The time period of the first three and one-half chapters of Second Nephi is not given. They seem to have all happened at the same time and setting, as a farewell testimonial from Lehi to his people before his death. Although we have no record of Lehi blessing Nephi, he undoubtedly did. This failure to record his blessing reflects the humility of Nephi. It certainly must have been a great blessing as the Lord had told him “thou shalt be a ruler and a teacher over thy brethren” (1 Nephi 2:22), and his father had told the three older sons that “if ye will not hearken unto [Nephi], I take away my first blessing, yes, even my blessing, and it shall rest upon him” (2 Nephi 1:29). Someday the record of that blessing will be available to us among the other Nephite records yet to come forth. This will further validate the greatness of Nephi.
Lehi calls all the children of his people and pronounces a final blessing upon their heads collectively before his death. These blessings are self-explanatory and somewhat repetitive, but a few observations should be made. The great concern for his wayward sons and their posterity is again evident. Lehi tells Laman’s children that the Lord will not hold the children accountable for their parent’s sins. Lehi is probably paraphrasing from the plates of brass, “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it” (Proverbs 22:6) when he speaks to his older sons’ children (v. 5). Solomon, who “spake three thousand proverbs” (1 Kings 4:32), is dated about 1000 B.C. and could easily have been included on the brass plates. A final observation, the Book of Mormon was to bring a “knowledge of the Savior” unto “the Lamanites, and the Lemuelites, and the Ishmaelites” (D&C 3:16, 18). This showed that Lehi’s blessing that their seed would never perish was fulfilled (vv. 7, 9).