“Things to Be Acted Upon”

Brant Gardner

The directed conclusion of this part of Lehi's discourse is laid our for his sons. This is a lesson for their profit and learning. There is an important lesson for them here. The lesson is that there is a God, this God has created the earth, and therefore there are "things to be acted upon."

From a literary standpoint, Lehi's conclusion repeats the last major point of the argument he used to set up his punch liNephi While it might be tempting to see this as an incomplete chiasm, it is really a much simpler parallel structure.

The tight development of Lehi's arguments and the use of paralleling structures indicates forethought and artistry in the development of this discourse. The condensed nature of the themes I have already suggested as evidence of prior teaching. I would also suggest that the terse statement of these themes and the structured development indicate that this is not necessarily an impromptu speech by Lehi, but rather one that has been carefully constructed. It is also likely that the preservation of the tight line of argument and parallel structures indicates that this is really a reasonable copy of Lehi's words, rather than a recollection and synopsis by Nephi. The absence of details would be part of Lehi's design, not Nephi's reconstruction.

Multidimensional Commentary on the Book of Mormon

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