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| Critics of the Book of Mormon have frequently pointed to Nephi's killing of Laban as an example of divinely sanctioned violence in Mormon scripture that contributed to violent rhetoric and doctrines in Mormon history. Literary critic J. Aaron Sanders argues that the "Nephi archetype" in the Mormon mythos led directly to the development of the doctrine of ]. "The story of Nephi killing Laban contributed three key elements to the Mormon mythos," Sanders proposes. "(1) Nephi as an archetypal Mormon hero; (2) righteous murder committed by that hero, or blood atonement; and (3) the rhetorical justification for blood atonement."<ref>Sanders, J. Aaron. "Avenging Angels: The Nephi Archetype and Blood Atonement in Neil LaBute, Brian Evenson, and Levi Peterson, and the Making of the Mormon American Writer." In Mark T. Decker and Michael Austin, eds., Peculiar Portrayals: Mormons on the Page, Stage, and Screen" (Utah State University Press, 2010), 89.</ref> In ], John Krakauer cites this passage from the Book of Mormon as an important influence on the Lafferty brothers when they murdered their niece and sister in law. Dan Lafferty claimed to have received a revelation comparing him to Nephi, and "this revelation had a tremendous impact on Dan: after God had declared that he was like Nephi . . . Dan 'was willing to do anything that the Lord commanded him."<ref>{{Cite book |last=Jon |first=Krakauer |title=Under the Banner of Heaven |publisher=Random House |year=2003 |pages=167}}</ref> | Critics of the Book of Mormon have frequently pointed to Nephi's killing of Laban as an example of divinely sanctioned violence in Mormon scripture that contributed to violent rhetoric and doctrines in Mormon history. Literary critic J. Aaron Sanders argues that the "Nephi archetype" in the Mormon mythos led directly to the development of the doctrine of ]. "The story of Nephi killing Laban contributed three key elements to the Mormon mythos," Sanders proposes. "(1) Nephi as an archetypal Mormon hero; (2) righteous murder committed by that hero, or blood atonement; and (3) the rhetorical justification for blood atonement."<ref>Sanders, J. Aaron. "Avenging Angels: The Nephi Archetype and Blood Atonement in Neil LaBute, Brian Evenson, and Levi Peterson, and the Making of the Mormon American Writer." In Mark T. Decker and Michael Austin, eds., Peculiar Portrayals: Mormons on the Page, Stage, and Screen" (Utah State University Press, 2010), 89.</ref> In ], John Krakauer cites this passage from the Book of Mormon as an important influence on the Lafferty brothers when they murdered their niece and sister in law. Dan Lafferty claimed to have received a revelation comparing him to Nephi, and "this revelation had a tremendous impact on Dan: after God had declared that he was like Nephi . . . Dan 'was willing to do anything that the Lord commanded him."<ref>{{Cite book |last=Jon |first=Krakauer |title=Under the Banner of Heaven |publisher=Random House |year=2003 |pages=167}}</ref> | ||
| == Defenses of Nephi's actions == | == Defenses of Nephi's actions == | ||
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| In a 2020 article in the official LDS publication, the ''Ensign'', Clyde J. Williams emphasis the utilitarian calculus of the act, which weighed the interests of one person against the interests of a whole people, or "one life lost versus many." Nephi recognized that the record "would help preserve his people’s language and that his posterity would need to know the commandments in order to keep them," Williams claims. "Without the brass plates, they would not have the prophets’ words. Nephi also knew by the Spirit that the Lord had delivered Laban into his hands and that it was 'better that one man should perish than that a nation should dwindle and perish in unbelief.'"<ref>{{Cite web |last=Williams |first=Clyde J. |date=January 2020 |title=The Power of Deliverance: Why Nephi Killed Laban |url=https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/ensign/2020/01/the-power-of-deliverance-why-nephi-killed-laban?lang=eng |access-date=November 19, 2023}}</ref> | In a 2020 article in the official LDS publication, the ''Ensign'', Clyde J. Williams emphasis the utilitarian calculus of the act, which weighed the interests of one person against the interests of a whole people, or "one life lost versus many." Nephi recognized that the record "would help preserve his people’s language and that his posterity would need to know the commandments in order to keep them," Williams claims. "Without the brass plates, they would not have the prophets’ words. Nephi also knew by the Spirit that the Lord had delivered Laban into his hands and that it was 'better that one man should perish than that a nation should dwindle and perish in unbelief.'"<ref>{{Cite web |last=Williams |first=Clyde J. |date=January 2020 |title=The Power of Deliverance: Why Nephi Killed Laban |url=https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/ensign/2020/01/the-power-of-deliverance-why-nephi-killed-laban?lang=eng |access-date=November 19, 2023}}</ref> | ||
