"I was taught somewhat in all the learning of my father"

I, Nephi, having been born of goodly parents, therefore I was taught somewhat in all the learning of my father; (1 Nephi 1:1)

There has been considerable discussion as to the meaning of the phrase "goodly parents" over the years. It is frequently used synonymously with "good parents", but some have questioned why Joseph Smith didn't translate it using the simpler "good" instead of the fancy "goodly". They have posited, based on dictionary entries, presumed limited accessibility of education, and in-text descriptions of Lehi's wealth, that "goodly" means "rich" instead. I will confess to having been persuaded by these arguments for some time. But the more recent publications of The Joseph Smith Papers has changed my mind. In one version of his life story, Joseph Smith refers to his parents as "goodly". They could by no stretch of the imagination have been described as wealthy, so he must have been simply saying that they were good parents, perhaps alluding to Nephi's good parents with this phrasing. I find my self returning to the "goodly" = "good" camp based on this evidence.

The next clause explains what these good parents did for him. They taught him what they (or at least what his father) knew. As I read this, I expect that the learning of his father included a secular education. In modern times we have so much available to us in the way of educational opportunities! Supporting our children in their schooling is important to give them the tools to understand and navigate the world.

In reading this with an eye to discovering what I should do (see my previous post), I wondered what is said elsewhere in the Book of Mormon about what parents should teach their children. Here is a sampling of what I found:

• what's in the scriptures (Mosiah 1:4) -- Lehi taught his children what was in the brass plates, including the commandments of God, and they taught their children. It's hard to keep the commandments if you don't know what they are!
• to keep the commandments of God (Alma 53:21, Helaman 5:13) -- This one came up several times. It was taught by the parents of the stripling warriors and by Helaman to his sons, Lehi and Nephi. Teaching not only what the scriptures say (academically), but also that they have significance as a code of conduct is important.
• the language of their fathers (Mosiah 1:2) -- This could mean a historical language that wasn't currently being spoken, probably useful for future rulers who might need to access historical records. Parents who speak a language that's not the dominant language where we live should pass this language on to their children. As a linguist, I value linguistic diversity, and I think bilingualism is important as a marker of our heritage as well as a useful skill in society.
• if they do not doubt, God will deliver them (Alma 56:47) -- This one is tricky, because it implies that we will always be rescued from dangerous situations if we have faith. Which implies that if we aren't rescued we don't have enough faith. But in the case of the stripling warriors it seems to have been justified, so it could be a case of their parents being inspired to teach them this. In any case, I think the writers in the Book of Mormon would advocate teaching our children to have faith.
• about the Lord (3 Nephi 22:13) -- This is a quote from Isaiah 54: "And all thy children shall be taught of the Lord". Making sure our children have a strong gospel foundation is important.

These are just the references to parents teaching their children. There's plenty more teaching discussed, not to mention preaching, expounding, etc., and I'll talk about those in future posts.

My children are grown now, and some have children of their own. But I hope I taught them the things described here--to read and apply the scriptures, to have faith, and to love the Lord.