The pinnacle of the blessings of Jacob is the knowledge of their Redeemer. This is the purpose of Mormon’s text, declared here as well as in the Title Page:
Which is to show unto the remnant of the House of Israel what great things the Lord hath done for their fathers; and that they may know the covenants of the Lord, that they are not cast off forever—And also to the convincing of the Jew and Gentile that Jesus is the Christ, the Eternal God, manifesting himself unto all nations.
Culture: Mormon’s description that “they shall be gathered in from the four quarters of the earth” obviously suggests that they will come from the whole world. However, how would Mormon have understood the “whole world” at his time? Certainly, the “four quarters” would have been local. This passage is not specific enough to determine whether he thought there were descendants of Jacob in the “whole world” that we know or whether he meant the “four quarters” familiar to him.
Text: This ends a chapter in the 1830 edition.