| Other Latter-day Saint scholars have urged caution with the implied premise of the utilitarian argument that God had no other options available for getting the plates to Nephi. "Even if we acknowledge the importance of the pates to future generations," suggests Charles Swift, "we must be careful not to ignore the unlimited alternative ways to acquire the plates without Nephi having to kill Laban."<ref name=":0" /> "Joseph Spencer adds, "it doesn't require much imagination to think of ways God might have made escape possible without such drastic measures."<ref>{{Cite book |last=Spencer |first=Joseph |title=1st Nephi: A Brief Theological Introduction |publisher=Neal A. Maxwell Institute |year=2020 |pages=68}}</ref> |
Other Latter-day Saint scholars have urged caution with the implied premise of the utilitarian argument that God had no other options available for getting the plates to Nephi. "Even if we acknowledge the importance of the pates to future generations," suggests Charles Swift, "we must be careful not to ignore the unlimited alternative ways to acquire the plates without Nephi having to kill Laban."<ref name=":0" /> "Joseph Spencer adds, "it doesn't require much imagination to think of ways God might have made escape possible without such drastic measures."<ref>{{Cite book |last=Spencer |first=Joseph |title=1st Nephi: A Brief Theological Introduction |publisher=Neal A. Maxwell Institute |year=2020 |pages=68}}</ref> | ||
| === Justifiable homicide === | |||
| Many commenters have pointed to Laban's actions towards Nephi and his brothers as at least a partial justification for Nephi's actions. LDS Apostle Jeffrey R. Holland, writing in 1976 when he was the Church Education Commissioner, argued that Laban "has not been guiltless in his dealings with Lehi’s family." Holland points to five offenses that Laban committed against Nephi and his brothers: "Laban has ''at least:'' (1) been unfaithful in keeping the commandments of God; (2) falsely accused Laman of robbery; (3) coveted Lehi’s property as a greedy, “lustful” man; (4) stolen that property outright; and (5) sought twice to kill Nephi and/or his brothers."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Holland |first=Jeffrey |date=September 1976 |title=How can I explain Nephi’s killing Laban to my nonmember friends? |url=https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/ensign/1976/09/i-have-a-question/how-can-i-explain-nephis-killing-laban-to-my-nonmember-friends?lang=eng |archive-date= |access-date=November 19, 2023 |website=The Ensign}}</ref> Clyde J. Williams gives a similar list of offenses as states that "As Nephi looked upon this man who had sought their lives, the Spirit constrained him to slay Laban." | |||
| === Obedience === | === Obedience === | ||
| Another popular defense of Nephi's action is that he was obeying a direct commandment from God, who rightfully has power over life and death. | Another popular defense of Nephi's action is that he was obeying a direct commandment from God, who rightfully has power over life and death. | ||
| === Self-defense === | |||
| == Connections to the Bible == | == Connections to the Bible == | ||
Revision as of 04:45, 20 November 2023
The story of Nephi killing Laban is found near the beginning of the Book of Mormon in 1 Nephi 4:1-38. After the family of Lehi flees Jerusalem and sets up a camp in the wilderness, Nephi sends his four sons back to Jerusalem to obtain a set of brass plates from a religious leader named Laban. Lehi believes that these plates will be necessary for his descendants to preserve their culture and religion in the new land they will inhabit. When Lehi's sons meet with Laban, he refused to give them the plates and attempts to have them killed. Later, Nephi encounters a drunken Laban on the steps of his house. Under direction from the Holy Spirit, Nephi kills and decapitates Laban and then impersonates him in order to obtain the brass plates. The ethical implications of Nephi, an important prophet in the Book of Mormon, taking a man's life in order to secure the long-term prosperity of his descendants have made this one of the most analyzed and debated passages of the Book of Mormon.
