The Know

In his vision of the Tree of Life, Nephi beheld a “virgin, most beautiful and fair above all other virgins” (1 Nephi 11:15) who would become “the mother of the Son of God, after the manner of the flesh” (v. 18). Interestingly, while other Book of Mormon prophets clearly identified this virgin as Mary (see Mosiah 3:8; Alma 7:10), Nephi never did. Biblical scholar Matthew Bowen has asked, “Does it not seem strange then that Nephi would leave her name unmentioned, assuming he knew it? Where is her name?”

Bowen proposed that the answer can be found in the meaning of Mary’s name itself, which most likely derives from the Egyptian root mr(i) or mry which means “love” or “desire.” Rather than directly stating Mary’s name, it seems that Nephi instead emphasized the meanings of the ancient root word from which her name was likely derived.

When Nephi’s angelic guide asked him if he knew of the “condescension of God,” Nephi responded, “I know that [God] loveth his children; nevertheless, I do not know the meaning of all things” (1 Nephi 11:17–18). Then, after showing Nephi a vision of Christ’s birth, the angel asked, “Knowest thou the meaning of the tree which thy father saw?” Nephi answered, “Yea, it is the love of God” (vv. 21–22). Nephi used the term love twice more in this chapter, explaining that the “waters are a representation of the love of God; and … that the tree of life was a representation of the love of God” (v. 25).

The word desire also shows up with unusual frequency. The reason Nephi was privileged to behold this vision in the first place was because he “had desired to know the things that [his] father had seen” (1 Nephi 11:1). On several other occasions in this chapter, Nephi’s desire is similarly referenced: “Behold, what desirest thou?” (v. 2; cf. v. 10) … I desire to behold the things which my father saw (v. 3) … wherefore, thou shalt behold the things which thou hast desired (v. 6). Finally, following Nephi’s identification of the Tree of Life as the “love of God” in verse 22, Nephi explained that this love is “the most desirable above all things.”

Thus, on several occasions, the terms love and desire—the probable roots of Mary’s name—are used throughout this chapter. Notably, the only time they are used together in the same verse is when they describe the Tree of Life (1 Nephi 11:22). This seems to be more than a coincidence because there is good reason to associate the Tree of Life with Mary herself.

Just as the Tree of Life bore precious fruit, Mary bore Jesus Christ. Also, the association of the Tree of Life with a holy or divine mother figure was present in ancient Israelite religion. By describing the Tree of Life as the “love of God” which was “most desirable above all things,” Nephi linked the sacred Tree with Egyptian root words that either literally or implicitly represented Mary’s name. Bowen concluded that with Nephi’s awareness of both Egyptian and Hebrew, his “consciousness of Mary’s name and its meaning plausibly explains and motivates the dramatic emphasis on the ‘love of God’ in 1 Nephi 11 and his understanding of the overall meaning of the tree-of-life vision.”

The Why

This linguistic and textual analysis can help readers see Mary in a new light. According to the prophet Alma, she was “a precious and chosen vessel” (Alma 7:10; emphasis added). This description is meaningful because the fruit that Mary bore—the Son of God—was likewise symbolically described as being “most precious and most desirable above all other fruits” (1 Nephi 15:36; emphasis added). Understood this way, Mary’s name appropriately symbolizes her mission to bring to the world the most desirable thing that God can offer—His precious Son, Jesus Christ, who perfectly manifests the Father’s eternal love for all of His children (see John 3:16).

Mary’s role in bringing forth the Son of God was sacred and holy, a gift to all the earth. Likewise, the eternal role of motherhood is sacred and holy for all women who have or will experience its blessings, responsibilities, and gifts of life and love, whether during mortality or in the eternities to come.

Speaking to women in the October 1980 session of General Conference, Mary F. Foulger stated, “We stand in awe at Mary’s assignment to be the mother of the Lord, but we, too, have been called to mother gods. Latter-day Saint women understand that the very purpose of creation depends upon our participation as earthly mothers to the spirit children of God.” While Mary is not to be worshipped or prayed to, she is to be honored, revered, and emulated. As Elder Bruce R. McConkie stated, “We should … hold up Mary with that proper high esteem which is hers.”

Recognizing that Mary’s name is associated with the love of God can help readers remember the eternal worth of all women and mothers. It also helps explain why Mary plays such a prominent role in the opening scenes of the Gospels of Matthew and Luke, as well as in Nephi’s vision of the Tree of Life. What better way to emphasize God’s love than by drawing attention to Christ’s mother, who by the very meaning of her name was love personified and who brought forth the most desirable gift of God? It appears that by using the root meanings of Mary’s name, instead of the name itself, Nephi subtly drew attention to her divinely appointed role to bring forth and raise the Christ Child.