Helaman 8

Helaman 8:13-15 As He Lifted Up the Brazen Serpent in the Wilderness, Even So Shall He Be Lifted Up Who Should Come:

According to Daniel Ludlow, in the Bible, when the people of Israel were being bitten by serpents and some of the people were dying, the Lord commanded Moses to make a serpent “and set it upon a pole: and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live. And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived” (Numbers 21:8-9). That is the end of the account in the Bible. However, the account in the Book of Mormon indicates that when Moses lifted up the brazen serpent he did “bear record that the Son of God should come. And as he lifted up the brazen serpent in the wilderness, even so shall he be lifted up who should come. And as many as should look upon that serpent should live, even so as many as should look upon the Son of God with faith, having a contrite spirit, might live, even unto that life which is eternal” (Helaman 8:14-15).

The Savior also indicated that the “brazen serpent lifted up by Moses” was a type (or shadow or example) of His own crucifixion when He said: “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up: That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life” (John 3:14-15).

Some scholars of the Book of Mormon have wondered if this story of the serpent as given in the “Book of Helaman” did not account for the “serpent motif” in the art and architecture of some of the American Indian cultures. Also, it is of interest to note that one of the names given by some of the American Indians to the great white God who appeared out of the eastern sky was the name of Quetzalcoatl which literally means the bird-serpent, or the serpent of precious plumage.¹

Helaman 8:14 As He Lifted up the Brazen Serpent in the Wilderness, Even So Shall He Be Lifted up Who Should Come:

According to Andrew Skinner, the serpent first appears in the scriptures in the story of the fall of Adam and Eve (see Genesis 3:1). In the Hebrew language the creature is called a nahash, a viper, from which derives the noun for copper or brass (nehosheth), also used as an adjective denoting the “brass” serpent that Moses erected on a pole in the wilderness for the protection and healing of the Israelites (see Numbers 21:4-9).

On the one hand, the nahash in Genesis is clearly symbolic of evil, even the evil one (Satan), precisely because the serpent was in league with the devil, promoting the cause of the adversary and acting as his agent to bring about the fall (see Moses 4:5-31). On the other hand, when used by Moses under God’s inspiration, the image of the nahash or, more precisely, the nahash nehosheth (brass serpent), became the agent of life and salvation for God’s covenant people.

When Moses and Aaron went before the pharaoh they did exactly as the Lord had commanded. Their staff became a snake, which in the Hebrew text is denoted by two different terms, one of which is the very same word used earlier in Genesis to describe Eve’s tempter, nahash (see Exodus 7:9, 10, 15). Either through sleight of hand, or by demonic power, Pharaoh’s magicians were able to duplicate the action and turn their staffs into serpents as well. In what might be viewed as a quintessential showdown between God and the devil, the serpent of Jehovah swallowed up the serpents of Pharaoh as the God of Israel demonstrated his omnipotent supremacy (see Exodus 7:10-13). This scene dramatically illustrates the duality of serpent imagery in the scriptures.

In view of this dual symbolism, Skinner asks, But what of the origins of the serpent image as a symbol for Christ? And if the serpent was originally a legitimate emblem of the coming Messiah, how and why did Lucifer come to usurp the serpent symbol? In a roundabout way, the Prophet Joseph Smith may have provided a clue regarding the origins of serpent imagery as a symbol for Christ and why Satan appropriated it for his own. When speaking of the dove as an identifying symbol of the Holy Ghost, Joseph Smith said, “The sign of the dove was instituted before the creation of the world, a witness for the Holy Ghost, and the devil cannot come in the sign of a dove.”²

The implication of this statement is that other signs, symbols, and tokens were also instituted in premortality to represent deity, but the one that Satan absolutely could not imitate was the dove. However, as the preeminent counterfeiter and deceiver, Satan could and does usurp these other signs and symbols properly reserved for God in order to try to legitimize his false identity as a god. This is why Satan chose to use the sign of the serpent as the best means of deceiving Eve as well as her posterity from that moment on.

