Was There a Need for Indigenous People?

Mesoamerican Theorists continually tout the need for indigenous people in the Land of Promise to equate to the numbers of Nephites and Lamanites in the Book of Mormon.

However, when Lehi left Jerusalem in 600 B.C., there were four married families: Lehi (6), Ishmael (7), and Ishmael’s two sons (about 10), for a total of about 23 people. Along the way were added Zoram, Jacob, Joseph, Nephi’s 2 sisters, and children born to five new married couples (one each per every two years) for a total 25 additional children, plus 10 more for the two sons of Ishmael, for a total of 35 additional, or overall total of 62 (less Ishmael who died) by the time the colony left Bountiful.

If there were servants included, and most likely there would have been since it was common for wealthy families to have live-in servants in that period of time—and Nephi specifically mentions “All the house of Ishmael” (1 Nephi 7:22), suggesting those of his household, which, had there been servants there, would have been included. And it would be likely they would have been taken with the family since they did not want to leave anyone behind who might tell the Jews where they had gone (1 Nephi 4:36)

It should also be considered, that since Lehi had “seeds of every kind” (1 Nephi 8:1;16:11;18:6) which he took with him when he left the land of Jerusalem (1 Nephi 18:24), we can expect him to have had extensive planted fields, not only to feed his own family, but also to sell in Jerusalem. Thus, servants would have been needed to till the fields, especially when he was gone on his business—and since he was such a wealthy man, it is unlikely he tilled his own fields.

As a result, we can expect Lehi to have had at least four servants, with their families, when leaving Jerusalem. If each family had four children, that would be an additional 24 people—if he had more servants, the numbers would be greater. In addition, if we extrapolate these numbers to Ishmael’s household, we can add a total of at least 48 people to the colony, making the grand total of 110 people leaving by ship from Bountiful, and possibly as much as 120.

Assuming the colony spent two years in the land of first inheritance before Lehi died, then it is likely that each couple might have had another child each, for a total of at least 7 more people, plus the 8 servant families having one to two more children, making that additional total as much as 23. And when Nephi fled with “those who would go with him,” he would have taken about 68 people with him, leaving about 76 people behind. And it should be considered, that while Jacob, Joseph, Nephi’s two sisters, were unmarried, all of those older adults among left behind were married.

Nephi lived about 50 years in the land of promise, which means, if families had ten children each (Lehi had 8 to 10 children; Ishmael 7 to 8), with Jacob, Joseph, and Nephi’s two sisters now married, that would be 7 couples or a total of 77 Nephites (plus another 60 or so from the servants, or a total of 137 Nephites) at the start of the Book of Jacob. Keep in mind that Jacob and Joseph, and possibly the two sisters, were about 25 years younger than Nephi, providing three generations, not two. Thus, the numbers might have been greater, since Nephi, Laman, Lemuel, Sam and Zoram would have had marrid children by Jacob 1:1.

In addition, the Lamanites would have had more children faster since Ishmael’s two sons already had children in Jerusalem (1 Nephi 7:6), which means by the time they reached the Land of Promise, some of those children would have been near marrying age. Thus, over time, the Lamanites would have outnumbered the Nephites by greater and greater numbers as each generation grew.

Thus, in the course of living, by the time Nephi died, the numbers of both groups could have been in the 200s. And much contention could have developed between them, especially between the original brothers, with Laman and Lemuel fostering the attitude among their children and grandchildren, that remained down through the ages in the Land of Promise that Laman should have been the one to rule over all the people (2 Nephi 5:3).

Lehi’s Direction of Travel leaving Jerusalem

As you leave Jerusalem and travel south, then south-southeast along the Red Sea as Nephi tells us (1 Nep 2:5; 16:13-14, 33), an understanding of the terrain is helpful in better appreciating the scriptural account. Much of the wilderness of Judah is an endless sea of rock. The ancient Hebrew words for this type of lifeless terrain are Jeshimon (desolation) and Tsia (wasteland). South of Jerusalem lay the Judean Hills that fall away to the east in the Wilderness of Judah. This is a lengthy tract of land running from the Jezreel Valley, just south of the Sea of Galilee and west of the Jordan River, all the way along the Dead Sea and in the mountains and across the Ghor Plain to the far south, then on into the wastes of the Sinai Peninsula. This wilderness is to the east of the Jerusalem ridge and receives little rainfall because the prevailing westerly winds from the Mediterranean deposit their rain along the watershed of the west side of the ridge.

