It is possible that the name derives from the hebrew laban white, pale. Items do not represent the official views of the church of jesus christ of latterday saints or of book of mormon central. The lords words will hiss forth unto the ends of the earth, 2 ne. We just finished up the book of revelation in the new testament in december so this next year invites us to a full study of the book of mormon. Jan 30, 2014 within the apocrypha, you will find many similar elements to the book of mormon. Why did god command nephi to kill laban who was defenseless. Laban, a descendant of joseph of egypt, was living in jerusalem at the time of lehis exodus.
The lord commands nephi to murder decapitate laban for the brass plates. Laban and the brass plates standard while reading one of my favorite books of scripture 1 nephi i was struck again by the story of lehis sons returning to jerusalem to procure the brass plates, which contained a record of the jews and the genealogy of lehis family. The record contained the books of moses, many prophetic writings including isaiah, and the genealogy of the tribe of joseph. Living in or near jerusalem in 600 bc as a young adult in a wealthy family, laman had adopted the lifestyle of the city. He was totally small talking me, so i told him to cut to the chase, and he was like, my dad said he needs your brass records, man. Jan 27, 2011 the book of mormon indicates in mosiah 25. Laban rejected the lords offers and stood between the book of mormon, the restoration of the gospel, the rolling forth of the kingdom of god on earth, and eternal destinies. Its difficult at best to swallow the story about the laban in the book of mormon story. So i have a few questions about this as you can imagine. The plates later played an important role in the religious life of lehis righteous descendants, the nephites. The sword of laban and the tree of life by mike allred. There was so much ravaging and harassment against the israelites itd be a tough sell to think that.
Welch, legal perspectives on the slaying of laban nephis killing of laban. Lehiversuslaban rather than nephiversuslaban january 18, 2015 as i was watching a documentary about the journey of lehis family across the desert wilderness, as recorded in first nephi of the book of mormon, a thought came to me not directly from that documentary by lds scholars. Did joseph smith create the story of nephi and laban by plagiarizing. The book of mormon and the bible will grow together, 2 ne. Within the apocrypha, you will find many similar elements to the book of mormon. Noah was a nephite, who lived in the ancient americas, about 160 b. Simply stated, the book of mormon is a record of people who left jerusalem in 600 bc through to their destruction in central america in 400 ad. The records, which were engraven on plates of brass, being. Lehi testifies that this assignment came from god, and nephi responds that. The story of nephi and laban has made many wonder why nephi had to kill laban. Gods commandment to expel and destroy the wicked inhabitants of the land of canaan deuteronomy 7. Treat your family to what is being called a marvelous adventure joan peterson, sounds of the sabbath, kosyfm 106. Just as the discovery of ancient writings on metal plates supports the book of mormon account, ancient tradition and custom strongly suggest that laban inherited his sword from the fathers, a weapon important because of its history as well as its construction, a birthright sword wielded by the patriarchs of old, perhaps centuries. The book of mormon was written for the intent that we may believe the bible, morm.
Evidence supporting the steel sword of laban in the book. The book of laban so i was sitting in my house today, and my guards brought in some guy named laman. Nephi and his brothers have been sent by their father, lehi, to retrieve a sacred record contained on brass plates which are in the possession of a man named laban. Laman was the oldest son of lehi, the first prophet and patriarch in the book of mormon. Although the book of mormon sometimes refers to women mentioned in the bible, it contains the names of only three nephite, lamanite or jaredite women. Actually reading nephi by common consent, a mormon blog. Not far from labans house, where our very lives had so seriously been threatened, i stumbled upon the form of a man lying dead drunk in the deserted street. Lehiversuslaban rather than nephiversuslaban the book. The birth of sovereignty in the nephite constitutional. This is what the dictionary of the book of mormon says about moab. Evidence supporting the steel sword of laban in the book of. We build enduring faith in jesus christ by making the book of mormon accessible.
Sep 06, 2011 the lord gave laban opportunities to yield the sacred record he required. The lord covenanted with enos to bring forth the book of mormon to the lamanites, enos 1. The spirit led nephi to slay laban in order to get the plates 1 ne. The bible and book of mormon are clearly shouldertoshoulder on such an issue. Did joseph smith create the story of nephi and laban by. Dear rebecca, why should there be a mention of the brass plates in the bible. Unfortunately, noah was a wicked king, who killed the prophet abinadi. But behold, king benjamin gathered together his armies, and he did stand. According to first nephi, zoram led nephi, disguised as laban, into labans treasury. Hugh nibley, lehi in the desertthe world of the jareditesthere were jaredites, the collected works of hugh nibley, volume 5 salt lake city and provo, ut. Part of what we covered today was the beheading of laban by nephi, a dramatic event that any new reader to. While lehi and his little company were resting in the valley of lemuel, that patriarch was commanded of the lord to send his sons back to jerusalem to obtain certain records that were in the possession of laban.
