The Book of 3 Nephi is named for Nephi, the son of the Nephi who was featured in the Book of Helaman (thus, a priestly figure in the continuing line of Alma). It records events that occur in the first century CE. The early portions of the book describe events preceding Jesus’s visitation, with the remainder (Chapters 11-30) consisting of Jesus’s actions and teachings after his arrival. The Book of 3 Nephi also includes several portions in which Mormon, the later compiler and redactor of the records, includes his own commentary on the content of the book.

The period of instability in Nephite society that prevailed in the Book of Helaman continues, with the Gadianton robbers continuing to exercise a malignant influence during the events. Even after the Gadiantons are defeated by the Nephite army, Nephite society continues to go astray, led away from religious devotion by its attachment to material wealth. Then, just as Samuel the Lamanite had predicted at the end of the Book of Helaman, the time of Jesus’s death and resurrection in Roman Judaea coincides with several signs of God’s judgment: storms, earthquakes, and darkness. This period sees the destruction of many Nephite and Lamanite cities in the disasters that ensue.