Question
Gramps,
In 3 Nephi 4: 30, and 32, who are the Nephites praying to in addressing the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob? Is this Jesus Christ or God the Father? In praising the Most High God, is this also Jesus Christ or God the Father? This isn’t very clear to me. Thank you.
Holly
Answer
Hi Holly,
Short Answer: They were praying to the Father. We pray to the Father. But there are exceptions and conditions.
The nature of your question invokes the understanding that after the Fall of Adam, the physical encounters (Divine visitations) between man and God were generally with the Son (except for times when both the Father and Son were physically present). From that point onward, it is said that the Son was the “God of the Old Testament.” This is true but incomplete.
It does not mean that the Father retired. We continue to pray to and worship the Father.
We must interpret scriptural meanings based on the background of what has been revealed about how things were, really are, and are to come. We know the Father, Son and Holy Ghost are separate individuals. We include them all in our prayers. And we depend on them all for our daily bread of life. We know the characters and roles of each of them.
We are taught the proper manner of prayer:
- We address our prayers to the Father.
- Thus we acknowledge our relationship with Him as our Father, and we are His children.
- We are under His rule and stewardship.
- We speak our words by the Power of the Holy Ghost.
- We are partners with the Holy Ghost in our pursuit of righteousness.
- We close in the name* of Jesus Christ
Thus all three are included in our prayers and worship.
*To pray “in the name of Jesus Christ” is much more than simply saying the words that all too many people rush through to the point that one wonders if we truly invoked the name of the Savior at all.
We pray in Christ’s name when our mind is the mind of Christ, and our wishes the wishes of Christ—when His words abide in us (John 15:7). We then ask for things it is possible for God to grant. Many prayers remain unanswered because they are not in Christ’s name at all; they in no way represent His mind but spring out of the selfishness of man’s heart. (Bible Dictionary: Prayer)
With regard to whom we address our prayers, exceptions are given when man is in the actual presence of the Son.
- Enoch walked with the Son. The Son walked with Enoch.
- The brother of Jared saw the finger of the Son. The Son revealed Himself to Jared’s bro.
- When Moses was physically in the Presence of the Lord on Mt Sinai, he was addressing the Son. The Son responded.
- Nephi received a guided vision from the Son, and they conversed back and forth.
- The Nephites were visited by the resurrected Son and they prayed to Jesus (3 Ne 19:18) as well as praying to the Father throughout that chapter.
When we speak to Divinity by the power of the Holy Ghost, it is always considered a prayer. During those special times in the actual physical presence of the Son, they were speaking/praying to the Son. In virtually all other circumstances, when we normally pray (as the Nephites did in 3 Ne 4) we pray to the Father.
The verses you cited were not merely a simple prayer. They were a celebration of the Lord, highly typical of Israelite prayer/praise. The bolded words below have roots in Hebrew worship. And it requires an understanding of Hebrew and the Old Testament to truly understand it.
30 And they did rejoice and cry again with one voice, saying: May the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, protect this people in righteousness, so long as they shall call on the name of their God for protection.
31 And it came to pass that they did break forth, all as one, in singing, and praising their God for the great thing which he had done for them, in preserving them from falling into the hands of their enemies.
32 Yea, they did cry: Hosanna to the Most High God. And they did cry: Blessed be the name of the Lord God Almighty, the Most High God. (3 Nephi 4:31-32)
Invoking the phrase God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, (v 30) is the invocation of the Abrahamic Covenant. The Lord would provide for, protect, and preserve them (v 31) as long as they stayed true to their covenants. They gave credit to the Lord for their victory rather than the strength of their own arm. (contrast with Mormon 3:9).
The remaining phrases invoke the various names of God in praise and worship. What are the “names of God” in Hebrew?
- Ihvh/Yahweh (Latin: Jehovah) is often translated as “The Lord” (as a proper noun). Indeed, in Hebrew, it means nothing more than the name of their God (cf. v 30). This is the name that the strictly observant ancient Jews did not pronounce verbally. They would often use the phrase “the name of our God” instead of actually saying Yahweh. It is conceivable that this could be exclusively applied to the Son, and not the Father. But that isn’t how the ancient Israelites saw it.
- Usage in the temple liturgy is merely a convention. It was never meant to declare the names of the Father or Son.
- This meaning of “The Lord” differs from Adon/Adonai (which is the literal Hebrew word for lord/lords). This refers to a ruler (nobility). The plural referring to a single being is meant to be a superlative (Lord of Lords).
- El/Elohim is the Hebrew word for god/gods. The plural form (Elohim) is used as a superlative, which means “the God of gods” or “Most High God.” (V32)
- Shaddai is also another proper noun. We don’t really know if it has a meaning beyond a proper noun. But the scholarly consensus is that it means “Almighty” or “Most High.” Some also translate this as “The all-sufficient one.”
- The more complete term El-Shaddai would make that into “God Almighty” (v. 32) or “Most High God” (Verse 32) or “The All-sufficient God.”
- Yahweh-Elohim is a combination used throughout the Old Testament and is translated as “The Lord God“. (v 32)
- Hosannah(v32) is an interjection indicating praise/honor to one who saved us. It doesn’t translate well. So, it has become a lone word in English.
We thus find that they were invoking all the names and titles of God in their praise and worship. All the words of praise and exaltation of God combined with singing and shouting praises to God (v 30 &31).
This is paralleled in the temple in a manner which I will not go into detail here. But I would entreat you to find more parallels between any scripture you read and some aspects of the temple ceremony. We began thinking that the passage was about prayer. It was, but more than the manner we were aware of.
It is a celebration of worship which we commemorate in the Temple. It is a place where we can truly focus on all the tender mercies of the Lord over those whom He has chosen, from the creation of Adam and Eve, even down to the present day.
The Temple tells an overall story. Hundreds of passages throughout the scriptures will help explain each aspect and expand the meaning of, each ceremony from baptisms for the dead, all the way up to the sealing of Eternal Families. It is a place where we make covenants with the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
Keep searching the scriptures. Ponder and Pray. When we discover more about the temple ceremonies, we understand more about the Lord, our covenant relationship with Him, and our eternal destiny.
May the Lord God bless you on that journey.
Gramps
