Scripture Block

Jacob 5–7

March 16–22. The Lord Labors With Us.

KnoWhys

Recommended Resources

Learn about the Book of Mormon with verse by verse commentaries from renowned Book of Mormon scholars like John W. Welch and Brant A. Gardner in the ScripturePlus app. Read this week's KnoWhy connected with the Come Follow Me curriculum, and watch a video elucidating an insight in this week's scripture reading.

John W. Welch Notes

Come Follow Me - Jacob 5-7

Allegory of the Olive Tree: Come Follow Me Insights, Jacob 5–7 (Mar 16–22))

Book of Mormon Central

KnoWhy 554

Why Did Jacob Include the Case of Sherem?

Reading Plan

Structure your personal scripture study by following a multimedia, day by day plan. Each day's assignment includes the required scripture passages from the Come Follow Me curriculum, as well as suggestions for additional resources to bring context and understanding to your study. To dive deeper, skip down to Additional Resources for a selected bibliography on this week's chapters. If you are looking to dive deep into your study, skip down to "Additional Resources" for a selected bibliography of articles, books, and chapters on Jacob 5–7.

Monday

Scripture: Jacob 5:1–5
KnoWhy 66: Why Did Jacob Share the Allegory of the Olive Tree?
Chart: Three Trees in the Book of Mormon
Chart: The Allegory of the Olive Tree

Tuesday

Scripture: Jacob 5:6–28
KnoWhy 71: Why Did Zenos Give So Many Details about Raising Good Olives?
KnoWhy 440: Did Prophets Such as Ezekiel Know the Writings of Zenos?

Wednesday

Scripture: Jacob 5:29–50
Quote: “It seems that some among us have this same problem; they want bountiful harvests—both spiritual and temporal—without developing the root system that will yield them. There are far too few who are willing to pay the price, in discipline and work, to cultivate hardy roots. Such cultivation should begin in our youth. Little did I know as a boy that daily chores in the garden, feeding the cattle, carrying the water, chopping the wood, mending fences, and all the labor of a small farm was an important part of sending down roots, before being called on to send out branches. I’m so grateful that my parents understood the relationship between roots and branches. Let us each cultivate deep roots, so that we may secure the desired fruits of our welfare labors.” Kimball, Spencer W. “The Fruit of Our Welfare Services Labors,” General Conference October 1978
Quote: “Looking out on the events of almost any day, God replies: '...Wherefore should not the heavens weep, seeing these shall suffer?' That single, riveting scene does more to teach the true nature of God than any theological treatise could ever convey. It also helps us understand much more emphatically that vivid moment in the Book of Mormon allegory of the olive tree, when after digging and dunging, watering and weeding, trimming, pruning, transplanting, and grafting, the great Lord of the vineyard throws down his spade and his pruning shears and weeps, crying out to any who would listen, 'What could I have done more for my vineyard?' What an indelible image of God’s engagement in our lives! What anguish in a parent when His children do not choose Him nor 'the gospel of God' He sent! How easy to love someone who so singularly loves us!” Holland, Jeffrey R. “The Grandeur of God,” General Conference October 2003
Chart: Symbolic Elements in Zenos's Allegory

Thursday

Scripture: Jacob 5:51–70
Quote: “Clearly this at-one-ment is hard, demanding, and, at times, deeply painful work, as the work of redemption always is. There is digging and dunging. There is watering and nourishing and pruning. And there is always the endless approaches to grafting-all to one saving end, that the trees of the vineyard would 'thrive exceedingly' and become 'one body; . . . the fruits [being] equal,'… It has always been the work of Christ (and his disciples) in every dispensation to gather them, heal them, and unite them with their Master.” Holland, Jeffrey R. Christ and the New Covenant. 165-166. Salt Lake City, UT: Deseret Book, 1997.
Quote: “The Savior’s call is to you of the rising generation. He is asking for worthy, prepared, faithful young men and young women who will heed the prophet’s voice, who will step up and say, as the Savior Himself said, ‘Here am I, send me.’ The need has never been greater. The field has never been whiter. You are called to go ‘this last time.’ There is no greater work; there is no greater call than teaching ‘all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.’” Nielson, Brent H. “A Call to the Rising Generation,” General Conference October 2009.
Chart: Personal Applications of Olive Symbolism

Explore Further

KnoWhy 74: Why Do the Authors on the Small Plates Follow a Pattern?

Additional Resources (Bibliography)

Jacob 5

The Allegory of the Olive Tree: The Olive, the Bible, and Jacob 5, Edited by Stephen D. Ricks and John W. Welch. Salt Lake City/Provo, UT: Deseret Book Company/Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies, 1994.

Bamio, José A.. "The Allegory of the Olive Tree: An Instructional Model for Leaders." Religious Educator: Perspectives on the Restored Gospel 16, no. 3 (2015): 142-158.

