As we study 1 Nephi 8–10 this week, the Come
Follow Me manual invites us to create a chart pairing five symbols from
Lehi’s dream with the meaning of that symbol, and consider questions to ponder
about each symbol. Many readers are of course aware that Nephi has a vision
that offers expansive interpretations of the many symbols, and the manual
encourages us to read passages from the vision while doing this exercise. There
is also extensive modern commentary on the dream from General Authorities and
religious educators. All of those are wonderful resources.
Here, I’d like to offer some ancient Israelite and Near
Eastern perspectives on the main five symbols of Lehi’s dream, not as a
replacement of the interpretations by Nephi or modern commentators, but as a
complimentary supplement—something additional to consider and ponder. In many
cases, these ancient perspectives actually support the interpretations by Nephi,
or at least help us understand how he deciphered the symbolism put before him
by his angelic guide.
As you read Lehi’s dream this week, I hope these ancient
perspectives can enhance both your understanding of the dream as Lehi
experienced it and your own effort to experience the dream and apply its
symbolism to your own life and circumstances.
1. The Tree and Its Fruit
The tree of life, or sacred tree (also called “world tree”
by some cultures) is one of the most universal symbols in antiquity throughout
the world. Virtually every culture has a tree of life symbol. In ancient
Israel, the menorah was a symbol of the tree of life, representing an almond
tree, which bloomed with radiant white blossoms in the spring. Other
iconographic depictions of the tree of life in the ancient Near East portray it
as the date palm tree, while others represent it is a white cypress (even
though cypress is usually a very dark tree). Other sources describe the tree as
bright and fiery, like the sun. It’s fruit, in one source, is described as
being like “white grapes.”
The tree in Lehi’s dream is given a similar description:
- the beauty [of the tree] was far beyond, yea, exceeding of all beauty
- the whiteness thereof did exceed the whiteness of the driven snow.
- the tree … is precious above all. (1 Nephi 11:8)
As is the fruit:
- [the] fruit was desirable to make one happy.
- it was most sweet, above all that I ever before tasted.
- the fruit thereof was white, to exceed all the whiteness that I had ever seen.
- [eating the fruit] filled my soul with exceedingly great joy (1 Nephi 8:10–12)
In the ancient Near East, the
tree of life was commonly associated with a goddess regarded as the “mother
of the gods/sons of god.” In early Israelite religion this was manifest in a
Heavenly Mother figure known as Asherah, who was not only the mother of
divine beings in the heavenly council, but was also regarded as the mother of
the Davidic king—i.e., the Messiah. (Belief in such a Heavenly Mother figure is
no problem for Latter-day Saints.)
Nephi’s vision actually reflects this understanding in an
interesting way. When he asks the meaning of the tree, he is shown a virgin,
who eventually bears a child her arms—a child identified as the Son of God and
Messiah (1 Nephi 11:9–23). Compare Nephi’s description of the virgin to that of
the tree and its fruit:
- she was exceedingly fair and white.
- most beautiful and fair above all other virgins. (1 Nephi 11:13, 15)
And the virgin is identified as “the mother of [the Son of]
God, after the manner of the flesh” (1 Nephi 11:18, brackets added in
1837). As Daniel C. Peterson has pointed out,
Nephi appears to have transferred the tree of life imagery and symbolism of the
Messiah’s divine mother and applied it to the Messiah’s earthly
mother—Mary. The fruit of the tree, then, is quite naturally the fruit
of Mary’s womb—the divine Messianic child, Jesus of Nazareth.
Hence, Nephi is able to understand that the tree and its
fruit represent the “love of God,” embodied in God the Son’s condescension as a
defenseless child to a mortal mother in humble circumstances (1 Nephi (1 Nephi
11:16–22).
2. The River
Lehi sees a river of water running near by the tree (1 Nephi
8:13). In the real world Lehi was traveling through at this time—ancient
Arabia—rivers
ran through deep, often narrow canyons or gorges known as wadis,
which if encountered from a top the mountains were typically impassable
divides. Indeed, the river-valley he was camping in at the time, known as the
“Valley of Lemuel” was likely one of these wadis. Most of these wadis only had
flowing water in them during (and immediately after) the rainy season, but the
heavy rains combined with the narrowness of the canyons frequently turned these
wadis into torrents of filthy, muddy water which quickly swept away anybody
caught in their deep and rapid flows of mud and debris.
Its no wonder, then, that when Nephi saw this same river, he
saw a river of filthiness, forming an impenetrable gulf between the righteous
and the wicked, and representing the depths of hell (1 Nephi 12:16, 18;
15:26–29).
