dreary waste” (1 Nephi 8:7-8). The concept of a “dreary” wilderness must have resonated with some members of Lehi’s family, who had unfavorably…
❖ The Tree – 1 Nephi 8:10-18
Jesus Christ Is the Tree
Nephi tells us that the tree in his father’s dream represents “the love of God.” He learns this by watching scenes from the life of Jesus. Elder Bednar that the tree represents Jesus Christ Himself, the ultimate manifestation of God’s love for us.
What Is the Tree of Life?
Near the beginning of the Book of Mormon, the prophet Lehi described to his family a spiritual dream he had experienced. The central object in this dream was a tree “whose fruit was desirable to make one happy” (1 Nephi 8:10). Throughout the rest of the dream, groups of people were defined by their actions…
Stay by the Tree
When Lehi tasted the fruit of the tree in his dream, he invited his family to come taste it too. We can’t force anyone to feel the love of God, but we can show them how that love brings us joy and invite them to feel it too.
❖ The Iron Rod – 1 Nephi 8:19-24
Continually Holding Fast – 1 Nephi 8:24-25, 30
24 And it came to pass that I beheld others pressing forward, and they came forth and caught hold of the end of the rod of iron; and they did press forward through the mist of darkness, clinging to the rod of iron, even until they did come forth and partake of the fruit of…
How Can I Avoid Distractions?
In Lehi’s dream, he first described his own journey to the tree of life, which was a result of his own personal prayers. After he ate the fruit, and found it to be “desirable above all other fruit” (1 Nephi 8:12), he instinctively looked for his family, wanting to share it with them. He saw…
❖ The Building – 1 Nephi 8:26-28, 33-34
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…
❖ Lehi Urges Laman and Lemuel to Be Faithful – 1 Nephi 1:36-38
A Tender Parent
After sharing his dream with his family, Lehi spoke to his sons “with all the feeling of a tender parent.” We can likewise uplift and support those we love by encouraging, sharing, teaching, and inviting.
Affection
When Enoch saw God weeping, he asked how it was possible for a perfect Being to feel sorrow. God explained by emphasizing the gap between His hopes for His children and their actual behavior: Unto thy brethren have I said, and also given commandment, that they should love one another, and that they should choose me, their…
Old Testament Foundations
Dreams and Visions
The prophet Joel foretold a time when people of all ages and economic statuses would receive revelation in abundance: I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my…
Roots Deeply Planted
How did Esther find the strength to risk her life on behalf of her people? She found it partly by broadening her perspective, remembering that God had given her specific missions to perform. Mordecai reminded her that she was in a unique position to help: “Who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as…
“Be Not Afraid of Their Words”
How would you like to receive a calling like this: Son of man, I send thee to the children of Israel, to a rebellious nation that hath rebelled against me: they and their fathers have transgressed against me, even unto this very day. For they are impudent children and stiffhearted. I do send thee unto them; and thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God…. Ezekiel…
New Testament Parallels
“Come and See”
Jesus and Philip both answered questions with an invitation: “Come and see.” Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf has suggested two similar invitations: “come and help,” and “come and belong.” Like Lehi, we can help other people learn and grow by inviting them to act.
Strait and Narrow
“Enter ye in at the strait gate,” said the Savior: For wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it. (Matthew 7:13-14,…
The First Great Truth
Elder Jeffrey R. Holland explained that while the first great commandment is to love God, the first great truth is that He loves us. John wrote, “We love him, because he first loved us.” His love motivates us to love Him and to love other people.
Church History Connections
With a Loud Voice
Good news deserves to be shared. In Lehi’s dream, when he tasted the fruit of the tree, he immediately wanted his family to enjoy it as well. “I beckoned unto them,” he said, “and I also did say unto them with a loud voice that they should come unto me, and partake of the fruit,…
“Fools Mock”
Included in Alma’s list of soul-searching questions to the people of Zarahemla was the following: “Is there one among you that doth make a mock of his brother, or that heapeth upon him persecutions?” Alma added, “Wo unto such an one, for he is not prepared, and the time is at hand that he must repent or he cannot…
“Especial Care”
On July 9, 1841, Joseph Smith visited Brigham Young at his home in Nauvoo—a log cabin his wife had built in his absence while raising and caring for their children alone. Brigham had returned a week earlier from a mission to England and had immediately gotten to work helping her with a job which was…
All Posts Referencing 1 Nephi 8
- “Take Especial Care of Your Family” (11/6/2025)
- In Derision (10/26/2025)
- Springing Up (6/14/2025)
- “My Mind Caught Hold” (8/1/2024)
- “We Talk of Christ” (3/10/2024)
- Innovation vs. “Vain Imaginations” (1/25/2024)
- A Tender Parent (1/21/2024)
- Seed (1/18/2024)
- Stay by the Tree (1/16/2024)
- Letters to the Seven Churches (12/7/2023)
- The First Great Truth (12/1/2023)
- Sculpture of Lehi’s Dream (4/18/2023)
- “Come and See” (1/17/2023)
- Family Revelation (1/15/2023)
- The Tree (12/23/2022)
- Dreams and Visions (11/13/2022)
- Joseph, Daniel, and Nephi: Dream-Interpreters (11/3/2022)
- “Be Not Afraid of Their Words” (10/25/2022)
- A Tree of Life (9/4/2022)
- The Book of Psalms and the Book of Mormon (8/27/2022)
- Accepting Feedback from Family (7/31/2022)
- Roots Deeply Planted (7/29/2022)
- He Laughs (2/18/2022)
- Affection (1/26/2022)
- “Especial Care” (11/2/2021)
- “Fools Mock” (5/2/2021)
- With a Loud Voice (4/11/2021)
- “The Greatest of All the Gifts of God” – 1 Nephi 15:36 (2/16/2021)
- “The People That Walked in Darkness” – 2 Nephi 19:2 (2/5/2021)
- Mary (12/26/2020)
- “Press Forward with a Steadfastness in Christ” – 2 Nephi 31:20 (3/5/2020)
- Strait and Narrow (3/3/2020)
- Overcoming Dreariness (1/15/2020)
- Lehi’s Dream (1/14/2020)
- 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)
- How Much Power Does the Devil Have? (10/22/2019)
- How Can I Avoid Distractions? (10/8/2019)
- What Is the Relationship Between the Family and the Church? (9/18/2019)
- How Can I Recognize the Temptations of the Devil? (8/18/2019)
- How Can I Be a Better Father? (6/17/2019)
- What Does the Book of Mormon Teach About Being an Effective Parent? (5/15/2019)
- What Does the Book of Mormon Teach About Fear? (5/8/2019)
- What Does the Book of Mormon Teach About Happiness? (5/6/2019)
- How Does God Communicate with Us? (4/16/2019)
- What Can We Learn About Prayer From Nephi? (3/26/2019)
- What Are the “Tender Mercies of the Lord?” (3/2/2019)
- What Is the Tree of Life? (2/7/2019)
- Continually Holding Fast – 1 Nephi 8:24-25, 30 (9/30/2017)
- That My Family Should Partake – 1 Nephi 8:11-12 (5/10/2016)
- 1 Nephi 8:33-34 We Heeded Them Not (1/13/2015)