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Bountiful

The fertile land by the sea where Lehi’s family rests at the end of eight years in the wilderness — and where Nephi builds the ship for the ocean crossing to the promised land.

In 1 Nephi

Arrival and the names

After departing Nahom the company travels “nearly eastward from that time forth” (1 Nephi 17:1) through further years of wilderness travel. The text gives the total duration of the journey from Jerusalem before arrival: “we did sojourn for the space of many years, yea, even eight years in the wilderness” (1 Nephi 17:4).

The arrival is recorded at 1 Nephi 17:5–6. The text names both the land and the adjacent sea, and supplies its own gloss for each:

“And we did come to the land which we called Bountiful, because of its much fruit and also wild honey; and all these things were prepared of the Lord that we might not perish. And we beheld the sea, which we called Irreantum, which, being interpreted, is many waters.” (1 Nephi 17:5)

The name Bountiful is given explicitly because “of its much fruit” — a gloss the text repeats a verse later: “we called the place Bountiful, because of its much fruit” (17:6). The name Irreantum is translated by the text itself: “which, being interpreted, is many waters” (17:5). Both glosses are the text’s own; no external interpretation is required or offered here.

The camp is placed “by the seashore”: “we did pitch our tents by the seashore; and notwithstanding we had suffered many afflictions and much difficulty, yea, even so much that we cannot write them all, we were exceedingly rejoiced when we came to the seashore” (17:6).

The command to build the ship

Some days after arrival, Nephi is summoned up the mountain: “after I, Nephi, had been in the land of Bountiful for the space of many days, the voice of the Lord came unto me, saying: Arise, and get thee into the mountain” (17:7). On the mountain, the Lord commands: “Thou shalt construct a ship, after the manner which I shall show thee, that I may carry thy people across these waters” (17:8).

Building the ship

The construction of the ship occupies 1 Nephi 17:9–18:4. Nephi asks where to find ore for tools (17:9); the Lord directs him (17:10); he makes a bellows from beast-skins and strikes fire from stones (17:11); he makes tools from smelted ore (17:16). His brothers mock the project — “Our brother is a fool, for he thinketh that he can build a ship; yea, and he also thinketh that he can cross these great waters” (17:17) — and refuse to labor (17:18). After Nephi’s extended Exodus recital and a divine shaking of his brothers, they relent and acknowledge “we know of a surety that the Lord is with thee” (17:55).

Construction then proceeds with divine guidance:

“Now I, Nephi, did not work the timbers after the manner which was learned by men, neither did I build the ship after the manner of men; but I did build it after the manner which the Lord had shown unto me; wherefore, it was not after the manner of men.” (1 Nephi 18:2)

“And I, Nephi, did go into the mount oft, and I did pray oft unto the Lord; wherefore the Lord showed unto me great things.” (1 Nephi 18:3)

When the ship is finished, “my brethren beheld that it was good, and that the workmanship thereof was exceedingly fine” (18:4).

Departure

The family loads provisions — “much fruits and meat from the wilderness, and honey in abundance, and provisions according to that which the Lord had commanded us … our wives and our children” (18:6) — and the ship puts out from Bountiful: “we did put forth into the sea and were driven forth before the wind towards the promised land” (18:8). Bountiful is the last named land the family occupies before the ocean crossing; the text does not mention it again after 18:8.

Key references

Nephi (receives the command, builds the ship, departs from here) · the Ship · Nahom (the prior waypoint) · the Promised Land (the destination) · Index · Connections

Sources

The Book of Mormon (1 Nephi).

Every quote on this page is lifted verbatim from raw/ (1 Nephi). The name-glosses for Bountiful and Irreantum are the text’s own and are quoted exactly as they appear at 17:5–6. No [interpretive] claims are made on this page. ship.md and promised-land.md are linked but not yet written; nahom.md exists.