It seems quite plausible that like the sign of the dove, the sign of the serpent was instituted in premortality as a symbol of deity, particularly of Jehovah (see Exodus 4:1-5; 7:10-13; and Numbers 21:5-9) and later on as a symbol of Jehovah-come-to-earth, or in other words Jesus Christ (see John 3:14-15), the true God of life and salvation. It also seems plausible that both the signs of the dove and the serpent (as specific symbols of the true and living Lord) were made known to God’s children in mortality sometime in the distant past. It is interesting to note that at the archaeological site in the Holy Land where most of the cultic objects bearing serpent imagery have been found (Beth-shan), the serpents are usually displayed in association with doves. In addition to the smaller religious objects that display the serpent-dove motif, each of the two Iron Age I temples at Beth-shan display the serpent-dove decoration. A fragment of the relief from the southern temple depicts deities standing and holding doves, while serpents wind upward with their heads almost touching the feet of the deities. In the northern temple, doves sit near the feet of deities as serpents glide towards the doves.³

Over time the symbolic importance of the dove seems to have been lost altogether, while the symbol of the serpent was usurped by Satan, and then, over time, its true meaning became corrupted and diffused through many cultures over the ages. However, enough faint glimpses and echoes of its original and intended association with Christ exist to enable us to make significant connection to the truth as we engage in cross-cultural and historical studies.⁴

Helaman 8:14 As He Lifted Up the Brazen Serpent in the Wilderness, Even So Shall He Be Lifted Up Who Should Come:

According to Wallace Hunt, although the brazen serpent event is described four other separate times in the Book of Mormon (2 Nephi 25:20; Alma 33:19-22; 37:46; Helaman 8:14-15), the most significant account is in 1 Nephi 17:41 where Nephi refers to the event in admonishing his brothers. Note especially Nephi’s use of the word flying in his description of the serpent: “And he did straiten them in the wilderness with his rod; for they hardened their hearts, even as ye have; and the Lord straitened them because of their iniquity. He sent fiery flying serpents among them; and after they were bitten he prepared a way that they might be healed; and the labor which they had to perform was to look; and because of the simpleness of the way, or the easiness of it, there were many who perished. (1 Nephi 17:41).

It is interesting to note that while the Book of Mormon refers to “fiery flying serpents,” the biblical accounts refer only to “fiery serpents.” . . . However, this usage of the term flying is indirectly supported by numerous works of modern biblical scholars. For example, Karen Joines notes in her exhaustive study of this subject that the Hebrew word for serpent used in Numbers “may be attributed wings.” . . . Henry also suggests that the serpents “flew in their faces and poisoned them.” . . . Joines quotes Herodotus as believing “this desert to be a haven for flying serpents.” . . . Perhaps most significant, however, is the analysis by Auerbach: the serpent “was not simply placed upon a pole; this would be sufficiently designated by makkel . . . Rather, it was connected with the ‘flagstaff.’ ” In this manner, the serpent would appear as a flag, as though it were flying. If Moses did indeed attach his brass serpent outstretched and perpendicular to his pole, it would comply fully with the description “fiery flying serpent.” Thus, the connection can be made that Nephi’s use of the term flying (and very likely its usage by other Book of Mormon leaders as well) could have been carried over into the later religious beliefs of the Mesoamericans, since we do find in Mesoamerica the application of the term flying in association with serpent representations of their God.

But why did God use the word fiery in his command, “Make thee a fiery serpent?” Although most Bible scholars concede that the serpents in this area were very colorful, even a “glowing fiery red color,” there is some disagreement among them as to whether the original Hebrew word for “fiery” referred to the snake’s color or its venomous bite. Perhaps it referred to both attributes. . . . One can imagine the dramatic impact the gleaming brass serpent had on the suffering Israelites as Moses carried it aloft, high above his head, the serpent flashing a myriad of piercing fiery colors when the sun shone upon its numerous angles and crevices. Such a spectacle would surely serve to remind the people of the fiery intensity of their snake bites while simultaneously displaying God’s omnipotence, since, as they looked upon it, they were healed.

