Nephi's Lament

 On my mission, 2 Nephi 4:15-35 was one of my favorite spots in the Book of Mormon, and it still is today. I love it because it shows us a really personal side of Nephi, a great prophet. It's comforting to me to know that even Nephi felt insecure, and that he too struggled with temptation and sins. And yet, we regard him as one of the most righteous figures in the Book of Mormon. I find great comfort in his psalm here, because it makes me realize that my experiences are shared by others, and if Nephi could make it and become a wonderful person, then so can I. I love the reminder that we can do all things because God will "lead me through mine afflictions" and He "will give liberally to him that asketh," for He loves us and will always be by our side ready to help.

A Bible! A Bible!

 This week I particularly liked reading 1 Nephi 13:23, which reads, 

"And he said: Behold it proceedeth out of the mouth of a Jew. And I, Nephi, beheld it; and he said unto me: The book that thou beholdest is a record of the Jews, which contains the covenants of the Lord, which he hath made unto the house of Israel; and it also containeth many of the prophecies of the holy prophets; and it is a record like unto the engravings which are upon the plates of brass, save there are not so many; nevertheless, they contain the covenants of the Lord, which he hath made unto the house of Israel; wherefore, they are of great worth unto the Gentiles.

 I love this verse because it asserts the importance of the Bible and emphasizes the fact that we only have the Bible because of the Jews. It is of "great worth" to us. I think sometimes, as members of the Church especially, we emphasize the importance of the Book of Mormon and while it absolutely is the most critical book we have, the Bible is just as true and relevant for us today. The Bible and the Book of Mormon work in tandem with each other, and I think we subject ourselves to great loss if we fail to read His words as come forth by the mouth of the Jew. I know that the Bible holds so much value to me personally, and I think it wise and pertinent that I continue my studies in the Old and New Testaments to further my understanding of the Book of Mormon and my relationship with God.

Nobody Knows What They're Doing

In 1 Nephi 4:6 we read one of my favorite passages: 

"And I was led by the Spirit, not knowing beforehand the things which I should do." 

​Being functional in Japanese, I always like to compare the English and Japanese translations, that I might gain any new meaning from the linguistic differences. In Japanese, the verse reads:

わたし​は、前もって​自分​の​なす​べき​こと​を​​知らない​まま、御霊​に​​導びかれて​行った。

For the most part, the meaning is virtually identical. However, there is a key change in syntax that shifts the emphasis of the sentence. Literally, the Japanese reads:

"I, while not knowing the things which I should do, went forth, being led by the Spirit."

While subtle, this translation places greater emphasis on Nephi and his state of being unsure of what he was meant to be doing at the time. The word  まま [mama] is a noun that is used in a sentence to express that an already give situation or condition remains unaltered. This is an important distinction of language because it tells us that Nephi did not know he was being led by the Spirit at the time because his state of not knowing what he should do remained unaltered even as he was led. 

Furthermore, while the English sentence implies that Nephi played a more passive role in this instance, saying simply that he "was led by the Spirit," the Japanese emphasizes that this was not the case with the word 行った [itta, "went"] which in conjunction with the modification 御霊​に​​導びかれて​ [seirei ni michibikarete, "being led by the Spirit"] implies grammatically that "being led by the Spirit" is the method of transportation, as it is written in the same exact way that you might say Nephi took a bus or a train to get where he was going. 

From this we learn that in our own lives, most of the time we are led by the Spirit without even knowing it's happening. However, when we actively go about our lives trying to do good things and trying to listen to the Lord and be His servants, we are able to go and do by the Spirit, and we can be led to where we need to be in the moments we need to be there, and upon reflection we realize that the Spirit has been guiding us the whole time.