Jacob 3:12-14; Jacob 4:1-3

12 And now I, Jacob, spake many more things unto the people of Nephi, warning them against fornication and lasciviousness, and every kind of sin, telling them the awful consequences of them.

13 And a hundredth part of the proceedings of this people, which now began to be numerous, cannot be written upon these plates; but many of their proceedings are written upon the larger plates, and their wars, and their contentions, and the reigns of their kings.

14 These plates are called the plates of Jacob, and they were made by the hand of Nephi.  And I make an end of speaking these words.

Jacob 3:12-14

Jacob continued his preaching, warning against fornication, lust in general, and all sin, warning them of the consequences of their actions.

Jacob then tells us “a hundredth part of the proceedings of this people … cannot be written upon these plates; but … are written upon the larger plates.”  I can’t help but wonder what things had happened during the Nephite history.  Hopefully, the day will come when the Lord will give us this part of the record that was lost by Martin Harris.

The plates upon which Jacob records his account are called the plates of Jacob.  The plates were made by Nephi.

Chapter 4

All the prophets worshipped the Father in the name of Christ—Abraham's offering of Isaac was in similitude of God and his Only Begotten—Men should reconcile themselves to God through the atonement—The Jews shall reject the foundation stone. About 544–421 B.C.

1 NOW behold, it came to pass that I, Jacob, having ministered much unto my people in word, (and I cannot write but a little of my words, because of the difficulty of engraving our words upon plates) and we know that the things which we write upon plates must remain;

2 But whatsoever things we write upon anything save it be upon plates must perish and vanish away; but we can write a few words upon plates, which will give our children, and also our beloved brethren, a small degree of knowledge concerning us, or concerning their fathers—

3 Now in this thing we do rejoice; and we labor diligently to engraven these words upon plates, hoping that our beloved brethren and our children will receive them with thankful hearts, and look upon them that they may learn with joy and not with sorrow, neither with contempt, concerning their first parents.

Jacob 4:1-3

Jacob gives us some insight into challenges faced keeping the record.  “I cannot write but a little of my words because of the difficulty of engraving our words upon the plates.”  So, part of the challenge of keeping the record was actually writing his record.

“Jacob₂, Moroni₂'s distant uncle, had referred to the brevity and obscurity problem nine centuries earlier: ‘I cannot write but a little of my words, because of the difficulty of engraving our words upon plates’ (Jacob 4:1). His expression ‘difficulty of engraving our words’ joins with Moroni₂'s ‘because of the awkwardness of our hands’ to reveal a problem that evidently went beyond the scribe's skill in making marks on metal. Moroni₂ had plenty of time on his hands and should have been able to work to the most meticulous level, if only the technological problem of making the right marks stood in the way of clarity. Neither was it their tongues or minds that limited expression. Rather, it must have had something to do with the script system they were using.”[1] 

It is essential the Nephite record survive.  “[W]hatsoever things we write upon anything save it be the plates must perish and vanish away.”  S. Kent Brown looks at the record of Lehi.

“We have no way of knowing what material Lehi kept his record on, but probably it was perishable. A remark made by his son Jacob supports this view. Jacob notes, ‘We know that the things which we write upon plates must remain; but whatsoever things we write upon anything save it be upon plates must perish and vanish away’ (Jacob 4:1-2). Jacob's experience with the brass plates had shown him the durability of metal plates. We can well believe that the experience of Lehi's family concerning records kept on perishable materials included the disintegration of Lehi's record.”[2]

We have seen what happens to records on perishable materials.  The Dead Sea Scrolls are a good example.  There are complete records; there are also records that have decomposed and are just fragments that have to be put together like a puzzle.  The plates will be given to their children and also will be preserved for the Lamanites.  This is why a durable and lasting material was essential.

Those working with Jacob (as well as Jacob) rejoice in their work.  They engrave upon the plates with the hope “that our beloved brethren and our children will receive them with thankful hearts.” Jacob hopes they will “learn with joy” about “their first parents.”

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[1] The Book of Mormon as a Mesoamerican Record, John L. Sorenson, Maxwell Institute.

[2] Nephi's Use of Lehi's Record, S. Kent Brown, Maxwell Institute.