pgs. 14 and 15...I have dreamed a dream; or, in other words I have seen a vision.

CHAPTER 8

Lehi sees a vision of the tree of life—He partakes of its fruit and desires his family to do likewise—He sees a rod of iron, a strait and narrow path, and the mists of darkness that enshroud men—Sariah, Nephi, and Sam partake of the fruit, but Laman and Lemuel refuse. Between 600 and 592 B.C.

1 And it came to pass that we had gathered together all manner of ^aseeds of every kind, both of grain of every kind, and also of the seeds of fruit of every kind.

2 And it came to pass that while my father tarried in the wilderness he spake unto us, saying: Behold, I have ^adreamed a dream; or, in other words, I have ^bseen a ^cvision.

3 And behold, because of the thing which I have seen, I have reason to rejoice in the Lord because of ^aNephi and also of Sam; for I have reason to suppose that they, and also many of their seed, will be saved.

4 But behold, ^aLaman and Lemuel, I fear exceedingly because of you; for behold, methought I saw in my dream, a dark and dreary wilderness.

5 And it came to pass that I saw a ^aman, and he was dressed in a white ^brobe; and he came and stood before me.

6 And it came to pass that he spake unto me, and bade me follow him.

7 And it came to pass that as I followed him I beheld myself that I was in a dark and dreary waste.

8 And after I had traveled for the space of many hours in darkness, I began to pray unto the Lord that he would have ^amercy on me, according to the multitude of his tender mercies.

9 And it came to pass after I had prayed unto the Lord I beheld a large and spacious ^afield.

10 And it came to pass that I beheld a ^atree, whose ^bfruit was desirable to make one ^chappy.

11 And it came to pass that I did go forth and partake of the ^afruit thereof; and I beheld that it was most sweet, above all that I ever before tasted. Yea, and I beheld that the fruit thereof was white, to exceed all the ^bwhiteness that I had ever seen.

12 And as I partook of the fruit thereof it filled my soul with exceedingly great ^ajoy; wherefore, I began to be ^bdesirous that my family should partake of it also; for I knew that it was ^cdesirable above all other fruit.

13 And as I cast my eyes round about, that perhaps I might discover my family also, I beheld a ^ariver of water; and it ran along, and it was near the tree of which I was partaking the fruit.

14 And I looked to behold from whence it came; and I saw the head thereof a little way off; and at the head thereof I beheld your mother Sariah, and Sam, and ^aNephi; and they stood as if they knew not whither they should go.

15 And it came to pass that I beckoned unto them; and I also did say unto them with a loud voice that they should come unto me, and partake of the fruit, which was desirable above all other fruit.

16 And it came to pass that they did come unto me and partake of the fruit also.

17 And it came to pass that I was desirous that Laman and Lemuel should come and partake of the fruit also; wherefore, I cast mine eyes towards the head of the river, that perhaps I might see them.

18 And it came to pass that I saw them, but they would ^anot come unto me and partake of the fruit.

19 And I beheld a ^arod of iron, and it extended along the bank of the river, and led to the tree by which I stood.

20 And I also beheld a ^astrait and narrow path, which came along by the rod of iron, even to the tree by which I stood; and it also led by the head of the fountain, unto a large and spacious field, as if it had been a ^bworld.

21 And I saw numberless concourses of people, many of whom were ^apressing forward, that they might obtain the ^bpath which led unto the tree by which I stood.

22 And it came to pass that they did come forth, and commence in the path which led to the tree.

23 And it came to pass that there arose a ^amist of darkness; yea, even an exceedingly great mist of darkness, insomuch that they who had commenced in the path did lose their way, that they wandered off and were ^blost.

24 And it came to pass that I beheld others pressing forward, and they came forth and caught hold of the end of the rod of iron; and they did press forward through the mist of darkness, ^aclinging to the rod of iron, even until they did come forth and partake of the ^bfruit of the tree.

25 And after they had partaken of the fruit of the tree they did cast their eyes about as if they were ^aashamed.

26 And I also cast my eyes round about, and beheld, on the ^aother side of the river of water, a great and ^bspacious building; and it stood as it were in the ^cair, high above the earth.

27 And it was filled with people, both old and young, both male and female; and their manner of dress was exceedingly fine; and they were in the ^aattitude of ^bmocking and pointing their fingers towards those who had come at and were partaking of the fruit.

28 And after they had ^atasted of the fruit they were ^bashamed, because of those that were ^cscoffing at them; and they ^dfell away into forbidden paths and were lost.

29 And now I, Nephi, do not speak ^aall the words of my father.

30 But, to be short in writing, behold, he saw other multitudes pressing forward; and they came and caught hold of the end of the ^arod of iron; and they did press their way forward, continually holding fast to the rod of iron, until they came forth and fell down and partook of the fruit of the tree.



Lehi's dream is widely taught and discussed in the church. It is loved and treasured for it's rich symbolism and the "iron rod" and the "strait and narrow path" are common expressions used in talks, lessons and music. I have seen many beautiful paintings, carvings and even quilts and needlepoints that portray its imagery. One of my favorites is by Minerva Teichert and if you ever get the chance to attend the Newport Beach Temple you can see it there.

Lehi's Dream seems a lot like a parable to me in the sense that there are so many levels of meaning in it. This chart below shows some of the symbols and their common interpretations.

Symbol	Interpretation	Examples Given
Dark and dreary waste (8:7)
Large and spacious field (8:9, 20)	The world (8:20)
Tree (8:10); also called “tree of life” (11:25; 15:21–22)	Love of God (11:21–22)	The coming of the Son of God (11:13–22)
The fruit of the tree (8:11–12)
River of water (8:13); also called “fountain of filthy water” (12:16)	Hell and the depths thereof (12:16; 15:26–36)	Wickedness and war
Rod of iron (8:19)	The word of God (11:25; 15:23–25)	The ministry of the Son of God (11:24–25)
Mist of darkness (8:23)	Temptations of the devil (12:17)	Apostasy, wickedness, war, the great abominable church, plain and precious things removed from the scriptures (12:19–23; 13:1–9, 20–29)
Great and spacious building (8:26)	The pride, wisdom, and vain imaginations of the world (11:35–36, 12:18)	The persecution of the Son of God and those who followed him (11:26–36)

(Adapted from Daniel H. Ludlow, A Companion to Your Study of the Book of Mormon, p. 101.)


This time reading it I was especially touched by verse 12 when Lehi tastes the fruit and "it fills his soul with joy" and then in the very same sentence he thinks of his family and his desire to share it with them. I wonder if this amazing love Lehi shows for his children is a symbol for the love Heavenly Father has for each of us.