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Jacob 5–7
Scripture Central Videos
Watch videos from Gospel scholars and teachers to learn more about these Book of Mormon passages.
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KnoWhys
Evidences
Commentary
Book of Mormon Minute is a commentary series made especially for the free ScripturePlus app, which features insights from Book of Mormon scholar Brant A. Gardner. John W. Welch's notes for Come, Follow Me are also available for free.
John W. Welch, General Editor
Reading Plan
Structure your personal scripture study by following a 15-minute, day-by-day plan. Each day's assignment includes the required scripture passages from the Come, Follow Me curriculum, as well as suggestions for additional resources to bring context and understanding to your study. For the best experience, use our Reading Plan in the free ScripturePlus app! You can track your progress and have access to the best resources.
Monday
- Scripture: Jacob 5:1–5
- Commentary: Who Wrote This Allegory?
- Commentary: What Does the Olive Tree Represent?
- Commentary: How Did the Olive Tree Represent the House of Israel?
- Commentary: Jacob 5:1-2
- Commentary: Jacob 5:3-4
- KnoWhy: Is Anything Known of the Prophet Zenos Outside of the Book of Mormon?
- Evidence: Botany and Jacob 5 (Nourishing)
Tuesday
- Scripture: Jacob 5:6–28
- Commentary: Who Are the Lord and His Servant?
- Commentary: The Lord Preserves the Fruit of the Tree
- Commentary: The Lord Will Take Care of the Olive Tree
- Commentary: What Are the Nethermost Parts of the Vineyard?
- Commentary: Jacob 5:13-14
- Commentary: Jacob 5:15-18
- Commentary: Jacob 5:19-22
- KnoWhy: Why Did Zenos Give So Many Details about Raising Good Olives?
- Evidence: Dative Impersonals
Wednesday
- Scripture: Jacob 5:29–50
- Commentary: Grafting in Wild Branches to Nourish the Root
- Commentary: Balancing the Growth of the Roots and the Loftiness of the Branches
- Commentary: Jacob 5:33-37
- Commentary: Jacob 5:48-51
- Evidence: Botany and Jacob 5 (Pruning)
- KnoWhy: Was Lehi Familiar with Zenos’s Allegory of the Olive Tree?
Thursday
- Scripture: Jacob 5:51–69
- Commentary: Other Servants Are Called
- Commentary: Jacob 5:52-56
- Commentary: Jacob 5:57-59
- Commentary: Jacob 5:60-64
- Commentary: Jacob 5:65-69
- KnoWhy: Did Prophets Such as Ezekiel Know the Writings of Zenos?
- Evidence: Botany and Jacob 5 (Grafting)
Friday
- Scripture: Jacob 5:70–77
- Commentary: Jacob 5:70-73
- Commentary: Jacob 5:74-75
- Commentary: Jacob 5:76-77
- Evidence: Botany and Jacob 5 (Harvesting)
- Evidence: Botany and Jacob 5 (Overview)
- KnoWhy: Why Did Book of Mormon Prophets Quote Long Passages of Scripture?
Saturday
- Scripture: Jacob 6:1–13
- Commentary: Jacob Does Not Want the Nephites to be Cast into the Fire
- Commentary: Jacob Bids Farewell to His People
- Commentary: Jacob 6:1-3
- Commentary: Jacob 6:4-6
- Commentary: Jacob 6:7-8
Sunday
- Scripture: Jacob 7:1–27
- Commentary: Sherem Was an Educated Man
- Commentary: Jacob 7:1-2
- Commentary: Jacob 7:5
- Commentary: Jacob 7:21-23
- Commentary: Jacob 7:26-27
- KnoWhy: Why Did Jacob Include the Case of Sherem?
- KnoWhy: What Do We Learn About Ministering from the Account of Sherem?
- Evidence: Sherem’s Accusations against Jacob
- KnoWhy: Why Did Sherem Die?
Additional Resources
Explore art, charts, and more.
