1 Nephi 5:10

10 And after they had given thanks unto the God of Israel, my father, Lehi, took the records which were engraven upon the plates of brass, and he did search them from the beginning.

It is generally understood that the brass plates were made of a copper and tin alloy. Although, technically that would make bronze. True brass is an alloy of copper and zinc, and there is some discussion of whether the ancients had the recipe for brass or not. I tend to side with the record the way it was written, and believe the brass plates were brass, not bronze. (www.learnthebible.org/straining-at-brass.htm)

1 Nephi 5:9

9 And it came to pass that they did rejoice exceedingly, and did offer sacrifice and burnt offerings unto the Lord; and they gave thanks unto the God of Israel.

Under the Law of Moses, sacrificial offerings were a common way of showing gratitude to the Lord. This particular offering would have probably been a peace offering, which “presupposed that the sacrificer was at peace with God; they were offered for the further realization and enjoyment of that peace. The characteristic rite was the sacrificial meal. A feast symbolized fellowship and friendship among all its partakers and providers, and also a state of joy and gladness.” (Bible Dictionary, p. 766, “Sacrifices”)

1 Nephi 5:8

8 And she spake, saying: Now I know of a surety that the Lord hath commanded my husband to flee into the wilderness; yea, and I also know of a surety that the Lord hath protected my sons, and delivered them out of the hands of Laban, and given them power whereby they could accomplish the thing which the Lord hath commanded them. And after this manner of language did she speak.

I am sure that Sariah was well aware of the dangers of her sons’ mission. They were returning to Jerusalem, where Lehi was a wanted man. They were crossing harsh wilderness country full of dangerous animals and men both. I’m sure that after they returned safely and told their story of miraculous deliverance, with Zoram as evidence of their truth, Sariah’s testimony of Lehi’s visions only increased. She may not have seen any direct evidence that this was the Lord’s mission for Lehi, but rather she was accepting it on faith. Now here were her sons giving evidence, tangible evidence, that this mission really was from God.

• 1 Nephi 3:7

1 Nephi 5:7

7 And when we had returned to the tent of my father, behold their joy was full, and my mother was comforted.

Imagine the joy and relief our Heavenly Parents must feel when we return from our earthly missions spiritually safe.

1 Nephi 5:5–6

5 But behold, I have obtained a land of promise, in the which things I do rejoice; yea, and I know that the Lord will deliver my sons out of the hands of Laban, and bring them down again unto us in the wilderness.

6 And after this manner of language did my father, Lehi, comfort my mother, Sariah, concerning us, while we journeyed in the wilderness up to the land of Jerusalem, to obtain the record of the Jews.

Lehi shows a lot of faith here in the promise he received from the Lord of giving him a land of his own for his inheritance. He uses his own great faith to strengthen Sariah, telling her that the Lord had brought them this far and He would continue to take care of them. This is not all. As I indicated in my notes for 1 Nephi 2:20, this Promised Land seems to be more than just dirt and plants. It seems to be symbolic of a more spiritual or eternal inheritance. After all, Lehi did not live long after they arrived in the Promised Land to enjoy it. And although he couldn’t know about that at this point in the narration, I’m sure Lehi was aware of the more spiritual inheritance. Sariah, at this time however, was concerned for the lives of her sons, so that is what Lehi appropriately focused on: their temporal promise and safety.

• Hebrews 11:16

1 Nephi 5:4

4 And it had come to pass that my father spake unto her, saying: I know that I am a visionary man; for if I had not seen the things of God in a vision I should not have known the goodness of God, but had tarried at Jerusalem, and had perished with my brethren.

Lehi’s response is not a rebuke to his wife, nor is it even an expression of anger or frustration. He freely admits to being a visionary man. Unlike those who complain against visions, though, Lehi sees it as a good thing that saved him and his family from certain destruction had they stayed in Jerusalem. Besides, to deny that you had seen the Lord in a vision would not be a good thing. Joseph Smith was right on when he said, “who am I to withstand God? I had seen a vision; I knew it and I knew that God knew it, and I could not deny it, neither dared I do it; at least I knew that by so doing I would offend God, and come under condemnation.” (JS-H 1:25)

Lehi was looking at a real, physical manifestation of the Proverb that tells us, “Where there is no vision, the people perish…” (PRO 29:18) This is true on several levels, not just the physical sense, as it seems Lehi refers to here. A careful reading shows the most important way visions can help us: to know the goodness of God. Once we know that, we can leave the “world” or worldly attitudes that would cause us to perish spiritually.

• Joseph Smith—History 1:24–25
• Proverbs 29:18

1 Nephi 5:2–3

2 For she had supposed that we had perished in the wilderness; and she also had complained against my father, telling him that he was a visionary man; saying: Behold thou hast led us forth from the land of our inheritance, and my sons are no more, and we perish in the wilderness.

