As described in chapter 2, Jacob has a unique voice within the Book of Mormon.[1] By studying and comparing his distinct patterns, words, and phrases, we saw that Jacob was a powerful speaker with a testimony to match. In this chapter, we will explore the reach of his voice by identifying how some later Book of Mormon prophets used his words.[2] We will examine three cases in which Jacob’s words were cited by later prophets (each case containing several allusions), thus providing a literary legacy of Jacob’s testimony and words.

Three Cases of Textual Echoes from Jacob

Case 1: 2 Nephi 9 and 2 Nephi 28

The first prophet who echoed the words of Jacob was not only a prophet, he was Jacob’s brother. Though it may seem strange to think of Nephi as being influenced by his younger brother Jacob, the tight connections between 2 Nephi 9 (Jacob’s sermon)[3] and 2 Nephi 28 (part of a later sermon given by Nephi) lead one to believe that this is in fact the case. Nephi’s allusions in 2 Nephi 28 to Jacob’s earlier words in 2 Nephi 9 are summarized in table 7.1.

Table 7.1. Nephi’s allusions in 2 Nephi 28 to Jacob’s words in 2 Nephi 9.

In 2 Nephi 28:13 Nephi states that the proud “rob the poor” because of their “fine sanctuaries” and “fine clothing” and that “they persecute the meek” because of their pride. In this instance, we find both conceptual and textual echoes from Jacob’s earlier words. Jacob had said, “Because they are rich they despise the poor, and they persecute the meek, and their hearts are upon their treasures” (2 Nephi 9:30). In both instances, the proud (wealthy) rob (or despise) the poor and persecute the meek because of their pride (wealth). Pride and riches thus are pinpointed as the cause violating the second great commandment—to love one’s neighbor as oneself.[4]

Jacob warned, “Wo unto them who commit whoredoms, for they shall be thrust down to hell” (2 Nephi 9:36). He also taught that happiness would not come to “the wise, and the learned, and they that are rich, who are puffed up because of their learning, and their wisdom, and their riches” (2 Nephi 9:42).

Nephi alludes to both these ideas as he declares that “the wise, and the learned, and the rich, that are puffed up in the pride of their hearts, . . . and all those who commit whoredoms, and pervert the right way of the Lord, wo, wo, wo be unto them, saith the Lord God almighty, for they shall be thrust down to hell” (2 Nephi 28:15).

In 2 Nephi 28:23,[5] Nephi warns both those who are pacified by the devil and those who are angry with the truth that “they are grasped with . . . death, and hell, and the devil, and all that have been seized therewith must stand before the throne of God, and be judged according to their works, from whence they must go into . . . a lake of fire and brimstone, which is endless torment.” In making this statement, Nephi alludes to Jacob’s teaching that “the atonement satisfieth the demands of his justice upon all those who have not the law given to them, that they are delivered from that awful monster, death and hell, and the devil, and the lake of fire and brimstone, which is endless torment” (2 Nephi 9:26; see also 2 Nephi 9:19). These phrases are unique in scripture, and the words lake, fire, and endless appear together only in these passages and in Jacob 6:10. While Jacob employs these phrases to illustrate the majesty of the Savior’s Atonement, Nephi uses them to warn those who are “at ease in Zion . . . and are angry because of the truth of God” (2 Nephi 28:24, 28).

Nephi’s final allusion to Jacob in 2 Nephi 28 comes as he states, “And in fine, wo unto all those who tremble, and are angry with the truth of God!” (2 Nephi 28:28). Jacob had used a similar phrase as he capped a list of woes by teaching, “And, in fine, wo unto all those who die in their sins; for they shall return to God, and behold his face, and remain in their sins” (2 Nephi 9:38). The words in fine and wo collocate only in these two verses.

In 2 Nephi 28:15–32, Nephi offers eleven instances of wo. In 2 Nephi 9:27–38, Jacob provides ten. There are several similarities between these, including specific statements regarding “the rich” and those who commit “whoredoms” (compare 2 Nephi 28:15 with 2 Nephi 9:30, 36). Given the textual and conceptual similarities between Nephi’s and Jacob’s woes, it is possible that Nephi used the phrase "and in fine, wo unto all those" as a merism to more comprehensively refer back to the woes stated previously by Jacob. (A merism is a statement in which one key phrase can be employed to represent a longer statement.) If this is the case, Nephi employs the unique phrase "and in fine, wo unto all those" as a rhetorical device to link his woes with Jacob’s and reemphasize Jacob’s warnings.

