1 Nephi 3

MDC Contents			1 Nephi 3:1 1 And it came to pass that I, Nephi, returned from speaking with the Lord, to the tent of my father. 1 Nephi 3:2 2 And it came to pass that he spake unto me, saying: Behold I have dreamed a dream, in the which the Lord hath commanded me that thou and thy brethren shall return to Jerusalem. It is interesting that the timing of Lehi's dream should follow so closely on the heels of Nephi's own conversation with the Lord. Nephi notes in verse one that he goes directly to the tent of his father after his revelation. No doubt Nephi wanted to share his experience with his father, who would surely not only understand, but be able to intimately share such a marvelous experience. Rather than such intimate sharing, however, Nephi is presented with a command from the Lord through his father. Lehi has also received a revelation from the Lord (through a dream, which was Lehi's mode of receiving revelation). The Lord's timing of the two revelations may have been pure coincidence brought on by two faithful men who happened to pray for knowledge at the same time. It may also, however, have been a purposeful timing to prepare Nephi for what would not only be a hard task, but eventually one which would be a major turning point in Nephi's spiritual development. Given the problems this task would cause with his brothers, perhaps Nephi's conversation with the Lord was a requisite preliminary to having him accept the burdens which would be thrust upon him on this trip back to Jerusalem. 1 Nephi 3:3 3 For behold, Laban hath the record of the Jews and also a genealogy of my forefathers, and they are engraven upon plates of brass. 1 Nephi 3:4 4 Wherefore, the Lord hath commanded me that thou and thy brothers should go unto the house of Laban, and seek the records, and bring them down hither into the wilderness. The brass plates prove to be extremely important to the progress of the eventual Nephites. They play a pivotal role in several scenarios which become foundations for the Nephite belief and culture: The acquisition of the brass plates establishes Nephi as a leader in the band. This begins the fulfillment of the prophecy given to Nephi from the Lord that he should ascend over his elder brethren. The brass plates probably provide the model for the plates of Nephi. Not only are Nephi's plates also composed of metal, but the brass plates appear to be written in reformed Egyptian, and that is also used for writing Nephi's record. The theology of the brass plates plays an important role in the development of Nephite religion, with several brass plate prophets being quoted in the preaching of Nephi and Jacob (and some later). The brass plates provide a tie to their Old World culture, which appears to provide an anchor to which certain practices are tied. The brass plates are used as the reason why the Nephite culture did not change to the extent of the Mulekite culture. 1 Nephi 3:5 5 And now, behold thy brothers murmur, saying it is a hard thing which I have required of them; but behold I have not required it of them, but it is a commandment of the Lord. 1 Nephi 3:6 6 Therefore go, my son, and thou shalt be favored of the Lord, because thou hast not murmured. Whether Lehi knows of Nephi's epiphany or not, he clearly knows Nephi's heart. Lehi specifically assigns Nephi to this task because he knows the importance of the task. Lehi's benediction, to "go, my son, and thou shalt be favored of the Lord, because thou hast not murmured" may be just the blessing of a father, or perhaps Lehi's dream had shown him something of what would take place on this journey, and Lehi knew how well that benediction would be fulfilled. 1 Nephi 3:7 7 And it came to pass that I, Nephi, said unto my father: I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them. 1 Nephi 3:8 8 And it came to pass that when my father had heard these words he was exceedingly glad, for he knew that I had been blessed of the Lord. In verse 7 Nephi testifies that he knows something about the way the Lord works. Either this "knowledge" is based on an unknown experience, or Nephi's knowledge comes from his trust in the Lord. Regardless of the basis of Nephi's faith at this point in his life, it is certain that he, like all of us, had to start with the faith based on trust prior to the faith based on experience. Nevertheless, his experiences served to confirm this early faith. After the success of the mission to retreive the plates, Nephi can again assert the power of the Lord to provide a means to accomplish what is asked: "1 Nephi 17:50 And I said unto them: If God had commanded me to do all things I could do them. If he should command me that I should say unto this water, be thou earth, it should be earth; and if I should say it, it would be done." Verse 7 is one of the most well known scriptures in the Book of Mormon, and rightly so, for it provides us with a model of the way in which we can face the obstacles we see in this world. With our faith in the Lord, we can see that the obstacles are not placed to be insurmountable, but to be conquered. While the Lord may require many things of us which will stretch and mold us, none of them will be beyond our capacity. We may rest assured, with Nephi, that the Lord is not capricious, and asks of us only that which is possible, even if it might be difficult. When we cite verse 7, however, we typically leave off verse 8, which is an important corollary to verse 7. Lehi is glad to hear these words from Nephi, for they indicate that Nephi has indeed learned faith in the Lord. While we can give lip service to the idea that "the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them" we will not be able to really act upon it without the requisite spiritual depth and maturity to have the faith that it is really true. Without the underlying faith as our true power, verse 7 is little more than a slogan. 