3 Nephi 12-16 Quotes and Notes

3 Nephi 12-14 is very similar to the Sermon on the Mount in the Gospel of Matthew. This text is a temple ascension text, or what modern Saints call an endowment. In this podcast, we worked to demonstrate the depth and breadth of this sermon, with the hopes that those with eyes to see and ears to hear would see and understand the significance of Jesus’ teaching to these people and how it relates to our modern experiences in sacred spaces today.

On the church’s website, we are told that we make certain covenants with God.

An Overview

When you joined the Church, you received two ordinances—baptism and confirmation. Likewise, the temple endowment is also received in two parts:

In the first part, you will privately and individually receive preliminary ordinances called the initiatory ordinances. The initiatory ordinances include special blessings regarding your divine heritage and potential. As part of these ordinances, you will also be authorized to wear the sacred temple garment.

In the second part, you will receive the remainder of your endowment in a group setting along with others who are attending the temple. During this part, the plan of salvation is presented, including the Creation of the world, the Fall of Adam and Eve, the Atonement of Jesus Christ, the Apostasy, and the Restoration, as well as instruction on the way all people can return to the presence of the Lord. Some of the endowment is presented through video and some by temple officiators.

In conjunction with these ordinances, you will be invited to make specific covenants with God. These covenants include:

• Law of Obedience
• Law of Sacrifice
• Law of the Gospel
• Law of Chastity
• Law of Consecration

In return, God promises wonderful blessings in this life and the opportunity to return to live with Him forever.

At the conclusion of the endowment, participants symbolically return to the Lord’s presence as they enter the celestial room. There you can spend time to ponder, pray, read the scriptures, or quietly discuss your experiences with family and friends. It is a place of peace, where you can also find comfort and divine direction.

LeGrand Baker has made these observations about Jesus’ sermon to the Saints gathered in Bountiful in 3 Nephi 11:

The lecture began with the Beatitudes. There are several differences between the Beatitudes in the Bible and those in the Book of Mormon. One of the most often repeated differences is the use of the word all. An example is Matthew’s “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God.” There, “peacemakers” may be read as a generic characteristic. But in the Book of Mormon’s “And blessed are all the peacemakers…” with the word all focusing on each individual. “Peacemakers” may be a generic term, but “all peacemakers” separates those in the group into individual persons—and it is as individuals that “they shall be called [named] the children of God.” That is a very significant difference.

The other most frequently found difference is that the Matthew Beatitudes are several loosely connected sayings that some scholars believe were put in their present form by a later editor. But in 3 Nephi each one begins with the word “yea” or “and.” Those words are conjunctions that string the Beatitudes into a single coherent and sequential statement—emphasizing that the Beatitudes are to be understood as a unit—and that the sequence it represents is for all the people, reminding his audience that these are the personal requisites of eternal priesthood and sacral kingship.₁

A brief overview of the temple sermon

3 Ne. 12.1-2 – True Messengers Chosen

3 Ne. 12.3-12 – The Beattitudes

3 Ne. 12.13-16 – Salt and Light

3 Ne. 12.17-20 – Obedience, the first Law of Heaven

3 Ne. 12.21-25 – In our Sacrifice, be Reconciled with your brother (Matthew 5.23 mentions bringing our gift to the altar. 3 Ne. 12.23-24 says that we come unto Jesus)

3 Ne. 12.27-32 – The Law of Chastity

3 Ne. 12.33–37 – How we should respond, yes or no

3 Ne. 12.-48 – How we treat each other, or how we should live the Gospel

3 Ne. 13.1-15 – A True Pattern of Prayer, approaching God’s presence

3 Ne. 13.16-18 – Washing and anointing in prayer

3 Ne. 13.19-21 – Know where the treasure is (The Ark/God’s Throne behind the veil in the First Temple)

3 Ne. 13.22-23 – Having the eyes of God, seeing others how he sees

3 Ne. 13.24-34 – Total Consecration is required to enter the throne room

3 Ne. 14.1-5 – Again, how to judge. Sacral kings and queens must issue true judgement to represent Jehovah. Celestial beings judge righteously

3 Ne. 14.6-8 – Ask, seek, knock – a warning of sacredness, a threefold petition

3 Ne. 14.9-12 – An exchange of Messianic symbols

3 Ne. 14.13-16 – The gate is straight and narrow. This is the approach to the Holy of Holies

3 Ne. 14.17-20 – The approach towards the Tree of Life in the Holy of Holies. We are now identified as good trees bringing forth good fruit. See D&C 132.24

3 Ne. 14.21–27 – Those entering in this sacred space are now wise. They are standing on the rock (Foundation Stone). Their house (family) shall not fall.

