The Iron Rod
274

Text: Joseph L. Townsend (1849–1942; LDS)
Music: William Clayson (1840–1887; LDS)
Tune name: PAYSON

For all Latter- day Saints, the iron rod is a symbol of security, obedience, and righteous progression. This hymn exhorts us toward our destiny; it also reminds us of the dangers that threaten us if we choose to release our hold on the one sure guide.

The text of this favorite hymn can be understood only with reference to its scriptural source. In the Book of Mormon, Nephi recounted a vision that had come to his father, Lehi. The details of this important scriptural passage can only be sketched here:

Beckoned to do so by a man dressed in a white robe, Lehi entered a “dark and dreary waste,” and after wandering many hours he prayed to the Lord for deliverance. He then beheld a “large and spacious field,” a tree growing in the field, and a river running near the tree. After eating of the fruit of this tree, his soul was filled with “exceedingly great joy.” His immediate concern was for his family. How could he bring them to the tree so that they, too, could eat of this fruit? His wife and two of his sons succeeded in finding their way to the tree, but two other sons failed.

Lehi said, “And I beheld a rod of iron, and it extended along the bank of the river, and led to the tree by which I stood.” “Numberless concourses of people” attempted to follow the path to the tree, but the only ones who succeeded were those who “did press forward through the mist of darkness, clinging to the rod of iron, even until they did come forth and partake of the fruit of the tree” (see 1 Nephi 8:5–24).

In a later passage, Nephi interpreted his father’s vision (see 1 Nephi 12:17–18). The meaning of the iron rod is explained most fully in 1 Nephi 15:23–24:

“And they said unto me [Nephi]: What meaneth the rod of iron which our father saw, that led to the tree?

“And I said unto them that it was the word of God; and whoso would hearken unto the word of God, and would hold fast unto it, they would never perish; neither could the temptations and the fiery darts of the adversary overpower them unto blindness, to lead them away to destruction.”

That great promise inspired this hymn. Originally written for the Payson Sunday School (thus the tune name) while the author and composer were officers in that organization, this hymn has made “hold to the rod” a watchword for many Latter- day Saints. The hymn was first published as a Sunday School music card in 1878 and then was included in the 1892 Deseret Sunday School Song Book. The restoration of its original title, “The Iron Rod” in the 1985 hymnal may encourage more frequent use of this strong Book of Mormon text.