1 Nephi 3:9 9 And I, Nephi, and my brethren took our journey in the wilderness, with our tents, to go up to the land of Jerusalem. 1 Nephi 3:10 10 And it came to pass that when we had gone up to the land of Jerusalem, I and my brethren did consult one with another. 1 Nephi 3:11 11 And we cast lots--who of us should go in unto the house of Laban. And it came to pass that the lot fell upon Laman; and Laman went in unto the house of Laban, and he talked with him as he sat in his house. Socio-cultural background, casting lots: While modern people might be familiar with casting lots to create a pure chance selection, it would be a disservice to these brothers to assume that the casting of lots was done to create a random assignment. Casting lots in the ancient world assumed that the randomness inherent in the lots opened the door for God to place His hand in the outcome. The casting of lots was used as a means of discovering the will of the Lord. Laman, Lemuel, Nephi, and Sam had been sent on a mission by their father. The mission had been commanded of Lehi in a prophetic vision. Regardless of the feelings that Laman and Lemuel had about their state of affairs in the wilderness, they were familiar with religion, and knew that this was a religiously directed mission. In a more modern story, we might see the four brothers kneeling in prayer to determine who should go to Laban. The casting of lots was essentially the same for them. Nibley has a fairly long description of ancient divination practices in his Since Cumorah (Deseret Book 1970, pp 287-292). To distill that information, the divination was frequently one where rods would contain the words "My Lord hath commanded me" and some would have "My Lord hath forbidden me". Action would be taken based on the message which appeared on the chosen lot (see Nibley 1970 p. 288). Thus the casting of lots was an action equivalent to asking the direction of the Lord, which would be consistent with the religious purpose of this quest into Jerusalem. Daniel H. Ludlow also recognizes the practice of casting lots in the Old Testament, and cites examples of where lots were used in the scriptures: Leviticus 16:8, 1 Samuel 14:42, 1 Chronicles 26:13, Psalms 22:18, Isaiah 34:17, Joel 3:3, Obadiah 11, Jonah 1:7, Nahum 3:10, Matthew 27:35, Mark 15:24, John 19:24, Acts 1:26 (Ludlow, A Companion to Your Study of the Book of Mormon . Deseret Book 1976, p. 95). Scriptural analysis: The use of the lots to determine who should go up to Laban now raises another question. If the Lord did have a hand in the selection, why was Laman chosen instead of Nephi? Clearly the Lord knew that Nephi would be the successful one. Why was Laman allowed to fail? There are two issues here. The first is why might Laman be allowed to fail, and the second was why Laman was chosen instead of Nephi. Laman was allowed to fail for the same reason that all of us are allowed to fail at various tasks in this life. Our Agency places us in a position where we must individually do or fail at any number of tasks. Opportunities are placed before us, and we will succeed or not depending upon our developed abilities to handle each situation. There is therefore no surprise that the Lord would allow Laman to fail. In such an important mission, it is likely that the Lord would not let the mission fail, only one of the men who attempted to carry out the mission. Laman's eventual failure was personal. The goal of the mission was eventually accomplished. The next question is why the Lord would put Laman in a position where the Lord knew he would fail. The incident of the retrieval of the brass plates comes directly after Nephi's epiphany wherein the Lord told Nephi that he would ascend over his brothers. While that had occurred in other occasions (Jacob over Esau, Joseph over all his brethren) it was remarkable in its violation of cultural rules. The eldest brother was the one who should have that role. The incident with the brass plates is a transitional moment where the change in the leadership hierarchies is being established. The Lord uses this incident to provide justification for the ascendency of Nephi as a leader, a process which continues on their journey through the desert. Laman's attempt and failure was both a recognition of his birthright, and the marking of the passage of the birthright from the inheritor to the more righteous anointed. Historical analysis: As Nephi begins this task, he is a younger brother with no social claim to preeminence over his brothers. While we are not given the ages of the siblings we can make some guess as to Nephi's age at this point. From the departure from Jerusalem to the end of Nephi's life is approximately 55 years (see Jacob 1:1-12). Since one of the tasks before finally leaving forever would be to secure wives for the brothers, we might make the assumption that Nephi would have been of marriageable age, which at that time might have been in the early or mid teens. That would give Nephi a lifetime age of around 70 years, which fits within other ages in the Book of Mormon. Thus at this time, we might expect Nephi to be in his teens (perhaps mid teens?) with Laman, Lemuel, and Sam one to two years older each. Even though Nephi is physically mature, he is not yet of an age where he can command respect. As this episode begins, he is very much a young man ready to be forged into the man he will become. 