1 Nephi 7:1-22

Chapter 7

Lehi's sons return to Jerusalem and enlist Ishmael and his household in their cause—Laman and others rebel—Nephi exhorts his brethren to have faith in the Lord—They bind him with cords and plan his destruction—He is freed by the power of faith—His brethren ask forgiveness—Lehi and his company offer sacrifice and burnt offerings. About 600–592 B.C.

Sometime after their return with the brass plates, Lehi went to his sons and told them they needed wives “that they might raise up seed unto the Lord in the land of promise” (1 Nephi 7:1).  He may have remembered David’s words, “Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward” (Psalms 127:3).  The Lord had commanded him to send them to the land of Jerusalem to bring Ishmael and his family. 

The four sons returned to the land of Jerusalem.  (Laman and Lemuel probably didn’t murmur after receiving this task!).  They went into the house of Ishmael and they “we did speak unto him the words of the Lord.  And it came to pass that the Lord did soften the heart of Ishmael, and also his household, insomuch that they took their journey with us down into the wilderness to the tent of our father” (1 Nephi 7:4-5). 

Why did the Lord command them to approach Ishmael?  While we don’t know the reasons, there are possibilities.

Ishmael and his family may have been poor.  They did not live in the city of Jerusalem; they lived outside of the city.  It was not unusual for poorer families to do this.  The possibility of becoming a part of Lehi’s wealthier family may have been a motivation.[1] 

There may have been a family tie.  We know Nephi had sisters (see 2 Nephi 5:6).  These sisters may have been married to the sons of Ishmael.  He may have been Lehi’s daughters’ sons-in-law.  This would explain why they went so willingly.[2]

As they returned to Lehi’s camp, Laman and Lemuel, two of Ishmael’s daughters (most likely the daughters who would marry Laman and Lemuel), and two of Ishmael’s sons rebelled against Nephi, Sam, Ishmael and his wife, and three daughters.  Their complaint was one we have heard before - they wanted to return to Jerusalem.  Hugh Nibley explains what may have eventually led to an end of their rebellion.

Why, then, if there was no power to compel them, did not Laman and Lemuel simply desert the camp and go off on their own, as discontented Arabs sometimes do? As a matter of fact, they tried to do just that (1 Nephi 7:7), and in the end were prevented by the two things which, according to Philby, keep any wandering Bedouin party together—fear and greed. For they were greedy.[3]

Nephi was saddened by their rebellion.  He began to speak to them, asking them how, as the elder brethren, they harden their hearts and are so blind, that he, the younger brother must be their example.

Why don’t they listen to the Lord, he asks.  They’ve seen an angel.  Laban had been delivered into their hands so they could obtain the brass plates.

They have forgotten that the Lord can do “all things according to his will” (1 Nephi 7:12).  This will be done through our faith.  Through their faithfulness, they will obtain a land of promise. 

In the future, the will learn that the Lord fulfilled his words and Jerusalem was destroyed because of the wickedness of the people.

The reason the Spirit will soon cease to strive with them is because they have rejected the prophets and cast Jeremiah into prison.  He also reminded them Lehi’s life had been threatened and he was force to leave the land.

How serious was the threat to Lehi’s life.  Jeffrey Chadwick believes it has been overstated.

While it is true that some in Jerusalem had sought to take Lehi's life (1 Nephi 1:20; 2:1), these may have been spontaneous attempts of individuals angry with his prophecies, not necessarily a conspiracy in which Zedekiah or the government was involved. Once outside the big city, on the wilderness paths to either Jericho or Ein Gedi, Lehi was probably as secure as anyone else traveling the byways of Judah.

In any case, that there was probably no plot against the family of Lehi seems obvious from the fact that when his sons returned to Jerusalem to get the plates of brass, they had no trouble obtaining an initial audience with Laban (see 1 Nephi 3:4—12). Nor was any danger reported in returning to Jerusalem to convince Ishmael's family to join Lehi's party (see 1 Nephi 7:2—5). Judah was probably not the wholesale hotbed of hostility to Lehi and his family that many commentaries have assumed.[4]

If they return to Jerusalem, they will die when the city is destroyed.  If they believe his words, they will return to Lehi’s camp and be saved, “for thus the Spirit of the Lord constraineth me that I should speak” (1 Nephi 7:15).  Hugh Nibley explains the importance of the family to Lehi’s group.