In view of these insights, it is interesting to note that while archaeologists and scholars agree there are countless documented instances of serpent worship in varying forms throughout human history, . . . only in Mesoamerica do we find a preponderance of “feathered” serpent worship. . . . and the God who was represented by statues and pictorial representations of feathered serpents was known as “Quetzalcoatl.” Although the ancient peoples of Mesoamerica worshiped many different gods, the beauty of an indigenous bird so captured their interest that they not only borrowed its name, but used its form as well to represent their principal and most revered God, called “Quetzalcoatl” by the Toltecs and Aztecs, and “Kukulcan” and “Gucumatz” by the Maya. Native to the highlands of Chiapas, Mexico, and Guatemala, the quetzal is a strikingly beautiful creature with a three-foot long iridescent green tail, crimson breast, and a myriad of other bright colors on its coat. . . . Further, since they also used the word coatl, or serpent, their vision of their deity must have embodied attributes symbolized both by this vividly colored flying bird and by serpents. . . . For example, Carrasco refers to a Mixtec prose source containing stories in which Quetzalcoatl was referred to as “9 Ehecatl” (a calendric name) or “a flying serpent.”

Although Quetzalcoatl’s origin is clouded in obscurity and legends . . . we find that the Mesoamericans consistently endow Quetzalcoatl with many Christlike attributes. . . . Could it be that this embodiment was actually rooted in a version of Nephi’s “fiery flying serpent” that was corrupted over time? After all, the brazen serpent was kept by the Israelites for some 500 years, during which time the sacred symbol was devalued into “an object of popular worship in Judah,” until Hezekiah, a righteous king, “brake in pieces the brazen serpent that Moses had made: for unto those days the children of Israel did burn incense to it” (2 Kings 18:4). Even though the Israelites were the Lord’s chosen people, they, having lost sight of its meaning and spiritual symbolism, had degenerated into worshiping the serpent as an idol.⁵

Helaman 8:14 The Brazen Serpent:

The brazen serpent “lifted up” by Moses in the wilderness was a type of Jesus Christ, who would be “lifted up” on the cross (Helaman 8:13-16; John 3:14:14-15; Numbers 21:6-9). According to McConkie and Parry, brass is an enduring substance which the revelations call “precious” (D&C 124:27). Brass is a metal used in connection with holy things. Examples include the vessels, instruments, and materials of the Mosaic tabernacle (Exodus 27:2-19). The first temple of Jerusalem (2 Kings 25:7-17) and the temple of Nauvoo (D&C 124:27) had many parts composed of brass. Additionally, the scriptures refer to the “serpent of brass” made by Moses (Numbers 21:9) and the plates of brass which “should never perish” (1 Nephi 5:19). A simile written by John describes the feet of the Son of God as being “like fine brass” (Revelations 2:128; 1:15). Brass, then, is a symbol of endurance and strength.⁶

Helaman 8:15 The Serpent . . . the Son of God:

According to Donald Parry, the prevalent poetic form of the canon of scripture is not the ode, the lamentation, nor the psalm, but parallelism. . . . Apparently, the prophets and writers of the scriptures employed the repetition of alternating parallel lines for the purpose of reinforcing their teachings and doctrines. . . . In Helaman 8:15 we find the concept of the serpent being lifted up in the wilderness by Moses compared to the Son of God being lifted up. This concept is more fully understood through parallelism:

a. And as many as should look upon

     b. that serpent

           c. should live,

a. even so as many as should look upon

     b. the Son of God with faith, having a contrite spirit,

           c. might live.⁷

Helaman 8:15 As Many As Should Look upon That Serpent Should Live:

The Book of Mormon teaches that Jesus Christ was represented by a serpent:

Yea, did he not bear record that the Son of God should come? And as he lifted up the brazen serpent in the wilderness, even so shall he be lifted up who should come. And as many as should look upon that serpent should live, even so as many as should look upon the Son of God with faith, having a contrite spirit, might live, even unto that life which is eternal. (Helaman 8:14-15; see also Alma 33:19)

This serpent symbolism is also linked to the ancient Mesoamerican god Quetzalcoatl. Richardson, Richardson and Bentley note that William Prescott remarked: “none of the deities of the country (Mexico) suggested such astonishing analogies with Scripture as Quetzalcoatl.”⁸

Critics of the Book of Mormon hastily reject the idea that Quetzalcoatl may have been Jesus Christ because they say the Aztec deity was pagan. They claim that the word Quetzalcoatl, which means “feathered serpent,” links the ancient American god with Satan–the serpent in Eden (Genesis 3:1-5, 13-14).