Book of Mormon narrative
The story of Nephi obtaining the plates from Laban takes up all of the third and fourth chapters of the First Book of Nephi. In Chapter 3, Lehi tells Nephi that he has had a prophetic dream in which the Lord commanded him to send his four sons back to Jerusalem to obtain a set of brass plates held by a man named Laban. The plates contain "the record of the Jews," which, Lehi believes, his descendants will need when they establish a new civilization in the land that they will inherit. Laman and Lemuel complain about the difficulty of the task, but Nephi accepts the task and proclaims, "I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them to accomplish the thing which he commandeth them." In the end, all four brothers--Laman, Lemuel, Sam, and Nephi--go to Jerusalem.
When they reach their destination, they cast lots to determine who will approach Laban, and the lot falls to Laman. When Laman asks for the plates, Laban becomes angry, calls Laman a robber, and threatens to have him killed before Laman escapes and returns to his brothers. At Nephi's suggestion, they go to their father's house and gather gold, silver, and other valuable items and offer them to Laban in exchange for the plates. Laban pretends to accept the offer, takes possession of the items, and then orders his servants to kill the brothers. They escape with their lives but do not obtain the plates.
At this point, Laman and Lemuel become angry with Nephi and Sam and began to beat them with a rod. An angel appears and tells the other brothers that God has chosen Nephi to rule over them and commands that they return immediately to Jerusalem, where the Lord will deliver Laban into their hands.
In Chapter Four, Nephi goes alone to Laban's house. On his way, he sees Laban himself drunk with wine and lying in the street. He draws Laban's sword and admires its workmanship. And then he is "constrained by the spirit" that he should kill Laban and take the plates. He says in his heart "Never at any time have I shed the blood of a man. And I shrunk and would that I might not slay him. But the spirit is insistent, saying, "it is better that one man should perish than that a nation should dwindle and perish in unbelief." Nephi decapitates Laban with his own sword and then dresses in the slain man's clothing. Speaking in Laban's voice, he orders a servant named Zoram to retrieve the plates. When Zoram recognizes Nephi as an imposter, Nephi compels him to swear obedience and offers to spare his life if he (Zoram) agrees to join the Lehite party in the wilderness.
Significance of the event
The story of Nephi killing Laban has occasioned an enormous amount of commentary both defending and criticizing Nephi's actions. In Understanding the Book of Mormon, Grant Hardy acknowledges that Nephi's actions, "without a considerable amount of explanation, would look a lot like murder and robbery." Nephi kills Laban when he is unarmed and unable to defend himself and then takes possession of the plates through deception and force. BYU religion professor Charles Swift asks, "How can we justify a man coming upon another man lying in a street, completely helpless . . . and that first man decapitating the second man, stealing his sword and clothing, and then impersonating him so he could steal a most precious item from his treasury."
Latter-day Saint critic Eugene England analyzes the incident through the writings of French critic Rene Girard, who analyzed the figure of the scapegoat in ancient narratives. England sees the spirit's justification for the killing of Laban--"it is better that one man should perish than that a nation should dwindle and perish in unbelief"--as "a classic statement of the scapegoating rationale." Girard claims that this rationale is "the foundation of human violence and is absolutely repudiated by Christ." England goes on to say that "Nephi, recounting the killing of Laban many years after it happened, quotes the spirit using exactly the same words as the Jewish priest Caiaphas used in an ends-justifies-means argument to condemn Christ." We must, England concludes, read Nephi's justifications for killing Laban as typical, but flawed, ancient arguments about the need to scapegoat victims in order to protect society.
Critics of the Book of Mormon have frequently pointed to Nephi's killing of Laban as an example of divinely sanctioned violence in Mormon scripture that contributed to violent rhetoric and doctrines in Mormon history. Literary critic J. Aaron Sanders argues that the "Nephi archetype" in the Mormon mythos led directly to the development of the doctrine of blood atonement. "The story of Nephi killing Laban contributed three key elements to the Mormon mythos," Sanders proposes. "(1) Nephi as an archetypal Mormon hero; (2) righteous murder committed by that hero, or blood atonement; and (3) the rhetorical justification for blood atonement." In Under the Banner of Heaven, John Krakauer cites this passage from the Book of Mormon as an important influence on the Lafferty brothers when they murdered their niece and sister in law. Dan Lafferty claimed to have received a revelation comparing him to Nephi, and "this revelation had a tremendous impact on Dan: after God had declared that he was like Nephi . . . Dan 'was willing to do anything that the Lord commanded him."
