11 And it came to pass that I, Nephi, did make a bellows wherewith to blow the fire, of the skins of beasts; and after I had made a bellows, that I might have wherewith to blow the fire, I did smite two stones together that I might make fire.
I think it would be quite interesting to discover how Lehi
and his family lived day-to-day before this journey. For example, did Nephi
already know how to extract metal from rock? Where did he learn how to make a
bellows? Are these things he did back in the family business before they left
Jerusalem? Or are they things the Lord taught him to do here on the mount?
There is some speculation that they ran an olive vineyard and traded the fruit
and oil. Did they make their own tools? I know these are not doctrinally
expedient, but they are interesting to think about. It makes the scriptures
come alive for me, and is a reminder that these are real people, recording real
experiences, but also having many experiences that are not recorded.