Images
Charts
- Life Spans of Lehi's Lineage
- Key Doctrinal Chapters: 1 Nephi–Omni
- The Allegory of the Olive Tree
- Symbolic Elements in Zenos's Allegory
- Personal Applications of Olive Symbolism
- Three Trees in the Book of Mormon
- Legal Cases and Procedures in the Book of Mormon
- Three Diverse Opponents of the Nephites
- References to Nephite Fortifications Recorded in the Book of Mormon
- Mesoamerican Fortified and Defensive Sites by Period
- Whose Words Are Found in the Book of Mormon?
- Number of Pages in Books of the Book of Mormon
- Average Number of Pages Covering One Nephite Year
- Nephite Books Compared by Length and Years Covered
- Nephite Books Listed Chronologically
- Names Used for Christ by Major Book of Mormon Authors
- Names and Concepts Associated with Christ by Major Book of Mormon Authors
- Number of Names Used for Christ by Major Book of Mormon Authors
- Number of Names for Christ Used Exclusively by Individual Authors
- Ten Essential Features of Book of Mormon Geography
- Geographical Names Listed Alphabetically
- Geographical Names Listed by Scripture Reference
Bibliography
Jacob 5
The Allegory of the Olive Tree: The Olive, the Bible, and Jacob 5, Edited by Stephen D. Ricks and John W. Welch. Salt Lake City/Provo, UT: Deseret Book Company/Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies, 1994.
Bamio, José A. "The Allegory of the Olive Tree: An Instructional Model for Leaders." Religious Educator: Perspectives on the Restored Gospel 16, no. 3 (2015): 142-158.
Belnap, Daniel. ""Ye Shall Have Joy with Me": The Olive Tree, the Lord, and His Servants." Religious Educator: Perspectives on the Restored Gospel 7, no. 1 (2006): 35-51.
Bowen, Matthew L. ‘I Have Done According to My Will’: Reading Jacob 5 as a Temple Text. The Interpreter Foundation, 2014.
Faulconer, James E. "The Olive Tree and the Work of God: Jacob 5 and Romans 11." In The Allegory of the Olive Tree, edited by Stephen D. Ricks and John W. Welch, 347-366. Provo, UT/Salt Lake City: Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies/Deseret Book, 1994.
Gillum, Gary P. "Romans 11:17–24: A Bibliography of Commentaries." In The Allegory of the Olive Tree: The Olive, the Bible, and Jacob 5, edited by Stephen D. Ricks and John W. Welch, 367-372. Provo, UT/Salt Lake City: Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies/Deseret Book, 1994.
Hall, John Franklin. "The Olive in Greco-Roman Religion." In The Allegory of the Olive Tree: The Olive, the Bible, and Jacob 5, edited by Stephen D. Ricks and John W. Welch, 248-261. Provo, UT/Salt Lake City: Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies/Deseret Book, 1994.
Hoskisson, Paul Y. "The Allegory of the Olive Tree in Jacob." In The Allegory of the Olive Tree: The Olive, the Bible, and Jacob 5, edited by Stephen D. Ricks and John W. Welch, 70-103. Provo, UT/Salt Lake City: Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies/Deseret Book, 1994.
Hoskisson, Paul Y. "Explicating the Mystery of the Rejected Foundation Stone: The Allegory of the Olive Tree." BYU Studies Quarterly 30, no. 3 (1990): 77-87.
King, Arthur Henry. "Language Themes in Jacob 5: "The Vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel" (Isaiah 5:7)." In The Allegory of the Olive Tree: The Olive, the Bible, and Jacob 5, edited by Stephen D. Ricks and John W. Welch, 140-173. Provo, UT/Salt Lake City: Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies/Deseret Book, 1994.
Madsen, Truman G. "The Olive Press: A Symbol of Christ." In The Allegory of the Olive Tree: The Olive, the Bible, and Jacob 5, edited by Stephen D. Ricks and John W. Welch, 1-10. Provo, UT/Salt Lake City: Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies/Deseret Book, 1994.
Parry, Donald W. "Ritual Anointing with Olive Oil in Ancient Israelite Religion." In The Allegory of the Olive Tree: The Olive, the Bible, and Jacob 5, edited by Stephen D. Ricks and John W. Welch, 262-289. Provo, UT/Salt Lake City: Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies/Deseret Book, 1994.