Belnap, Daniel. ""Ye Shall Have Joy with Me": The Olive Tree, the Lord, and His Servants." Religious Educator: Perspectives on the Restored Gospel 7, no. 1 (2006): 35-51.

Bowen, Matthew L.. ‘I Have Done According to My Will’: Reading Jacob 5 as a Temple Text. The Interpreter Foundation, 2014.

Faulconer, James E.. "The Olive Tree and the Work of God: Jacob 5 and Romans 11." In The Allegory of the Olive Tree, edited by Stephen D. Ricks and John W. Welch, 347-366. Provo, UT/Salt Lake City: Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies/Deseret Book, 1994.

Gillum, Gary P.. "Romans 11:17–24: A Bibliography of Commentaries." In The Allegory of the Olive Tree: The Olive, the Bible, and Jacob 5, edited by Stephen D. Ricks and John W. Welch, 367-372. Provo, UT/Salt Lake City: Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies/Deseret Book, 1994.

Hall, John Franklin. "The Olive in Greco-Roman Religion." In The Allegory of the Olive Tree: The Olive, the Bible, and Jacob 5, edited by Stephen D. Ricks and John W. Welch, 248-261. Provo, UT/Salt Lake City: Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies/Deseret Book, 1994.

Hoskisson, Paul Y.. "The Allegory of the Olive Tree in Jacob." In The Allegory of the Olive Tree: The Olive, the Bible, and Jacob 5, edited by Stephen D. Ricks and John W. Welch, 70-103. Provo, UT/Salt Lake City: Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies/Deseret Book, 1994.

Hoskisson, Paul Y.. "Explicating the Mystery of the Rejected Foundation Stone: The Allegory of the Olive Tree." BYU Studies Quarterly 30, no. 3 (1990): 77-87.

King, Arthur Henry. "Language Themes in Jacob 5: "The Vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel" (Isaiah 5:7)." In The Allegory of the Olive Tree: The Olive, the Bible, and Jacob 5, edited by Stephen D. Ricks and John W. Welch, 140-173. Provo, UT/Salt Lake City: Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies/Deseret Book, 1994.

Madsen, Truman G.. "The Olive Press: A Symbol of Christ." In The Allegory of the Olive Tree: The Olive, the Bible, and Jacob 5, edited by Stephen D. Ricks and John W. Welch, 1-10. Provo, UT/Salt Lake City: Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies/Deseret Book, 1994.

Parry, Donald W.. "Ritual Anointing with Olive Oil in Ancient Israelite Religion." In The Allegory of the Olive Tree: The Olive, the Bible, and Jacob 5, edited by Stephen D. Ricks and John W. Welch, 262-289. Provo, UT/Salt Lake City: Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies/Deseret Book, 1994.

Ricks, Stephen D.. "Olive Culture in the Second Temple Era and Early Rabbinic Period." In The Allegory of the Olive Tree: The Olive, the Bible, and Jacob 5, edited by Stephen D. Ricks and John W. Welch, 460-475. Provo, UT/Salt Lake City: Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies/Deseret Book, 1994.

Seely, David Rolph. "The Allegory of the Olive Tree and the Use of Related Figurative Language in the Ancient Near East and the Old Testament." In The Allegory of the Olive Tree: The Olive, the Bible, and Jacob 5, edited by Stephen D. Ricks and John W. Welch, 290-303. Provo, UT/Salt Lake City: Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies/Deseret Book, 1994.

Skinner, Andrew C.. "Autumn, Olives, and the Atonement." Religious Educator 1, no. 1 (2000): 107-121.

Skousen, Royal. "Jacob 4–6: Substantive Textual Variants between Manuscripts and Editions." In The Allegory of the Olive Tree: The Olive, the Bible, and Jacob 5, edited by Stephen D. Ricks and John W. Welch, 105-139. Provo, UT/Salt Lake City: Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies/Deseret Book, 1994.

Sperry, Sidney B.. "Types of Literature in the Book of Mormon: Allegories, Prayers, Songs, Genealogies." Journal of Book of Mormon Studies 4, no. 1 (1995): 106-118.

Thomas, M. Catherine. "Jacob's Allegory: The Mystery of Christ." In The Allegory of the Olive Tree: The Olive, the Bible, and Jacob 5, edited by Stephen D. Ricks and John W. Welch, 11-20. Provo, UT/Salt Lake City: Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies/Deseret Book, 1994.

Tvedtnes, John A.. "Olive Oil: Symbol of the Holy Ghost." In The Allegory of the Olive Tree: The Olive, the Bible, and Jacob 5, edited by Stephen D. Ricks and John W. Welch, 427-459. Provo, UT/Salt Lake City: Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies/Deseret Book, 1994.

