Joseph, known in the Book of Mormon lineage as the son of the patriarch Jacob, also called Israel, is an integral figure in the narrative not only for his own historic actions but also for the prophecies and promises that extend to his descendants. Joseph, who was carried into Egypt, would become the forebear of an enduring lineage. Notably, Lehi, the progenitor of the Nephite and Lamanite nations, is a direct descendant of Joseph through Manasseh (1 Nephi 5:14), and Ishmael, whose daughters married the sons of Lehi, is linked through the lineage of Ephraim.
Joseph’s role in the salvific history of the House of Israel is a focal point within the Book of Mormon. The brass plates obtained by Lehi’s sons from Laban contained the genealogy and sacred writings that highlighted the covenants made with Joseph and his seed (1 Nephi 5:14-16). Nephi, son of Lehi, speaks of Joseph with high regard, quoting prophecies concerning the latter days (2 Nephi 3:4-23). Lehi also imparts blessings to his son Joseph, recounting the prophecies and words of their ancestor Joseph, which include the coming of a seer also named Joseph who would bring forth God’s word to the descendants of the ancient Joseph (2 Nephi 3:6-15).
Joseph’s legacy as described in the Book of Mormon includes the promises that his descendants will not perish but be preserved (Alma 46:24; 2 Nephi 3:3; Ether 13:7), and that they will be part of the branch of Israel to which the Messiah shall be made manifest (2 Nephi 3:5). The descendants of Joseph were also prophesied to play a part in the Restoration through a seer who would do a work of great worth, bringing to light the knowledge of the covenants made unto the House of Israel (2 Nephi 3:6-21).
The Book of Mormon further elaborates on these prophecies by asserting the significance of the lineage of Joseph in the Promised Land. The promises made to Joseph are seen as guiding forces behind the narrative of the Book of Mormon peoples, with visions of a righteous branch and the union of the Book of Mormon as “the stick of Ephraim” with the Bible as “the stick of Judah” as part of the gathering of Israel and the fulfillment of biblical prophecy (Ezekiel 37:15-19). Through the branches of his sons Ephraim and Manasseh, Joseph’s heritage intersects with the ancient and the modern, binding together the fate of his descendants with the unfolding plan of God as recounted in the Book of Mormon.