Why would Nephi quote from Jacob? It would seem like the younger brother would quote the older one, and not the other way around. Perhaps Nephi, the senior leader of the Nephites, wanted to quote his younger brother to prepare the people for the eventual transfer of ecclesiastical authority to Jacob. Perhaps by alluding to Jacob he added additional prophetic credibility to Jacob’s words. Or it may simply be that Jacob’s sermon in 2 Nephi 9, with more references to “hell” than any other chapter in all of scripture,[6] was a natural text to turn to when Nephi needed to rebuke prideful people.

In addition, Nephi shows a propensity to adhere to the law of witnesses. He specifically states that three witnesses are necessary and writes that he, Jacob, and Isaiah qualify as these three witnesses (see 2 Nephi 11:3). Just as Nephi turns to Jacob’s words to testify of Christ, it may also be that Jacob’s writings provide a second witness to Nephi’s teachings regarding pride and sin.

Case 2: 2 Nephi 9 and King Benjamin’s address[7]

The concept that King Benjamin could have been interested in Jacob’s words is easy to establish. Amaleki, the last writer on the small plates (which contained Jacob’s words), delivered them to King Benjamin (see Omni 1:25). To receive new prophetic records is not a regular occurrence; thus it seems likely that Benjamin would have carefully studied them.

Textual evidence also suggests that Benjamin’s people could have been familiar with Jacob’s words. King Benjamin tells his people, “Ye . . . have been taught concerning the records which contain the prophecies which have been spoken by the holy prophets, even down to the time our father, Lehi, left Jerusalem; And also, all that has been spoken by our fathers until now” (Mosiah 2:34–35). At least thirteen connections exist between Jacob’s words in 2 Nephi 9 and King Benjamin’s words. These allusions are outlined in table 7.2.

Table 7.2. King Benjamin’s allusions to Jacob’s words in 2 Nephi 9.

These allusions can be divided into two sections—structural and doctrinal allusions. Five of Benjamin’s allusions to Jacob follow the structural outline with which Jacob taught. After Jacob quotes Isaiah 50–51, he begins the main body of his address by explaining why he read the words of Isaiah. He says, “I have read these things that ye might know . . . I speak unto you these things that ye may rejoice” (2 Nephi 9:1, 3). Similarly, after explaining how he has labored as their king, Benjamin says, “I tell you these things that ye may know . . . I tell you these things that ye may learn wisdom” (Mosiah 2:15, 17).[9] While perhaps this is simply a common rhetorical method of introducing a topic, the length and similarity of the two phrases suggest at least the possibility that King Benjamin is employing Jacob’s words or structure. Later King Benjamin explains that he is not responsible for the sins of the people, saying, “I have caused that ye should assemble yourselves together that I might rid my garments of your blood” (Mosiah 2:28). This echoes Jacob’s sentiment in 2 Nephi 9:44 when he shakes his “garments” before the people, saying, “I shook your iniquities from my soul . . . and am rid of your blood” (2 Nephi 9:44).[10]

Both Jacob and King Benjamin say they have spoken the words that God had commanded them to say (see 2 Nephi 9:40; Mosiah 3:23).[11] Finally, both have breaks in their discourses (Jacob’s at the end of 2 Nephi 9, King Benjamin’s at the end of Mosiah 3). Before ending the first part of his discourse, Jacob says, “On the morrow I will declare unto you the remainder of my words” (2 Nephi 9:54). Similarly, after hearing a response from his listeners, King Benjamin resumes his address, saying, “I would again call your attention, that ye may hear and understand the remainder of my words” (Mosiah 4:4).

The second set of allusions are more doctrinal in nature. King Benjamin uses language similar to Jacob to describe his impending death. He states, “I am also of the dust. And ye behold that I am old, and am about to yield up this mortal frame to its mother earth” (Mosiah 2:26). Jacob too had described a time when “this flesh must have laid down to rot and to crumble to its mother earth” (2 Nephi 9:7). Perhaps Benjamin employs Jacob’s phrase to emphasize that he, although a king, faces the same issues of mortality as everyone else.

