3rd nephi 20:24

[askandanswer]

Verily I say unto you, yea, and all the prophets from Samuel and those that follow after, as many as have spoken, have testified of me.

To me, and I suspect to many readers, this scripture, when read on its own, would likely create the understanding that only those prophets from Samuel onwards have testified of Christ. Obviously that is not correct as we are taught elsewhere that all the prophets have testified of Christ. Some I’m wondering why Christ worded this teaching in a manner that could so readily be understood in an inaccurate or misleading manner. 

Of a less important, but still interesting matter, this verse also opens up the possibility of something I had not previously considered – the existence of prophets who have not spoken, as this verse says that only those prophets which have spoken have testified of Christ. 
 

[Jersey Boy]

3 hours ago, askandanswer said:

Verily I say unto you, yea, and all the prophets from Samuel and those that follow after, as many as have spoken, have testified of me.

To me, and I suspect to many readers, this scripture, when read on its own, would likely create the understanding that only those prophets from Samuel onwards have testified of Christ. Obviously that is not correct as we are taught elsewhere that all the prophets have testified of Christ. Some I’m wondering why Christ worded this teaching in a manner that could so readily be understood in an inaccurate or misleading manner. 

Of a less important, but still interesting matter, this verse also opens up the possibility of something I had not previously considered – the existence of prophets who have not spoken, as this verse says that only those prophets which have spoken have testified of Christ. 
 

You’re misunderstanding the clearly intended meaning of the verse. When the Savior says “all the prophets from Samuel,” it’s just a shortened way of saying ‘all the prophets from Samuel back to Adam.’  The proof of this is found in the words that immediately follow when the Lord says “and those (prophets) that follow after.”  If your understanding is correct, why, in effect, would the Lord say “all the prophets who came after Samuel and all the prophets who followed after Samuel testified of me.” What’s the point of the Savior saying precisely the same thing twice in the same sentence? Do you now realize what he was actually saying is that all the prophets who came before Samuel and all the prophets who came after Samuel testified of him? The preceding verse also makes the Lord’s intended meaning clear...

23 Behold, I am he of whom Moses spake, saying: A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear in all things whatsoever he shall say unto you. And it shall come to pass that every soul who will not hear that prophet shall be cut off from among the people.  (3 Nephi 20)

The context is obvious. The Savior is clearly teaching that there were prophets who lived before Samuel (Moses being one of them) who testified of him.

Edited August 13, 2018 by Jersey Boy