1 Nephi 3:12 12 And he desired of Laban the records which were engraven upon the plates of brass, which contained the genealogy of my father. 1 Nephi 3:13 13 And behold, it came to pass that Laban was angry, and thrust him out from his presence; and he would not that he should have the records. Wherefore, he said unto him: Behold thou art a robber, and I will slay thee. Historical context: Laman proceeds to make the request of Laban. Hugh Nibley gives an excellent account of the probable position and nature of Laban: "For ages the cities of Palestine and Syria had been more or less under the rule of military governors, of native blood but, n theory at least, answerable to Egypt... They were by and large a sordid lot of careerists whose authority depended on constant deception and intrigue, though they regarded their offices as hereditary and sometimes styled themselves kings... The Lachish letters show that such men were still the lords of creation in Lehi's day - the commanders of the towns around Jerusalem were still acting in closest cooperation with Egypt in military matters, depending on the prestige of Egypt to bolster their corrupt power, and still behaving as groveling and unscrupulous timeservers" (Nibley, _Lehi in the Desert. Deseret Book 1952, pp. 108-109). "A few deft and telling touches resurrect the pompous Laban with photographic perfection. We learn in passing that he commanded a garrison of fifty, that he met in full ceremonial armor with "the elders of the Jews" for secret consultations by night, that he had control of a treasury, that he was of the old aristocracy, being a distant relative to Lehi himself, that he probably held his job because of his ancestors, since he hardly received it by merit, that his house was the storing place of very old records, that he was a large man, short-tempered, crafty and dangerous, and to the bargain cruel, greedy, unscrupulous, weak, and given to drink. All of which makes him a Rabu to the life, the very model of an Oriental Pasha" (Nibley, Lehi in the Desert, p. 111). 1 Nephi 3:14 14 But Laman fled out of his presence, and told the things which Laban had done, unto us. And we began to be exceedingly sorrowful, and my brethren were about to return unto my father in the wilderness. Narrative analysis: At this point in the narrative we have a major turning point in the journey of the brothers. It is easy to see how Laman and Lemuel (who probably weren't all that thrilled with the task in the first place) would have said "That's enough, let's go home." That seems to be the point of the last phrase of verse 14. From a story telling standpoint, Nephi is making sure that we understand the tensions of the journey. Even writing this any number of years after its occurrence (Nephi might have made paper notes for a journal as they went, but there is not evidence either for or against this idea) the power of the story itself remains with Nephi. Notice also that Nephi includes himself in those who were "exceedingly sorrowful", but clearly removes himself from those who would abandon the journey and return. 1 Nephi 3:15 15 But behold I said unto them that: As the Lord liveth, and as we live, we will not go down unto our father in the wilderness until we have accomplished the thing which the Lord hath commanded us. Narrative analysis: It is very likely that Nephi's brethren know nothing about Nephi's recent vision, and the promise to Nephi that he would rule over them. It is also quite unlikely that the brothers knew of Nephi's impassioned vow to Lehi that he knew that the Lord would prepare the way for them. Nephi's oath "As the Lord liveth, and as we live" was a powerful commitment. Smith's Bible Dictionary presents the following information on oath-taking: "The principle on which an oath is held to be binding is incidentally laid down in Hebrews 6:16 as an ultimate appeal to divine authority to ratify an assertion. There the Almighty is represented as promising or denouncing with an oath, i.e. doing so in the most positive and solemn manner. On the same principle, that oath has always been held most binding which appealed to the highest authority, both as regards individuals and communities. As a consequence of this principle, appeals to God's name on the one hand, and to heathen deities on the other, are treated in scripture as tests of allegiance" ("Oath", in Smith's Bible Dictionary. Fleming H. Revell Company, 1970, p. 462). By invoking the name of the Lord, Nephi is binding himself with the strongest of oaths. His