Jacob’s Protector

The name Jacob means “may he [i.e., God] protect,” or “he has protected.” As a hypocoristic masculine volitive verbal form, it is a kind of blessing upon, or prayer on behalf of the one so named that he will receive divine protection and safety. Textual evidence from Nephi’s writings suggests that his brother Jacob’s protection was a primary concern of their parents, Lehi and Sariah. All of the foregoing is to be understood against the backdrop of the patriarch Jacob’s biography. Lehi, Nephi, Jacob, and Enos all expressed their redemption in terms reminiscent of their ancestor Jacob’s being “redeemed … from all evil.”The faithful Lehites, many of whom were descendants of two Jacobs, prayed “May the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, protect this people in righteousness, so long as they shall call on the name of their God for protection”. By and large, they enjoyed the God of Jacob’s protection until they ceased to call upon their true protector for it.