While this book contains some history of the Nephites, including the death of Nephi, it is mainly a record of Jacob's preaching to his people.
He identifies three wicked practices among the Nephites: desiring polygamy, or multiple wives, searching out gold and silver, and being prideful.
Then he tells the allegory of the olive tree, citing it from Zenos, an extra-Biblical prophet quoted by multiple writers in the Book of Mormon.
Throughout the allegory, the master of the vineyard tries to revive the olive tree by grafting in wild branches in order to preserve its fruit.
Jacob writes that God forbids polygamy to the Nephites in order to prioritize family harmony over multiple wives.
[9] He teaches them that to become like God, they must work towards divine principles such as equality, additionally suggesting the need to rid themselves of inaccurate views of themselves and others.
Christian theology professor Deidre Nicole Green theorizes on Jacob's emphasis to treat everyone as your neighbor, that it is vital to think of all others as equal in order to have charity towards them.
[12] While the Nephites have begun to follow David and Solomon's examples of having multiple women, according to Jacob, this practice has "broken the hearts" of their wives and lost them the confidence of their children.
[13] Jacob's firm condemnation of the Nephites taking up plural marriage is surprising to some readers given polygamy practices of the Latter-day Saint movement during the 1800s.
[16] Riess contrasts Sherem with biblical instances of Ish Elohim, different anonymous "men of God" who appear to a leader and inform them of a needed change.
The story often involves a sign of the Ish Elohim's prophetic status and revolves around God's punishment to those who take part in false worship.
[17] Sherem, according to Riess, is an "upholder of the law" and reproaches Jacob for leaving behind the established religion by preaching of a Christ.
[19] Comparative religion researcher Jacob Rennaker identifies that Sherem's smiting is never directly attributed to God in the text.