Book of Mormon Commentary - 2 Nephi 29

by Don R. Hender



Scriptural Text [& Editorial]
Commentary & Explanation
Footnotes ~ References ~ JST
             CHAPTER 29

Many gentiles shall reject the Book of Mormon—They shall say: We need no more Bible—The Lord speaks to many nations—He will judge the world out of the books thus written. [Between 559 and 545 B.C.]

1 BUT behold, there shall be many—at that day when I shall proceed to do a amarvelous work among them, that I may remember my bcovenants which I have made unto the children of men, that I may set my hand again the csecond time to recover my peoplea, which are of the house of Israel;
2 And also, that I may remember the apromises which I have made unto thee, Nephi, and also unto thy father, that I would remember your seed; and that the awords of your seed should proceed forth out of my mouth unto your seeda; and my words shall bhiss forth unto the cends of the earth, for a dstandard unto my people, which are of the house of Israel;

 1a that I may set my hand again the second time to recover my people The marvelous work and wonder of the latter-day restoration and kingdom of God rolling forth to fill the whole earth and gather scattered Israel from the four corners of the earth is that which is the Lord's second time to recover his people Israel. And it will culminate with the second advent of Jesus Christ to rule and reign as the Almighty King for the thousand years of the Millennium. But when was the first time that the Lord set forth his hand to recover his people Israel? When Christ came in the meridian of time, he did not come to so rule and gather his people Israel. His mission then was to fulfill the requirements of the atonement for sin and to provide the way of the resurrection. To find the first time that the Lord did set his hand to recover Israel, one must turn to the days of Moses, the burning bush and to that great I AM who delivered Israel from the captivity of Egypt. It is then that the Lord would have gathered Israel unto himself, but they would not. It is then that the Lord would have raise up to himself a piculiar treasure, a kingdom of priests after the order of the Son of God, a holy nation (see Exodus 19:3-6), but they would not.
 2a the words of your seed should proceed forth out of my mouth unto your seed Here is a confirmation of what was promised Lehi in 2 Nephi 3:18. That is the words which the fruit of his loins should write would be brought forth by the power of the Lord unto the fruit of his loins. This is so stated throughout the Book of Mormon as a prime reason for the creation of the record, that the latter day seed of the Book of Mormon ancients may have a record of their people when they had the word of the Lord practiced among them. This is a prime reason that Nephi was commanded of God to so prepare his record and require his posterity to keep such a scriptural record of the seed of Joseph in the land of promise.
 1a 2 Ne. 27:26; TG Restoration of the Gospel
   b TG Abrahamic Covenant
   c 2 Ne. 6:14; 2 Ne. 21:11;
      2 Ne. 25:17; TG Israel, Gathering
      TG Israel, Restoration of
 2a 2 Ne. 3:18; See Commentary;
      Ether 12:22
 2a 2 Ne. 3:21; See Commentary
   b Isa. 5:26; Moro. 10:28
   c 2 Ne. 15:26
   d Ps. 60:4; TG Ensign

3 And because my words shall hiss forth—many of the Gentiles shall say: A aBible! A Bible! We have got a Bible, and there cannot be any more Biblea.
4 But thus saith the Lord God: O fools, they shall have a aBible; and it shall proceed forth from the bJews, mine ancient covenant people. And what cthank they the dJews for the Bible which they receive from them? Yea, what do the Gentiles mean? Do they remember the travails, and the labors, and the pains of the Jews, and their diligence unto me, in bringing forth salvation unto the Gentiles?

 3a there cannot be any more Bible Do men command God? God has spoken to those in the days of Adam. God has spoken to those in the days of Noah. God has spoken in the days of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob. And God has spoken to Moses and to all the holy prophets who have spoken and written, and many whose words have been lost and cast out because of the unbelief of men. And God not only has spoken to men in all times past, but he has sent his Son, the Lord Jesus Christ to redeem the whole of mankind. And is it to be supposed that upon the Savior's death and shortly thereafter God did cease to be God? That God no longer had the power to speak unto man? The Apostles where the prophets of the New Testament, John being the last. And where have they all gone that God is said to no more speak unto man? In what does man to deny God his power? Is it in the mere word of saying that God no longer speaks to men? What then about the Second Coming of the Lord? Will he stand mute then? What of the promised coming of Elijah? Will Elijah stand dumb before those to whom he shall appear? The very reasoning of saying that God no longer speaks to man denys the facts that God comes again and will so speak unto men according to their faith. In this then is the 'rub'. God does not speak to such men whose faith is such that God does not speak to men. But God will speak to those whose faith is that God does have the power to speak to whom he will and whenever he will, even now. God's lack of his word to man is not due to the lacking of God, but the very lacking of the faith of men who do state such things as 'there cannot be any more Bible, any more Word of God. Of course there can be, there needs be or else the earth is cursed, for then Elijah and Christ and the fulness of the Lord does not come, for there in lies 'more Bible' yet promised to so come forth in the latter days. The Old Testament Bible speaks of it, testifies of it and prophesies of it. The New Testament Bible speaks of it, testifies of it and prophesies of it. The Book of Mormon does so confrim it to so be to come forth in the latter day. And the coming and pronouncement of God, the Son, and the angels of heaven, the souls of men come again such as Elijah and others to the earth to the restoration of all things in preparation of the ushering in of the Second Coming of Christ do all fulfill it. If not, them we are all damned for sure. For if God speaks not then the earth is cursed and is utterly wasted. But that is what certain men, protective of their own situation to get gain and honor of the world would have men believe. Such is the nature of the priestcrafts of man which work against and to thwart the work of God. For God does speak unto men according to the faith which is to be found in them.  3a 1 Ne. 13:24 (23-24); TG Bible;
     TG Book of Mormon
 4a Rom. 3:2 (1-3)
   b Neh. 1:10; 1 Ne. 13:25 (23-25); D&C 3:16
   c TG Ingratitude; TG Thanksgiving
   c TG Israel, Judah, People of