What these critics fail to recognize is that the idea of a serpent representing Christ also has a clear biblical precedent. In Old Testament times, Moses was commanded by Jehovah to fashion a brazen serpent, attach it to the end of a pole, and raise it up so the sick and afflicted of his camp could look upon it and be healed (see Numbers 21:9). Jesus compared himself with Moses’ serpent, by saying that just as the serpent was lifted up to heal sickness, the “son of man” would be lifted up to heal believers of their sins (John 3:14-15).

Additionally, the ancient Jewish Zohar portrays the Lord as a serpent: “As there is a serpent below which is still at work it he world, so there is a sacred serpent above, which watches over mankind in all the roads and pathways and also restrains the power of the impure serpent.”⁹

Helaman 8:17 Abraham Saw of [Jesus’] Coming, and Was Filled with Gladness and Did Rejoice:

Robert Millet notes that in the eighth chapter of Helaman, we have Nephi testifying to the people and especially to the corrupt judges of “the coming of the Messiah,” who would be “lifted up” (or atone for the sins of mankind) that “as many as should look upon the Son of God with faith, having a contrite spirit” (covenant people), “might live, even unto that life which is eternal” (Helaman 8:13-15). How did Nephi testify? He drew upon the old prophets, had them testify, and then bore his own witness.

yea, did [Moses] not bear record that the Son of God should come? And as he lifted up the brazen serpent in the wilderness, even so shall he be lifted up who should come. And as many as should look upon that serpent should live, even so as many as should look upon the Son of God with faith, having a contrite spirit, might live, even unto that life which is eternal. (Helaman 8:14-15)

Now by referring to the footnotes, the reader will find that this prophecy of Moses concerning the serpent is recorded in Alma 33:19-22, and is also referred to in 2 Nephi 25:20 and Numbers 21:6-9. But what is fascinating is what comes next:

And now behold, Moses did not only testify of these things, but also all the holy prophets, from his days even to the days of Abraham. Yea, and behold, Abraham saw of his coming, and was filled with gladness and did rejoice. (Helaman 8:16-17; emphasis added)

Millet asks, Now where can you go in the Old Testament to find an occasion where Abraham saw the coming of the Son of Man and rejoiced? I would recommend that you would have difficulty in finding that. It is not there. But in the New Testament, notice. As one reads in the eighth chapter of John, they find that Christ confronted the Pharisees on what it meant to be covenant children of God (or children of Abraham–Abraham’s seed). Jesus told them “if ye were Abraham’s children, ye would do the works of Abraham” (v. 39). As the discussion progressed, Jesus proclaimed his role as Redeemer of Israel (or Redeemer of “Abraham’s seed”) by saying: “Verily, verily, I say unto you, If a man keep my saying, he shall never see death.

To this the Jews responded, “Abraham is dead, and the prophets; and thou sayest, If a man keep my saying he shall never taste of death. Art thou greater than our father Abraham, which is dead? and the prophets are dead: whom makest thou thyself?”

To this Jesus responded once again, quoting scripture in order to teach about his atoning and redeeming role in the salvation of God’s covenant children, “Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad.”

But once again the Jews misunderstood and said: “Thou art not yet fifty years old, and hast thou seen Abraham?” (Of course, that’s not what Jesus said. He said, “Abraham saw me.”)

In a final attempt to set the scriptural record straight, Jesus said unto them, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I AM [Jehovah].

So what’s going on here? Where is Jesus quoting from in his argument concerning covenant children, eternal life, and His redeeming role when he said, “Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad.”? There is no scriptural passage in the Old Testament which corresponds to his words. But we certainly find it in the Book of Mormon, here in the eighth chapter of Helaman, where Nephi apparently quotes from the brass plates. Let me add some detail about these brass plates, and I like the way Elder Bruce R. McConkie said this in 1984 in an address given at BYU:

From various Book of Mormon references we gain a glimpse of what is on the brass plates. They contain the record of the Jews down to the days of Zedekiah, including . . . the prophecies of the holy prophets . . . They contain, in their perfect form, the law of Moses and the five books of Moses . . . They contain the writings of Joseph . . . [of] which few have been greater. They contain books of holy scripture of which the world does not dream, including the writings of Zenock, Neum, and Zenos. But what interests us more than the books included on the brass plates is the tone and tenor and general approach to the gospel and to salvation that they set forth. They are gospel oriented and speak of Christ and the various Christian concepts which the world falsely assumes to have originated with Jesus and the early apostles. (Bruce R. McConkie, “The Doctrinal Restoration,” in The Joseph Smith Translation, the Restoration of Plain and Precious Things, ed. Monte Nyman and Robert L. Millet, Provo, 1985, 17.)

