After quoting Zenos’s Allegory of the Olive Tree, Jacob prophesies that it will be fulfilled. God will send servants to “nourish and prune his vineyard” (Jacob 6:2) before the end of the world. He pleads with us to repent and bring forth good fruit, and then says simply, “O be wise; what can I say more?” (Jacob 6:12), before bidding us farewell.
Chapter Outline
- Zenos’s allegory will come to pass (v. 1-4)
- Jacob calls us to repent (v. 5-11)
- “O be wise” (v. 12)
- Jacob bids us farewell (v. 13)
My Takeaways
- God hasn’t given up on us. He is still working diligently to save us.
- Be wise: Keep your responsibilities in proper balance and avoid overcomplicating your service.
Featured Blog Posts
❖ Call to repentance – Jacob 6:5-11
“Cleave unto God as He Cleaveth unto You” – Jacob 6:5
There are multiple ways to read the allegory of the olive tree. You can read with a global perspective: as a symbolic representation of the history and future of the house of Israel. But you can also read it on a very personal level, as a reminder of God’s love and patience toward us. After…
What Is the Plan of Redemption?
The word “plan” doesn’t appear in the King James Version of the Bible. But it appears 51 times in the Book of Mormon. Book of Mormon prophets, particularly Jacob and Alma, teach clearly that God created a plan for us, and that by following His plan, we can overcome every challenge we face and achieve…
❖ O be wise – Jacob 6:12
Being Wise
We often think of wisdom as something we gain over time, but Jacob urges us to “be wise,” implying that we can make better use of the wisdom we have already gained. We do this by slowing down and by thinking about the potential consequences of our actions
What Is Wisdom?
Near the beginning of the Book of Mormon, the prophet Jacob gives us the following counsel: “O be wise; what can I say more?” (Jacob 6:12). Near the end of the book, the prophet Moroni advises us, “Be wise in the days of your probation” (Mormon 9:28). The words “wisdom” and “wise” appear exactly 100…
Old Testament Foundations
Why Will Ye Die?
The Lord assured the prophet Ezekiel that He wants what is best for His children. “As I live, saith the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live.” As Elder D. Todd Christofferson has affirmed, “Far from being anxious to condemn, our Heavenly Father and our Savior…
The Arms of Mercy
All 26 verses of Psalm 136 end with the same phrase: “For his mercy endureth forever.” Here is one of the verses from that psalm, which celebrates the Lord’s power to deliver the children of Israel from captivity in Egypt: With a strong hand, and with a stretched out arm: for his mercy endureth for…
Joshua and the Book of Mormon
This week, I reviewed the book of Joshua, summarizing the content of each chapter and identifying related Book of Mormon passages. The book can be divided into four parts: The children of Israel prepare to enter the promised land (chapters 1-5) With divine intervention, they conquer various cities in the land of Canaan (chapters 6-12)…
New Testament Parallels
To Day
David said that our deadline to repent is “today.” So did Paul, Jacob, Alma, and Amulek. Paul explains that the deadline of “today” applies to us. President Nelson added that we should repent every day, because repentance is not an event. It’s a process.
Beseeching
In Paul’s epistle to Philemon on behalf of Onesimus, he uses the word “beseech” instead of “enjoin.” This word conveys his depth of feeling about the request while also showing appropriate respect for Philemon’s agency.
The Cornerstone
Jesus Christ is our cornerstone, our sure foundation. If we center our lives on Him, we will be well-supported. But even if we reject Him, all is not lost. He is patient and merciful and ready to be our foundation as soon as we are ready to accept Him.
All Posts Referencing Jacob 6
- Accepted of the Lord (9/6/2025)
- Reason and Revelation (6/12/2025)
- “Cleave Unto” Your Covenants (3/23/2025)
- Endless (3/8/2025)
- Farewell…Until (12/21/2024)
- Moroni’s Collaborative Conclusion (12/18/2024)
- Psalm 95 and Alma 12-13 (6/27/2024)
- The Plan of Salvation (4/18/2024)
- Being Wise (4/14/2024)
- Mercy (3/26/2024)
- “Wise in Their Own Eyes” (2/29/2024)
- To Day (11/2/2023)
- Beseeching (10/29/2023)
- Think Celestial! (10/12/2023)
- The Cornerstone (5/19/2023)
- God Gave Them Knowledge (11/1/2022)
- Why Will Ye Die? (10/27/2022)
- Joshua and the Book of Mormon (5/26/2022)
- Hardened Hearts (3/30/2022)
- Cleave (1/8/2022)
- Brimstone (6/10/2021)
- Promises to Covenant Israel (3/18/2021)
- Who Were Zenos and Zenock? (7/17/2020)
- The Arms of Mercy (4/5/2020)
- “Cleave unto God as He Cleaveth unto You” – Jacob 6:5 (3/19/2020)
- What Is Wisdom? (12/13/2019)
- How Can I Follow the Savior with “Full Purpose of Heart?” (9/29/2019)
- What Does the Book of Mormon Teach About Diligence? (9/22/2019)
- What Should I Do When I Feel Guilty? (6/24/2019)
- What Is the Plan of Redemption? (6/16/2019)
- What Does the Book of Mormon Teach About the Resurrection? (4/21/2019)
- What Does It Mean to Be Sober? (4/20/2019)
- O Be Wise, What Can I Say More? – Jacob 6:12 (9/2/2017)
- O Be Wise – Jacob 6:12 (4/7/2015)