Nephi pointed out to them the danger of returning to Jerusalem (1 Nephi 7:15), and where would they go if they deserted their father? As we have seen, with these people, family was everything, and the Arab or Jew will stick to "his own people" because they are all he has in the world. The family is the basic social organization, civil and religious, with the father at its head. To be without tribe or family is to forfeit one's identity in the earth; nothing is more terrible than to be "cut off from [among the people]," and that is exactly the fate that is promised Laman and Lemuel if they rebel (1 Nephi 2:21; Genesis 17:14). "Within his own country," says an Arab proverb, "the Bedouin is a lion; outside of it he is a dog."[5]

Nephi’s words angered them even more.  They took him and bound him with rope.  Their intention was to leave him in the wilderness to die.

Nephi prayed, asking to the Lord to burst the cords and free himself.  No sooner had he said these words, than he broke the cords and spoke to his brothers.

They were still upset with him and were ready to try something else when one of Ishmael’s daughters and her mother pleaded with them to spare him.  A son of Ishmael also pleaded with them.  They softened their hearts and stopped their efforts.

In this situation, we see the influence of two women.  Camille Frank explains. 

When their anger reached its climax, Laman and Lemuel bound Nephi and threatened his life. Nephi's physical strength and fervent prayers loosened his bands but could not calm his brothers' wrath. Rather, women in the company succeeded in softening the contentious brothers. Nephi reported that first a daughter of Ishmael, next Ishmael's wife, and then one of Ishmael's sons assuaged Laman and Lemuel's anger. The order of those listed implies that the two women were the more effective in reestablishing peace and harmony (see 1 Nephi 7:19).[6]

Hugh Nibley explains the effect of women in the Arab culture.

All that saved Nephi's life on one occasion was the intervention of "one of the daughters of Ishmael, yea, and also her mother, and one of the sons of Ishmael" (1 Nephi 7:19), for while "the Arab can only be persuaded by his own relations," he can only yield to the entreaties of women without losing face, and indeed is expected to yield to them, even robbers sparing a victim who appeals to them in the name of his wife, the daughter of his uncle. If a courageous woman demands that a raiding sheikh give back something so that her people will not starve, he is in honor bound to give her a camel.[7]

After agreeing to spare Nephi, they begged Nephi’s forgiveness for their actions.  Nephi forgave them and told them to pray for God’s forgiveness.  This they did.  They resumed their journey and returned to Lehi’s camp.

Lehi offered a sacrifice.  S. Kent Brown explains the purpose of the sacrifice.

Lehi offered burnt offerings on two occasions. The second occurred after the sons had returned from Jerusalem with the family of Ishmael in tow (see 1 Nephi 7:22). Had there been sin? Yes. The older sons had sought to bind Nephi and leave him in the desert to die (see 7:6–16). Even though they repented and sought Nephi's forgiveness (see 7:20–21), Lehi felt the need to offer burnt offerings for atonement.[8] 

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[1] The Composition of Lehi's Family, John L. Sorenson, Provo, Utah: Maxwell Institute, accessed January 19, 2013.

[2] Did Father Lehi Have Daughters Who Married the Sons of Ishmael? Sidney B. Sperry, Provo, Utah: Maxwell Institute, accessed January 19, 2013.

[3] Man Versus Man, Hugh W. Nibley, Provo, Utah: Maxwell Institute, accessed January 19, 2013.

[4] The Wrong Place for Lehi's Trail and the Valley of Lemuel, Jeffrey R. Chadwick, Provo, Utah: Maxwell Institute, accessed January 19, 2013.

[5] Man Versus Man, Hugh W. Nibley, Provo, Utah: Maxwell Institute, accessed January 19, 2013.

[6] Desert Epiphany: Sariah and the Women in 1 Nephi, Camille Fronk, Provo, Utah: Maxwell Institute, accessed January 19, 2013.

[7] Man Versus Man, Hugh W. Nibley, Provo, Utah: Maxwell Institute, accessed January 19, 2013.

[8] New Light from Arabia on Lehi's Trail, S. Kent Brown, Provo, Utah: Maxwell Institute, accessed January 19, 2013.