The Savior’s Coronation Sermon

One of the most interesting examples of Joseph Smith’s statement, “We believe the Bible to be the word of God so far as it is translated correctly,” is found in the Anchor Bible’s very scholarly where a whole volume or more is devoted to each biblical book. The book of Matthew, which contains many quotes from the Old Testament, has two author/translators, W. F. Albright, a distinguished Old Testament scholar, and C. S. Mann, an equally distinguished New Testament scholar. This is the way they translated the Beatitudes:

3 Fortunate are the humble in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven. 4 Fortunate are those who mourn, for they shall be consoled. 5 Fortunate are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. 6 Fortunate are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall he satisfied. 7 Fortunate are the merciful, [and so on].

In a footnote, they explain why they chose the word fortunate:

3.Fortunate. The word in Greek was used in classical times [to mean] of the state of the gods in contrast to men. The usual English “blessed” has more and more come to have liturgical or ecclesiastical overtones, and we have chosen “fortunate” as being the best translation available to us.₂

Third Nephi uses the same language as the King James Version: “Blessed are all the meek for they shall inherit the earth.” It does not jar its first-time readers with language that stretches their understanding too far. It is important that Joseph used the same word in the Book of Mormon that is in the King James Matthew, because it lets us compare the Bible and the Book of Mormon with confidence and know that the Book of Mormon carries the same understanding as the Bible. It is also important that these two scholars have clarified what the Bible actually says—and therefore what the Savior said to the people at Bountiful. The thing that is so interesting about the clarification in their footnote is that these world class scholars knew what the Greek word Μακάριοι means—“in the state of the gods”—but they did not believe Jesus could have meant that, so they came up with a watered-down word—“fortunate” —because that made more sense to them.

Then, consistent with their training as scholars, they put the real meaning in a footnote, leaving LDS readers of the Book of Mormon free to pursue the limits of the meaning if they wish to, but without imposing it on them…₃

Compare Makarios now (in the state of the gods) when reading the word that Nephi uses in 1 Nephi:

“And it came to pass that the Lord spake unto me, saying: Blessed [in the state of the gods] art thou, Nephi, because of thy faith, …And inasmuch as thou shalt keep my commandments, thou shalt be made a ruler and a teacher [king and priest] over thy brethren” (1 Ne. 2:19-22).

Matthew 5.3: Μακάριοι οἱ πτωχοὶ τῷ πνεύματι ὅτι αὐτῶν ἐστιν ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν

Μακάριοι = blessed/in the state of the gods; οἱ πτωχοὶ= ptochoi=the poor (plural); τῷ πνεύματι= (tow neumati = in the spirit) ὅτι=seeing that; αὐτῶν=of them (plural) ἐστιν (3PS= he/she/it is) ἡ βασιλεία = the kingdom/dominion; τῶν οὐρανῶν = ouranon= of the heavens (plural)

My translation: In the state of the gods are the poor in spirit, seeing that the kingdom of the heavens is theirs (Matthew 5.3)

More on Makarios:

μακάριος

In his explanation of makarios, Stoffregen asserts the following:

What does it mean to be blessed? The Greek word for “blessed” used in the Beatitudes is makarios (plural: makaroioi). The following is a study of how this word has been used (mostly taken from the Theological Dictionary of the New Testament).

In ancient Greek times, makarios referred to the gods. The blessed ones were the gods. They had achieved a state of happiness and contentment in life that was beyond all cares, labors, and even death. The blessed ones were beings who lived in some other world away from the cares and problems and worries of ordinary people. To be blessed, you had to be a god.

Makarios took on a second meaning. It referred to the “dead.” The blessed ones were humans, who, through death, had reached the other world of the gods. They were now beyond the cares and problems and worries of earthly life. To be blessed, you had to be dead. That is the origin of the different saints days — they are remembered on the dates of their deaths. All Saints Day was for all the people who had died in the faith whose names we didn’t know.

Finally, in Greek usage, makarios came to refer to the elite, the upper crust of society, the wealthy people. It referred to people whose riches and power put them above the normal cares and problems and worries of the lesser folk — the peons, who constantly struggle and worry and labor in life. To be blessed, you had to be very rich and powerful.

