2 Nephi 4:17-19

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Reference Search: 2 Nephi 4:17-19

17 Nevertheless, notwithstanding the great goodness of the Lord, in showing me his great and marvelous works, my heart exclaimeth: O wretched man that I am! Yea, my heart sorroweth because of my flesh; my soul grieveth because of mine iniquities.

18 I am encompassed about, because of the temptations and the sins which do so easily beset me.

19 And when I desire to rejoice, my heart groaneth because of my sins; nevertheless, I know in whom I have trusted.

Quotes for Discussion

“O wretched man that I am”

Nephi’s references to personal sins should not be taken to imply any serious moral transgression on his part. No man could have seen and known God as he did who was not pure in heart.

Rather, he is almost surely alluding to the…anger, impatience, and frustration he must have felt at times.

Rodney Turner, in Monte S. Nyman and Charles D. Tate Jr., eds., First Nephi, 93

The nearer man approaches perfection, the clearer are his views, and the greater his enjoyments, till he has overcome the evils of his life and lost every desire for sin; and like the ancients, arrives at that point of faith where he is wrapped in the power and glory of his Maker and is caught up to dwell with Him.

Joseph Smith, Teachings, p. 51

The prophet Nephi, who had progressed and advanced spiritually to a remarkable degree, still lamented about “sins which do easily beset me” (2 Nephi 4:18). Obviously, Nephi’s sins were not major. But just as God cannot look upon sin with the least degree of allowance (D&C 1:31), as we become more like Him, neither can we. The best people have a heightened awareness of what little of the worst is still in them! Indeed, the divine discontent, the justifiable spiritual restlessness that we feel, is a natural follow-on feeling in the disciple who has taken the Lord’s counsel to “make you a new heart and a new spirit” (Ezek. 18:31). The “new” in us is bound to notice the “old” that remains. However, it is vital for us to realize that if we are keeping the commandments and doing our basic duties, we are to that extent succeeding in that thing. Our sincere striving and seeking to keep the commandments counts for more than we know.

Neal A. Maxwell, Notwithstanding My Weakness, p. 16-17

Satan’s name in Greek is dia’bolos, which means “hurler of accusations.” He hurls accusations at us and gets us to beat on ourselves. He stirs around in our miserable feelings and seeks to shut us right down—that is, if we can get discouraged enough, if we just stop trying, if we come to a dead standstill on the path up Mount Sinai and say, “I’ve had enough,” and turn around and start back down again. We don’t even have to commit any big sins—he has us where he wants us.

Part of enduring to the end may have to do with just keeping on trying against feelings of overwhelming inadequacy—knowing they are part of discipleship, but knowing too that we must keep on going as best we can, no matter how bad we feel!

A person may think that his feelings of hopelessness reflect his true condition, but they do not. These feelings are a smoke screen, or maybe mists of darkness, generated by a true sense of one’s fallenness—but with which Satan has connected, instead of the Savior. Satan is a secondary infection; just as in the case of the bacteria that grows in us as we’re getting sick, we may not really feel the infection come, and we do not for a while discern its nature. Then one day the light suddenly goes on and we realize that Satan is trying to shut us down; then we can, with our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, kick him out—for a while, at least.

Nephi cried out, “O wretched man that I am! Yea, my heart sorroweth because of my flesh; my soul grieveth because of mine iniquities. I am encompassed about, because of the temptations and the sins which do so easily beset me.” (2 Nephi 4:17-18.)

In the middle of that psalm, apparently, Nephi figured out that Satan, the enemy of his soul, was making trouble for him. He said: “Yea, why should I give way to temptations, that the evil one have place in my heart to destroy my peace and afflict my soul?...Awake, my soul! No longer droop in sin. Rejoice, O my heart, and give place no more for the enemy of my soul.” (2 Nephi 4:27-28.)

M. Catherine Thomas, Spiritual Lightening, p. 111