The Iron Rod

In Lehi's time, a "rod of iron" would have symbolized authority, much like a rod of justice or a king's scepter. Iron rods weren’t used as handrails like we might think of today.

In 1 Nephi 8:19, Lehi describes seeing a "rod of iron" leading to the tree of life, and in 1 Nephi 15:24, he explains that this rod represents "the word of God." This connects with the powerful words in John 1:1, which tells us, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God."

Symbolically, we can understand that at the end of the rod of iron is Christ Himself. As the hymn says, "Hold to the rod, the iron rod; 'Tis strong, and bright, and true. The iron rod is the word of God; 'Twill safely guide us through." This reminds us that by holding fast to the word of God, we are holding onto Christ, who will safely guide us through life.

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