There were four possible routes out of Jerusalem to the south in 600 B.C. First, in the Jericho Route, the traveler could go east to Jericho, cross the Jordan River, then follow the King's Highway from Ma'daba down to Ezion-geber (meaning Giant’s backbone). Second, along the Dead Sea Route, the traveler could again go east toward Jericho, turn south along the west shore of the Dead Sea, then continue through the Wadi al'Araba to Ezion-geber. Third, on the En-geddi Route, the traveler could go south to Hebron, cross over to En-geddi along the west coast of the Dead Sea, then turn south down the Wadi al'Araba to Ezion-geber. Fourth, on the Beer-Sheba Route, the traveler could go south to Hebron, southwest to Beer-sheba, continue down the Wadi al'Araba to Ezion-geber. This Wadi currently runs along the Jordan-Israel border.

A Wadi is the bed or valley of a stream in regions that are usually dry except during the rainy season and that often forms an oasis. A shallow usually sharply defined depression in a desert region which is called a gully or wash in America.

In order for the Lehi colony to travel south to the Red Sea, it is almost certain they would have passed through, or close by, the city of Ezion-geber, a seaport at the head of the Red Sea along the northern coast of the Gulf of Aqaba. This city, situated a few miles west of the modern site of the city of Aqaba, at precisely the point where the Wadi al'Araba opens into the gulf, was abound with stately date palms, brightly flowering oleander, and dozens of sweet water wells. This coastal city was renowned for the clear blue sea that shimmered in the bright sunlight.

Called Tall al-Khaltfah today, this seaport located in the northern end of the Gulf of Aqaba was where Solomon had his fleet of ships built and from which he sailed for his trade with Ophir, as well as having a large-scale copper refinery, the largest ever unearthed anywhere. Archaeological findings show that this port city had been a fortified settlement surrounded by strong walls for the 10th to the 4th centuries B.C., and trade was carried on with Phoenicia, Arabia, Egypt, Sinai, and Greece.

In Lehi’s time, Ezioin-geber was not only a seaport, but a busy shipbuilding port. Just beyond this point, down past the Aqaba Sea to where it empties into the Red Sea, would be the valley of Lemuel where they stopped and camped. From this point, the boys were first sent back for the brass plates, and then later for Ishmael's family.

Leaving Jerusalem in Secret

Lehi had been called to preach to the people of Jerusalem (1 Nephi 1:18). The Jews mocked him and wanted to kill him (1 Nephi 1:19-20). This was because the Jews in 600 B.C. did not believe that God would turn against his chosen people and allow his sacred temple and his holy city to be destroyed. As a result, they considered anyone preaching the overthrow of the Jewish nation, the destruction of the temple, and the captivity of the people in Babylon a heretic. This led to their stubborn, stiffnecked reaction to any prophet preaching repentance, and would have led them to take his life.

Because of this the Lord told Lehi, “Because thou has 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). Lehi promptly left his house and his land, property and wealth (1 Nephi 2:4), and traveled south from the area of Jerusalem to the Red Sea (1 Nephi 2:5).

This was all done in secret, for it was the tendency of the Jews to follow the prophets, even down into Egypt and bring them back to Jerusalem and put them to death. Nephi makes this abundantly clear when he seized Zoram, stating the purpose as, “Now we were desirous that he should tarry with us for this cause, that the Jews might not know concerning our flight into the wilderness, lest they should pursue us and destroy us” (1 Nephi 4:36).

Had Lehi lived within the walls of Jerusalem it would have been near impossible for him to leave without anyone knowing it, for the gates to the city were crowded with people and were the busy centers of activity. Most shopping was done there in a market, in a bazaar-like manner, and everyone was aware of the comings and goings of the people.