Next, King Benjamin plainly outlines the consequences of not repenting, stating, “For behold, there is a wo pronounced upon him who listeth to obey that spirit; for if he listeth to obey him, and remaineth and dieth in his sins . . .” (Mosiah 2:33). Note that King Benjamin refers to a “wo” that had been previously issued. This statement may allude to Jacob’s tenth wo, in which Jacob states, “And, in fine, wo unto all those who die in their sins; for they shall return to God, and behold his face, and remain in their sins” (2 Nephi 9:38). The words remain, die, and sin appear together only in these two verses. Benjamin later alludes to another one of Jacob’s woes, teaching, “Wo be unto that man, for his substance shall perish with him; and now, I say these things unto those who are rich as pertaining to the things of this world” (Mosiah 4:23). This clearly echoes Jacob’s statement “Wo unto the rich, who are rich as to the things of the world” (2 Nephi 9:30).

King Benjamin speaks of specific consequences for the unrepentant sinner. He states that those who die as enemies to God will receive pain “like an unquenchable fire, whose flame ascendeth up forever and ever” (Mosiah 2:38). Benjamin also says[12] (speaking of the wicked), “Their torment is as a lake of fire and brimstone, whose flames are unquenchable, and whose smoke ascendeth up forever and ever” (Mosiah 3:27). These phrases directly echo Jacob’s teaching that, speaking of the filthy, “their torment is as a lake of fire and brimstone, whose flame ascendeth up forever and ever and has no end” (2 Nephi 9:16).[13]

As King Benjamin explains to his people how they can avoid this fate and retain a remission of their sins, he exhorts them to “remember, and always retain in remembrance, the greatness of God, and . . . humble yourselves even in the depths of humility, calling on the name of the Lord daily” (Mosiah 4:11).[14] Similarly, Jacob tells his people to “remember the greatness of the Holy One of Israel” and states that those who “come down in the depths of humility” will receive answers to their prayers (2 Nephi 9:40, 42).

In two instances Benjamin utilizes Jacob’s words to contrast points Jacob had made. Benjamin says, “Consider on the blessed and happy state of those that keep the commandments of God. If they hold out faithful to the end they are received into heaven, that thereby they may dwell with God in a state of never-ending happiness. O remember, remember that these things are true; for the Lord God hath spoken it” (Mosiah 2:41). This text is similar to Jacob’s, although Jacob’s words represent the opposite end of the spectrum: “If they will not repent and . . . endure to the end, they must be damned; for the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel, has spoken it” (2 Nephi 9:24). Where Benjamin speaks of “the righteous,” Jacob tells of those who will “not repent.” Benjamin refers to those who “hold out faithful to the end,” while Jacob talks about those who will “not . . . endure to the end.” Benjamin speaks of “a state of never ending happiness” in contrast to Jacob’s reference to the “damned.” By using antonyms, Benjamin may have been juxtaposing the happiness that awaits the righteous with the damnation Jacob spoke of that awaits those who do not repent.

A second example of what appears to be textual contrasting occurs between Mosiah 3:19 and 2 Nephi 9:39. Benjamin[15] teaches, “For the natural man is an enemy to God, and has been from the fall of Adam, and will be, forever and ever, unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and putteth off the natural man and becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord” (Mosiah 3:19). By yielding to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, one can overcome the natural man. In contrast, Jacob explains, “Remember . . . the awfulness of yielding to the enticings of that cunning one. Remember, to be carnally-minded is death” (2 Nephi 9:39).

It seems that this word choice must have been intentional (all variants of the words yield and entice appear together only in these two verses). Yielding to the enticings of the Spirit leads to becoming a saint. Yielding to the enticings of Satan leads to death. Jacob refers to the “awfulness” of yielding to the devil, while Benjamin associates words such as “patient” and “full of love” with yielding to the Spirit. Thus Benjamin turns Jacob’s statement about the awful consequences of yielding to the enticings of the devil into a positive statement about yielding to the enticings of the Spirit.

