2-6 bring down Ishmael and his family, Why Ishmael?
(1) his ancestry – While Lehi was of Joseph through Mannasseh (Alma 10:3), Ishmael was of the lineage of Ephraim (according to Joseph Smith, JD 23:184-85). Uniting the families thus fulfilled Jacob/Israel’s promise to Joseph and his twin grandsons that their seed would be “great…a multitude of nations…a fruitful bow…unto the utmost bounds of the everlasting hills” (Gen 48:19; 49:22-26).
(2) family connection – The prophet Joseph suggested that Ishmael’s sons may have already married Lehi’s daughters (JD 23:184-85), while Hugh Nibley suggested that Lehi and Ishmael may actually have been brothers, though both are conjecture.
(3) parallel number of children – Lehi had four sons and possibly two daughters who may already have married Ishmael’s sons (they had “families,” see 7:6). Ishmael had his two married sons and five daughters (7:6). Laman, Lemuel, Nephi, & Sam will eventually marry four of those daughters, and the servant Zoram will marry the fifth, who was the eldest (16:7).
10-12 how is it that ye have forgotten, Nephi repeats this phrase three times in three verses:
- that you’ve seen an angel (v10), had they forgotten the angel’s appearance? Likely not, but they had forgotten the experience’s impact and import.
- what great things the Lord hath done (v11), had they ever concluded this in the first place, or did they attribute getting the plates to, well, luck?
- that the Lord is able to do all things (v12), they certainly never concluded this.
As to 2&3 above, Laman and Lemuel never knew these, so it wasn’t so much a matter of forgetting as it was a matter of never seeing in the first place. Thus, individuals may experience the same events and yet see very different things, or at least make very different conclusions. What events have you and I experienced where we have missed seeing the hand of the Lord, how he has delivered us, or his power to do all things?
As to 1 above, the import and impact of spiritual experiences, of all kinds of experiences for that matter, tend to fade over time unless we “remember” them; that is, keep them alive and present in our minds and hearts, which takes considerable effort. The crux of Moses’ entire speech to Israel before they enter the promised land is essentially an exhortation not to forget (Deut 4:9; 6:6-12). President Spencer W. Kimball once said that “perhaps the most important word is remember and that our greatest need is to remember” (Circles of Exaltation, BYU Speeches 1968). I once counted every iteration of the word “remember” in the Book of Mormon, and there were over 200.
14 the Spirit of the Lord ceaseth soon to strive with them, the implication is that the spirit actually does strive with us. Note that the spirit still strove with Laman and Lemuel though they sought to kill Nephi (v16). The common notion that when we sin the spirit suddenly leaves us does not accord with scripture (see 2 Nephi 26:11; Ether 2:15; Moses 8:17; and more). In stating the negative “will not always strive” the positive is implied “does strive”, only there can come a limit, as with the Flood (Gen 6:3).
19 [the women] did plead with my brethren, this event displays the obvious problems of patriarchy. Hugh Nibley notes that the proud Semite may only yield when a woman or child is present as that constitutes mercy rather than weakness, and thus he can save face. The pleading of women is a thing that no Arab under any circumstance can resist. If a mother or daughter from another tribe pleads, you are under obligation–even if it is your worst enemy. It’s the chivalric oath. These rules of chivalry in the Middle Ages were adopted during the Crusades and taken from Arabia back to Europe. (Lehi in the Desert, 80; see also Gardner, SW 149)
Holy Envy 