Symbolism: The whiteness of the fruit reinforces the theme of divinity first associated with the messenger’s clothing. To partake of the fruit requires action, not passivity, on Lehi’s part. Eating is itself symbolic of internalizing that which the fruit symbolizes. An obvious parallel is Adam and Eve’s partaking of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil in the Garden of Eden and God’s subsequent barring the way to the tree of life so that they could not approach it.
The fruit is an apt symbol for the gospel, since it nourishes and sustains life while simultaneously containing seed that leads to new life.