The Israelite Background of Moses Typology in the Book of Mormon

Authors

Noel B. Reynolds, Brigham Young University - ProvoFollow

Keywords

Moses, Biblical leader, Exodus, Typology, Theology, Book of Mormon, Criticism, interpretation

Abstract

Nephi tells the story of the founding events of the Nephite people in such a way that his readers will see him as a second Moses. Although Nephi's use of the Moses typology has been previously noted, what has not been noticed before is that his father, Lehi, also employs this same typology in his farewell address in 2 Nephi 1-4 in order to persuade his descendants of his own divine calling and of their new covenant relationship to the same God who had given the promised land to ancient Israel. The fact that Nephi and Lehi both saw themselves as Moses figures demonstrates their awareness of a recognizable feature of preexilic Israelite literature that has only recently been explicated by Bible scholars.

Recommended Citation

Reynolds, Noel B. (2005) "The Israelite Background of Moses Typology in the Book of Mormon," BYU Studies Quarterly: Vol. 44: Iss. 2, Article 2.
Available at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/byusq/vol44/iss2/2