The Nephites, initially composed of those who followed Nephi from their first settlement in the Promised Land, were named after Nephi, a son of Lehi, a prophet who led his family from Jerusalem to the “land of promise” around 600 BC (1 Nephi 2:20). This group included the families of Nephi’s brothers Sam, Jacob, and Joseph, his sisters, as well as Zoram, and all those who chose to side with Nephi due to their belief in the warnings and revelations given by God through him (2 Nephi 5:6-9). Thus, the name “Nephites” was born, used to refer to those who were friendly to Nephi, in contrast with the “Lamanites,” named after Nephi’s eldest brother Laman, who sought to destroy the people of Nephi (Jacob 1:13-14).
The term ‘Nephites’ transcended mere familial lineage and came to denote political and religious affiliation, encompassing various groups who integrated into Nephite society, such as the Jacobites, Josephites, and Zoramites. Significant in Book of Mormon narrative and history, the Nephites represented the civilization from which most record keepers and prophets emerged. Following the ministry of Jesus Christ among the inhabitants of the Promised Land, there was a period when the distinctions of Nephites and Lamanites ceased, and the people were united as “the children of Christ” (4 Nephi 1:17). However, by A.D. 231, after a faction revolted, those who remained faithful to the gospel of Jesus Christ and its associated culture were once again referred to as Nephites, irrespective of their genealogical origins (4 Nephi 1:36-38).
The fate of the Nephites was a decline into iniquity and internal strife, leading to their ultimate destruction by the Lamanites around A.D. 385. Mormon, a Nephite general and historian, and his son Moroni, the final custodians of the Nephite records, took measures to preserve the history and teachings of their people. Mormon hid many sacred texts, and Moroni completed the record, witnessing the end of the Nephite civilization (Mormon 6:6; 8:1-4). The legacy of the Nephite culture and their teachings, recorded on gold plates, was preserved to come forth in the latter days as the Book of Mormon. The heritage of the Nephites continues, believed to be intermingled with the lineage of the Lamanites and thus spread among their descendants.