According to Millet, McConkie, and Top, just as Jehovah appeared to and conversed with Moses and led the children of Israel in the wilderness in a cloud by day and in a pillar of fire at night (see Exodus 13:21; Numbers 11:25; 12:5), so did he lead the Jaredites as they were in the wilderness. Ether 2:14 states that the Lord “stood in a cloud and talked with [the brother of Jared].” From this cloud of glory the Lord directed both of these prophets and gave them directions for their journey. The image of a cloud associated with the Lord’s appearance is not unique to his dealings with ancient peoples. In this dispensation the Lord also spoke of a cloud of glory, one that will surround him when he again returns to earth and appears to man (see D&C 34:7). [Joseph F. McConkie, Robert L. Millet, and Brent L. Top, Doctrinal Commentary on the Book of Mormon, Vol. IV, pp. 266-267]
The Lord Chastened the Brother of Jared
After four years at the place called Moriancumer, the Lord chastened the brother of Jared “because he remembered not to call upon the name of the Lord” (Ether 2:13).
According to Thomas Valletta, many modern readers are puzzled by this apparently ungrateful behavior. One recent commentary notes that “it seems highly unlikely that a man of the spiritual stature of the brother of Jared--one who had received marvelous manifestations and had previously exercised great faith in the Lord--would suddenly cease praying to his Maker.” The commentary continues: “It may be that what this verse is saying to us is that [the brother of Jared] was chastened by the Lord because he had not fully followed and implemented the counsels of the Lord previously received. It may be that in the relative comfort of the seashore he had allowed his prayers to become less fervent, more casual and routine. He may have been calling upon the Lord in word, but not in faith and deed” (J. McConkie, Millet, and Top 4:269). Whatever the reasons for the Lord‘s chastening Jared’s brother, it is important to remember that other great prophets were also rebuked by the Lord. Moses was reproved for not explicitly following God’s instructions in the wilderness of Zin (Numbers 20:7-11; 27:12-14; Deuteronomy 32:51-52). The Apostle Peter received a sharp rebuke for letting his love of the Lord get in his way of comprehending the need for the Atonement (Matthew 16:21-23). Even the Prophet Joseph Smith was reprimanded for having “feared man more than God” (D&C 3:7). There is nothing demeaning in being corrected by the Lord, that comes from not humbly receiving the correction. The book of Job reads “Behold, happy is the man whom God correcteth: therefore despise not thou the chastening of the Almighty” (Job 5:17). The Lord has declared, “as many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent” (Revelations 3:19). Jared’s brother, like the rest of God’s prophets, took immediate action to turn away the Lord’s wrath (Ether 2:15). [Thomas R. Valletta, “Jared and His Brother,” in The Book of Mormon: Fourth Nephi through Moroni, From Zion to Destruction, pp. 312-313]
Could the textual setting of this recorded “chastening” of the brother of Jared carry any meaning? In other words, this “chastening” directly follows a recorded covenant. Could it be that the brother of Jared was not approaching the Lord in a covenant manner? (or teaching his people to approach the Lord in a covenant manner?) The oddly distinct wording of the text says that the Lord chastened the brother of Jared because “he remembered not to call upon the name of the Lord” (Ether 2:14). [Thomas Cherrington, Personal communication]