subsequent arguments serve to convince his brethren to accompany him. There is no record that the brothers repeated the oath, even though they did participate one more time. 1 Nephi 3:16 16 Wherefore, let us be faithful in keeping the commandments of the Lord; therefore let us go down to the land of our father's inheritance, for behold he left gold and silver, and all manner of riches. And all this he hath done because of the commandments of the Lord. Nephi begins his plea to his brethren by invoking the desire to keep the commandments of the Lord. Surely Nephi's sworn oath to do so was impressive. What is interesting is the next step. Nephi is clearly one who has had the hand of the Lord upon him. He knows that this mission will succeed, and he is making every attempt to carry out that mission. Notice that it is Nephi's solution to the problem to present their riches to Laban for the plates. Nephi reasons that if Lehi left them behind because of the commandment of the Lord, that perhaps there was a reason in this action, and that the reason was to purchase the plates. This idea, proposed by one who was clearly blessed of the Lord, reasoned out with acceptable logic, nevertheless fails. Regardless of the blessings of the Lord, we are always in situations where we must rely on our own best logic. That information may or may not be appropriate for the situation. It bears nothing on the designs of the Lord (other than as a constant reminder of the overarching importance of Agency). Those who have received much from the Lord remain as human as the rest of us, and not all of their, nor our, ideas or actions will be correct. 1 Nephi 3:17 17 For he knew that Jerusalem must be destroyed, because of the wickedness of the people. 1 Nephi 3:18 18 For behold, they have rejected the words of the prophets. Wherefore, if my father should dwell in the land after he hath been commanded to flee out of the land, behold, he would also perish. Wherefore, it must needs be that he flee out of the land. It is fascinating that the very first argument that Nephi puts forth is a defense of his father's response to prophecy. Clearly at least Laman and Lemuel had to be reminded of the commandment of the Lord to flee, and the reasons for it. The return to the land of Jerusalem was also likely to have shaken the remainder of the "faith" of Laman and Lemuel, since Jerusalem had obviously not been destroyed. Nephi reminds them that the entire journey of their family is a command from the Lord, and in their own best interests, even though those best interests concern future events. 1 Nephi 3:19 19 And behold, it is wisdom in God that we should obtain these records, that we may preserve unto our children the language of our fathers; 1 Nephi 3:20 20 And also that we may preserve unto them the words which have been spoken by the mouth of all the holy prophets, which have been delivered unto them by the Spirit and power of God, since the world began, even down unto this present time. In addition to reiterating the commandment to leave Jerusalem, Nephi expounds on the reasons for obtaining the plates. He speaks of preserving their heritage and scriptures for their children. It is not known whether or not this reason was given him by Lehi, or whether he deduced it for himself. Clearly Nephi was sufficiently intelligent to come with the information on his own. Nephi's reasons have validity only when we understand that Nephi knew that their descendants were to be cut off from their previous culture. Certainly Laman and Lemuel would have thought that they would "lie low" for a while and then return to their own people. Nephi's argument that the plates were essential to their cultural preservation indicates his understanding that this journey was one which would completely and inalterably sever the physical ties with their land and culture, thus the need to preserve the scriptural heritage. Textual analysis: In verse 19 Nephi notes that they must obtain the plates to "preserve unto our children the language of our fathers". This might be seen in contrast to the Mulekites who brought no such records: "...and their language had become corrupted; and they had brought no records with them; and they denied the being of their Creator; and Mosiah, nor the people of Mosiah, could understand them" (Omni 1:17). While the Omni citation for the Mulekites clearly indicates that their speech was corrupted, it is not clear that the meaning of the word "language" in either verse relates to our modern definition of the spoken word. As indicated in the discussion of 1 Nephi 1:2, "language" is frequently used in the Book of Mormon to indicate a body of learning, a cultural heritage, rather than grammar and vocabulary. Nephi's desire to preserve their "language" is much more likely to be related to the cultural aspects, since the brass plates were apparently written in Reformed Egyptian, not Hebrew, and therefore would be less likely to preserve grammar and vocabulary. As for the usage in Omni, it is ambiguous. Note that right after discussing the corruption of "language", the examples given are that they denied their creator. The inability of Mosiah and his people to understand them comes in the next phrase. While certainly not conclusive, the suggestion is that the corruption that most worried them was the loss of their heritage and culture. Note that all of this information comes after they were able to sufficiently understand them that they could know of their ultimate genealogy. 