5 O ye Gentiles, have ye remembered the Jews, mine ancient covenant people? Nay; but ye have acursed them, and have bhated them, and have not sought to recover them. But behold, I will return all these things upon your own heads; for I the Lord have not forgotten my people.
6 Thou fool, that shall say: A aBible, we have got a Bible, and we need no more Bible. Have ye obtained a Bible save it were by the Jews?

 5a Micah 6:16; TG Curse
   b 3 Ne. 29:8; TG Hate
 6a 1 Ne. 13:23, 38

7 Know ye not that there are more anations than one? Know ye not that I, the Lord your God, have created all men, and that I remember those who are upon the bisles of the sea; and that I rule in the heavens above and in the cearth beneath; and I bring forth my dword unto the children of men, yea, even upon all the nations of the earth?
8 Wherefore murmur ye, because that ye shall receive more of my word? Know ye not that the atestimony of btwo nations is a cwitness unto you that I am God, that I remember one dnation like unto another? Wherefore, I speak the same words unto one nation like unto another. And when the two enations shall run together the testimony of the two nations shall run together also.
9 And I do this that I may prove unto many that I am the asame yesterday, today, and forever; and that I speak forth my bwords according to mine own pleasure. And because that I have spoken one cword ye need not suppose that I cannot speak another; for my dwork is not yet finished; neither shall it be until the end of man, neither from that time henceforth and forever.

 7a TG Jesus Christ, Creator;
     TG Man, Physical Creation of; TG Nations
   b Isa. 51:5; 1 Ne. 22:4; 2 Ne. 10:8-20; D&C 133:8
   c Deut. 10:14; 1 Ne. 11:6; D&C 55:1; Moses 6:44
   d D&C 5:6
 8a TG Testimony
   b Ezek. 37:17 (15-20); 1 Ne. 13:39 (38-41);
     2 Ne. 3:12; 2 Ne. 33:10-11
   c Matt. 18:16
   d 2 Sam. 7:23; Alma 9:20
   e Hosea 1:11
 9a Heb. 13:8
   b TG Word of God; TG Word of the Lord
   c TG Revelation
   d Moses 1:4

10 Wherefore, because that ye have a Bible ye need not suppose that it contains all my awords; neither bneed ye suppose that I have not caused more to be written.
11 For I command aall men, both in the east and in the west, and in the north, and in the south, and in the islands of the sea, that they shall bwrite the words which I speak unto them; for out of the cbooks which shall be written I will djudge the world, every man according to their works, according to that which is written.
12 For behold, I shall speak unto the aJews and they shall bwrite it; and I shall also speak unto the Nephites and they shall cwrite it; and I shall also speak unto the other tribes of the house of Israel, which I have led away, and they shall write it; and I shall also speak unto dall nations of the earth and they shall write it.

 10a TG Scriptures to Come Forth
     b 2 Ne. 28:29
 11a Alma 29:8
     b 2 Tim. 3:16; Moses 1:40;
       TG Scriptures, Preservation of;
       TG Scriptures, Writing of
     c TG Book of Life
     d 2 Ne. 25:22 (18, 22); 2 Ne. 33:14 (11, 14-15);
       TG Jesus Christ, Judge
 12a 1 Ne. 13:23-29; 2 Ne. 3:12
     b TG Scriptures, Lost
     c 1 Ne. 13:40 (39-42); 2 Ne. 26:17 (16-17);
       2 Ne. 27:6-26
     d 2 Ne. 26:33; Alma 29:8

13 And it shall come to pass that the aJews shall have the words of the Nephites, and the Nephites shall have the words of the Jews; and the Nephites and the Jews shall have the words of the blost tribes of Israel; and the lost tribes of Israel shall have the words of the Nephites and the Jews.
14 And it shall come to pass that my people, which are of the ahouse of Israel, shall be gathered home unto the blands of their possessions; and my word also shall be gathered in cone. And I will show unto them that fight against my word and against my dpeople, who are of the ehouse of Israel, that I am God, and that I fcovenanted with gAbraham that I would remember his hseed iforever.

 13a Morm. 5:14 (13-14)
     b TG Israel, Ten Lost Tribes of
 14a Jer. 3:18 (17-19)
     b TG Israel, Gathering of;
       TG Lands of Inheritance
     c Ezek. 37:17 (16-17)
     d 1 Kings 8:51; 2 Ne. 3:9; 2 Ne. 8:16
     e 1 Ne. 22:9; 2 Ne. 30:7-8
     f Gen. 12:2 (1-3); 1 Ne. 17:40; 2 Ne. 20:27;
       Abr. 2:9; TG Abrahamic Covenant;
       BD Abraham, Covenant of
     g Micah 7:20 (18-20)
     h Ps. 102:28; D&C 132:30; Moses 7:52 (50-53);
       TG Seed of Abraham
     i Gen. 17:7 (5-7)


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