Tvedtnes, John A.. "Vineyard or Olive Orchard?" In The Allegory of the Olive Tree: The Olive, the Bible, and Jacob 5, edited by Stephen D. Ricks and John W. Welch, 477-483. Provo, UT/Salt Lake City: Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies/Deseret Book, 1994.

Underwood, Grant. "Jacob 5 in the Nineteenth Century." In The Allegory of the Olive Tree: The Olive, the Bible, and Jacob 5, edited by Stephen D. Ricks and John W. Welch, 50-69. Provo, UT/Salt Lake City: Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies/Deseret Book, 1994.

Welch, John W., and Greg Welch. The Allegory of the Olive Tree. Provo, UT: Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies, 1999.

Welch, John W., and Greg Welch. Personal Applications of Olive Symbolism. Provo, UT: Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies, 1999.

Welch, John W., and Greg Welch. Three Trees in the Book of Mormon In Charting the Book of Mormon. Provo, UT: Book of Mormon Central, 1999.

Welch, John W., and Greg Welch. Contents of the Plates of Brass. Provo, UT: Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies, 1999.

Welch, John W.. "Words and Phrases in Jacob 5." In The Allegory of the Olive Tree: The Olive, the Bible, and Jacob 5, edited by Stephen D. Ricks and John W. Welch, 174-184. Provo, UT/Salt Lake City: Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies/Deseret Book, 1994.

Jacob 5:1

Book of Mormon Central. “Is Anything Known of the Prophet Zenos Outside of the Book of Mormon? (Jacob 5:1).” KnoWhy 67 (March 31, 2016).

Lambert, L. Gary. Allegory of Zenos In Encyclopedia of Mormonism, Edited by Daniel H. Ludlow. Vol. 1. New York: Macmillan, 1992.

Ludlow, Daniel H.. Zenos In Encyclopedia of Mormonism, Edited by Daniel H. Ludlow. Vol. 4. New York: Macmillan, 1992.

Reynolds, Noel B.. "Nephite Uses and Interpretations of Zenos." In The Allegory of the Olive Tree: The Olive, the Bible, and Jacob 5, edited by Stephen D. Ricks and John W. Welch, 21-49. Provo, UT/Salt Lake City: Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies/Deseret Book, 1994.

Seely, David Rolph, and John W. Welch. "Zenos and the Texts of the Old Testament." In The Allegory of the Olive Tree: The Olive, the Bible, and Jacob 5, edited by Stephen D. Ricks and John W. Welch, 322-346. Provo, UT/Salt Lake City: Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies/Deseret Book, 1994.

Tvedtnes, John A.. "Borrowings from the Parable of Zenos." In The Allegory of the Olive Tree: The Olive, the Bible, and Jacob 5, edited by Stephen D. Ricks and John W. Welch, 373-426. Provo, UT/Salt Lake City: Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies/Deseret Book, 1994.

Welch, John W.. "The Last Words of Cenez and the Book of Mormon." In The Allegory of the Olive Tree: The Olive, the Bible, and Jacob 5, edited by Stephen D. Ricks and John W. Welch, 305-321. Provo, UT/Salt Lake City: Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies/Deseret Book, 1994.

Jacob 5:3

Book of Mormon Central. “What are the Roots of Zenos's Allegory in the Ancient World? (Jacob 5:3).” KnoWhy 70 (April 4, 2016).

Jacob 5:8–10

Book of Mormon Central. “Why Did Zenos Give So Many Details about Raising Good Olives? (Jacob 5:9–10).” KnoWhy 71 (April 5, 2016).

Gee, John, and Daniel C. Peterson. "Graft and Corruption: On Olives and Olive Culture in the Pre-Modern Mediterranean." In The Allegory of the Olive Tree: The Olive, the Bible, and Jacob 5, edited by Stephen D. Ricks and John W. Welch, 186-247. Provo, UT/Salt Lake City: Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies/Deseret Book, 1994.

Hess, Wilford M., Daniel J. Fairbanks, John W. Welch, and Jonathan K. Driggs. "Botanical Aspects of Olive Culture Relevant to Jacob 5." In The Allegory of the Olive Tree: The Olive, the Bible, and Jacob 5, edited by Stephen D. Ricks and John W. Welch, 484-561. Provo, UT/Salt Lake City: Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies/Deseret Book, 1994.

Hess, Wilford M.. "Botantical Comparisons in the Allegory of the Olive Tree." In The Book of Mormon: Jacob Through Words of Mormon, To Learn With Joy, edited by Monte S. Nyman and Charles D. Tate, Jr., 87-102. Provo, UT: Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University, 1990.

Hess, Wilford M.. "Recent Notes About Olives in Antiquity." BYU Studies Quarterly 39, no. 4 (2000): 115-126.

Jacob 5:24

Book of Mormon Central. “Did Prophets Such as Ezekiel Know the Writings of Zenos? (Jacob 5:24).” KnoWhy 440 (June 12, 2018).

