Following Nephi’s and Jacob’s Instructions

As was mentioned previously in these notes in connection with the book of Jacob, Nephi issued a commandment to his brother Jacob that was passed along to Enos and this line of recordkeepers. It involved not only a requirement to keep a record on the Small Plates, but also stringent requirements about the content:

"And he gave me, Jacob, a commandment that I should write upon these plates a few of the things which I considered to be most precious; that I should not touch, save it were lightly, concerning the history of this people which are called the people of Nephi. For he said that the history of his people should be engraven upon his other plates, and that I should preserve these plates and hand them down unto my seed, from generation to generation. And if there were preaching which was sacred, or revelation which was great, or prophesying, that I should engraven the heads of them upon these plates, and touch upon them as much as it were possible, for Christ’s sake, and for the sake of our people" (Jacob 1:2–4).

Jacob recorded, "I said unto my son Enos: Take these plates. And I told him the things which my brother Nephi had commanded me, and he promised obedience unto the commands" (Jacob 7:27). The verses noted below in parentheses demonstrate that Enos in particular obediently followed each of these requirements. This pattern, however, can easily go unnoticed if a reader is not actively looking for ways in which Nephi’s original directive was followed:

1. A record is to be kept on the Small Plates by way of commandment (Jacob 7:27).
2. The record must be personally written (Enos 1:1, 11, 17, 19; Jarom 1:1; Omni 1:1, 4, 9, 10, 12).
3. The record must be preserved (Enos 1:13–17).
4. The record must be handed down within the lineage of Jacob from generation to generation (Jarom 1:1).
5. The record is to be added to by each person within the lineage of Jacob to whom the plates are entrusted. Note that it is not clear from Nephi’s words to Jacob whether Jacob, alone, was supposed to write on the plates or whether subsequent generations were also expected to write and add to the record. Jacob, however, clarified and solidified the tradition of extending these obligations to successive generations by specifically conveying the instructions to his son Enos. Likewise, Enos issued the command to his son Jarom (Jarom 1:1).
6. The record is to preserve only (a) precious things, (b) sacred preaching, (c) great revelation, or (d) prophesying. Even at that, only "the heads" or main points of the few precious, sacred, or great utterances should be written (Enos 1:1–17).
7. The record is not to cover the history of the people of Nephi "save it were lightly" (Enos 1:20–21, 24).
8. The words on the record are to be written "as much as it were possible for Christ’s sake, and for the sake of [the people of Nephi]." Enos, as often as possible, referred to the fact that he lived and preached for Christ’s sake "because of [his] faith in Christ" (Enos 1:8). He preached, prophesied, and declared "according to the truth which is in Christ" (1:26). The final written testimony of Enos was that he "shall rest" in his "Redeemer" (1:27).

It is remarkable how precisely and scrupulously Nephi and Jacob, as well as all the record keepers in the direct line of Jacob’s descendants (Enos, Jarom, Omni, Amaron, Chemish, Abinadom, and Amaleki) followed this template.

Interestingly, this priestly line of record keepers also gave their sons names of strong and possibly pure Hebrew origins. By clicking on the links below, readers can more fully explore the likely meaning behind each of these names, as found in the Book of Mormon Onomasticon:

• "Enos" is a Hebrew word meaning "Mankind."
• "Jarom" is a Hebrew name likely meaning "Jehovah is exalted."
• "Omni" may relate to Hebrew expressions such as "The Lord is my faith" or "Jehovah is my trust."
• "Amaron" may be derived from roots meaning "The Command of the Lord" or "Jehovah has spoken."
• "Chemish" has several possible etymologies, including the Hebrew ?ameš ‘five,’ possibly because he was the fifth generation from Lehi.
• "Abinadom" quite readily relates to Hebrew proper names meaning "My father was a wanderer" or "My father was grieved," a feeling expressed by Jacob at this head of this lineage. While the meaning of the name "Amaleki" remains puzzling, it was a name that would likely have been known from the plates of brass.

These names reflect the devotion that these men felt toward their inherited family calling as scribes, as well as their calling and commitment to preserve their ancient family traditions. Although the records left by this line of patriarchs were brief, they span more than three centuries and provide lessons of faithfulness, duty, and preservation of family history and heritage.

Further Reading

Book of Mormon Central, "Why Do the Authors on the Small Plates Follow a Pattern? (Jacob 7:27)," KnoWhy 74 (April 8, 2016).

John W. Welch, "The Father’s Command to Keep Records in the Small Plates of Nephi," FARMS Preliminary Report (September 1984).

David Rolph Seely, "Enos and the Words Concerning Eternal Life," in Jacob Through Words of Mormon: To Learn With Joy, Book of Mormon Symposium Series, Volume 4, ed. Monte S. Nyman and Charles D. Tate, Jr. (Provo, UT: Religious Studies Center, 1990), 235–250.