Remember, that one of the major purposes of the Book of Mormon was to establish the essential truthfulness of the Bible (see 1 Nephi 13:40). For many years, you know, we have approached this in the wrong direction. We have gone out trying to prove the Book of Mormon from the Bible. The Lord never intended that. The Lord’s purpose is that he knew there would come a time when the Bible itself would be in question. So he raises up a prophet, restores to him ancient records, gives him power to translate them, and they come forth and help establish essential truthfulness. That is why the Lord would say, in the 20th section of the Doctrine and Covenants, that the Book of Mormon is given for the purpose of proving to the world that the holy scriptures are true.

Now let me read something out of the Joseph Smith Translation. But before I do let me say that I am convinced, after years of study, that the closest approximation you and I have to the brass plates, that is, one of the best ways we can get close to understanding what was on the brass plates, is Joseph Smith’s translation of the Bible. If you want to know what was there beyond what is obviously in the Book of Mormon, look at the Joseph Smith Translation. Now in JST Genesis 15:9-12, we find the following:

And Abram said, Lord God, how wilt thou give me this land for an everlasting inheritance? And the Lord said, Though thou was dead, yet am I not able to give it thee? And if thou shalt die, yet thou shalt possess it, for the day cometh, that the Son of Man shall live; but how can he live if he be not dead? He must first be quickened.

What did Abraham understand? The everlasting covenant promise of eternal life. Now listen to this:

And it came to pass, that Abram looked forth and saw the days of the Son of Man, and was glad, and his soul found rest, and he believed in the Lord; and the Lord counted it unto him for righteousness.¹⁰

Helaman 8:18 Abraham . . . Knew of These Things [the Coming of the Messiah]:

In prophesying to the corrupt learned men of his time, Nephi, the son of Helaman cited scriptural history in order to emphasize the power of God given to men to know of things to come, especially to know of the coming of the Messiah, the Son of God. With this in mind, it is interesting that Nephi says that “Abraham saw of his coming” and that Abraham “knew of these things.” While no specifics are given as to how Abraham “knew,” Roy Weldon and Edward Butterworth provide some interesting cultural information about Abraham:

The American historian, Draper, writing of Abraham’s world, now admits: “They had correct views of the structure of the solar system and knew the order of emplacement of the planets . . . and by the aid of their cycle called Saros, they could predict [heavenly events].”¹¹

Josephus mentions that the ancient Babylonian historian, Berosus recorded, “In the tenth generation after the Flood, there was among the Chaldeans a man righteous and great, and skillful in the celestial science.”¹²

Josephus also mentions that:

[Abraham] was a person of great sagacity, both for understanding all things and persuading his hearers, and not mistaken in his opinions; for which reason he began to have higher notions of virtue than others had, and he determined to renew and change the opinion all men happened then to have concerning God; for he was the first that ventured to publish this notion that there was but one God, the Creator of the universe . . . This his opinion was derived from the irregular phenomena that were visible both at land and sea, as well as those that happen to the sun and moon, and all the heavenly bodies . . . ¹³

Helaman 8:18 A Great Many Thousand Years before His Coming:

Hugh Nibley notes that the phrase “a great many thousand” (Helaman 8:18) is a Semitic expression. A thousand is a lot, a great many. “A great many thousand” doesn’t have to mean thousands of thousand. Two thousand is a great many thousand. A great many years, a thousand.¹⁴

Helaman 8:19 Zenos:

Refer to the commentary on 1 Nephi 19:10; Jacob 5

Helaman 8:19-20 Zenos Did Testify . . . and Zenock, and Esias, and Isaiah:

Four ancient prophets whose writings do not appear in our present Bible are mentioned in the Book of Mormon. These four prophets and the Book of Mormon references to them are as follows:

     (1) Zenos, who is mentioned 12 times in the Book of Mormon in 1 Nephi 19:10, 12, 16; Jacob 5:1; 6:1; Alma 33:3, 13, 15; 35:7; Helaman 8:19; 15:11; and 3 Nephi 10:16.