3 And after this manner of language had my mother complained against my father.

Even good, faithful people, such as Sariah, struggle sometimes with things they do not understand. Here Sariah has been worried sick about her sons who have gone on such a dangerous mission that they may not return alive. Who knows what delays they may have experienced beyond what was described. Apparently they did not return in the amount of time they agreed upon. That is hard on a worrying parent. She starts second guessing herself, and maybe, as in this case, takes her worries out on her husband. This is not to justify murmuring or complaining; it is just a recognition of how that murmuring could be a temptation in some cases. On the other hand, murmuring and complaining could lead to mocking and eventually to apostasy. It needs to be taken seriously and avoided. I think it would be a mistake to assume from these verses that Sariah’s faith was lacking. We all have our moments of weakness, even the best among us.

1 Nephi 5:1

1 And it came to pass that after we had come down into the wilderness unto our father, behold, he was filled with joy, and also my mother, Sariah, was exceedingly glad, for she truly had mourned because of us.

I suppose this joy that Lehi and Sariah felt over the safe return of their sons is in a small measure what our Heavenly Father must feel when one of us returns safely (in a spiritual sense) from our mission to earth. The love and concern of a mother for her children is legendary; it’s throughout the scriptures as well. And yet, it’s interesting to note that the love of a Heavenly Mother is not mentioned. If these traits or tendencies of greater love for her children than even a loving father shows holds true, how great must our Heavenly Mother’s joy be when we return safely and with honor after this earth life is over.

1 Nephi 5 Overview

Sariah complains against Lehi—Both rejoice over the return of their sons—They offer sacrifices—The plates of brass contain writings of Moses and the prophets—They identify Lehi as a descendant of Joseph—Lehi prophesies concerning his seed and the preservation of the plates. Between 600 and 592 B.C.

In this chapter we get a look at Nephi’s mother, Sariah. We also, through Lehi and Nephi’s eyes, get a look at the brass plates. The way this is written makes it sound like this is the first time Lehi had seen the plates, that he only had a general idea about what he would find on them. I find it interesting that he seems to be surprised, or at least did not expect to see his genealogy on the plates, along with other things.

1 Nephi 4:34–38

34 And I also spake unto him, saying: Surely the Lord hath commanded us to do this thing; and shall we not be diligent in keeping the commandments of the Lord? Therefore, if thou wilt go down into the wilderness to my father thou shalt have place with us.

35 And it came to pass that Zoram did take courage at the words which I spake. Now Zoram was the name of the servant; and he promised that he would go down into the wilderness unto our father. Yea, and he also made an oath unto us that he would tarry with us from that time forth.

36 Now we were desirous that he should tarry with us for this cause, that the Jews might not know concerning our flight into the wilderness, lest they should pursue us and destroy us.

37 And it came to pass that when Zoram had made an oath unto us, our fears did cease concerning him.

38 And it came to pass that we took the plates of brass and the servant of Laban, and departed into the wilderness, and journeyed unto the tent of our father.

Once again we see the power of an oath to those who are living the Law of Moses. When Zoram made his oath to return with the sons of Lehi, they were no longer concerned about him running away. Zoram must have been more committed to the Law than was Laban, his master. I suppose it is possible that Zoram kept the record up to date with the current prophet’s (Jeremiah) words without Laban’s knowledge or approval. I say this because of Zoram’s quick acceptance of Nephi’s explanation of how this whole episode was a commandment from the Lord. Zoram’s oath was not made out of desperate fear for his life, I don’t think, because he remained a true friend to Nephi from then on. He was even given the same inheritance with Nephi (2 Ne 1:30–32). Zoram must have been acting out of a testimony rather than fear for his life, or his true colors would have shown as he sided with Laman and Lemuel.

1 Nephi 4:32–33

32 And it came to pass that I spake with him, that if he would hearken unto my words, as the Lord liveth, and as I live, even so that if he would hearken unto our words, we would spare his life.

33 And I spake unto him, even with an oath, that he need not fear; that he should be a free man like unto us if he would go down in the wilderness with us.

How important is an oath, or how binding is a man’s word? In these verses Nephi is able to calm down Zoram by making an oath that he would spare him. This is part of the Law of Moses (Num 30:2; Deut 23:21) that when you swear an oath it is completely binding, even if you swear it under duress to an enemy. Look at Alma 44 and you see that Captain Moroni would have let Zarahemnah go in peace, without a battle, if he had just agreed to not come to war again. When he wouldn’t make that covenant, Moroni’s men beat Zarahemnah’s men until finally the oath was made, at which time Moroni simply let them go. They were under the law of Moses. And even if the Lamanites didn’t live up to the practices of the Law, it was so much a part of their culture that they still honored their oaths. An oath was simply binding. As part of the new covenant that Christ established, a man’s word was his bond even if he didn’t swear to it. A promise was binding. In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus gives the people a higher law (Matt 5:33–37). The Law of Moses said don’t swear falsely (“forswear thyself”), but Christ said to not swear at all. Anything beyond giving your word with a simple yes or no was “from the evil one” (see footnote for Matt 5:37). Is my word my bond?

