Jared and his brother lead their family and friends to a place called the valley of Nimrod. There the Lord reveals to the brother of Jared that He will lead them to a choice land. Here Moroni inserts an editorial note, indicating that the Americas are a choice land, and that those who live there will be blessed if they serve God.
The Lord leads the group to the ocean, where they set up camp and live happily for four years. At the end of that time, God rebukes the brother of Jared for waiting so long to pray for further directions. He instructs the group to build large barges which they will use to cross the ocean.
After they build the barges, the brother of Jared approaches the Lord with two questions: What should we do about light and air during this presumably long journey on the sea. The Lord explains what to do about air—create a hole in the top and bottom of each barge which can be opened at times— but with regard to light, He asks the brother of Jared to propose his own solution.
Chapter Outline
- Traveling to Nimrod and to the sea (v. 1-4)
- America is “choice above all other lands” (v. 5-12)
- They build barges (v. 13-17)
- The brother of Jared asks about light and air in the barges (v. 18-25)
My Takeaways
- Don’t become complacent when things are going well.
- God intends for us to be free, and He will preserve our liberty if we will follow Him.
- Knowledge and skills grow incrementally over time.
- God is not only willing to answer our prayers; He is using prayer as a tool to help us grow
Featured Blog Posts
❖ America: a choice land – Ether 1:5-12
Out of Captivity
Nephi prophesied that people in the Americas would be freed from captivity because they would humble themselves before God. Lehi and Moroni added that God intends for this land to be free and that we will retain our liberty if we follow Him.
A Choice Land – Ether 2:8-12
After describing the journey of Jared and his family and friends from the Tower of Babel to the ocean, Moroni breaks the narrative to deliver a warning to his modern readers. The American continent, where they were headed, is a special place. “This is a land which is choice above all other lands,” he said;…
Even unto the Land of Promise – Ether 2:7
7 And the Lord would not suffer that they should stop beyond the sea in the wilderness, but he would that they should come forth even unto the land of promise, which was choice above all other lands, which the Lord God had preserved for a righteous people. (Ether 2:7) In the previous chapter, the…
❖ Building barges – Ether 1:13-17
Four Years and Three Hours – Ether 2:14
After the first generation of Jaredites had traveled a great distance toward a land which God had promised would be “choice above all the lands of the earth” (Ether 1:42), they arrived at the ocean. Throughout their journey, they had prayed for instructions. Moroni tell us that they had been “directed continually by the hand…
He Remembered Not – Ether 2:14
14 And it came to pass at the end of four years that the Lord came again unto the brother of Jared, and stood in a cloud and talked with him. And for the space of three hours did the Lord talk with the brother of Jared, and chastened him because he remembered not to…
Barges
As Jared and his brother traveled with their families and friends through the wilderness, they carried many supplies with them which might seem unusual, including bees and fish. To carry the latter over land, they prepared a “vessel,” which I envision as a large waterproof container, something like a portable aquarium (Ether 2:1-3). When they…
❖ Light and air – Ether 1:18-25
What Will Ye That I Should Do? – Ether 2:23-25
23 And the Lord said unto the brother of Jared: What will ye that I should do that ye may have light in your vessels? For behold, ye cannot have windows, for they will be dashed in pieces; neither shall ye take fire with you, for ye shall not go by the light of fire.…
There Is No Light…We Cannot Breathe – Ether 2:18-19
18 And it came to pass that the brother of Jared cried unto the Lord, saying: O Lord, I have performed the work which thou hast commanded me, and I have made the barges according as thou hast directed me.19 And behold, O Lord, in them there is no light; whither shall we steer? And…
Across the Great Deep
God led Jared and his family across the ocean in barges that they couldn’t steer. He can also lead us through circumstances in our lives that are beyond our control. Like the Jaredites, we need to learn to trust Him to carry us “across the great deep.”
Old Testament Foundations
Milk and Honey
I’ve been thinking about promised lands today. When God appeared to Moses on Mount Horeb, he promised not only to deliver the children of Israel from captivity but also to lead them “unto a land flowing with milk and honey” (Exodus 3:8). So before the Israelites even began their journey, they had a destination in mind. Lehi’s…
“My Spirit Will Not Always Strive with Man”
There is a cryptic passage near the beginning of the book of Genesis. After listing ten generations from Adam to Noah, the author quotes the Lord as saying: My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years. Genesis 6:3 What does that mean? It sounds like…
Church History Connections
Anxiously Engaged
After their conversion, the sons of King Mosiah decided that they wanted to preach the gospel to their enemies. This was their idea. They weren’t told to do it. But the Lord endorsed the plan. “Let them go up,” He told Mosiah. He promised that they would have success and that He would protect them…
All Posts Referencing Ether 2
- From Ur to Haran (2/15/2026)
- Building My Ark (2/12/2026)
- “Hold Your Peace” (2/15/2025)
- “There Will I Meet Thee … There Will I Bless Thee” (11/15/2024)
- Across the Great Deep (11/14/2024)
- Out of Captivity (7/4/2024)
- Milk and Honey (3/25/2022)
- A Land of Promise (2/12/2022)
- A Tower to Get to Heaven (2/5/2022)
- “My Spirit Will Not Always Strive with Man” (2/1/2022)
- Anxiously Engaged (5/27/2021)
- “That They May Shine Forth in Darkness” – Ether 3:4 (11/13/2020)
- Four Years and Three Hours – Ether 2:14 (11/12/2020)
- A Choice Land – Ether 2:8-12 (11/11/2020)
- Barges (11/10/2020)
- What Does It Mean to Be “Ripe in Iniquity?” (11/23/2019)
- What Does the Book of Mormon Teach About the United States of America? (10/28/2019)
- How Can I Recognize the Hand of the Lord in My Life? (10/27/2019)
- What Can We Learn from the Prayers Recorded in the Book of Mormon? (3/28/2019)
- What Can We Learn About Coming Unto Christ from the Brother of Jared? (2/15/2019)
- What Will Ye That I Should Do? – Ether 2:23-25 (2/27/2018)
- He Remembered Not – Ether 2:14 (2/26/2018)
- Even unto the Land of Promise – Ether 2:7 (6/2/2017)
- There Is No Light…We Cannot Breathe – Ether 2:18-19 (8/23/2016)
- He Cried Again Unto the Lord – Ether 2:21-22 (8/7/2016)
- My Spirit Will Not Always Strive with Man – Ether 2:15 (11/29/2015)
- Ether 2:22-25 What Will Ye That I Should Do? (12/19/2014)