3. The Rod of Iron
Lehi also sees a rod of iron leading to the tree (1 Nephi
8:19). Modern readers typically envision this as a railing of some sort. But
railings are rare in the ancient world. Instead, scholars have suggested this
was more like a staff or scepter. It maybe hard to imagine a staff or scepter
extending a long a path and leading people who grab hold of it forward to the
tree, but just remember that this is a dream—sometimes things are
strange and unusual in dreams.
In the ancient Near East, rods were symbols of
authority (e.g., like the king’s scepter), but they could also take on the guiding
or shepherding, such as the shepherd’s staff. Hence, in Lehi’s dream,
the rod leads and guides people to the tree (1 Nephi 8:19), as Margaret Barker
observed. It’s also interesting, however, that Nephi understands the meaning
of the rod after witnessing people fall down and worship Jesus
Christ (1 Nephi 11:24)—hence reflecting the rod as a symbol of authority or
rulership.
Indeed, whether it was the king or the Lord, they ruled by their word.
Thus, as John Thompson pointed out, Nephi understands from the scene of
worshipers at the feet of the Son of God that the iron rod is the authoritative
word of God (1 Nephi 11:25). In fact, in ancient Egyptian, the words for rod
and word are identical and thus the association likely represents a
wordplay on Nephi’s part.
4. The Mist of Darkness
Lehi also saw a “mist of darkness” settle in over the scene,
and obscure the path for all who failed to grab hold of the rod (1 Nephi 8:21–24).
Like the filthy river, this is an element of the real world Lehi was traveling
in. Near the coasts of Arabia—where Lehi was at that moment encamped—foggy,
dusty mists were known to emerge and obscure the path of travelers. This was
especially common during the monsoon season (the same time the rivers were
flooded and filthy).
Hugh Nibley
wrote that according to the Arabian poets, “the culminating horror is
almost always a ‘mist of darkness,’ a depressing mixture of dust, and clammy
fog, which, added to the night, completes the confusion of any who wander in
the waste.” It’s not hard to imagine the terror of wandering blind through barren
desert wilderness through thick fog or mist, not knowing where to find food, clean
water, and shelter, especially with the added risk of falling into the deep
ravines and torrential mud flows talked about above.
This terrifying reality would have driven home for Lehi just
how hopeless and lost those who turned away from the guiding rod were. Trying
to grope their way in the darkness, the wound up on “forbidden paths” (1 Nephi
8:28).
5. The Great and Spacious Building
Finally, Lehi sees a “great and spacious building” which
looks like it is “in the air, high above the earth” (1 Nephi 8:26). In this
case, there are two interesting interpretations based on Lehi’s real world. One
possibility, originally
suggested by Hugh Nibley, was that Lehi was seeing a tall, multistoried building
like those known in southern Arabia. Skyscrapers of the
ancient world, the setting of these buildings in cities positioned in the
opening of wadis where the filthy flood waters and foggy mists already
mentioned would come sweeping through, complements the other real world features
of Lehi’s dream, making it easy to imagine the whole dream set outside in
fields from one of these south Arabian cities.
Another possibility suggested by some scholars is that it
was actually Solomon’s temple, being run at the time by corrupt and apostate
priests (at least from Lehi’s perspective). The Hebrew term hekal
frequently used for the temple can also refer to a palace and essentially means
“a large public building,” such as the “great and spacious building” of Lehi’s
dream. The people in the building wearing “exceedingly fine” clothing—reminiscent
of the priestly garments, frequently described as “fine” in the Old Testament.
If the temple is, indeed, what Lehi saw as the “great and
spacious building,” then it would have confirmed to him that the people of
Jerusalem, including the temple priests, were in a state of apostasy and ripe
for destruction.
Concluding Thoughts
There is a lot more that could be said about each of these
symbols and the ancient world in which Lehi lived, along with some of the
additional symbols of Lehi’s dream such as the “dark
and dreary waste,” and the “great and spacious field.” But I hope these abbreviated
remarks about these five symbols are helpful as you study Lehi’s dream this week
and ponder over both it’s universal meaning and appeal and it’s personal
application to your own life and circumstances.
Amanda - I need to thank you in writing for your thorough and enlightened comments and descriptions. I love the historical context which makes it more alive and understandable. Having traveled to these areas myself, I can see the places, feel the sand and relate to the way you interpret it. Thank you for taking the time. Love, Sister Miller (we are not in Montreal after all but in Beautiful Nova Scotia!)
ReplyDeleteMy apologies to you, Mr. Author! I did not connect the dots very well. I owe you thanks and not Amanda. In any case, I love reading your blog. Elder Miller and I appreciate your great efforts. Keep writing!
ReplyDeleteOne of the absolute best blogs/commentaries of the Tree of Life I've ever read. I made so many notes. Very inspiring, and eye opening. Thank You.
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