In addition to the textual allusions noted above, there are additional echoes that, while lacking specific textual similarities, demonstrate important doctrinal connections between 2 Nephi 9 and Mosiah 2–5. Jacob was the first to explain that “the atonement satisfieth the demands of his justice upon all those who have not the law given to them” (2 Nephi 9:26). This doctrine is not stated before or after in the Book of Mormon until King Benjamin states that Christ’s “blood atoneth for the sins of those . . . who have died not knowing the will of God concerning them” (Mosiah 3:11).[16] Thus Benjamin echoes not only the sterner portions of Jacob’s message but also those pertaining to the Savior’s Atonement.

The connection on the important point of redemption for those without law is strengthened when we see that after teaching this principle, both Jacob and Benjamin provide a warning for those who know better. Jacob states, “Wo unto him that has the law given, yea, that has all the commandments of God, like unto us, and that transgresseth them, and that wasteth the days of his probation, for awful is his state!” (2 Nephi 9:27). Similarly, King Benjamin says, “But wo, wo unto him who knoweth that he rebelleth against God! For salvation cometh to none such except it be through repentance and faith on the Lord Jesus Christ” (Mosiah 3:12).

Another doctrinal connection between the two sermons concerns the name of the Messiah. Jacob was the first recorded person in the Book of Mormon to reveal that the name of the Redeemer would be “Christ” (2 Nephi 10:3). Jacob recounts that his information came from an angel. Nephi later expands on this, stating that the prophetic word, as well as the word of an angel, had revealed that the Savior’s name would be “Jesus Christ, the Son of God” (2 Nephi 25:19). Based on the word of an angel, Benjamin further develops this revelation, stating that the Lord will be called “Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Father of heaven and earth, the Creator of all things from the beginning” (Mosiah 3:8).

From the foregoing, it appears Benjamin utilized Jacob’s words in 2 Nephi 9 in the creation of his final address to his people. It’s possible that Benjamin was simply influenced by Jacob’s language as he studied Jacob’s words in preparation for his own discourse. But could there be another reason that this speech might have particularly interested Benjamin?

John W. Welch has pointed out that Benjamin faced the difficult task of unifying two groups of people—the Nephites and Mulekites. These two distinctive groups had different ancestry, language, and customs and had only recently united (see Omni 1:17–19). Welch writes, “The key function achieved by Benjamin’s speech was to bring the entire population—both Nephites and Mulekites—under a single covenant of loyalty to God and to Mosiah, the new king.”[17]

While the exact circumstances of Jacob’s address in 2 Nephi 6–10 are unknown, Brant Gardner speculates that Jacob was teaching a combined group of people, some of whom were Nephites; others who were indigenous people with whom the Nephites had come in contact.[18] Gardner believes that the way Jacob structured his speech can be seen as a way of including indigenous peoples as part of the Nephite covenant people. If this were the case, it would add relevance as to why King Benjamin would find meaning in Jacob’s words. Perhaps Benjamin saw himself faced with the task of devising a speech intended to unify two distinct groups, and so he turned to Jacob, who had earlier done something similar.

Case 3: Jacob and Moroni

Moroni, the final author of the Book of Mormon, has been noted as one who is fond of alluding to previous Book of Mormon writers.[19] Moroni frequently employs phrases like ones stated by Jacob, and there are at least nine phrases that are exclusively used (or nearly so) by Jacob and Moroni. These allusions may be the most important ones in this chapter because the only people for which Moroni could have been making them is his latter-day audience—us. These connections are summarized in table 7.3.

Table 7.3. Moroni’s allusions to Jacob.

Five of these allusions come from Moroni’s first farewell message that appears in Mormon 8–9. Moroni chastises future readers, asking, “Why do ye adorn yourselves with that which hath no life, and yet suffer the hungry, and the needy, and the naked, and the sick and the afflicted to pass by you, and notice them not?” (Mormon 8:39). Perhaps Moroni intentionally alludes to Jacob’s words to illustrate to latter-day readers that they are like former-day materialistic Nephites. It may be that Moroni wanted us to see that Jacob’s counsel regarding riches still applies: “Ye will seek [riches] for the intent to do good—to clothe the naked, and to feed the hungry, and to liberate the captive, and administer relief to the sick and the afflicted” (Jacob 2:18–19).