When this word, makarios was used in the Greek translation of the Old Testament, it took on another meaning. It referred to the results of right living or righteousness. If you lived right, you were blessed. Being blessed meant you received earthly, material things: a good wife, many children, abundant crops, riches, honor, wisdom, beauty, good health, etc. A blessed person had more things and better things than an ordinary person. To be blessed, you had to have big and beautiful things.

In all of these meanings, the “blessed” ones lived in a higher plane than the rest of us. They were gods. They were humans who had gone to the world of the gods. They were the wealthy, upper crust. They were those with many possessions. The blessed were those people and beings who lived above the normal cares, problems, and worries of normal people.

Matthew (reflecting Jesus’ thoughts) uses this word in a totally different way. It is not the elite who are blessed. It is not the rich and powerful who are blessed. It is not the high and mighty who are blessed. It is not the people living in huge mansions or expensive penthouses who are blessed. Rather, Jesus pronounces God’s blessings on the lowly: the poor, the hungry, the thirsty, the meek, the mourning. Throughout the history of this word, it had always been the other people who were considered blessed: the rich, the filled up, the powerful. Jesus turns it all upside-down. The elite in God’s kingdom, the blessed ones in God’s kingdom, are those who are at the bottom of the heap of humanity.₄

3 Nephi 12.1b

Obedience to the Brethren

These are the one Jesus has chosen to lead these people. We will see the Savior later make very important promises to those that choose to follow and believe his authorized representatives, something with tremendous application today in this world of confusing ideas and worldviews.

3 Ne. 12.1c

There is an important distinction here. The Twelve had the power to baptize with water, but the Savior himself will baptize with fire and the Holy Ghost. When someone lays his hands on another person’s head and says, “Receive the Holy Ghost,” those are the words of a command. It is also an authoritative promise. The promise is that one may do so, but the command implies that one must learn how to receive the Holy Ghost. That comes through patience and practice. One learns, through faith and repentance how to listen to the Spirit; how to know that its feeling is different from all other feelings; and how to ask questions and receive answers that are confirmed by that feeling. Eventually, one is able to fulfill the command then, as with a mantle of light, one receives the Holy Ghost as a gift from the Savior. Having spoken to and about the people who were present, the Savior then expanded his discussion beyond his immediate audience and speaks about those who would not be there to see him.₅

The meek – 3 Nephi 12.5

Compare these ideas found in the Psalms: Psalm 37.11 – then Psalm 25.9-14 – read this = what is the promise?

Here is a quick review of those parts of the psalm:

9 The meek will he guide in judgment [the quality of priesthood and sacral kingship]: and the meek will he teach his way. [“way” is a code word that indicates how one climbs the “mountain” and how one lives the covenants made there]

10 All the paths [same code word as “way”] of the Lord are mercy and truth unto such as keep his covenant and his testimonies. 11 For thy name’s sake [covenant’s sake], O Lord, pardon mine iniquity; for it is great. 12 What man is he that feareth the Lord? him shall he teach in the way that he shall choose. 13 His soul shall dwell at ease; and his seed shall inherit the earth [eternal increase].

14 The secret [sode] of the Lord is with them that fear him; and he will shew them his covenant [that is, the sode covenant, the one made at the Council in Heaven] (Psalm 25:9-14)₆

13 seed

14 sod

Read D&C 88.17-20

“Hunger and thirst” – 3 Nephi 12.6

Cross with Alma 32.40-43 … “the tree will bring forth fruit unto you…” – verse 43

See 3 Nephi 20.3-8 and John 6

According to a number of sources, some early Christians thought of the cross as a tree of life, and that the Savior’s body was the fruit of that tree, and his blood was the waters of life.₇

See Psalm 63.1-11 see God, sanctuary, shadow of thy wings… my soul thirsteth for thee…

Blessed (in the state of the gods) are the Merciful – 3 Nephi 12.7

Mercy Seat – The focal point of Moses’s Tabernacle was the Mercy Seat, the throne of God that sat upon the lid of the Ark of the Covenant in the Holy of Holies. It is significant that the word that is translated “mercy seat” in the New Testament is the same word which is translated “atone” elsewhere, so the name of the Lord’s throne might also be the “seat of Atonement.” That is consistent with Enoch exclamation, “naught but peace, justice, and truth is the habitation of thy throne” (Moses 7:31).₈