• Numbers 30:2
• Alma 44:1–12

1 Nephi 4:31

31 And now I, Nephi, being a man large in stature, and also having received much strength of the Lord, therefore I did seize upon the servant of Laban, and held him, that he should not flee.

It is interesting to me that Nephi refers to himself in this verse as a man large in stature. Just before they left on this mission, Nephi described himself as being, “exceeding young, nevertheless being large in stature.” [1 Nephi 2:16] What happened between being exceedingly young and being a man? There’s not a lot of time passage, but the big difference seems to be Nephi’s level of self-confidence and spiritual maturity. In that short time span, Nephi had been converted [1 Nephi 2:16], heard the voice of the Lord [1 Nephi 2:19–24], stood up to his older brothers, and in the process received backup from an angel [1 Nephi 3:28–31; 4:1–4], had the experience of putting his complete and total trust in the Lord’s inspiration [4:6], in total faith that he was following that inspiration, beheaded a man as a result [4:18], impersonated that man successfully to his most trusted servant [4:19–28], and in the process of all this he took over the leadership of the expedition. After all that, Nephi had every right to call himself a man. Other places in the scriptures talk about manhood in terms of bravery and taking responsibility for your life. In 2 Nephi 1:21 Lehi encourages his older sons to “arise from the dust” and be men. He then goes on to describe how to be men. Manhood seems to have less to do with age than it does with bravery and maturity.

• 1 Nephi 2:16

1 Nephi 4:29–30

29 And it came to pass that I called after them, and they did hear me; wherefore they did cease to flee from my presence.

30 And it came to pass that when the servant of Laban beheld my brethren he began to tremble, and was about to flee from before me and return to the city of Jerusalem.

Here Nephi is forced to reveal his true identity, not only to his brothers, but also to Zoram. All Nephi’s brothers could have seen at night was a big guy in officer’s armor, specifically Laban’s armor. So they ran. Their hiding place had been compromised, and they probably assumed that if Laban knew where they were, and if Nephi was not with him, he had already killed Nephi and would not hesitate to do the same with them. So they ran. When Nephi called after them, he told Zoram that he had been deceived, that this was not his boss after all, so Zoram tries to run. The whole mission could have been blown right here, but we will see that it all works out for the best.

1 Nephi 4:19–28

19 And after I had smitten off his head with his own sword, I took the garments of Laban and put them upon mine own body; yea, even every whit; and I did gird on his armor about my loins.

20 And after I had done this, I went forth unto the treasury of Laban. And as I went forth towards the treasury of Laban, behold, I saw the servant of Laban who had the keys of the treasury. And I commanded him in the voice of Laban, that he should go with me into the treasury.

21 And he supposed me to be his master, Laban, for he beheld the garments and also the sword girded about my loins.

22 And he spake unto me concerning the elders of the Jews, he knowing that his master, Laban, had been out by night among them.

23 And I spake unto him as if it had been Laban.

24 And I also spake unto him that I should carry the engravings, which were upon the plates of brass, to my elder brethren, who were without the walls.

25 And I also bade him that he should follow me.

26 And he, supposing that I spake of the brethren of the church, and that I was truly that Laban whom I had slain, wherefore he did follow me.

27 And he spake unto me many times concerning the elders of the Jews, as I went forth unto my brethren, who were without the walls.

28 And it came to pass that when Laman saw me he was exceedingly frightened, and also Lemuel and Sam. And they fled from before my presence; for they supposed it was Laban, and that he had slain me and had sought to take away their lives also.

[verses 19–28] After beheading Laban, Nephi took his identity in order to more freely move about and get into Laban’s treasury. Presumably this was also inspired by the Spirit. He obviously did a great job of imitating Laban, because he fooled Laban’s servant. Granted, it was night, but the servant (Zoram) either wasn’t too bright, not very observant, or more probably, influenced by the power of the Lord. You would assume that a servant would know his master, especially a servant who was entrusted with the keys to the treasury. Nephi was able to impersonate Laban well enough that Zoram was convinced. As much as Zoram talked to Nephi about things happening in Jerusalem, Nephi must have understood Jerusalem politics and personalities pretty well. His deception was good enough that he also scared his brothers, who had been waiting for him outside the city walls. Of course, they were pretty nervous about the whole thing anyway, and probably took off before they got a good look at Nephi.

1 Nephi 4:18

18 Therefore I did obey the voice of the Spirit, and took Laban by the hair of the head, and I smote off his head with his own sword.

Here is where Nephi shows he is more than just talk. This would be probably the most difficult part of this mission, to kill the defenseless Laban. I am still impressed that Nephi was confident enough with his inspiration to actually follow through and kill Laban. There’s nothing to say that his inspiration was spectacular, such as a heavenly being appearing to him. He apparently had to sort out the voice of the Spirit from his own thoughts. There’s no indication of second guessing, either. That is the mark of a person who is in tune with the Spirit. That’s someone who has the commitment to keep the commandments no matter how hard.