Ricks, Stephen D. "Olive Culture in the Second Temple Era and Early Rabbinic Period." In The Allegory of the Olive Tree: The Olive, the Bible, and Jacob 5, edited by Stephen D. Ricks and John W. Welch, 460-475. Provo, UT/Salt Lake City: Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies/Deseret Book, 1994.
Seely, David Rolph. "The Allegory of the Olive Tree and the Use of Related Figurative Language in the Ancient Near East and the Old Testament." In The Allegory of the Olive Tree: The Olive, the Bible, and Jacob 5, edited by Stephen D. Ricks and John W. Welch, 290-303. Provo, UT/Salt Lake City: Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies/Deseret Book, 1994.
Skinner, Andrew C. "Autumn, Olives, and the Atonement." Religious Educator 1, no. 1 (2000): 107-121.
Skousen, Royal. "Jacob 4–6: Substantive Textual Variants between Manuscripts and Editions." In The Allegory of the Olive Tree: The Olive, the Bible, and Jacob 5, edited by Stephen D. Ricks and John W. Welch, 105-139. Provo, UT/Salt Lake City: Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies/Deseret Book, 1994.
Sperry, Sidney B. "Types of Literature in the Book of Mormon: Allegories, Prayers, Songs, Genealogies." Journal of Book of Mormon Studies 4, no. 1 (1995): 106-118.
Thomas, M. Catherine. "Jacob's Allegory: The Mystery of Christ." In The Allegory of the Olive Tree: The Olive, the Bible, and Jacob 5, edited by Stephen D. Ricks and John W. Welch, 11-20. Provo, UT/Salt Lake City: Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies/Deseret Book, 1994.
Tvedtnes, John A. "Olive Oil: Symbol of the Holy Ghost." In The Allegory of the Olive Tree: The Olive, the Bible, and Jacob 5, edited by Stephen D. Ricks and John W. Welch, 427-459. Provo, UT/Salt Lake City: Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies/Deseret Book, 1994.
Tvedtnes, John A. "Vineyard or Olive Orchard?" In The Allegory of the Olive Tree: The Olive, the Bible, and Jacob 5, edited by Stephen D. Ricks and John W. Welch, 477-483. Provo, UT/Salt Lake City: Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies/Deseret Book, 1994.
Underwood, Grant. "Jacob 5 in the Nineteenth Century." In The Allegory of the Olive Tree: The Olive, the Bible, and Jacob 5, edited by Stephen D. Ricks and John W. Welch, 50-69. Provo, UT/Salt Lake City: Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies/Deseret Book, 1994.
Welch, John W., and Greg Welch. “The Allegory of the Olive Tree.” In Charting the Book of Mormon: Visual Aids for Personal Study and Teaching. Provo, UT: Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies, 1999.
Welch, John W., and Greg Welch. “Personal Applications of Olive Symbolism.” In Charting the Book of Mormon: Visual Aids for Personal Study and Teaching. Provo, UT: Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies, 1999.
Welch, John W., and Greg Welch. “Three Trees in the Book of Mormon.” In Charting the Book of Mormon: Visual Aids for Personal Study and Teaching. Provo, UT: Book of Mormon Central, 1999.
Welch, John W., and Greg Welch. “Contents of the Plates of Brass.” In Charting the Book of Mormon: Visual Aids for Personal Study and Teaching. Provo, UT: Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies, 1999.
Welch, John W. "Words and Phrases in Jacob 5." In The Allegory of the Olive Tree: The Olive, the Bible, and Jacob 5, edited by Stephen D. Ricks and John W. Welch, 174-184. Provo, UT/Salt Lake City: Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies/Deseret Book, 1994.
Jacob 5:1
Book of Mormon Central. “Is Anything Known of the Prophet Zenos Outside of the Book of Mormon? (Jacob 5:1).” KnoWhy 67 (March 31, 2016).
Lambert, L. Gary. Allegory of Zenos In Encyclopedia of Mormonism, Edited by Daniel H. Ludlow. Vol. 1. New York: Macmillan, 1992.
Ludlow, Daniel H. Zenos In Encyclopedia of Mormonism, Edited by Daniel H. Ludlow. Vol. 4. New York: Macmillan, 1992.