1 Nephi 3:21 21 And it came to pass that after this manner of language did I persuade my brethren, that they might be faithful in keeping the commandments of God. 1 Nephi 3:22 22 And it came to pass that we went down to the land of our inheritance, and we did gather together our gold, and our silver, and our precious things. Historical information: While not specifically stated, it might be reasoned that Lehi left servants in charge of the family holdings. It would be hard to imagine that a significant wealth such as Lehi apparently had accumulated could go for very long entirely unguarded. Certainly the lands and goods were not sold nor exchanged prior to the journey into the wilderness, a fact which doubtless encouraged Laman and Lemuel's assumption that they could return to their former life. 1 Nephi 3:23 23 And after we had gathered these things together, we went up again unto the house of Laban. 1 Nephi 3:24 24 And it came to pass that we went in unto Laban, and desired him that he would give unto us the records which were engraven upon the plates of brass, for which we would give unto him our gold, and our silver, and all our precious things. 1 Nephi 3:25 25 And it came to pass that when Laban saw our property, and that it was exceedingly great, he did lust after it, insomuch that he thrust us out, and sent his servants to slay us, that he might obtain our property. 1 Nephi 3:26 26 And it came to pass that we did flee before the servants of Laban, and we were obliged to leave behind our property, and it fell into the hands of Laban. Socio-cultural background: Nibley cites a story from antiquity which has interesting parallels for the presentation of the brothers before Laban: "Compare this with the now classic story of Wenamon's interview with the rapacious Zakar Baal, governor of Byblos, almost exactly five-hundred years before. The Egyptian entered the great man's house and "found him sitting in his upper chamber, leaning his back against a window," even as Laman accosted Laban "as he sat in his house." When his visitor desired of the merchant prince and prince of merchants that he part with some cedar logs, the latter flew into a temper and accused him of being a thief ("Behold thou art a robber!" says Laban), demanding that he produce his credentials. Zakar Baal then "had the journal of his fathers brought in, and had them read it before him," from which it is plain that the important records of the city were actually stored at his house and kept on tablets. From this ancient "journal of his fathers": the prince proved to Wenamon that his ancestors had never taken orders from Egypt, and though the envoy softened his host somewhat by reminding him that Ammon, the lord of the universe, rules over all kings, the hard-dealing official "thrust him out" and later even sent his servants after him - not, however, to slay him, but with the more generous afterthought of bringing him something in the way of refreshment as he sat sorrowing. With cynical politeness the prince offered to show Wenamon the graves of some other Egyptian envoys whose missions had not been too successful, and when the business deal was finally completed, Zakar Baal, on a legal technicality, turned his guest over to the mercies of a pirate fleet lurking outside the harbor" (Nibley, Lehi in the Desert 1950, p. 110-111). 1 Nephi 3:27 27 And it came to pass that we fled into the wilderness, and the servants of Laban did not overtake us, and we hid ourselves in the cavity of a rock. Archaeological information: "About twenty miles south-west of Jerusalem and ten miles west-north-west of Hebron, the government of Israel constructed a security road in 1961 to protect the border between Jordan and Israel. During the course of construction an ancient burial cave was uncovered on the eastern slope of Khirbet Beit Lei. The Israel Department of Antiquities excavated the cave during the month of June, 1961, under the direction of Jospeh Naveh, Professor of Archaeology at Hebrew University in Jerusalem. They named the cave the "Jerusalem Cave" (Berrett, Lamar C. "The So-Called Lehi Cave" FARMS reprint. 1982, p. 1). The LDS interest in the cave comes from both the Book of Mormon incident of the brothers hiding in the cave, as well as the particular graffiti on the walls of the cave. Three human figures are represented, as well as two very crude ships. The old inscriptions have been translated as: "The mountains of Judah-- Yahveh (is) the God of the whole earth; the mountains of Judah belong to him, to the God of Jerusalem." "The (Mount of) Moriah Thou has favoured, the dwelling of Yah, Yahveh" "(Ya)hveh deliver (us)!" "Attempts to date the cave and its inscriptions have proved interesting. Paleography, the study of the form of letters, was of auxiliary value in drawing chronological conclusions concerning these inscriptions. The form of the letters varied greatly. "In view of the nature of the graffiti," says Naveh, "we assume that all the inscriptions and drawings belong to a short period of time, and they were incised by