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Book of Mormon Commentary
Jacob Chapter 5
Jac 5:22 And it came to pass that he said unto me, Shew me a sign by this power of the Holy Ghost, in
the which ye know so much.
5:22 This is the last resort of many of Satan's agents who have had no experience with spiritual"
power. "Show me a sign, and I will believe,” they cry (John 4:50; Rom. 15:19; II N. 9:24; A.
16:52; H. 3:95; 5:55).
In the parable of Jesus, the rich man asked that Lazarus be sent to his father's house to testify to his
five brothers, "lest they also come into this place of torment. Abraham said unto him, ‘They have
Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.’ Then the rich man pleaded that if one be sent from
the dead, they would repent. But he was answered, "if they hear not Moses and the prophets,
neither will they be persuaded, though one should rise from the dead" (Luke 16:27-36)."
Jacob did not feel it was right to ask God to show Sherem any sign "in the thing thou knowest to
be true" (Jb. 5:23). However, he felt certain that Sherem would deny that he knew of Christ
"because thou art of the devil" (24).
Jac 5:25 Nevertheless, not my will be done; but if God shall smite thee, let that be a sign unto thee that
he has power, both in heaven and in earth; and also, that Christ shall come.
5:25 As soon as these words were spoken, "the power of the Lord came upon him, insomuch that
he fell to the earth" (27). He must have been paralyzed for several days, though the record is not
clear on the nature of the sign. We are told only that he fell and that "he was nourished …many
days" (28). The use of the passive voice indicated that others had to feed him.
Sherem had a premonition of his death, and asked that the people be gathered on the morrow that
he might speak to them "before I shall die" (29). When the multitude gathered, he spoke plainly to
them, refuting "the things which he had taught them; and confessed the Christ, and the power of
the Holy Ghost, and the ministering of angels" (30).
It seems that for sober, clear thinking about one's errors and God's goodness nothing succeeds
quite so well as lying helpless on one's back. The sad part is that in most cases it is too late to
make amends. (See A. 16:230-234)
Jac 5:31 And he spake plainly unto them, that he had been deceived by the power of the devil.
5:31 Sherem had a few other subjects to discuss. He had been thinking of these matters for several
days. The record does not give his conclusions, but under the circumstances it is not difficult to
imagine that the subjects of "hell, and of eternity, and of eternal punishment" became vivid
realities and that he discussed them with fervency.
"By this ye may know if a man repenteth of his sins. Behold, he will confess them and forsake
them" (D. and C. 58:9d). Sherem gave evidence of repentance only by confession. No time was
allowed him for probation.
Jac 5:33 And he said, I fear lest I have committed the unpardonable sin, for I have lied unto God: for I
denied the Christ, and said that I believed the scriptures; and they truly testify of him.
5:33 This confession should have had a strong influence in correcting the errors he had committed.
It can be noted that it is much easier to destroy the faith of innocent people than it is to restore it.