Reynolds, Noel B. "Nephite Uses and Interpretations of Zenos." In The Allegory of the Olive Tree: The Olive, the Bible, and Jacob 5, edited by Stephen D. Ricks and John W. Welch, 21-49. Provo, UT/Salt Lake City: Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies/Deseret Book, 1994.
Seely, David Rolph, and John W. Welch. "Zenos and the Texts of the Old Testament." In The Allegory of the Olive Tree: The Olive, the Bible, and Jacob 5, edited by Stephen D. Ricks and John W. Welch, 322-346. Provo, UT/Salt Lake City: Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies/Deseret Book, 1994.
Tvedtnes, John A. "Borrowings from the Parable of Zenos." In The Allegory of the Olive Tree: The Olive, the Bible, and Jacob 5, edited by Stephen D. Ricks and John W. Welch, 373-426. Provo, UT/Salt Lake City: Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies/Deseret Book, 1994.
Welch, John W. "The Last Words of Cenez and the Book of Mormon." In The Allegory of the Olive Tree: The Olive, the Bible, and Jacob 5, edited by Stephen D. Ricks and John W. Welch, 305-321. Provo, UT/Salt Lake City: Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies/Deseret Book, 1994.
Jacob 5:3
Book of Mormon Central. “What are the Roots of Zenos's Allegory in the Ancient World? (Jacob 5:3).” KnoWhy 70 (April 4, 2016).
Jacob 5:8–10
Book of Mormon Central. “Why Did Zenos Give So Many Details about Raising Good Olives? (Jacob 5:9–10).” KnoWhy 71 (April 5, 2016).
Gee, John, and Daniel C. Peterson. "Graft and Corruption: On Olives and Olive Culture in the Pre-Modern Mediterranean." In The Allegory of the Olive Tree: The Olive, the Bible, and Jacob 5, edited by Stephen D. Ricks and John W. Welch, 186-247. Provo, UT/Salt Lake City: Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies/Deseret Book, 1994.
Hess, Wilford M., Daniel J. Fairbanks, John W. Welch, and Jonathan K. Driggs. "Botanical Aspects of Olive Culture Relevant to Jacob 5." In The Allegory of the Olive Tree: The Olive, the Bible, and Jacob 5, edited by Stephen D. Ricks and John W. Welch, 484-561. Provo, UT/Salt Lake City: Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies/Deseret Book, 1994.
Hess, Wilford M. "Botantical Comparisons in the Allegory of the Olive Tree." In The Book of Mormon: Jacob Through Words of Mormon, To Learn With Joy, edited by Monte S. Nyman and Charles D. Tate, Jr., 87-102. Provo, UT: Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University, 1990.
Hess, Wilford M. "Recent Notes About Olives in Antiquity." BYU Studies Quarterly 39, no. 4 (2000): 115-126.
Jacob 5:24
Book of Mormon Central. “Did Prophets Such as Ezekiel Know the Writings of Zenos? (Jacob 5:24).” KnoWhy 440 (June 12, 2018).
Jacob 5:65–66
Larsen, Val. "A Mormon Theodicy: Jacob and the Problem of Evil." Interpreter: A Journal of Mormon Scripture 15 (2015): 239-266.
Jacob 6
Jacob 6:2
Bowen, Matthew L. "“The Messiah Will Set Himself Again”: Jacob’s Use of Isaiah 11:11 in 2 Nephi 6:14 and Jacob 6:2." Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship 44 (2021): 287-306.
Jacob 6:6
Book of Mormon Central. “Why Are Certain Biblical Psalms Used by Book of Mormon Authors? (Jacob 6:6).” KnoWhy 439 (June 7, 2018).
Hilton, III, John. "Old Testament Psalms in the Book of Mormon." In Ascending the Mountain of the Lord: Temple, Praise, and Worship in the Old Testament (2013 Sperry Symposium), 291-311. Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2013.
Jacob 6:13
Skousen, Royal. “The Pleading Bar of God.” Insights: A Window on the Ancient World 24, no. 4 (2004): 2–3.
Jacob 7
Boyce, Duane. "Reclaiming Jacob." Interpreter: A Journal of Mormon Scripture 22 (2016): 107-129.
Boyce, Duane. "Jacob Did Not Make a False Prediction." Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship 33 (2019): 161-174.
