Brant Gardner notes that Nephi is caught away in spirit to “an exceedingly high mountain” (1 Nephi 11:1). Why is that? What Nephi wants to see is a vision of a tree of life which was apparently situated near a large and spacious field, not a mountain. Why does the vision begin in a mountain?
Mountains are sacred places in Hebrew cosmology. The form a symbolic world axis (and are therefore symbolically similar to the world tree symbol). The tops of the mountains are conceptually in the havens and are therefore a logical place for meetings with deity (or the Spirit). Moses meets with God on a mountain, which serves as a sacred symbolic place. [Brant Gardner, “Brant Gardner’s Page, ”[http://www.highfiber.com/] ~nahualli/LDStopics/1 Nephi/1 Nephi11.htm, pp. 1-2]
“I Was Caught Away into an Exceedingly High Mountain”
Here in 1 Nephi 11:1 Nephi’s being caught away “into an exceedingly high mountain” calls to mind Moses on Mount Sinai (Exodus 3:1-3). Allen & David Richardson and Anthony Bentley note that Book of Mormon critics have often charged that Joseph Smith was an amateur fraud and that he plagiarized many biblical stories and placed them in the Book of Mormon. For example, they point to similarities between Lehi’s journey through the wilderness to the “promised land” of the Americas as reminiscent of Moses’s journey through the wilderness to the “promised land” of Palestine (Exodus 12-40; 1 Nephi 1-18). Nephi‘s calling to rule over his older brothers had precedent in Isaac’s birthright over Ishmael, Jacob over Esau, and Joseph over his older brothers (Genesis 21: 12; 27:1-36; 37:3-4; 48:22; 1 Nephi 2:22). Rather than being a sign of weakness, the recurrence of Book of Mormon events that were foreshadowed in biblical history, is yet another witness that the Book of Mormon is a true and accurate history. The practice of drawing parallels between current and ancient history is well documented in Alan Goff’s article “Boats, Beginnings, and Repetitions,” Journal of Book of Mormon Studies, Fall 1992, 1/1, pp. 66-84.
Regarding biblical parallels, especially as they might relate to “an exceedingly high mountain” such as Mount Sinai, it is interesting that there are many parallels between Christ and Elijah. Both spent 40 days in the wilderness, both climbed a mountain for spiritual renewal, both performed healings, raised the dead, caused food to be multiplied, the lives of both were threatened. Both ascended into heaven and it was prophesied that both were to make a glorious return. [Allen H. Richardson, David E. Richardson, and Anthony E. Bentley, Voice from the Dust-500 Evidences Supporting the Book of Mormon, p. 101]
Note* Could Christ and Elijah both have gone to the same mountain (Sinai) in their 40-day wanderings in the wilderness? And was this the same mountain that Nephi was caught away to? [Alan C. Miner, Personal Notes]
“I Was Caught Away into an Exceedingly High Mountain Potter”
While living in the valley of Lemuel, Lehi had a dream in which he saw a tree with fruit that was “most sweet, above all that [he] ever before tasted” (1 Nephi 8:10-12). When Nephi desired to know the meaning of the dream his father had received, he “was caught away in the Spirit of the Lord, yea, into an exceedingly high mountain, which I never had before seen, and upon which I never had before set my foot” (1 Nephi 11:1). According to George Potter and Richard Wellington, this raises an interesting question. What was the mountain that Nephi was caught up into. The Valley of Lemuel (proposed Wadi Tayyib al-Ism) is only a little over 30 miles from a proposed candidate for Mount Horeb (Sinai) in Arabia. Self-proclaimed archaeologists Ron Wyatt and David Fasold visited the mountain in 1986 but were arrested shortly after their arrival. In 1988 Wall Street millionaire Larry Williams and ex-police officer Bob Cornuke illegally entered Saudi Arabia to visit the mountain. Their exploits are recorded in The Gold of Exodus by Howard Blum. They all identified Jebal Al Lawz to be Mount Horeb (Sinai). However the archaeological site they all describe is not found on Jebal al Lawz but rather on an unnamed peak lying in the same range but 8 miles to the south. We have visited the site and can verify much of what Williams has described. The Saudi mount Sinai is 7867 feet high and dominates the plane on which it stands. It certainly qualifies as “an exceedingly high mountain.” Is it possible that the Lord would have taken Nephi to a mountain where the Lord had previously spoken to his chosen people (Deuteronomy 1:6)? [George Potter & Richard Wellington, Discovering Nephi’s Trail, Chapter 3, pp. 13-14, Unpublished]
Note* Not only did the Lord visit Moses on Horeb (Exodus 2:15-21; 3:1), the Lord possibly visited a number of ancient prophets, including Elijah (1 Kings 19:1-21) and Paul (2 Corinthians 11:32; Galatians 1:17; 4:24). Moreover, if Moses was a type of Christ, then Jesus possibly visited the site of Sinai during his sojourn in the wilderness. It seems as Sinai was a holy site where holy men prepared to lead covenant Israel to the Promised Land. [Alan C. Miner, Personal Notes] [For more information, see the commentary on 1 Nephi 4:2; 10:9; 3 Nephi 25:4]
1 Nephi 11:1 I was caught away … into an exceedingly high mountain (Illustration-Potter): Richard and George at Arabian candidate for mount Sinai, eight miles south of Jabel Al-Lawz. [George Potter & Richard Wellington, Discovering Nephi’s Trail, Chapter 1, p. 5, Unpublished]
1 Nephi 11:1 I was caught away … into an exceedingly high mountain (Illustration-Potter): The location of Jabel al-Lawz in relation to Wadi Tayyib al-Ism. [George Potter & Richard Wellington, Discovering Nephi’s Trail, Chapter 1, p. 6, Unpublished]
1 Nephi 11:3 I [Nephi] desire to behold the things which my father saw ([Illustration]Nephi’s Vision [Clark Kelley Price, Verse Markers, Book of Mormon, Vol. 1, p. 1]
1 Nephi 11:3 I desire to behold the things which my father saw ([Illustration] A Comparison of Lehi‘s Dream and Nephi’s Vision. [John Welch and Morgan Ashton, “A Comparison of Lehi‘s Dream and Nephi’s Vision,” in Charting the Book of Mormon, F.A.R.M.S., Packet 1. [See the commentary on 1 Nephi 14:29]
1 Nephi 11:3 I [Nephi] desire to behold the things which my father saw ([Illustration] Nephi’s Vision. While Nephi pondered the words of his father, a vision was opened to him. Artist: Clark Kelley Price. [Thomas R. Valletta ed., The Book of Mormon for Latter-day Saint Families, 1999, p. 34]