a number of persons...." He concludes that the form of the burial cave and the script are of the pre-exilic period, or prior to 587 B.C." (Berrett, p. 2). The most fascinating interpretation of the graffiti comes from Frank Moore Cross, Jr. professor at Harvard University. Dr. Cross proposes a 600 B.C. date for the inscriptions, and notes: "It is very difficult to avoid the speculation that inscription A is the citation of a lost prophecy, and that it and its companion inscriptions were written by a refugee fleeing the Chaldeans who conquered Judah and destroyed the holy city in 587 B.C. Most documents, especially manuscripts and papyri, found in Palestinian caves were left behind by men in such circumstances. The same may be true of these graffiti. Perhaps such speculations are built on too flimsy a foundation of facts; at all events we should suppress the temptation to suggest that the oracle and the petitions may have been the work of a prophet or his amanuensis fleeing Jerusalem" (cited in Berrett, 198, p. 2-3). Of course, while Dr. Cross suggests that we avoid the speculations, he completes it for us so that we are sure to consider it. Clearly the LDS community would be interested in a cave associated with the name Lei, containing inscriptions related to a fleeing prophet, and particularly noting sailing vessels. Have we found the cave the brothers hid in? Probably not. There is not indication that the brothers knew that they would be embarking on a sea journey at the time they returned for the brass plates. The inscriptions of the Jerusalem cave might be from a fleeing prophet, but that would describe Lehi, not his sons, and it was his sons who were in the cave. In spite of the fact that the chances of having found the very cave of the brothers is so slight, the cave is nevertheless very instructive of the times. Certainly it indicates that the act of hiding in a cave was a known tradition. At the very least, it places Laman, Lemuel, Sam, and Nephi in very good ancient company. 1 Nephi 3:28 28 And it came to pass that Laman was angry with me, and also with my father; and also was Lemuel, for he hearkened unto the words of Laman. Wherefore Laman and Lemuel did speak many hard words unto us, their younger brothers, and they did smite us even with a rod. Laman and Lemuel were willing to go along with Nephi up until the point at which he failed. When the purchase of the brass plates failed, Laman and Lemuel not only lost their monetary inheritance, they lost their pride because they had been led by a younger brother who cited the Lord. Their dismay at his failure was also likely a self-justification which allowed them to deny that the hand of God had ever been in their enterprise. Their anger took a physical form. It is probably appropriate to note here that such physical abuse was not only not appropriate in this case, but is not appropriate in any relationship. It is perhaps easier to see in the case of Nephi that the abuse was uncalled for, because we have sympathies with Nephi. Nevertheless, all too many are caught up in the moment of anger, and turn to physical domination and abuse to hold their point. Note that Laman and Lemuel were not hesitant to turn such physical abuse on a family member. Modern man (and woman) is no less prone to inappropriately use force, either emotional or physical, to attempt to place themselves in a superior position. 1 Nephi 3:29 29 And it came to pass as they smote us with a rod, behold, an angel of the Lord came and stood before them, and he spake unto them, saying: Why do ye smite your younger brother with a rod? Know ye not that the Lord hath chosen him to be a ruler over you, and this because of your iniquities? Behold ye shall go up to Jerusalem again, and the Lord will deliver Laban into your hands. Whatever Laman and Lemuel might have justified to themselves about the lack of the hand of God in their enterprise was dramatically countered by the appearance of the angel. Angelic interference in the affairs of man are fairly uncommon, and this enterprise must have had critical importance for the plans of the Lord to allow for the angelic manifestation. It will not be the only time. However, note that the appearance of the angel does not change Laman and Lemuel's heart. If the purpose of the anger were only to stop the beating, the Lord could have found other means. Nephi could have been made stronger, an earthquake could have come up... many things which could be explained in the natural realm could have happened. Since the angel did not have much of a lasting impact on Laman and Lemuel, perhaps the purpose of the angel was for Nephi, to strengthen his faith for the tasks to come. Note that the angel speaks to Laman and Lemuel and clearly declares that Nephi is to be a ruler over them. It is unclear from Nephi's record up to this point whether he shared his vision with his brothers, or only with his father. If Nephi only shared the vision with his father, then Laman and Lemuel are learning of this prophecy for the first time. They surely were no more happy about Nephi's predicted rulership than were the sons of Israel about Joseph's prophesied ascendency. It is also perhaps interesting to notice with our reader's foreknowledge, that Laman and Lemuel eventually effectively negate this prophecy once they separate from Nephi's band in the New World. The prophecy comes true, but only during the crossing through the wilderness and the ocean. Once in the New World, Laman and Lemuel choose separation from their kin rather than submit to Nephi's leadership. 