Boyce, Duane. "Text as Afterthought: Jana Riess’s Treatment of the Jacob-Sherem Episode ." Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship 33 (2019): 123-140.
Christensen, Kevin. "Light and Perspective: Essays from the Mormon Theology Seminar on 1 Nephi 1 and Jacob 7." Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship 31 (2019): 25-70.
Clark, John L. "Painting Out the Messiah: The Theologies of Dissidents." Journal of Book of Mormon Studies 11, no. 1 (2002): 16-27, 107-108.
Merrell, Douglas J. "The False Priests of the Book of Mormon." In Selections from the Religious Education Student Symposium 2005, 85-98. Provo, UT: Religious Studies Center, 2005.
Millet, Robert L. "Sherem the Anti-Christ." In The Book of Mormon: Jacob Through Words of Mormon, To Learn With Joy, edited by Monte S. Nyman and Charles D. Tate, Jr., 175-191. Provo, UT: Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University, 1990.
Richins, David. Priesthood vs. Priestcraft in the Book of Mormon. The Lunch is Free, 2016.
Spendlove, Loren Blake. "Rethinking the Encounter between Jacob and Sherem." Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship 54 (2022): 65-96.
Thompson, A. Keith. "Who Was Sherem?" Interpreter: A Journal of Mormon Scripture 14 (2015): 1-15.
Welch, John W. "The Case of Sherem." In The Legal Cases in the Book of Mormon, 107-138. Provo, UT: BYU Press/Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship, 2008.
Welch, John W. "Comparing Sherem, Nehor, and Korihor." In The Legal Cases in the Book of Mormon, 301-309. Provo, UT: BYU Press/Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship, 2008.
Welch, John W., and Greg Welch. “Three Diverse Opponents of the Nephites.” In Charting the Book of Mormon: Visual Aids for Personal Study and Teaching. Provo, UT: Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies, 1999.
Jacob 7:6
Reynolds, Noel B. "The Gospel as Taught by Nephite Prophets." In Reexploring the Book of Mormon, edited by John W. Welch, 257-259. Provo, UT/Salt Lake City: FARMS/Deseret Book, 1992.
Reynolds, Noel B. "The Gospel of Jesus Christ as Taught by the Nephite Prophets." BYU Studies Quarterly 31, no. 3 (1991): 31-50.
Jacob 7:7
Book of Mormon Central. “Why Did Sherem Die? (Jacob 7:7).” KnoWhy 73 (April 7, 2016).
Welch, John W. "Sherem’s Accusations Against Jacob." In Pressing Forward with the Book of Mormon: The FARMS Updates of the 1990s, edited by John W. Welch and Melvin J. Thorne, 84-87.
Jacob 7:12
Tolley, Kevin L. "To "See and Hear"." Interpreter: A Journal of Mormon Scripture 18 (2016): 139-158.
Jacob 7:15
Book of Mormon Central. “What Do We Learn About Ministering from the Account of Sherem? (Jacob 7:15).” KnoWhy 534 (October 3, 2019).
Jacob 7:25
Welch, John W., and Greg Welch. “References to Nephite Fortifications Recorded in the Book of Mormon.” In Charting the Book of Mormon: Visual Aids for Personal Study and Teaching. Provo, UT: Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies, 1999.
Jacob 7:26
Webb, Jenny. "Death, Time, and Redemption: Structural Possibilities and Thematic Potential in Jacob 7:26." Journal of Book of Mormon Studies 24 (2015): 231-237.
Jacob 7:27
Book of Mormon Central. “Why Do the Authors on the Small Plates Follow a Pattern? (Jacob 7:27).” KnoWhy 74 (April 8, 2016).
Ellis, Godfrey J. "Toward a Greater Appreciation of the Word Adieu in Jacob 7:27." Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship 55 (2023): 169-196.
Tvedtnes, John A. "Colophons in the Book of Mormon." In Reexploring the Book of Mormon, edited by John W. Welch, 13-17. Provo, UT/Salt Lake City: FARMS/Deseret Book, 1992.
Welch, John W., and Greg Welch. “Who Kept the Records in the Book of Mormon? (By Lineages).” In Charting the Book of Mormon: Visual Aids for Personal Study and Teaching. Provo, UT: Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies, 1999.