2 Nephi 4:11-12

Earlier, Lehi had spoken, briefly, to Sam.  “And now my son, Laman, and also Lemuel and Sam, and also my sons who are the sons of Ishmael, behold, if ye will hearken unto the voice of Nephi ye shall not perish.  And if ye will hearken unto him I leave unto you a blessing, yea, even my first blessing” (2 Nephi 1:28).  He know gives Sam his blessing.

We know virtually nothing of Sam.  He’s the third son, just older than Nephi.  John Sorenson gives us this description of Sam.

Sam was the shy and retiring one of the four brothers, it appears. Though older than Nephi, he followed him consistently (1 Nephi 2:17). He may not have been very assertive; at least one would have thought that when Laman and Lemuel "did smite us [two] even with a rod" (1 Nephi 3:28-29) that he could have combined efforts with Nephi (who was "large in stature") to prevent the beating. Furthermore, Sam was as frightened as Laman and Lemuel when Nephi, dressed in Laban's clothes and accompanied by Zoram, approached them at night (1 Nephi 4:28). Perhaps his retiring if not passive nature is why his father in his final blessing (2 Nephi 4:11), while saluting Sam's good heart and behavior, could see that his descendants would not survive as a distinct entity but would be incorporated into Nephi's tribe.[1]

Unlike his other brothers, Sam’s descendants will not be a tribe of their own.  “[Sam’s descendants] shall be numbered with [Nephi’s] seed” (2 Nephi 4:11).  ““Now the people which were not Lamanites were Nephites; nevertheless, they were called Nephites, Jacobites, Josephites, Zoramites, Lamanites, Lemuelites, and Ishmaelites” (Jacob 1:13).  Notice Sam’s name is not included in Jacob’s listing of the tribes.

While Nephi tells us little about Sam, Alma₂ does mention him.  The Lamanites joined the Amlicites in their rebellion against the Nephites.  To distinguish themselves from the Nephites, the Amlicites “were distinguished from the Nephites, for they had marked themselves with red in their foreheads after the manner of the Lamanites” (Alma 3:4).  Explaining that the Amlicites did this because of the curse that came upon Laman and Lemuel for their rebellion, we read that this rebellion was against their brethren “who consisted of Nephi, Jacob, and Joseph, and Sam, who were just and holy men” (Alma 3:6).

Thanks to Alma₂’s record, we learn Sam was a “just and holy [man].” 

With Sam’s blessing, Lehi had finished his blessings, teachings, and words to his family.  Sometime after this, Nephi tells us Lehi died and was buried.

John Sorenson observes:

Second Nephi opens with Lehi teaching his family. His historical resumé in 2 Nephi 1:1-5 sounds like only a short time had passed since the landing, for he speaks entirely about what had transpired en route. His valedictory continues through chapter 3. In 2 Nephi 4:12, the record abruptly states that after Lehi had spoken those things to his household, "he waxed old" and died. My impression is that Lehi lived no more than a couple of years in America and perhaps less than one. In that case his age at death could have been as early as fifty-seven. Considering the arduous circumstances he faced in the last dozen years of his life and especially the intimation in 1 Nephi 18:17-18 that he was viewed as being somewhat sickly, this seemingly premature death is not really surprising.[2]

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[1] The Composition of Lehi's Family, John L. Sorenson, Provo, Utah: Maxwell Institute, accessed July 20, 2013.

[2] Ibid.