3 Nephi 12.8 – pure in heart see God… Psalm 24

Temple Recommend Questions

Hugh Nibley made this observation in his Book of Mormon lecture series (no. 99):

When you turn to other places where we might also find these kinds of virtues mentioned, you also run into ritual or mystery religion contexts. Take the phrase pure in heart. “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” Both of those phrases—pure in heart and seeing God—are loaded with temple symbolism and meaning. The pure in heart phrase comes out of twenty-fourth psalm—a psalm that is very well described as an ancient temple recommend. “Who shall ascend unto the hill of the Lord?” That, of course, is to the temple. Who is worthy to enter the temple? Those who have clean hands and a pure heart. And what will they see when they enter the temple? The Doctrine and Covenants tells us those who enter the temple in Kirtland (this is D&C 97:16) will see God. These phrases are referring to temple-type experiences. Such is not completely lost, even on our Gentile scholars. You can find, for example, Hans D. Betz speculating about what on earth these Beatitudes should be understood to mean. His conclusion: The Beatitudes are the entrance requirements for the kingdom of heaven—his way of saying “temple recommend questions” perhaps. Georg Strecker concludes that the Beatitudes are “the conditions that must be fulfilled in order to gain entrance into the Holy of Holies.” You need to do a little research into why they are saying these kinds of things, but they see this list of Beatitudes in a very sacred context.₉

Gospel of Thomas: “When you come to know yourselves, then you will become known, and you will realize that it is you who are the sons of the living Father. But if you will not know yourselves, you dwell in poverty and it is you who are that poverty.” (The Gospel of Thomas, Saying 3)

32 Yea, come unto Christ, and be perfected in him, and deny yourselves of all ungodliness; and if ye shall deny yourselves of all ungodliness, and love God with all your might, mind and strength, then is his grace sufficient for you, that by his grace ye may be perfect in Christ; and if by the grace of God ye are perfect in Christ, ye can in nowise deny the power of God. 33 And again, if ye by the grace of God are perfect in Christ, and deny not his power, then are ye sanctified in Christ by the grace of God, through the shedding of the blood of Christ, which is in the covenant of the Father unto the remission of your sins, that ye become holy, without spot (Moroni 10:32-33).

Peace makers – 3 Nephi 12.9

Peace makers = publish peace

See Isaiah 52.7-8 – lots of temple code here

7 How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth goodtidings, that publisheth peace [peacemaker]; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth! 8 Thy watchmen shall lift up the voice; with the voice together shall they sing: for they shall see eye to eye, when the Lord shall bring again Zion.

Readers should examine closely several texts that draw out this symbol. For example, Isaiah 52:7-8 is the text that must be read to see how Abinadi is cross examined by his accusers in both Mosiah 12.22 and Mosiah 15.29-31- 16.1. Understanding the context of these verses gives readers additional insight into Abinadi’s arguments for why Noah was not a legitimate king in the eyes of God.

Alma gets further into the verse when he states, “many have been born of God, and have tasted as I have tasted, and have seen eye to eye as I have seen; therefore they do know of these things of which I have spoken, as I do know; and the knowledge which I have is of God” (Alma 36.26). See also 3 Nephi 16.17-20, 20.30-37.

A summary of the collection of the verses on this topic of “Seeing eye to eye”:

1. Isaiah 52.7-8
2. Mosiah 12.22
3. Mosiah 15.29-31
4. Mosiah 16.1
5. Alma 36.26
6. 3 Nephi 16.17-20
7. 3 Nephi 20.30-37

The easiest way to visualize people seeing eye to eye is to see them standing in a circle. Here they are singing, or perhaps speaking in unison. This seems to be a reference to a pre-exilic prayer circle. That idea would fit with Hugh Nibley’s pattern. He wrote, “It is because each prayer circle is a faithful reproduction of the celestial pattern that impulses can be transmitted from one to the other by all who are in a receptive state; the thoughts of those in the circle are concentrated as in a burning glass.₁₀

The identical idea is expressed in the prayer circle so fully described by bishop Cyril of Jerusalem ca 350 AD where he said:

“O strange and paradoxical thing we did not die in reality after having been actually crucified rather it was an imitation by a token O love of men overflowing Christ really received the nails in his blameless hands and feet and suffered pain while I without any pain or struggle by his sharing of suffering the pain enjoy the fruits of salvation!”₁₁

