2 Nephi 5:5-9

In the past, someone had been there to support Nephi when his brethren threatened to kill him.  Now, there was no one.  Nephi’s life was in jeopardy.

The time came when the Lord warned Nephi he must leave and take all who would go with him, and flee for their safety.  Nephi most likely went to those who supported him, telling them they needed to leave for their safety.

Nephi writes the following people left with him:

• Nephi’s family.
• Zoram and his family.
• Sam and his family.
• Jacob and Joseph.
• His sisters.
• “And all those who would go with me.”  (1 Nephi 5:6)

All these people supported Nephi and believed in his words.

We learn, for the first time, Nephi had two or more sisters.  This is the only time Nephi mentions them in this record.  Sidney Sperry writes about Nephi’s sisters:

For the first time, Nephi mentions having sisters. To be sure, he does not refer to his sisters as the wives of Ishmael's two sons, but that they were is almost certain in view of the fact that no mention is made of Lehi's having other children following the birth of Jacob and Joseph.³ What is remarkable is that these daughters of Lehi were willing to leave their husbands, the sons of Ishmael, if they were still living, and follow Nephi after having rebelled against him during the trip from Jerusalem into the wilderness (1 Nephi 7:6).[1]

Camille Fronk continues:

Nephi referenced his "sisters" in 2 Nephi 5:6, but no supporting information is supplied in the text concerning the number of sisters or their birth order in the family. John L. Sorenson argues that these girls were born in Jerusalem, before the family departed, and would have been younger than Nephi; "otherwise there would be no way to place them in Sariah's birth history."⁴ Let it suffice that at least nine urban women were thrust into an eight-year desert existence.[2]

Nephi tell us nothing about the last group that went with him.  Who were these people?  It probably wasn’t the children of his brethren.  Had some of their children departed with Nephi, we would expect Nephi to identify this group (e.g., “the children of my brethren” or “Laman and Lemuel’s children” etc.).  Matthew Roper examines this question.

At the time the Nephites and the Lamanites separated, then, Nephi was accompanied by his own family, Zoram and Sam and their respective families, his younger brothers Jacob and Joseph, and his sisters, in addition to "all those who would go with me." Who were these others who "believed in the warnings and the revelations of God"? The most likely answer seems to be other people living in the land, not of Lehi's family. Significantly, at this point in the text Nephi introduces the term people of Nephi for the first time in reference to his followers (2 Nephi 5:9), a term that may be suggestive of a larger society including more than his immediate family.[3]

The group packed tents and other things they needed and left.  They traveled for many days and finally came to a place they found acceptable.  Here they established their camp.

The people wanted the campsite called “Nephi.”  We will see throughout the Book of Mormon, a land or city will usually be named for the leader of the group or the first person to settle there.  This tradition most likely stems from Nephi’s journey.

The group decided to call themselves the “people of Nephi” (2 Nephi 5:9).

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[1] Did Father Lehi Have Daughters Who Married the Sons of Ishmael? Sidney B. Sperry, Provo, Utah: Maxwell Institute, August 3, 2013.

[2] Desert Epiphany: Sariah and the Women in 1 Nephi, Camille Fronk, Provo, Utah: Maxwell Institute, accessed August 3, 2013.

[3] Nephi's Neighbors: Book of Mormon Peoples and Pre-Columbian Populations, Matthew Roper, Provo, Utah: Maxwell Institute, accessed August 3, 2013.