Moroni continues his rebuke to modern readers, stating, “When ye shall be brought to see your nakedness before God , . . . it will kindle a flame of unquenchable fire upon you. O then . . . cry mightily unto the Father . . . that perhaps ye may be found spotless, pure, fair, and white” (Mormon 9:5–6). Jacob also discussed the dread that would come to those who had to stand before God in their sins. He said, “I fear that unless ye shall repent of your sins that their skins will be whiter than yours, when ye shall be brought with them before the throne of God” (Jacob 3:8).

Moroni may echo Jacob in these passages because he wants modern readers to prepare for the Judgment. He later follows Jacob in outlining a series of events—death, resurrection, and final judgment. Table 7.4 demonstrates how within two verses there are multiple relationships (both conceptual and textual) between Moroni’s and Jacob’s words.

Table 7.4. Relationships between Mormon 9:13–14 and 2 Nephi 9:15–16.

Both prophets state that because of Christ all men will be resurrected and be judged of God. Both teach that the Judgment will be a restoration of what we already are. Moroni’s use of Jacob’s words adds a second witness to his own and shifts Jacob’s testimony forward in time, reiterating its relevance to modern readers—after all, Jacob’s words were primarily directed at people of his own day, whereas Moroni is clearly speaking to a modern audience. Perhaps Moroni was merely influenced by Jacob’s words; however, it is also possible that these consistent allusions to Jacob are Moroni’s way of urging his readers to go back to the beginning and read Jacob’s words more carefully, with a renewed understanding that they are intended for latter-day readers.

As Moroni turns his attention toward the miraculous power of God, he again alludes to Jacob. Moroni uses Jacob’s teachings about the power of God to illustrate that miracles can continue in the present time. Table 7.5 illustrates several connections between Moroni’s and Jacob’s words.

Table 7.5. Relationships between Mormon 9:16–17 and Jacob 4:8–9.

Another of Moroni’s allusions to Jacob comes in Ether 8 as Moroni discusses the evils of secret combinations. He states that “[secret combinations are] built up by the devil, who is the father of all lies;[20] even that same liar who beguiled our first parents, yea, even that same liar who hath caused man to commit murder from the beginning” (Ether 8:25). Similarly, Jacob speaks of secret combinations,[21] stating that the wicked “become devils, angels to a devil, to be shut out from the presence of our God, and to remain with the father of lies, in misery, like unto himself; yea, to that being who beguiled our first parents . . . and stirreth up the children of men unto secret combinations of murder” (2 Nephi 9:9). Perhaps by alluding to Jacob’s stern words (which include the context of dwelling eternally with Satan), Moroni hoped to underscore the serious dangers of secret combinations to modern readers.

Three final allusions to Jacob appear in Moroni’s last words. Moroni writes, “Wo unto them who . . . die in their sins, and they cannot be saved” (Moroni 10:26). As with Nephi and King Benjamin, Moroni alludes to the tenth of Jacob’s ten woes: “Wo unto all those who die in their sins” (2 Nephi 9:38).

In his final verse, Moroni says, “And now I bid unto all, farewell. I soon go to rest in the paradise of God, until my spirit and body shall again reunite” (Moroni 10:34). Moroni’s imminent death must have made these words from Jacob increasingly relevant: “O how great the plan of our God! For on the other hand, the paradise of God must deliver up the spirits of the righteous, and the grave deliver up the body of the righteous; and the spirit and the body is restored to itself again” (2 Nephi 9:13). It may be that Moroni found comfort in a phrase Jacob had uttered nearly one thousand years earlier.

One last allusion to Jacob’s words is found in Moroni’s final phrase. Moroni says, “[I will] meet you before the pleasing bar of the great Jehovah. . . . Amen” (Moroni 10:34), echoing an earlier farewell from Jacob: “I shall meet you before the pleasing bar of God. . . . Amen” (Jacob 6:13). I wonder if Moroni felt a special kinship with Jacob. Just as Jacob stood in the giant shadow of his mighty older brother Nephi, perhaps Moroni felt small compared to Mormon and looked to Jacob for guidance on how to play the role of the junior author. Moreover, Moroni likely identified with Jacob’s words in Jacob 7:26 (“We being a lonesome and a solemn people, wanderers, cast out from Jerusalem, born in tribulation, in a wilderness, and hated of our brethren . . .”) in ways that Jacob may not have fully foreseen.

