"And now all the people of Zarahemla were numbered with the Nephites, and this because the kingdom had been conferred upon none but those who were descendants of Nephi."
This was the first time I realized why someone saying they were a direct descendant of Nephi was an important distinction. Only Nephi's descendants could have the kingdom conferred on them. The reign of the kings began right before Nephi's death. What was establish was in order to rule they needed to be a direct descendant of Nephi. It didn't end until the reign of the judges some 500 years later. By then this distinction was well ingrained into their society.
"Now Nephi began to be old, and he saw that he must soon die; wherefore, he anointed a man to be a king and a ruler over his people now, according to the reigns of the kings.
Wherefore, the people were desirous to retain in remembrance his name. And whoso would reign in his stead were called by the people, second Nephi, third Nephi, and so forth, according to the reigns of the kings; and thus they were called by the people, let them be of whatever name they would."
(Jacob 1:9, 11)
Over 400 years later one descendant of Nephi was Mosiah and he was warned of the Lord to flee out of the land of Nephi. He and all those that would hearken to the voice of the Lord departed into the wilderness until they came to the land of Zarahelma. (Omin 1) The people of Zarahelma are descendants of Mulek that fled out of Jerusalem at the time Zedekiah, king of Judah, was carried away captive into Babylon. They are a remnant of the tribe of Judah. Lehi, father of Nephi, left Jerusalem with his family before then. Lehi is of the tribe of Manasseh. Ishmael and his family came with Lehi's family and they are of the tribe of Ephraim. I find it interesting that out of all these tribes the direct descendants of Nephi are the fewest yet they were the rulers.
"Now there were not so many of the children of Nephi, or so many of those who were descendants of Nephi, as there were of the people of Zarahelma, who was a descendant of Mulek, and those who came with him into the wilderness.
And there were not so many of the people of Nephi and of the people of Zarahemla as there were of the Lamanites; yea, they were not half so numerous."
(Mosiah 25:2-3)
I tried to go back and find the references of when various times it mentions someone is a descendant of Nephi. Other times it mentions their genealogy and who they are the son of. Following that back it will shows who they are descendant of. They must have kept a beautiful genealogy.
Alma - Mosiah 17:2
Aminadi - Alma 10:3
Mormon - Mormon 1:5
Moroni - Mormon 8:13
Day 1854
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