Jacob 7:8-12

8 But behold, the Lord God poured in his Spirit into my soul, insomuch that I did confound him in all his words.

9 And I said unto him: Deniest thou the Christ who shall come?  And he said: If there should be a Christ, I would not deny him; but I know that there is no Christ, neither has been, nor ever will be.

10 And I said unto him: Believest thou the scriptures?  And he said, Yea.

11 And I said unto him: Then ye do not understand them; for they truly testify of Christ.  Behold, I say unto you that none of the prophets have written, nor prophesied, save they have spoken concerning this Christ.

12 And this is not all—it has been made manifest unto me, for I have heard and seen; and it also has been made manifest unto me by the power of the Holy Ghost;

Jacob 7:8-12

Sherem confronted Jacob and accused him of blasphemy.  As he was going to respond, the Spirit filled his soul.  He was able to confound Sherem.  “Confounded be all they that serve graven images, that boast themselves of idols: worship him, all ye gods” (Psalms 97:7).

Following Sherem's accusations, it was Jacob's obligation to answer, as silence would be construed as an admission of guilt or wrongdoing.⁴¹ Indeed, Jacob spoke up boldly, having the Spirit of the Lord, insomuch that he "did confound him in all his words" (Jacob 7:8). Typically, strong language was used by the accused in denying guilt and vindicating himself.^[1]

Confronting Sherem, Jacob asks, “Deniest thou the Christ who shall come?”  Sherem replied, “If there should be a Christ, but I would not deny him; but I know that there is no Christ, neither has been, nor ever will be.”

The importance of looking forward to Christ's coming is further strengthened by the fact that the major problem with Nephite dissenters was that they did not believe that anyone could know in advance of "things to come," and they therefore rejected Christ.¹ Sherem disputed with Jacob the validity of believing in "a being which ye say shall come many hundred years hence," saying that no one can "tell of things to come" (Jacob 7:7). Jacob responded by asking, "Deniest thou the Christ who shall come?" (Jacob 7:9) and testified to him "that Christ shall come" (Jacob 7:14).[2]

Jacob asks, “Believest thou the scriptures?” Sherem answers in the affirmative

Asking two questions (vv. 9–10), Jacob framed the thrust of his response in the interrogative form, which was a common form of ancient response or accusation.⁴³ Modestly, Jacob did not include in the record further details about what he said to refute Sherem's theories—for example, casting doubt on Sherem's interpretation of the legal terms he had used, showing how confused his ideas were, rebutting him with scriptures regarding the coming of the Messiah, withstanding him with contrary testimony and perhaps an oath ("they truly testify of Christ," v. 11), or causing him to become ashamed and embarrassed. These outcomes are all possible within the meanings of the possible Hebrew words behind the English word confound, a word often used in the Old Testament to describe the confusion, reproach, dismay, and shame suffered by people when their errors are exposed.[3]

Jacob challenges his claim that he believes the scriptures.  No prophet, he proclaimed, has written or prophesied except it be of Christ.  The angel Nephi saw in his great vision told him, “And he also spake concerning the prophets, how great a number had testified of these things, concerning this Messiah, of whom he had spoken, or this Redeemer of the world” (1 Nephi 10:5).  The Savior testified:

23 Behold, I am he of whom Moses spake, saying: A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear in all things whatsoever he shall say unto you.  And it shall come to pass that every soul who will not hear that prophet shall be cut off from among the people.

24 Verily I say unto you, yea, and all the prophets from Samuel and those that follow after, as many as have spoken, have testified of me.

3 Nephi 20:23-24

John the Revelator wrote, “And I fell at his feet to worship him.  And he said unto me, See thou do it not: I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy” (Revelation 19:10).  Jacob earlier taught the people, “For, for this intent have we written these things, that they may know that we knew of Christ, and we had a hope of his glory many hundred years before his coming; and not only we ourselves had a hope of his glory, but also all the holy prophets which were before us” (Jacob 4:4).

Abinadi would testify to King Noah and his wicked priests:

33 For behold, did not Moses prophesy unto them concerning the coming of the Messiah, and that God should redeem his people?  Yea, and even all the prophets who have prophesied ever since the world began—have they not spoken more or less concerning these things?

34 Have they not said that God himself should come down among the children of men, and take upon him the form of man, and go forth in mighty power upon the face of the earth?

35 Yea, and have they not said also that he should bring to pass the resurrection of the dead, and that he, himself, should be oppressed and afflicted?

Mosiah 13:33-35

John Clark explains:

The Nephite prophets seem to have accepted the figurative nature of the prophecies that they referenced from the brass plates and chide their listeners for not having the spiritual sensitivity to understand them. For example, when Jacob said to Sherem, "Believest thou the scriptures?" and Sherem answered in the affirmative, Jacob responded, "Then ye do not understand them; for they truly testify of Christ" (Jacob 7:10–11).[4]

Not only do the scriptures testify of Christ, Jacob has received revelations, through the power of the Holy Ghost, that not only would there be a Christ, but that if there were no atonement, all mankind would be lost.  Nephi wrote, “And the days of the children of ^amen were prolonged, according to the will of God, that they might repent while in the flesh; wherefore, their state became a state of probation, and their time was lengthened, according to the commandments which the Lord God gave unto the children of men.  For he gave commandment that all men must repent; for he showed unto all men that they were lost, because of the transgression of their parents” (2 Nephi 2:21).

Richard Rust said, “Jacob strikes right at the heart of Sherem's position, challenging him to defend his denial of Christ. Sherem's response is one of intellectual pride, saying he knows there will never be a Christ. In opposing this, Jacob not only exposes the limitations of Sherem's understanding of the scriptures but also affirms his own knowledge which has come through divine means.”[5]

Camille Fronk wrote:

Prophesying falsely was viewed as a crime among the Nephites (W of M 1:15—16). Agreement with past prophets was a test of a prophet's authenticity. For instance, during a debate, Jacob exposed Sherem as a false prophet by showing that his testimony contradicted previous prophecy. Jacob then demonstrated that his own teachings agreed with former prophets, thus sealing Sherem's conviction as a false prophet (Jacob 7:9—12).[6]

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[1] The Case of Sherem, Maxwell Institute, accessed May 10, 2014.

[2] Notes and Communications: "That Which Is to Come," John Tvedtnes, Maxwell Institute, accessed May 10, 2014.

[3] The Case of Sherem, Maxwell Institute, accessed May 10, 2014.

[4] Painting Out the Messiah: The Theologies of Dissidents, John L. Clark, Maxwell Institute, accessed May 10, 2014.

[5] The Book of Mormon, Designed for Our Day, Richard Dilworth Rust, Maxwell Institute, accessed May 10, 2014.

[6] Prophecy in the Book of Mormon, Camille Fronk, Maxwell Institute, accessed May 10, 2014.