By frequently quoting from Jacob, Moroni applies Jacob’s words to modern readers. Jacob originally spoke to Nephites, and it isn’t clear that his words were specifically intended for the present day. But by using phrases such as “the naked and . . . the sick and the afflicted” and “the righteous shall be righteous still . . . [and the] filthy shall be filthy still,” Moroni brings images from the sermons from Jacob 2 and 2 Nephi 9 directly to the latter-day readers. His frequent allusions reinforce the importance of Jacob’s words for readers in the latter days.

Therefore, What?

Jacob is a key figure in the Book of Mormon, and his words had a lasting impact. As discussed in chapter 2, Jacob appears to have a distinctive voice in the Book of Mormon, increasing the probability that later prophets were referring to his actual words. Nephi used Jacob’s teachings to underscore the serious consequences of sin. He also may have emphasized Jacob’s words to pave the way for Jacob’s succession as the spiritual leader of his people and provide a second witness for his teachings. King Benjamin may have employed Jacob’s words to provide both doctrinal and structural underpinnings for his address. In addition, he might have seen similarities between the needs of his audience and those originally addressed by Jacob. Moroni frequently quotes from Jacob, perhaps out of general familiarity with his words, feelings of kinship, or a desire to shift Jacob’s words forward in time, urging us to carefully return to Jacob’s words.

In this chapter I have focused on Jacob’s textual legacy in terms of how it was utilized by Nephi, King Benjamin, and Moroni, and they are not the only ones who employ Jacob’s phrases.[22] Taken together, these multiple allusions to Jacob suggest that his words were well known and employed among the Nephites centuries after his death. Although more work remains to explore how doctrines, concepts, and phrases first employed by Jacob are later alluded to by later Book of Mormon prophets, this chapter underscores the fact that, while we may have seen him as standing in Nephi’s shadow, Jacob was a powerful literary figure in the Book of Mormon. His words influenced not only future generations of modern readers but also later prophets and people in his own dispensation.

Writing about Jacob, John S. Tanner wrote, “No other Book of Mormon author uses the term dread. No one else uses lonesome, nor can I imagine any other Book of Mormon author writing ‘our lives passed away like as it were unto us a dream,’ or ‘we did mourn out our days.’ None is so open about anxiety, none so poetic.”[23] If we take Tanner’s picture of Jacob, we see a lonely man, perhaps struggling with depression. How would Jacob have felt toward the end of his life if he had known of the textual influence he would have? Perhaps one lesson from Jacob is that even when we feel to “mourn out our days” (Jacob 7:26), our efforts are not in vain.

For an example of what this might look like in the modern day, imagine an early-morning seminary teacher struggling to reach those she makes diligent efforts to teach. She starts to wonder if her sacrifices are worth it. To such a teacher, President Henry B. Eyring said, “I can promise you this: more than one of [of your students] will in that future day love whatever you love and be loyal to what you are loyal. And that could come from just one class on one day, even a day in February. You are doing more good than you know.”[24] Surely the statement “You are doing more good than you know” applied to Jacob in his labors and can similarly apply in ours.

The same can be said to parents striving to teach their children only to have them step off the path for a time, or to a ministering brother/sister who reaches out to help another only to get rejected. Jacob teaches us that the impact we make is often not seen in the moment, but rather heard and felt in time. As we faithfully serve the Lord, our efforts will be echoed in the hearts of those we love in his time and in his way. Whether that is sooner or later, we are doing more good than we know.

Notes

[1] This chapter is adapted from John Hilton III, “Jacob’s Textual Legacy,” Journal of the Book of Mormon and Other Restoration Scripture 22, no. 2 (2013): 52–65. Used with permission.

[2] The present chapter deals with allusions made by Nephi, King Benjamin, and Moroni. These are not the only prophets that share a connection with Jacob. For example, Joseph M. Spencer points out connections between Jacob and Abinadi, stating, “Abinadi is Jacob’s unquestionable doctrinal heir” (An Other Testament: On Typology [Salem, OR: Salt Press, 2012], 134). Samuel the Lamanite also draws on Jacob (and others), as discussed in chapter 11.

[3] Nephi explicitly tells us that he is quoting from Jacob in 2 Nephi 6–10 (see 2 Nephi 6:1).