Jacob 5:65–66

Larsen, Val. "A Mormon Theodicy: Jacob and the Problem of Evil." Interpreter: A Journal of Mormon Scripture 15 (2015): 239-266.

Jacob 6

Jacob 6:6

Book of Mormon Central. “Why Are Certain Biblical Psalms Used by Book of Mormon Authors? (Jacob 6:6).” KnoWhy 439 (June 7, 2018).

Hilton, III, John. "Old Testament Psalms in the Book of Mormon." In Ascending the Mountain of the Lord: Temple, Praise, and Worship in the Old Testament (2013 Sperry Symposium), 291-311. Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2013.

Jacob 6:13

Skousen, Royal. “The Pleading Bar of God.” Insights: A Window on the Ancient World 24, no. 4 (2004): 2–3.

Jacob 7

Boyce, Duane. "Reclaiming Jacob." Interpreter: A Journal of Mormon Scripture 22 (2016): 107-129.

Boyce, Duane. "Jacob Did Not Make a False Prediction." Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship 33 (2019): 161-174.

Boyce, Duane. "Text as Afterthought: Jana Riess’s Treatment of the Jacob-Sherem Episode ." Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship 33 (2019): 123-140.

Christensen, Kevin. "Light and Perspective: Essays from the Mormon Theology Seminar on 1 Nephi 1 and Jacob 7." Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship 31 (2019): 25-70.

Clark, John L.. "Painting Out the Messiah: The Theologies of Dissidents." Journal of Book of Mormon Studies 11, no. 1 (2002): 16-27, 107-108.

Merrell, Douglas J.. "The False Priests of the Book of Mormon." In Selections from the Religious Education Student Symposium 2005, 85-98. Provo, UT: Religious Studies Center, 2005.

Millet, Robert L.. "Sherem the Anti-Christ." In The Book of Mormon: Jacob Through Words of Mormon, To Learn With Joy, edited by Monte S. Nyman and Charles D. Tate, Jr., 175-191. Provo, UT: Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University, 1990.

Richins, David. Priesthood vs. Priestcraft in the Book of Mormon. The Lunch is Free, 2016.

Thompson, A. Keith. "Who Was Sherem?" Interpreter: A Journal of Mormon Scripture 14 (2015): 1-15.

Welch, John W.. "The Case of Sherem." In The Legal Cases in the Book of Mormon, 107-138. Provo, UT: BYU Press/Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship, 2008.

Welch, John W.. "Comparing Sherem, Nehor, and Korihor." In The Legal Cases in the Book of Mormon, 301-309. Provo, UT: BYU Press/Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship, 2008.

Welch, John W., and Greg Welch. Three Diverse Opponents of the Nephites. Provo, UT: Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies, 1999.

Jacob 7:6

Reynolds, Noel B.. "The Gospel as Taught by Nephite Prophets." In Reexploring the Book of Mormon, edited by John W. Welch, 257-259. Provo, UT/Salt Lake City: FARMS/Deseret Book, 1992.

Reynolds, Noel B.. "The Gospel of Jesus Christ as Taught by the Nephite Prophets." BYU Studies Quarterly 31, no. 3 (1991): 31-50.

Jacob 7:7

Book of Mormon Central. “Why Did Sherem Die? (Jacob 7:7).” KnoWhy 73 (April 7, 2016).

Welch, John W.. "Sherem’s Accusations Against Jacob." In Pressing Forward with the Book of Mormon: The FARMS Updates of the 1990s, edited by John W. Welch and Melvin J. Thorne, 84-87.

Jacob 7:12

Tolley, Kevin L.. "To "See and Hear"." Interpreter: A Journal of Mormon Scripture 18 (2016): 139-158.

Jacob 7:15

Book of Mormon Central. “What Do We Learn About Ministering from the Account of Sherem? (Jacob 7:15).” KnoWhy 534 (October 3, 2019).

Jacob 7:25

Welch, John W., and Greg Welch. References to Nephite Fortifications Recorded in the Book of Mormon. Provo, UT: Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies, 1999.

Jacob 7:26

Webb, Jenny. "Death, Time, and Redemption: Structural Possibilities and Thematic Potential in Jacob 7:26." Journal of Book of Mormon Studies 24 (2015): 231-237.

Jacob 7:27

Book of Mormon Central. “Why Do the Authors on the Small Plates Follow a Pattern? (Jacob 7:27).” KnoWhy 74 (April 8, 2016).

Tvedtnes, John A.. "Colophons in the Book of Mormon." In Reexploring the Book of Mormon, edited by John W. Welch, 13-17. Provo, UT/Salt Lake City: FARMS/Deseret Book, 1992.

Welch, John W., and Greg Welch. Who Kept the Records in the Book of Mormon? (By Lineages). Provo, UT: Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies, 1999.

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