     (2) Zenock, who is mentioned five times in the Book of Mormon in 1 Nephi 19:10; Alma 33:15; 34:7; Helaman 8:20; and 3 Nephi 10:16.

     (3) Neum, who is mentioned once in the Book of Mormon in 1 Nephi 19:10.

     (4) Ezias, who is mentioned once in the Book of Mormon in Helaman 8:20.

The reference in Helaman 8:19-20 to three of these prophets seems to indicate they lived sometime between the “days of Abraham” and the time of Isaiah.¹⁵

Helaman 8:20 Zenock:

The Book of Mormon refers five times to the Israelite prophet Zenock, spelled Zenoch in the Original manuscript of the Book of Mormon (1 Nephi 19:10, Alma 33:15, 34:7, Helaman 8:20, and 3 Nephi 10:16).

According to research by Diane Wirth, John Robertson, and Brian Stubbs, the name Zenock, from the Book of Mormon, and Tenoch, the Nahuatl name of a semi-legendary priest/leader of the Aztecs, may be linguistically related. Tenoch is believed to be one of the founders of Tenochtitlan, the Aztec city that was thriving at the time of the Spanish Conquest. The Nahuatl name Tenoch may originally have been Tenoch or Zenoch. Tz, z, t, and ts combinations are used in Mesoamerican languages, sometimes with one taking place of the other, depending on the region where it was used. In the case of the name Zenoch, the shift to Tz, followed later by dropping the Z, would give us Tenoch.

The migration of the Nephites from the land southward, which was probably in an area that eventually became predominantly Maya-speaking, to the land northward (Helaman 3), where Nahuatl dialects were probably spoken, might help account for a spelling change such as the shift from Zenoch to Tenoch. Tenochtitlan today underlies a portion of Mexico City. This is in the same general area as remnants of Nephite civilization, at least according to the most likely theories.¹⁶

Helaman 8:20 Also Zenock, and also Ezias [Ezaias], and also Isaiah and Jeremiah:

In Helaman 8:20 we find a list of prophets who testified of Christ in their time, among them “Zenock, and also Ezias, and also Isaiah and Jeremiah.” The writings of all these prophets were apparently found on the plates of brass. Of more specific interest here, however, is that while the LDS edition of the Book of Mormon has the name “Ezias,” the Printers Manuscript has the name “Ezaias.”¹⁷

One might wonder who this Ezaias might be. There is no “Ezaias” listed in the Bible. Joseph McConkie and Robert Millet have this to say about the problem:

This is the lone Book of Mormon reference to Ezias [Ezaias]. We are left to wonder whether perhaps this man is the same as the one called Esaias, a contemporary of Abraham, one who is twice mentioned in the revelations given to Joseph Smith (see D&C 76:100; 84:12-13). ¹⁸

For the benefit of the reader I will quote these scriptures:

. . . according to the Holy Priesthood which he [Moses] received under the hand of his father-in-law, Jethro; And Jethro received it under the hand of Caleb; And Caleb received it under the hand of Elihu; And Elihu under the hand of Jeremy; And Jeremy under the hand of Gad; And Gad under the hand of Esaias; And Esaias received it under the hand of God. Esaias also lived in the days of Abraham, and was blessed of him–which Abraham received the priesthood from Melchizedek, who received it through the lineage of the fathers, even till Noah. (D&C 84:6-14)

These are they [of the terrestrial and telestial kingdoms] who say they are some of one and some of another–some of Christ and some of John and some of Moses, and some of Elias, and some of Esaias, and some of Isaiah, and some of Enoch; But received not the gospel, neither the testimony of Jesus, neither the prophets, neither the everlasting covenant. (D&C 76:100-101)

If Jethro’s (and Moses’) priesthood came through Ezaias, then Ezaias apparently had an important calling and following at or near the time of Abraham. According to Cleon Skousen (The First 2000 Years) Abraham was also contemporary with Eber and Shem¹⁹ so Ezaias might have taken direction from them also. As noted before, Jethro was a Kenite who lived in the ancient land of Midian, the proposed location for the valley of Lemuel where Lehi sought refuge and instruction from the Lord (see the commentaries on 1 Nephi 2-15). Apparently some of the Kenites (and a branch of the Kenites called Rechabites) had claim on the covenant priesthood of Abraham). ²⁰

