Seed and the Tree of Life

An article I read pointed out the connection between verse 1 of 1 Nephi 8 and the major themes of the whole vision of Lehi and Nephi.  Nephi told us in verse 1 that they gathered seeds of every kind, and then immediately he went into the account of the vision.  The idea of "seed" permeates this chapter and Nephi's own vision in two ways.  First the focus is on a tree and fruit.  In this chapter alone the word "tree" occurs nine times and the word "fruit" occurs eighteen times.  That these symbols are the most important are clear from their emphasis, and obviously are very much related to the concept of gathering and planting physical seeds.  One of the major messages of Lehi's dream is that we need to partake of Christ's atonement and God's love, symbolized by the tree and the fruit which though not explicitly stated, came from seeds which were planted.  (Alma will make this point in Alma 32, though, and he is likely referencing Lehi's vision.)  The second way that the concept of "seed" is used is in the idea of posterity.  Lehi rejoices for Sam and Nephi and their "seed" who will be saved, and in Nephi's vision he is constantly concerned with the fate of his seed and his brothers' seed.  So while verse 1 of this chapter seems almost out of place in its context, it is actually a very pertinent and symbolic introduction to the vision of the Tree of Life.