2 Nephi 9:30-38

Jacob presents to his congregation what could be called the Nephite Ten Commandments.  These are warning to his people of the consequences of their sins. 

“They may be paraphrased as follows:

1. Wo unto them who have God's law and commandments, who transgress them because they are learned and think they are wise. They hearken not unto the counsel of God, supposing they know of themselves. Therefore, their wisdom is foolishness, and they shall perish (vv. 27-29).

2. Wo unto the rich. Because they are rich, they despise the poor. Their treasure is their God, and their treasure shall perish with them (v. 30).

3. Wo unto the deaf who will not hear, for they shall perish (v. 31).

4. Wo unto the blind who will not see, for they shall perish also (v. 32).

5. Wo unto the uncircumcised of heart, for a knowledge of their iniquities shall smite them at the last day (v. 33).

6. Wo unto the liar, for he shall be thrust down to hell (v. 34).

7. Wo unto the murderer who deliberately kills, for he shall die (v. 35).

8. Wo unto them who commit whoredoms, for they shall be thrust down to hell (v. 36).

9. Wo unto those who worship idols, for the devil of all devils delights in them (v. 37).

10. Wo unto all those who die in their sins, for they shall return to God, behold his face, and remain in their sins (v. 38)…”

“[A] new perspective of 2 Nephi 9:27-38 emerges. Jacob's inspiration formulates a set of principles relevant to his people and their cultural needs and concerns. His "ten woes" function as the equivalent of a contemporaneous Nephite set of ten commandments. His statement is an admirable summary of the basic religious values of the Nephites, cast in a form fully at home in ancient Israel and in the Near East.”[1]

I find it interesting the second “Wo unto” is a warning against riches.  As we read Nephite history, things start falling apart when the Lord blesses his people with riches and prosperity.  The rich believe themselves to be a higher class than those not as fortunate and they turn their hearts away from the poor and God.  Riches will eventually lead to the collapse and destruction of the Nephite society.  “One of the oft-demonstrated symptoms of the great cankering sin of pride creeping in among the Saints of the Book of Mormon was the stratification of society and the haughty justifications for treating people as ‘less than.’”[2]

Avraham Gileadi explains the consequences of the rich believing “their treasure is their God” (2 Nephi 9:30).

When "their treasure is their god" (2 Nephi 9:30), the rich suffer evil consequences. The rich can hardly enter the kingdom of heaven because they already have their consolation (Matthew 19:23; Luke 6:24).⁷¹ Because they are puffed up, God despises them, thrusting them down to hell (2 Nephi 9:42; 28:15). They lay up treasure for themselves on the earth, only to lose their souls (Luke 12:16-21). They carry nothing of their glory or riches beyond the grave (Psalm 49:17). In the day of burning heat, the rich fade away like withering grass whose flower falls (James 1:11). The riches they have swallowed down, they must vomit up again (Job 20:15). Riches "profit not in the day of wrath" (Proverbs 11:4).[3]

Hugh Nibley writes:

It is at the climax of his great discourse on the Atonement that Jacob cries out, "But wo unto the rich, who are rich as to the things of the world. For because they are rich they despise the poor." This is a very important statement, setting down as a general principle that the rich as a matter of course despise the poor, for "their hearts are upon their treasures; wherefore, their treasure is their God. And behold, their treasure shall perish with them also" (2 Nephi 9:30). Why does Jacob make this number one in his explicit list of offenses against God? Because it is the number-one device among the enticings of "that cunning one" (2 Nephi 9:39), who knows that riches are his most effective weapon in leading men astray.[4]

Our Work Is to Keep the Commandments

 

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[1] Jacob's Ten Commandments, John W. Welch, Provo, Utah: Maxwell Institute, accessed September 7, 2013.

[2] The Savior and the Children in 3 Nephi, M. Gawain Wells, Provo, Utah: Maxwell Institute, accessed September 8, 2013.

[3] Twelve Diatribes of Modern Israel, Avraham Gileadi, Provo, Utah: Maxwell Institute, accessed September 8, 2013.

[4] The Meaning of the Atonement, Hugh Nibley, Provo, Utah: Maxwell Institute, accessed September 8, 2013.