“Enlarge the Place of Thy Tent”

Brant Gardner

Because the metaphor is marriage, the blessings are the children. To change the sadness of barrenness into joy, children will come. Not only will they come, but they will come in number. Therefore, the home needs to be made larger. The “place of they tent” is a reference to the home, and it must be enlarged to hold all of the children. The children of this barren woman will “break forth” and “shall inherit the Gentiles.”

This echoes the reversal theme of the Savior’s discourse. When the final times come, the Nephites as representative of a branch of Israel will participate in the triumph of the final days, and they will be among the victorious who destroy the wicked (represented by the unrepentant Gentiles).

Multidimensional Commentary on the Book of Mormon

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