7^th Century Syriac text

The actual performance of such a rite is described in a very old text attributed to Clement of Rome and preserved in a 7^th century Syriac translation entitled the Testament of our Lord Jesus Christ as delivered orally by him to us the apostles after his resurrection following his death in celebrating the sacrificial death of the Lord (Pulver calls his study the round dance and the crucifixion”) the bishop would:

“make the sacrifice the veil of the gate being drawn aside as a sign of the straying of the former people he would make the offering within the veil along with priests deacons authorized widows subdeacons, deaconesses readers and such as were endowed with spiritual gifts. As leader the bishop stands in the middle the men and women are assigned their places north south east and west around him then all give each other the sign of peace next when absolute silence is established the deacon says let your hearts be to heaven if anyone has any ill feeling towards his neighbor let him be reconciled if anyone has any hesitation or mental reservations (doubts) let him make it known; if anyone finds any of the teachings incongenial let him withdraw (etc.) For the father of lights is our witness with the son and visiting angels take care lest you have aught against your neighbor lift up your hearts for the sacrifice of redemption and eternal life let us be grateful for the knowledge which god is giving us… as the prayer ends the bishop says, “give us unity of mind in the Holy Ghost, and heal our spirits.”₁₂

3 Nephi 12.9 – Blessed are the Peacemakers – this is a quote from Isaiah 52.7-8… Make bare his arm!

9 Break forth into joy, sing together, ye waste places of Jerusalem: for the Lord hath comforted his people, he hath redeemed Jerusalem. 10 The Lord hath made bare his holy arm in the eyes of all the nations; and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God (Isaiah 52:9-10).

3 Nephi 12.10 And blessed [enjoying “the state of the gods”] are all they who are persecuted for my name’s sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven

“For my name’s sake” might be written “for the sake of the covenant.” Because all new covenants are sealed with a new name, “name” and “covenant” can be interchanged in this sort of context without changing the meaning.

Here, he places persecution in juxtaposition with a second coronation ceremony. In verse three he had said, “Yea, blessed are the poor in spirit who come unto me, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Now he says, “And blessed are all they who are persecuted for my name’s sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” These two statements suggest the ancient Israelite practice of anointing the heir apparent to become king, then later, after he had proven his worthiness, of anointing him again, this time as king.

3 Nephi12.11-12 And blessed [enjoying “the state of the gods”] are ye when men shall revile you

The Savior had warned his apostles of the same thing:

1 These things have I spoken unto you, that ye should not be offended. 2 They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service. 3 And these things will they do unto you, because they have not known the Father, nor me. 4 But these things have I told you, that when the time shall come, ye may remember that I told you of them. And these things I said not unto you at the beginning, because I was with you (John 16:1-4).

People who know—who really know—and who bear testimony of what they know, are often perceived by others to be very difficult, to be hypocritical, or even dangerous—men like the Savior, Abinadi, Nephi, the Prophet Joseph, and the local grocer who is not afraid to tell people about the restoration of the gospel. When the Spirit testifies to another person that someone is telling the truth, that leaves the other person with two options: he can repent, or refuse to repent. If he refuses to repent, then he is almost always driven by a need to prove he chose correctly. The only way to do that is to show that the prophet was not actually a prophet, and the most efficient way to do that is to show that the prophet does not have the power to protect himself—so the persecutions! Ultimately, in many cases, this brings about the murder of the prophet, whereupon the prophet seals his testimony with his blood, and the persecutors are left to their own means to try to settle for some sort of salvation outside the realms of truth and righteousness. But the salvation they find, like their own souls, is mostly darkness.₁₃

3 Ne. 12.13 Salt

When sacrifices were offered upon the altars of ancient Israel, the Israelites did not give the Lord the flesh of the animal, the fruit of the ground, or the ashes or smoke of such sacrifices. The acceptable part of the offering presented to the Lord was the smell, “a sweet savour unto the Lord” (Leviticus 1:17).

In the Bible, the word savour most often refers to the pleasant smell of burning sacrifice in the Temple. To ensure that the smell would be sweet, the Mosaic law required that the offering be liberally sprinkled with salt. The scent of an unsalted burnt offering would be the stench of scorched flesh. But if the meat were generously salted, the odor would be quite different, due to the reaction of the salt upon the cells that compose animal flesh. Under high-salt conditions, cellular fluid rapidly escapes the cells to dilute the salts outside cell membranes. When accentuated by heat, these fluids cause a sweet savor to emanate.

