The Spring of the Bow

Nephi and his family encounter difficulties when he breaks his bow made of fine steel (1 Nephi 16: 18). Obviously, this was critical for their physical survival, but are there spiritual implications as well? Spiritual nourishment is just as important as physical nourishment.

The bow is an important symbol in the scriptures. The Hebrew word qesheth translates into the English words bow and rainbow. You can click here for more information and also the context of this word in the Old Testament. After the Flood the Lord establishes His covenant with the earth and all living creatures upon it. The covenant is described in Genesis.

"And it shall come to pass, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow shall be seen in the cloud:

"And I will remember my covenant, which is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh.

"And the bow shall be in the cloud; and I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is upon the earth.


"And God said unto Noah, This is the token of the covenant, which I have established between me and all flesh that is upon the earth" (Genesis 9: 14-17).


John the Revelator is caught up into heaven in another temple-like experience, where he sees "a rainbow round about the throne" (Revelation 4: 3). The Greek word for "round about" has a root word meaning circle. Click here for the root word for "round about." It is the Greek word kyklo the root of the English word cycle or circle.

Now we have a token of the covenant, the rainbow, in a circle formation around the throne of God, whose throne is in the sacred center.

So getting back to Nephi and his brothers, the Book of Mormon verse has a footnote relating to Laman and Lemuel's bows having "lost their springs" (1 Nephi 16: 21). The footnote takes you to Genesis 49: 24  which reads,

"But his bow abode in strength, and the arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the mighty God of Jacob; (from thence is the shepherd, the stone of Israel:)."

The context of this verse is a patriarchal blessing given by Jacob to all his sons. This particular part of the covenant refers specifically to the house of Joseph, the lineage of Lehi and his family (see Alma 10: 3). The promises given to Joseph were that his branches would run over the wall, or in other words, leave Jerusalem and settle in the Americas and other parts of the world (see Genesis 49: 22).


The divine strength promised to the houses of Ephraim and Manasseh, the descendants of Joseph, comes from the strength of covenants. The bow, a token of the covenant, abides in the strength of "the hands of the mighty God of Jacob."

The reader is not surprised that Laman and Lemuel have lost the springs in their bows. The weakness in their bows and their constant need to look to Nephi for direction is a sign and symptom of their neglect and unwillingness to make and keep covenants.

The rest of the chapter is telling. Nephi is willing to make a new bow, signifying it is something "new and everlasting." Again, the reader is not surprised to see where Nephi goes next:

"And it came to pass that I, Nephi, did go forth up into the top of the mountain, according to the directions which were given upon the ball.

"And it came to pass that I did slay wild beasts, insomuch that I did obtain food for our families" (1 Nephi 16: 30-31). 

Now I really hate to paraphrase scriptures, but a more modern interpretation of this story might read something like:

I, Nephi, did go forth into the Celestial Room of the temple, according to the words of Christ and the guidance and direction of the Spirit.

And I did slay the natural man, and I received nourishment from the Lord, both temporal and spiritual, insomuch that my family was blessed.