[4] An interesting difference between the two statements is Jacob’s focus on wealth, versus Nephi’s focus on pride. Jacob states, “Wo unto the rich who are rich as to the things of the world” (2 Nephi 9:30), not explicitly drawing any distinction between the wealthy who are caught up in pride and the wealthy who use their means to bless humanity. Later, however, Jacob will warn “they that are rich, who are puffed up . . . because of their riches” (2 Nephi 9:42).

[5] The 2013 text of 2 Nephi 28:23 states, “They are grasped with death, and hell; and death, and hell, and the devil . . .” Royal Skousen notes that “the current text here in 2 Nephi 28:23 seems to involve a textual dittography. The original manuscript is not extant here, but it appears that Oliver Cowdery repeated the words "death and hell and" as he copied from the original manuscript into the printer’s manuscript.” Royal Skousen, Analysis of Textual Variants of the Book of Mormon: Part Two; 2 Nephi 11–Mosiah 16 (Provo, UT: FARMS, 2005), 873. Based in part on 2 Nephi 9:19, 26, Skousen recommends removing the first death and hell and in this sentence. This emendation only strengthens the textual connection between Jacob’s and Nephi’s words.

[6] Hell appears eight times in 2 Nephi 9, followed by five times in 2 Nephi 28, indicating another connection between the chapters. In addition, only one chapter in all scripture (Alma 12) has as many references to “death.” Of course, these chapter breaks were not part of the original text, and some chapters are longer than others; thus this is meant to be an approximate comparison, not a precise one.

[7] The textual connections between King Benjamin and Jacob are particularly interesting when considering the order of translation. It appears that Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery began their translation efforts with the early chapters of Mosiah in April of 1829. They then translated 2 Nephi after they arrived in Fayette, New York, in June of 1829. Given that translation witnesses said Joseph never referred to notes, other texts, or previous translations, it is inconceivable that Joseph, if he were the author of the Book of Mormon, could create such similarities between these two sermons when they were about as far removed in translation time as they could be. See John W. Welch, “Timing the Translation of the Book of Mormon: ‘Days [and Hours] Never to Be Forgotten,’” BYU Studies Quarterly 57, no. 4 (2018): 10–50.

[8] Later references to the phrase in the Book of Mormon may be allusions to Jacob or Benjamin (or both).

[9] Note that the phrase is used twice in quick succession by both Jacob and Benjamin.

[10] Another connection with Jacob’s words comes from Jacob 2:2, in which Jacob says that he is speaking to the people so that “I might rid my garments of your sins.”

[11] Note that in Mosiah 3:23 it may be the angel speaking as opposed to King Benjamin.

[12] King Benjamin is quoting the Lord in this passage.

[13] An even stronger connection with these verses may be in Jacob 6:10.

[14] The phrase “retain in remembrance” in this verse may be an allusion to Jacob 1:11.

[15] At this point in the text, Benjamin appears to be quoting the angel who spoke to him.

[16] Abinadi (who likely spoke before King Benjamin chronologically) also alludes to this principle in Mosiah 15:24–25.

[17] John W. Welch, “Benjamin, the Man: His Place in Nephite History,” in King Benjamin’s Speech: “That Ye May Learn Wisdom,” ed. Stephen D. Ricks and John W. Welch, 48–49.

[18] See Brant Gardner, Second Witness: Analytical and Contextual Commentary on the Book of Mormon, vol. 2, Second Nephi through Jacob (Salt Lake City: Greg Kofford Books, 2007), vol. 2.

[19] See Grant Hardy, Understanding the Book of Mormon (New York: Oxford University Press, 2010), 250–63.

[20] The phrase father of all lies also appears in 2 Nephi 2:18 and Moses 4:4. The statement father of lies is used only by Jacob, in 2 Nephi 9:9.

[21] Jacob is the first individual in the Book of Mormon to use the phrase secret combinations.

[22] For example, Samuel the Lamanite also draws on Jacob (and others) in his speech (see chapter 11 herein).

[23] John S. Tanner, “Jacob and His Descendants as Authors,” in Rediscovering the Book of Mormon, ed. John L. Sorenson and Melvin J. Thorne (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book; Provo, UT: FARMS, 1991), 66; emphasis in original.

[24] Henry B. Eyring, “Love and Loyalty,” introduction to Jeffrey R. Holland, “Our Consuming Mission” (address to Church Educational System religious educators, February 5, 1999).