1 Nephi 3:30 30 And after the angel had spoken unto us, he departed. 1 Nephi 3:31 31 And after the angel had departed, Laman and Lemuel again began to murmur, saying: How is it possible that the Lord will deliver Laban into our hands? Behold, he is a mighty man, and he can command fifty, yea, even he can slay fifty; then why not us? In this verse we find the degree to which Laman and Lemuel had hardened their hearts against the things of the Spirit. Imagine the scene, where in the midst of doing violence with a staff upon their younger brothers, an angel appears. The mere appearance of the angel would seem to be sufficient to cause wonder and pause, but even greater than the appearance was the direct chastisement of Laman and Lemuel. To all of this wonderful (in the very old sense of "full of wonder") situation, Laman and Lemuel don't appear to discuss the angel, nor even remark upon the visitation. They merely continue their disbelief, citing reasons why the message had to be wrong. Perhaps they were attempting to show the message wrong so that they could deny the messenger. In any case, it is clear that they did deny the messenger, and his message. There is no other indication that such an appearance had ever happened to either Laman or Lemuel. Their first experience with an angel is significantly different than Nephi's. Perhaps their lack of wonder at the appearance was a tacit admission that their father and brother had tapped into the spiritual realm. Perhaps they believed that it was possible, but not infallible. They were obviously able to justify this experience in a way so as to deny its real power. When on my mission, my companion and I had the occasion to place a Book of Mormon with a man. A couple of weeks later there was a great thunderstorm, and there was a particular clap of thunder in the night that awoke my companion from his sleep. While I managed to sleep through it, my companion proclaimed it to have been the loudest clap of thunder he had ever heard. A few days later we were checking up on our placement of the Book of Mormon, and the man invited us in. He said "I really need to talk to you. I read the Book of Mormon after you left, and couldn't put it down. I was really touched by it, but I just wasn't quite sure if it were true. I decided to kneel down and pray, and asked the Lord for help. I wanted some sign to tell me that the Book was true, but I knew that I shouldn't ask for a sign. Nevertheless, I needed some assurance. It was stormy outside, and so I thought that I would ask the Lord for some thunder, so I would know. I then realized that it would thunder anyway, so I asked to hear the loudest clap of thunder I had ever heard". That was the thunder which awoke my companion. Unfortunately, as the man described his story to us, he ended by saying that it was raining anyway, and so he really couldn't be sure. He returned the Book of Mormon to us, and we said our goodbyes. Laman and Lemuel are not the only ones who can stare the divine in the face, and deny it. Socio-Cultural background: Nibley provides some cultural background on Laban and his fifty. "As to the garrison of fifty, it seems pitifully small for a great city. It would have been just as easy for the author of 1 Nephi to have said "fifty thousand,"and made it really impressive. Yet even the older brothers, though they wish to emphasize Laban's great power, mention only fifty (3:31), and it is Nephi in answering them who says that the Lord is "mightier than Laban and his fifty," and adds, "or even than his tens of thousands." (4:1). As a high military commander Laban would have his tens of thousands in the field, but such an array is of no concern to Laman and Lemuel: it is the "fifty" they must look out or, the regular, permanent garrison of Jerusalem. The number fifty suits perfectly with the Amarna picture where the military forces are always so surprisingly small and a garrison of thirty to eighty men is thought adequate even for big cities. It is strikingly vindicated in a letter of Nebuchadnezzar, Lehi's contemporary, wherein the great king orders: "As to the fifties who were under your command, those gone to the rear, or fugitives return to their ranks." Commenting on this, Offord says, "In these days it is interesting to note the indication here, that in the Babylonian army a platoon contained fifty men"; also, we might add, that it was called a "fifty," hence, "Laban and his fifty." (Nibley Lehi in the Desert 1950 pp. 111-112). Redactive comment: Verse 31 ends chapter 3 in the modern edition, and separates this section from chapter 4's events. While there is a change of intent and speaker which allows this shift, it is all part of the same story, and was not so divided in the original edition of the Book of Mormon. The division of the story of the brass plates and Laban is a single story, and the break is somewhat arbitrarily placing a break in the middle of a continuous narrative.
			by Brant Gardner. Copyright 1998