Nor would Lehi have been able to go into the city and purchase things needed for his flight, such as tents, donkeys, camping supplies, etc. Thus, these things would already have been in Lehi’s possession at the time the Lord told him to flee (1 Nephi 2:2). For an explanation of this, see the earlier posts “Location of Lehi’s Home” and “Lehi’s Possible Business” and “Why Did Lehi Have Tents.”
Thus, Lehi left his home in such a hurry, he did not even bother to pack up any of his gold, silver, or precious things, nor did he bother to see about obtaining the records, nor did he stop to talk to Ishmael and get him to go into the wilderness with him. All this suggests that Lehi was in a hurry when leaving and took only those things within his possession that he could quickly pack and load on his donkeys that would be necessary for a wilderness journey.

Did Lehi Have Servants?

In the time of Lehi, many people, free and slave, provided personal services as laborers. These servants included household servants, employed by wealthy people, and did such work as cooks, maids, groundskeepers, tutors, or in helping to care for children. Loyal household workers were highly valued. Some served as midwives (Gen 35.16-18), doctors (2 Chr 16.12; Mark 5.25,26), and nurses.

Servants were considered part of the family, and their experiences varied not only over time but according to the size of the households in which they worked, the households' wealth and location in urban or rural settings, and the work servants were expected to do. It is likely that Lehi, and very probably Ishmael, had household servants, who were not mentioned in the scriptures because they possessed no rights as family members.

Household servants were considered part of the family in Israel in Lehi’s time, and were treated very different than servants today. Even slaves were part of the family and treated far differently that our attitudes of today would warrant. Certain statutes in the law of Moses protected household servants and slaves. According to the law, Israelite slaves were set free after six years of servitude, and often remained with the family.

Scattered throughout Israel were villages whose inhabitants rarely traveled outside their village and its environs. The main social unit was the household, which was more than just a family. The head of the household was the father, or "ab" in Hebrew. A household consisted of multiple homes built close together and usually comprised the "bet ab," his sons and unmarried daughters and any aging parent, uncle, or unmarried aunt. In most cases the homes surrounded an outdoor courtyard where much of the cooking and social activities took place.

Contrary to some assumptions, women were not considered property and had more rights in ancient Israel than is usually assumed. The mother of a household had significant authority and influence in the decision making. Both men and women had designated jobs that they performed. Women worked around the house making clothes, cleaning, cooking, washing, and raising the children. While the men were in the fields working, the women took charge of the household and made sure things ran smoothly.

While children were young, their mother provided most of their education at home. When a son was old enough, his father assumed the responsibility to teach him the Law of Moses and a trade (Deuteronomy 6:7; Alma 36–42). Trades were passed down through the generations. Many Israelites, not just the wealthy, learned how to write. However, most teaching was done orally as national traditions and religious stories and practices were passed down. In general, girls remained at home and received their education from their mothers in areas of housekeeping and learning their responsibilities as wives.

There was no dating—marriages were arranged and negotiated by the fathers of the bride and groom. Most marriages were arranged when the children were very young, and was considered an economic arrangement made between two families of the same or closely related tribes. This is not to say that love and romance do not exist in such a relationship, but these people were more focused on survival, perpetuation of their family, and family honor than on pleasure and sensuality.

In all, the family was the single most important unit in society. And a family consisted not only of the actual blood-line family, but also those who became part of the family, such as household servants. When Lehi abruptly uprooted his family and left his house and all his goods, he would not have left his family servants behind and uncared for—but would have taken them with him. And, too, when Lehi was about to die, he blessed his individual sons, then Zoram, and then the “sons of Ishmael, yea, and even all his household” (2 Nephi 4:10). “All his household” would have been those other than the individual children and families already mentioned—which would appear to be servants and their families that came out of Jerusalem with Ishmael.

Size of the Lehi Colony

Scriptures indicate that the family that arrived in Bountiful had at least the following members:
Lehi
Sariah
Laman
Lemuel
Sam
Nephi
Jacob
Joseph
2 sisters
Zoram
Ishmael
Ishmael's wife
5 daughters
Ishmael's first son
Wife of the first son
Ishmael's second son
Wife of the second son

This totals 22 people.

In addition, we can say that Ishmael’s two sons may have had upwards of six children between them before leaving Jerusalem. In addition, Nephi says their women gave birth while in the wilderness, and did not have trouble nursing them despite having to eat raw meat. This means that each of the five newly married couples (married in the Valley of Lemuel after Ishmael's family joined the Lehi Colony) may well have had children in the 6 to 8 year trek to Bountiful. Considering an average of one child every two years for 7 families, it is possible there were twenty-one children produced by these couples.