I have wanted to know what the sword of laban from the book of mormon would have truly looked like for most of my life and after much study and research i have figured it out, basing my. Laban hath the record of the jews and also a genealogy of my forefathers, and they are engraven upon plates of brass. There is a yet untold story between god and laban that culminated in that moment as well. Demonic and ungodly names in the book of mormon 3 life.
Nephi and laban formally titled i will go and do is episode 1 in the liken the scriptures series. Zoram, supposing that he spake of the brethren of the church 1 nephi. As i approached, i recognized it to be the very laban who would have taken my life then and there had he not been completely unconscious. Laban robbed and tried to kill nephi and his brothers 1 ne. The symbolic story of nephi and laban lds scriptures. Nephis act intertwines the sword of laban with the word of god, linking the two at their core. Book of mormon, discussed this issue in chapter 4 of his book lehi. According to the prophet joseph smith, the titlepage of the book of mormon is a literal translation, taken from the. This name only occurs in the book of mormon in a quotation from the words of isaiah ii.
Nephi did not formally assume the role of king for many years, but by slaying laban he. Laban, lying before nephi in a drunken stupor, has not been guiltless in his dealings with lehis family. Also, even if there were a laban mentioned in a historical record circa 600 bc, critics would just claim that laban was a common hebrew name at that time which it maybe have been and theres no way to prove that the laban mentioned in the history is the same laban mentioned in the book of mormon. Jan 18, 2015 lehiversuslaban rather than nephiversuslaban january 18, 2015 as i was watching a documentary about the journey of lehis family across the desert wilderness, as recorded in first nephi of the book of mormon, a thought came to me not directly from that documentary by lds scholars. Scripture study bible book of mormon stories lds church church ideas lds books lds scriptures doctrine and covenants church activities. Critics point to nephis slaying of laban in 1 nephi 4 as evidence that the book of mormon is false, for, they contend, god would never have approved such an act. In this coincidence the cast of characters are a bit different. Items in the bmc archive are made publicly available for noncommercial, private use. A symbolic look at the story makes it very clear why it was necessary. Book of mormon title page markings i like this method of enhancing your study. The account of nephis execution of laban in the book of mormon is a common source of uncomfortable misunderstanding for many members of the church. The symbolic story of nephi and laban lds scriptures, lds. The legal cases in the book of mormon provo, utah, byu press, maxwell institute, 2008. Why is there no mention of the brass plates of laban in the.
In our continuing quest of studying the pseudo coincidences in the book of mormon you can find a familiar story of when nephi beheaded laban. Also, why did laban have them and not king zedekiah. Book of mormon names nephis description of laban is authentic and realistic laban is described very fully, though casually, by nephi, and is seen to be the very type and model of a wellknown class of public official in the ancient east. Lessons from the three episodes of getting the brass plates. It is also often used as a basis for antimormon zealots to attempt to disprove the book of mormon. A compelling historical book of mormon musical, centerville, utah. You will probably also notice the faithpromoting nature of many. The execution of zemnarihah, reexploring the book of mormon salt lake city. A comparison of biblical and book of mormon isaiah texts. Strangs book of the law comprises a constitution for a mormon monarchy, wherein the prophetleader of the latter day saint church equally rules as king over. Lehi sends his sons back to jerusalem to get the brass plates from king laban. When he was finished translating the book of mormon, joseph gave the. Their home was the country east of the valley of the dead sea.
Since nephi beheaded laban, wouldnt there be a large amount of blood afterward. Do the legal concepts in the book of mormon better match joseph smiths day, or the ancient world. Apr 15, 2012 labans death combines, in an instant, the noblest and most base tendencies of human nature. The book of mormon references the sword of laban on multiple.
Why is there no mention of the brass plates of laban in. By richard packham one of the first dramatic episodes in the book of mormon is the story of how lehis family was able, with gods help, to obtain the brass plates from their custodian laban 1 nephi 3 5. A rich, unscrupulous and powerful israelite of the tribe of joseph, though a dweller in jerusalem b. Laban and his forefathers had kept the records of their progenitors on plates of brass, beginning with the creation of the world and continuing through adam, moses, and the other holy prophets down to the. We know from the book of mormon that not only lehi, but also jeremiah, recorded their records on the brass plates. Book of mormon, 1 nephi, civilization, government, laban, nephi1.
