Nephi was blessed to be able to “smite the earth with famine” (Helaman 10:6). In the very next verse, he was given the power to “seal” and “loose” on earth and in heaven. Because “seal” and “loose” can also mean “close” and “open,” it is possible that Nephi assumed that his power to cause famine, when necessary, was related to this ability to “close” things up in heaven.
Compare Helaman 10:7 with Matthew 16:19 and Isaiah 22:22, and it becomes clear that “sealing” and “loosing” in this verse refer to opening and closing. Nephi was literally able to close the heavens to keep it from raining. When one looks at Alma 18:30–32 and Genesis 1:1, for example, it becomes clear that in the Ancient Near East and the Book of Mormon, the heavens were viewed not only as the place where God dwells, but also the area above the earth: the sky. Thus, when Nephi is told he will be able to open and close things “in heaven” he may have taken this very literally to mean he could literally open and close the sky.
Nephi was not the first prophet to use the priesthood to cause drought. The first recorded words from Elijah in the Old Testament are his testament to the wicked king Ahab, were that “there shall not be dew nor rain these years, but according to my word” (1 Kings 17:1). Elijah, just like Nephi, used the priesthood to “seal” the heavens to keep it from raining. Thus, it is likely that Nephi received power to “seal” in Helaman 10, and then used it to “seal” the heavens in Helaman 11. This connection between Nephi and Elijah sealing the heavens is strengthened by the many allusions to the Elijah story in the story of Nephi son of Helaman.
Elijah | Nephi |
Elijah causes a famine by “sealing” the heavens. | Nephi causes a famine by “sealing” the heavens. |
Elijah experiences a fire and an earthquake in connection with hearing a soft voice from God (1 Kings 19:12). | Nephi experiences a fire and an earthquake in connection with hearing a soft voice from God (Helaman 5:23, 30–31). |
Elijah warns that the unrepentant will be eaten by dogs (2 Kings 9:36). | Nephi warns that the unrepentant will be eaten by dogs (Helaman 7:19). |
Elijah has an experience in which he stands before the Lord (1 Kings 17:1; 18:15). | Nephi has an experience in which he stands before the Lord (Helaman 10:5). |
Elijah says that “rain” will cease “according to my word” (1 Kings 17:1). | Nephi says that “rain” will cease “according to my words” (Helaman 11:13). |
Elijah is taken by the spirit from place to place (1 Kings 18:12; 2 Kings 2:16). | Nephi is taken by the spirit from place to place (Helaman 10:16–17). |
Elijah does not have a recorded death or burial (2 Kings 2:11). | Nephi does not have a recorded death or burial (3 Nephi 1:3). |
Book of Mormon Central, “How Did Nephi Use the Power to Seal on Earth and in Heaven? (Helaman 11:4),” KnoWhy 182 (September 7, 2016).