This totals about 43 people.

While at Bountiful, it would have taken some time to rest up, build a ship, and prepare for a 7,000 mile ocean voyage. If the colony stayed at Bountiful for two years while building a ship that could carry a large number of people, this would probably add one more child to each of the seven couples, for a total of another seven children.

This totals 50 people.

Thus, the ship Nephi built would have to be large enough for upwards of 50 people. In addition, it is possible that more children could have been born to each couple given the lack of birth control methods in 600 B.C., and also that Nephi had more than two sisters.

Lastly, given Lehi’s extreme wealth as mentioned in scripture, it is very likely that he had servants and their families living within his property as was the custom at the time. And since Lehi and Ishmael were friends, it is likely he, too, had wealth, and had servants in his household. And given the need for secrecy of the families leaving Jerusalem (1 Nephi 4:36), it is likely Lehi would have taken the servants with him into the wilderness, especially since the land owners employing such servants would have felt some concern and responsibility for them under Jewish law at the time. Thus, we could be looking at as much as 100 people leaving Bountiful on Nephi’s ship.

How Old Was Nephi When He Left Jerusalem?

Much as been written about Nephi's age at this tiem, mostly after drawing erroneous conclusions from a single statement made by Nephi himself thirty years after leaving Jerusalem. Looking back on time, Nephi considered himself “exceedingly young” (1 Nephi 2:16). However, most people when looking some 30 years backward in time would consider themselves quite young given a certain situation. As I write this, looking back to when I was a bishop 35 years ago, I feel I was extremely young, though I was in my mid thirties at the time. When it comes to things of the Lord, which Nephi was describing (“crying unto the Lord”), we are typically quite or exceedingly young. I doubt if any man called to be a bishop in his early years would, when older, consider himself anything but very young at the time of his calling. I was twenty-six when I married, and believe me, I was “exceedingly young”!

Based upon the events at the time Lehi took his family into the wilderness, Nephi, the youngest of the four boys mentioned, was probably around 20 to 25 years of age. At this time, he was mature enough to kill a man with his own sword (1 Nephi 4:18), impersonate a grown man in his armor and fool the man’s close servant (1 Nephi 4:21), and even fool his own three older brothers (1 Nephi 4:28), and had the maturity and presence of mind to seize and keep a grown man from escaping (1 Nephi 4:31), and old enough to lead his three older brothers (1 Nephi 3:21;4:1).

Finally, within about two years of leaving Jerusalem, Nephi was married (1 Nephi 16:7), and during this time, though the youngest, he was in charge of finding and shooting meat for the entire colony (1 Nephi 16:23,31), as well as becoming the contested ruler of the colony (1 Nephi 16:37). This would make Nephi about 20 to 22 during all these events, which would make him about 28 when he built the ship, and about 29 when he took charge of sailing the colony to the Land of Promise, and about 30-32 years of age when he led his family and all those who would go with him to settle in what they called the Land of Nephi (2 Nephi 5:7-8). Thus, making him in his early thirties when he built a temple to rival that of Solomon’s, and teach his people who to build, etc. (2 Nephi 5:15-16).

Had he been much less than 20-25 when leaving Jerusalem, he would have been too young to have accomplished these things, too young to marry, and not enough older than Jacob and Joseph to have been their spiritual leader (2 Nephi 5:26). Thus, in 570 B.C., after about thirty years from leaving Jerusalem (2 Nephi 5:28), Nephi would have been about 50 years old when he was settled enough in age to have the time to create the new set of plates and rewrite all that had happened, which we have as 1 Nephi 1:1 through 2 Nephi 5:28).

Thus, it seems likely that Nephi was 20-25 when he left Jerusalem, which would both allow him to overpower a grown man, have the self-confidence required to obey the lord, the self-assurance to kill Laban, the intellect to outwit Zoram, the character to take charge and lead his older brothers, the wisdom to convince Ishmael to join the Lehi Colony, and the maturity to marry—all within a time frame of two to three years of his leaving Jerusalem. While Joseph Smith was a boy of 14 when he received his first vision, the Lord waited four years for the boy to mature enough to receive the gold plates. And Nephi did not have the almost daily communication and instruction of an angel during those early years as Joseph had.