The Lord’s requirements concerning their offerings was clear. Referring to “the salt of the covenant,” the Lord instructed ancient Israel, “With all thine offerings thou shalt offer salt” (Lev. 2:13). Flavius Josephus, the ancient Jewish historian, explained how that was done. He wrote that the priests “cleanse the bodies [of the sacrificial animals], and divide them into parts, and salt them with salt, and lay them upon the altar, while the pieces of wood are piled one upon another and the fire is burning. … This is the way of offering a burnt offering”₁₄

This tremendous responsibility of helping bring salvation to others is coupled with caution: “But if the salt shall lose its savor wherewith shall the earth be salted? The salt shall be thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out and to be trodden under foot of men” (3 Ne. 12:13). Salt used anciently for sacrifice could easily lose its savor, and always for the same reason—impurity. If such impure salt was heated, the combination of impurities and salt can result in an unpleasant odor. It was therefore discarded, lest its use desecrate the sacrifice and offend the Lord. It is noteworthy that this curse of “being trodden under foot of men” is the exact curse that Korihor found himself dealing with in the Book of Mormon. Could Korihor have been a once covenant saint who found himself violating his sacred covenants?₁₅

3 Nephi 14.7 – A threefold petition

John Welch makes this observation regarding the threefold petition mentioned in 3 Nephi 14.7 “Ask, and it shall be given unto you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.”:

Finally, the listeners are ready to approach the Father. They are told that if they will one at a time ask, seek, and knock (in other words, when a threefold petition is made), “it shall be opened unto [them]” (3 Nephi 14:7). This offer is open to all people (compare Alma 12:9-11). Each one (pas) that asks, having been brought to this point of entry, will receive and be received (see 3 Nephi 14:8). In my mind, it makes the best sense of Matthew 7:7 to understand it in a ceremonial context. Actual experience among Christians generally shows that the promise articulated here should not be understood as an absolute one: Many people ask and seek and knock; yet, in fact many of them do not find. Moreover, there is reason to believe that Jesus expected his true followers to seek for something out of the ordinary: An early saying from Oxyrhynchus attributed to Jesus reads, “Let him who seeks not cease seeking until he finds, and when he finds, he will be astounded, and having been astounded, he will reign, and having reigned, he will rest.” (Joseph A. Fitzmyer, “The Oxyrhvnchus Logoi of Jesus and the Coptic Gospel according to Thomas,” in Essays on the Semitic Background of the New Testament (London: Chapman, 1971), 371.) It is crucial that a person come to the Father correctly (see 3 Nephi 14:21), and for all who seek and ask at this point in their progression—after believing and accepting the requirements in the Sermon that precede this invitation—for them it will be opened.₁₆

3 Nephi 15

Jesus ended these sayings (1)

The Law of Moses is fulfilled (2-10)… I am he who gave the law! (5)

You are my disciples (11-12) so be a light to this people (12)

You are the other sheep and I could not tell them due to wickedness (14-19)

You were separated from them due to their iniquity (19) – this is a loaded statement!

Jesus says that the Nephites are the other sheep and the Jews thought that he spoke of the Gentiles (20-24)

3 Nephi 16

Jesus says he even has more other sheep (1-3)

Due to unbelief people lose truth… Jesus even predicts many Gentiles will lose Christianity (10)

Jesus says he will bring his gospel to them [the House of Israel] (11)

If the Gentiles repent and return, they will be numbered w/Israel (13)

But if not, they will be tread down [quoting Micah 5 again] (14-15) [see 3 Nephi 20.15-16 and 3 Nephi 21.12]

Jesus informs them that they will get this land for their inheritance (16)

The watchmen will see eye to eye and break forth into song (18-19) [Temple imagery] (see 3 Nephi 20.32-34, see also Mosiah 12.22 where Abinadi is crossed up w/Isaiah’s words. See also Isaiah 52.7-8)

Baker writes, “The easiest way to visualize people seeing eye to eye is to see them standing in a circle. Here they are singing, or perhaps speaking in unison. This seems to be a reference to a pre-exilic prayer circle. Isaiah continues:

9 Break forth into joy, sing together, ye waste places of Jerusalem: for the Lord hath comforted his people, he hath redeemed Jerusalem. 10 The Lord hath made bare his holy arm in the eyes of all the nations; and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God (Isaiah 52:9-10).