Clay gorton, the legacy of the brass plates of laban. The bond between sword and word carries on throughout the book of mormon. Problems with the brass plates of laban by richard packham one of the first dramatic episodes in the book of mormon is the story of how lehis family was able, with gods help, to obtain the brass plates from their custodian laban 1 nephi 3 5. Inclusion within the bmc archive does not imply endorsement. In what little we know the man, laban has at least.
Clay gorton,the legacy of the brass plates of laban. Nephis killing of laban in the book of mormon summary. Book of mormon genealogy chart lehi a descendant of joseph through manasseh laban sariah ishmael a descendant of ephriam laman wife of ishmael eve devil lucifer, satan lemuel sam nephi zedekiah king of judah lamb of god jesus christ zoram servant of laban daughter of ishmael daughter of ishmael daughter of ishmael daughter of ishmael jacob born in wilderness eldest. Unlike many of the other book of mormon characters, laban neither ends up in the new world, nor is he a biblical character. A comparison of biblical and book of mormon isaiah. Books on the book of mormon 19892011 by an authorized editor of byu scholarsarchive. Labans death combines, in an instant, the noblest and most base tendencies of human nature. And doesnt this passage then justify the killing of the wicked by anyone who feels that god has told them to do so. Zoram 1 was the servant of laban, a wealthy inhabitant of jerusalem. Do you find anywhere in the bible where the writers say what they are writing on. The book of mormon and the old testament scriptures were very important to the people whose history is recorded in the book of mormon.
The book of mormon speaks of an influential person in jerusalem named laban who was the keeper of the record of the jews, and had power to command at least 50 men see 1 nephi 3. This time the names are judith and holofernes whose story takes place in israel and recorded in the book of judith in the apocrypha. Oct 10, 2017 i have wanted to know what the sword of laban from the book of mormon would have truly looked like for most of my life and after much study and research i have figured it out, basing my. Does history record any laban as a leader in jerusalem. A dictionary of the book of mormonlaban wikisource, the. At the beginning of the book of mormon, nephi spends the majority of a chapter discussing how he didnt want to kill a passed out laban. At the beginning of the book of mormon narrative, a jerusalem prophet named lehi is warned of the impending destruction of the city around 600 b. A comparison of biblical and book of mormon isaiah texts gorton, h clay, gorton on. The sword of laban as a symbol of divine authority and kingship. Laban is a man mentioned in the first book of nephi as keeper of the brass plates in jerusalem about 600 b.
We build enduring faith in jesus christ by making the book of mormon accessible, comprehensible, and defensible to the entire world. The book of judith as inspiration for nephi and laban. These are classics of literary history, reissued and made available to a wide audience. Laban hath the record of the jews and also a genealogy of my forefathers, and. Laban for all offers a simplified version of rudolf labans system for analysing and annotating the way the human being moves. You will also find the brass plates, the treasury where the plates are kept, and abridgments being made.
But what were the records doing at labans house, and who was laban anyway. Scholarly analysis of this regal heirloom has primarily concentrated upon its physical construction in relation to ancient near eastern metallurgical technology. He would certainly agree with you that nephi was trying to justify it to himself but he. Why was the sword of laban so important to nephite.
Laban had also committed robbery, which is punishable by execution see exodus 22. According to first nephi, zoram led nephi, disguised as laban, into laban s treasury. At the supposed time of this happening, king nebuchadnezzar was campaigning up and down the palestinian coast with his goal to take over jerusalem. The reader is introduced to the language and terms of laban, with each new concept accompanied by very. The book of mormon and the apocrypha truth is restored again. Miriam grego c2008 nephis recounting of getting the brass plates is very interesting to me. The law of moses in the book of mormon book of mormon. Part of what we covered today was the beheading of laban by nephi, a dramatic event that any new reader to the book of mormon encounters almost immediately.
The apocrypha, judith, nephi and laban life after ministries. Near the beginning of the book of mormon, there is a troubling story. A comprehensive how to book on the laban system of movement from the author of laban for actors and dancers. Legal perspectives on the slaying of laban, journal of book of mormon studies 11 1992 pp. Noah was the son of zeniff, and the father of limhi, who lived in the land of nephi. Even if there were, it wouldnt prove the book of mormon true.
Holofernes is sent by king nebuchadnezzar to conquer the rebellious jews. Nephi takes the sword obediently cuts off labans head. The first part of our book of mormon, from first nephi through omni is a translation of the small plates which were written primarily by nephi and jacob, with short entries from the remaining leaders of the nephites down to omni, who lived somewhere between 279 and b. Prophets passed with the golden plates, mike allred begins his most ambitious project to date. The sword of laban plays a prominent role in the book of mormon narrative as a nephite national treasure. For behold, laban hath the record of the jews and also a genealogy of my forefathers, and they are engraven upon plates of brass.
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