Nephi₃

Nephi₃ was the eldest son of Nephi₂. He was given responsibility for all the Nephite records in 1 B.C. (3 Ne. 1:2). Because of his great faith and his concern for his people, he was told by the voice of Jesus the day before Jesus' birth that the Savior would be born "on the morrow" (3 Ne. 1:13). Later, he consolidated, led, and defended the righteous, moving them to the land Bountiful. He survived the destructions occurring in the Western Hemisphere at the Savior's death (3 Ne. 8—9) and was the first to whom the resurrected Christ gave the power to baptize (3 Ne. 11:18—21). He served as the leading disciple in the Church spoken of in this part of the Book of Mormon and saw his people enjoy years of peace and righteousness.

Bibliography

Arnold, Marilyn. "The Nephi We Tend to Forget." Ensign 8 (Jan. 1978): 68—71.

Melvin J. Thorne