The phrase “the Lord hath made bare his holy arm” is apparently a reference to the expression of sacred fellowship shown in Psalm 45,”And in thy majesty ride prosperously because of truth and meekness and righteousness; and thy right hand shall teach thee terrible things,” (v. 4) and Job 40, “Then will I also confess unto thee that thine own right hand can save thee” (v.14).

We get further insight into the meaning of this Beatitude in Mormon’s great sermon in Moroni 7. It begins by Mormon’s addressing his “beloved brethren” and declaring the authority by which he was “permitted to speak” these things. (“These things” are Book of Mormon code for the temple drama and teachings.) Then he identifies his audience as peacemakers:

2 And now I, Mormon, speak unto you, my beloved brethren; and it is by the grace of God the Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ, and his holy will, because of the gift of his calling unto me, that I am permitted to speak unto you at this time [present tense]. 3 Wherefore, I would speak unto you that are of the church, that are the peaceable followers of Christ [code for those initiated into the mysteries], and that have obtained [past tense] a sufficient hope by which ye can enter into the rest of the Lord [enter ritually into the Holy of Holies], from this time henceforth until ye shall rest with him in heaven. 4 And now my brethren, I judge these things of you because of your peaceable walk with the children of men (Moroni 7:2-4).

It appears that Mormon’s sermon in Moroni 7 is a commentary on this Beatitude. The sermon begins by acknowledging his audience as those who walk peaceably with the children of men. It then teaches them what they must now do so they can reach the conclusion: “that ye may become the sons of God; that when he shall appear we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is; that we may have this hope; that we may be purified even as he is pure” (Moroni 7:48). In his teaching, Mormon explains that faith, hope, and charity are the keys to attaining that end.₁₇

Notes

1. LeGrand Baker and Stephen Ricks, Who Shall Ascend to the Hill of the Lord, Eborn Books, p. 645.
2. (W. F. Albright and C. S. Mann, The Anchor Bible, Matthew (Garden City, New York: Doubleday, 1971), 45).
3. Baker and Ricks, p. 645-647.
4. Brian P. Stoffregen Exegetical Notes, The History of the word Makarios (“Blessed”), accessed 9.10.2020. See also LeGrand Baker’s notes on Makarios as used in this text.
5. Baker and Ricks, p. 652.
6. Ibid., p. 660.
7. C. Wilfred Griggs, “Tree of Life,” Ensign, June 1988. The Gospel of Philip says the cross was made of olive wood, in The Nag Hammadi Library in English, ed. James M. Robinson,153. Yarden writes, “In general it may be said that most scholars now seem to suppose that the menorah originated from a sacred tree, more specifically the Tree of Life of mythology—a primal image which can be glimpsed as early as the third millennium B.C. … and which played a decisive role in the tree cult of the ancient world.” L. Yarden, The Tree Of Light (Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 1971), p. 35.
8. Baker and Ricks, p. 667.
9. Hugh Nibley, Teachings of the Book of Mormon, semester 4, Lecture 99, 3 Nephi 12-14.
10. Hugh Nibley, “The Early Christian Prayer Circle,” Mormonism and Early Christianity, 69.
11. Cyril of Jerusalem (350 AD) as cited in Nibley, Early Prayer Circle, p. 44.
12. Ibid., p. 43-44.
13. Baker and Ricks, p.683-686
14. Ibid., p. 687. See also: Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews, trans. Whiston, 1876, 3:9:1.
15. See Alma 30.59.The fact that Korihor was “run upon and trodden down, even until he was dead” (Alma 30:59) seems like a strange demise. Whether this was according to ancient custom or law is unknown. The symbolism is very apparent. Joseph McConkie and Donald Parry state that the Lord’s covenant people are called the “salt of the earth” and the “savor of men.” Those who break the covenant, however, are like the salt that loses its savor, and are “good for nothing only to be cast out and trodden under the feet of men” (D&C 101:39-40; Matthew 5:13). See: Joseph F. McConkie and Donald W. Parry, A Guide to Scriptural Symbols, p. 96.
16. John Welch, Illuminating the Sermon at the Temple & the Sermon on the Mount, Neal A. Maxwell Institute, 1999, Chapter 4.
17. Baker and Ricks, p. 683-696.