In interpreting the words of Isaiah concerning the spiritual and literal scattering and gathering of the house of Israel, especially as concerning the seed of Joseph, Nephi says the following:
And after our seed is scattered the Lord God will proceed to do a marvelous work among the Gentiles, which shall be of great worth unto our seed; … And it shall also be of worth unto the Gentiles; … unto the making known of the covenant of the Father of Heaven unto Abraham, saying: In thy seed shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed. (1 Nephi 22:8-9)
We find the following in a Church Sunday School Manual:
The covenant God made with Abraham pertaining to the house of Israel is both spiritual and temporal (1 Nephi 22). This covenant is the promise of exaltation in the celestial kingdom. The fulfillment of the covenant is realized upon the principle of obedience to the commandments of God. Thus, through Abraham’s seed, the gospel of salvation and exaltation would be taken to all mankind. The Savior would come through Abraham’s seed, and those who will not accept Jesus will be cut off from the covenant people. (3 Nephi 20:33) Included in the covenant are promises of certain land areas called lands of promise. (3 Nephi 20:14, 29). (The Deseret Sunday School Union, Living Truths from the Book of Mormon, pp. 277-278)
It is interesting to note here that the covenant promises made to Abraham are the main themes of the Book of Mormon only with the focus on Joseph’s (and Lehi’s & Nephi’s) seed. [Alan C. Miner, Personal Notes] [See the commentary on 1 Nephi 15:18; Helaman 8:18; 3 Nephi 20:25, 20:27, 25:4-5; Mormon 5:20; Ether 13:11]
The Seed of Abraham
According to Chauncey Riddle, there are special code words or word usages in the Book of Mormon which are not culturally transparent to the user of ordinary English… . The four major kinds of hidden meanings involve: (1) obscure usages, (2) technical usages, (3) metaphorical/allegorical usages, and (4) double entendres… . The phrase “the seed of Abraham” involves a double entendre. Double entendre is where there is a plain, straight-forward and legitimate ordinary interpretation of a language usage which is underlayed by a second, more significant but abstruse meaning.
In 1 Nephi 22:8-9 we read:
And after our seed is scattered the Lord God will proceed to do a marvelous work among the Gentiles … not only unto the Gentiles but unto all the house of Israel, unto the making known of the covenants of the Father of heaven unto Abraham, saying: In thy seed shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed.
The question arises: What does the text mean in alluding to the seed of Abraham? The plain interpretation of the seed of Abraham is his physical posterity. Through the children of Abraham will all nations eventually be blessed.
The deeper meaning of this usage relates to the fact that “Abraham” is the new name given unto Abram. Abraham had a son named Ishmael when he was as yet Abram. Will all the nations of the earth be blessed through Ishmael? It appears not, though great blessings are given to Ishmael and his seed (see Genesis 17:20). The greater blessing was reserved to Isaac (see Genesis 17:19, who was conceived and born after Abram’s name was changed to Abraham. Now the question is: Are all of the children of Isaac the seed of Abraham through which the nations of the earth will be blessed? Again the answer seems to be “No”. The matter is explained in the Book of Abraham:
My name is Jehovah, and I know the end from the beginning; therefore my hand shall be over thee. And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee above measure, and make thy name great among all nations, and thou shalt be a blessing unto thy seed after thee, that in their hands they shall bear this ministry and Priesthood unto all nations; And I will bless them through thy name; for as many as receive this Gospel shall be called after thy name, and shall be accounted thy seed, and shall rise up and bless thee, as their father; And I will bless them that bless thee; and curse them that curse thee; and in thee (that is, thy Priesthood) and in thy seed (that is, thy Priesthood) for I give unto thee a promise that this right shall continue in thee, and in thy seed after thee (that is to say, the literal seed, or the seed of the body) shall all the families of the earth be blessed , even with the blessing of the Gospel, which are the blessings of salvation, even of life eternal. (Abraham 2:8-11)
Now it is plain from this passage that the blessings which Abraham’s seed give to the nations come through the holy priesthood… . If [people] come into the New and Everlasting Covenant and receive the holy priesthood, then indeed they can and will be ministers of the blessings of Jehovah to all nations.
The new name which Abram received, Abraham, literally means “father of many people.” While it is true that Abram/Abraham is the father of many people, the title Abraham is rightfully the name of the great Jehovah, the true father of many people. In putting the name Abraham upon Abram, Jehovah (that is to say, Christ) is putting his own name upon his faithful servant. Thus the seed of Abraham … is actually a designation of the children of Christ. The blessing that is given to the nations is that the children of Christ invite all others to become the children of Christ, and administer that opportunity through the holy priesthood which has been put upon them by Christ. [Chauncey C. Riddle, “Code Language in the Book of Mormon,” F.A.R.M.S., pp. 1-2, 13-16] [See the commentary on the name Israel -- 1 Nephi 15:18; see also the commentary on the name Jesus -- 2 Nephi 25:19; see Helaman 8:17; see the commentary on Abrahamic covenant in 3 Nephi 20:25, 27] ]