Study of "The Spirit of the Lord Shows Nephi a Vision"

Graphite on Paper

8 1⁄4 x 10 1⁄2 in.

1 Nephi 11-15

In addition to creating several versions of Lehi’s Vision of the Tree of Life, Friberg did several works portraying Nephi’s vision, which are recorded in greater detail in the Book of Mormon than those of his father. Whereas Lehi’s vision is prompted by reading the brass plates, Nephi’s vision is instigated by a humble prayer to see what his father saw. As recorded in 1 Nephi, chapter 11:

For it came to pass after I had desired to know the things that my father had seen, and believing that the Lord was able to make them known unto me, as I sat pondering in mine heart I was caught away in the Spirit of the Lord, yea, into an exceedingly high mountain, which I never had before seen, and upon which I never had before set my foot.

The Spirit of the Lord proceeds to unfold to Nephi his father’s vision and then includes the trajectory of his descendants. Friberg shows Nephi leaning forward on the top of the mountain, with the Spirit of the Lord at his side and pointing towards the distance where many multitudes of people are shown in a giant panorama.

Though ultimately unrealized, this subject informed many of Friberg’s other works, including painting The Brother of Jared Sees the Finger of the Lord, which adopts a very similar composition and costume.