Helaman 8:19-20 O Then Why Not the Son of God Come, according to His [Jeremiah’s] Prophecy?:

Nephi, the son of Helaman, spoke to the people in the city of Zarahemla concerning Jeremiah’s prophecies of Jesus Christ:

And now I would that ye should know, that even since the days of Abraham there have been many prophets that have testified these things; yea, behold the prophet Zenos did testify boldly; for the which he was slain. And behold, also Zenock, and also Ezias, and also Isaiah, and Jeremiah, (Jeremiah being that same prophet who testified of the destruction of Jerusalem) and now we know that Jerusalem was destroyed according to the words of Jeremiah. O then why not the Son of God come, according to his prophecy? (Helaman 8:19-20)

According to John Tvedtnes, the declaration in Helaman 8:19-20 suggests that several ancient prophets, including Jeremiah, had prophesied of the coming of Christ. But there are no specific prophecies of Christ in the biblical book of Jeremiah. To be sure, Jeremiah 31:31-34 speaks of a new covenant to be established, but it does not mention Christ, who brought that new covenant. How, then, do we explain Nephi’s statement to the people in the city of Zarahemla that Jeremiah had prophesied of Christ?

The book of Jeremiah is, after all, not an historical book, but a collection of prophecies with an interspersing of personal recollections by the prophet. The lack of chronological order of the various revelations suggests that the book of Jeremiah is a later collection of separate documents, to which a preface was added (Jeremiah 1:1-3). Because it was not written as a single book it is possible that some of Jeremiah’s writings never made it into the collection.

The idea that Jeremiah wrote more than is in the biblical book that bears his name is supported by early Christian tradition as well as the Septuagint version of Jeremiah. We have, for example, the testimony of two second-century Church Fathers, Justin Martyr and Irenaeus. Writing of Christ’s preaching to the dead while his body lay in the tomb, each of them attributed to Jeremiah a prophecy not found in the biblical account, in which the prophet wrote that the Lord would descend to preach salvation to the dead. Justin Martyr wrote:

And again, from the sayings of the same jeremiah these have been cut out [by the Jews]: “The Lord God remembered His dead people of Israel who lay in the graves; and He descended to preach to them His own salvation.” ²¹

Irenaeus cites the same passage in Against Heresies 4:22.²²

The Book of the Bee, written in the Syriac language in the thirteenth century by the Nestorian bishop Solomon, has preserved an earlier tradition of another non-biblical prophecy of Jeremiah, declaring that,

This (prophet) during his life said to the Egyptians, “A child shall be born–that is the Messiah–of a virgin, and He shall be laid in a crib, and He will shake and cast down the idols” From that time and until Christ was born, the Egyptians used to set a virgin and a baby in a crib, and to worship him, because of what Jeremiah said to them that He should be born in a crib.²³

The story is drawn from The Lives of the Prophets 2:8-10, a text that a number of scholars have suggested was originally written in Hebrew by Egyptian Jews during the lifetime of Jesus himself.²⁴ It should be noted that after the Babylonians destroyed Jerusalem and its temple in 587 B.C., Jeremiah remained in Jerusalem under a Jewish governor named Gedaliah. When Gedaliah was assassinated, the Jews feared Babylonian reprisals and decided to flee to Egypt. They forced Jeremiah to go with them (Jeremiah 41-43). Some of Jeremiah’s last prophecies were recorded in the Egyptian city of Tahpenhes²⁵

Another Christian document known from medieval manuscripts in various languages is 4 Baruch, which is subtitled “The Things Omitted from Jeremiah the Prophet.” The Ethiopic version attributes the book to Jeremiah’s scribe Baruch, but the Greek says it was written by Jeremiah. Chapter 9 has Jeremiah prophesying of the coming of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, of his selection of twelve apostles, of his death and resurrection after three days, and of his return in glory to the Mount of Olives. According to the account, Jeremiah was stoned for this declaration. ²⁶

Helaman 8:24 Ye Have Received All Things, Both Things in Heaven, and All Things Which Are in the Earth, As a Witness That They Are True:

See the commentaries by Richard Ingebretsen on 1 Nephi 1:3 and Ether 4:12