Why Did Lehi Have Tents?

The tents of Lehi's day were not simple pup tents or camper tents of our time, as was shown in a drawing in the Ensign Magazine a while back, but large, roomy tents weighing around 500 pounds and requiring three donkeys to carry. One animal to carry the roof, one the walls, and another the partitions. These tents were laborious to make, requiring a time-consuming process of weaving the fabric out of durable goats' hair. In addition, the Israelites were not tent dwellers, and when traveling throughout Palestine they camped in caves—-tents were generally found only among desert dwellers like the Arabs.

So why did Lehi have tents? Possession of such tents would have to serve some particular and reoccurring purpose for Lehi to justify their cost and size. Nor would he have purchased these tents, even if they were available in Jerusalem which is doubtful, since he would have not wanted anyone to know his plans. Some time later, after reaching the Valley of Lemuel and the sons returned for the brass plates, Nephi, after overcoming Zoram and convincing him to join the colony, makes this secrecy clear. "We were desirous that he should tarry with us for this cause, that the Jews might not know concerning our flight into the wilderness, lest they should pursue us and destroy us." (1 Nephi 4:36)
Obviously, This supports the fact that the provisions they took with them, including tents, animals and seeds, were not purchased in Jerusalem, but were on hand in the Lehi household. Lehi would have left Jerusalem with no one the wiser. When sending the brothers back for the plates, Lehi obviously warned Nephi not to let the Jews know of his whereabouts or destination. Despite the colony being two hundred miles from Jerusalem, separated by two kingdoms and numerous sheikdoms, Lehi still must have felt insecure.

If Lehi had his home a few miles from Jerusalem, living on the “lands of his inheritance” (1 Nephi 2:4), he would have to provide for his own food and sustenance. This would probably mean raising goats, sheep, fruits and "all manner of grains." This could have led to his supplying goods to one of the “sugs” or markets, in the old, walled city of Jerusalem, including grapes or wine, since planting vineyards and producing wine was considered part of a settled life at the time. Such merchandising, added to his broker-merchant business from Arab caravans, would have been profitable and could account for his being a wealthy man. It would also account for why Lehi had seeds of every kind on hand when told to flee the city (1 Nephi 16:11; 18:24).

When Lehi was told by the Lord to flee into the wilderness, he not only had tents, donkeys, seeds and other equipment at his disposal for such a journey, he also knew exactly where to go, what was needed to survive there, and how to travel in the wilderness. Later, before their extended journey after Ishmael's family joined them, the Lord gave Lehi a compass called the Liahona to show him the way (1 Nephi 16:10). However, there is no mention of any aid in finding his way to that first camp along the Red Sea, which he called the valley of Lemuel (1 Nephi 2:14). Thus, it can be assumed that Lehi knew where he was going and had an understanding of the routes available to him. If, indeed, Lehi was a broker-merchant, he would have, 1) known the trails into the desert, 2) acquired knowledge in the past from passing caravans about their routes up from the Red Sea, 3) had a knowledge of water holes and campsites, and 4) had sons who knew how to handle the large tents and travel in the wilderness.

Today, of course, we just jump in a car and point the hood toward our destination. If we need gas, food, shelter or directions, we know they can be found along the way. But in 600 B.C., one's very life depended upon knowledge of terrain, water holes, oases, etc., and there are few reasons why someone who "lived at Jerusalem all his days" would have known such things, unless he was traveling down to meet the Arab caravans as stated in an earlier post.
Nephi describes his father receiving his calling while away from home, then returning exhausted after the experience (1 Nephi 5:7). While on one of these trips into the desert, encamped along a trail awaiting the caravan, Lehi might have been engaged in mighty prayer to the Lord. Here he would have had time on his hands and his concerns over the people of Jerusalem must have weighed heavily on his mind, for many prophets had been sent among the people to warn them of their evil ways (1 Nephi 1:13). Here Lehi might have had his vision of the pillar of fire and saw many things that made him "quake and tremble" (1 Nephi 1:6). After this experience and, perhaps, after the caravan passed by and he concluded his business, “he returned to his own house at Jerusalem” where he cast himself on his bed in exhaustion from the trip and the spiritual experience (1 Nephi 5:7). From then on he was involved in his prophetic ministry.