“Unto These Whom I Have Chosen”

Brant Gardner

Although all of the people are praying, the Savior here speaks to and prays for the twelve (“these whom I have chosen”). The referent is the manifestation of the Holy Ghost to the twelve (vvs. 13–14).

While the gift of the Holy Ghost to the twelve did not create a distinction separating them from the manifestation to the children on the previous day, Jesus’s actions highlight the twelve’s special responsibilities as his representatives.

Second Witness: Analytical & Contextual Commentary on the Book of Mormon, Vol. 5

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