1 Nephi 2:1-7

Chapter 2

Lehi takes his family into the wilderness by the Red Sea—They leave their property—Lehi offers a sacrifice to the Lord and teaches his sons to keep the commandments—Laman and Lemuel murmur against their father—Nephi is obedient and prays in faith; the Lord speaks to him, and he is chosen to rule over his brethren. About 600 B.C.

Nephi promised that he would “show unto [us] that the tender mercies of the Lord are over all those whom he hath chosen, because of their faith, to make them mighty even unto the power of deliverance” (1 Nephi 1:20).   He begins with the next verse. 

The Lord spoke to Lehi in a dream.  He was blessed for his faithfulness and told because of his faithfulness, there were people who sought to take away his life.  Nephi would later tell his unbelieving brothers, “the Spirit of the Lord ceaseth soon to strive with them; for behold, they have rejected the prophets, and Jeremiah have they cast into prison.  And they have sought to take away the life of my father, insomuch that they have driven him out of the land” (1 Nephi 7:14).

S. Kent Brown explains Nephi’s use of Lehi’s record.

Speaking of his father's third vision, Nephi includes words from the Lord that were probably quoted from Lehi's record: "The Lord spake unto my father, yea, even in a dream, and said unto him: Blessed art thou Lehi, because of the things which thou hast done; and because thou hast been faithful and declared unto this people the things which I commanded thee, behold, they seek to take away thy life" (1 Nephi 2:1). In this same vision, Lehi also received the command to leave Jerusalem, the first step in the family's long journey (see 1 Nephi 2:2). Lehi's obedience eventually led him and his family to their land of promise halfway around the earth.[1]

Here we begin seeing how Nephi uses the Lord to support his narrative.

What about the entrance of God into the narrative? What are his first quoted words, and how do they contribute to the meaning of the text? Although the beginning of Nephi's record reports several spiritual experiences, the text does not include any of God's actual words until the second chapter of 1 Nephi. When God does speak, he promises divine blessings, first to Lehi and second to Nephi (1 Nephi 2:1, 19), signaling that the sacred narrative will emphasize how God blesses the spiritual dynasty founded by this father-son prophet duo.[2]

In the dream, the Lord commanded Lehi to take his family and escape into the wilderness.  We read Nephi again reminds his rebellious brothers that their father was being led by the Lord.   

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.

1 Nephi 3:16

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.

1 Nephi 4:34

Alma₂ would tell the people of Ammonihah, “Do ye not remember that our father, Lehi, was brought out of Jerusalem by the hand of God?  Do ye not remember that they were all led by him through the wilderness?” (Alma 9:9). 

Lehi obeyed the Lord’s command.  “From then on he shows himself as the great leader and colonizer—daring, resourceful, patient, and strong-minded.”[3]

Lehi departed into the wilderness (the estimated date was 600 B.C.).  He left everything behind – his gold and silver and his precious things.  What is the wilderness?  Jeffrey Chadwick explains:

Remembering that the term wilderness refers to desert terrain, both in the Bible and in 1 Nephi, a word about Lehi's departure from Jerusalem "into the wilderness" (1 Nephi 2:4) is in order. All of the territory east of Jerusalem is wilderness. Departure on any trail directly east, northeast, or southeast puts one immediately into the mountainous desert known as the Wilderness of Judah.[4] 

It would appear that Lehi was experienced in travel in the wilderness.  We read that all he took were his family, provisions, and tents as he went into the wilderness.  Hugh Nibley looks at Lehi’s background.

There is ample evidence in the Book of Mormon that Lehi was an expert on caravan travel, as one might expect. Consider a few general points. Upon receiving a warning dream, he is ready apparently at a moment's notice to take his whole "family, and provisions, and tents" out into the wilderness. While he took absolutely nothing but the most necessary provisions with him (1 Nephi 2:4), he knew exactly what those provisions should be, and when he had to send back to the city to supply unanticipated wants, it was for records that he sent and not for any necessaries for the journey.[5] 

His path took him near the shore of the Red Sea during his journey.  Nephi tells us that Sariah, Laman, Lemuel, and Sam were in the party. 

After three days, he pitched his tent in a valley where there was a river of water.  He built a stone and made an offering, giving thanks to the Lord. 

After Abraham departed his father’s home, we read that he “built an altar in the land of Jershon, and made an offering unto the Lord” (Abraham 2:17).  Isaac built an altar “and called upon the name of the LORD and pitched his tent there: and there Isaac's servants digged a well” (Genesis 26:25). 

They would stay at this site for a while.

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[1] Nephi's Use of Lehi's Record, S. Kent Brown, Provo, Utah: Maxwell Institute, accessed December 26, 2012.

[2] Prospering in the Land of Promise, Steven L. Olsen, Provo, Utah: Maxwell Institute, accessed December 26, 2012.

[3] Lehi as a Representative Man, Hugh W. Nibley, Provo, Utah: Maxwell Institute, accessed December 26, 2012.

[4] An Archaeologist's View, Jeffrey R. Chadwick, Provo, Utah: Maxwell Institute, accessed December 26, 2012.

[5] Lehi and the Arabs, Hugh W. Nibley, Provo, Utah: Maxwell Institute, accessed December 26 2012.