Defenses of Nephi's actions
Utilitarian necessity
The most common defense of Nephi's killing of Laban comes from the angel's words to Lehi's sons that it is better for one man to die than for a nation to perish in unbelief. The official LDS Institute Manual emphasizes the importance of the brass plates to future generations of Lehi's descendants. "The Lord wanted Lehi and his descendants to have the scriptural record even if “one man should perish” . . . for it to happen," the manual states. "The brass plates blessed not only the Nephite and Mulekite nations, but they led to some of the written portions of the gold plates as well. . . . The Book of Mormon has blessed and will bless the lives of millions of people and nations. Ultimately, all this was at stake when Nephi stood over Laban and followed the voice of the Spirit."
In a 2020 article in the official LDS publication, the Ensign, Clyde J. Williams emphasis the utilitarian calculus of the act, which weighed the interests of one person against the interests of a whole people, or "one life lost versus many." Nephi recognized that the record "would help preserve his people’s language and that his posterity would need to know the commandments in order to keep them," Williams claims. "Without the brass plates, they would not have the prophets’ words. Nephi also knew by the Spirit that the Lord had delivered Laban into his hands and that it was 'better that one man should perish than that a nation should dwindle and perish in unbelief.'"
Other Latter-day Saint scholars have urged caution with the implied premise of the utilitarian argument that God had no other options available for getting the plates to Nephi. "Even if we acknowledge the importance of the pates to future generations," suggests Charles Swift, "we must be careful not to ignore the unlimited alternative ways to acquire the plates without Nephi having to kill Laban." "Joseph Spencer adds, "it doesn't require much imagination to think of ways God might have made escape possible without such drastic measures."
Justifiable homicide
Many commenters have pointed to Laban's actions towards Nephi and his brothers as at least a partial justification for Nephi's actions. LDS Apostle Jeffrey R. Holland, writing in 1976 when he was the Church Education Commissioner, argued that Laban "has not been guiltless in his dealings with Lehi’s family." Holland points to five offenses that Laban committed against Nephi and his brothers: "Laban has at least: (1) been unfaithful in keeping the commandments of God; (2) falsely accused Laman of robbery; (3) coveted Lehi’s property as a greedy, “lustful” man; (4) stolen that property outright; and (5) sought twice to kill Nephi and/or his brothers." Clyde J. Williams gives a similar list of offenses as states that "As Nephi looked upon this man who had sought their lives, the Spirit constrained him to slay Laban."
Obedience
Another popular defense of Nephi's action is that he was obeying a direct commandment from God, who rightfully has power over life and death.
Connections to the Bible
Metanarrative Considerations
References
- 1 Nephi 3:3
- 1 Nephi 3:7
- 1 Nephi 3:11-14
- 1 Nephi 3:22-26
- 1 Nephi 3:28-30
- 1 Nephi 4:10-14
- 1 Nephi 4: 18-38
- Hardy, Grant (2010). Understanding the Book of Mormon. Oxford University Press. p. 19.
- ^ Swift, Charles (2019). ""The Lord slayeth the wicked": Coming to Terms with Nephi Killing Laban". Journal of Book of Mormon Studies. 29 (1): 143.
- England, Eugene (1989). "Why Nephi Killed Laban: Reflections on Truth in the Book of Mormon". Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought. 22 (3): 40–41.
- Sanders, J. Aaron. "Avenging Angels: The Nephi Archetype and Blood Atonement in Neil LaBute, Brian Evenson, and Levi Peterson, and the Making of the Mormon American Writer." In Mark T. Decker and Michael Austin, eds., Peculiar Portrayals: Mormons on the Page, Stage, and Screen" (Utah State University Press, 2010), 89.
- Jon, Krakauer (2003). Under the Banner of Heaven. Random House. p. 167.
- Book of Mormon Student Manual, Religion 121-122. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 2009. p. 16.
- Williams, Clyde J. (January 2020). "The Power of Deliverance: Why Nephi Killed Laban". Retrieved November 19, 2023.
- Spencer, Joseph (2020). 1st Nephi: A Brief Theological Introduction. Neal A. Maxwell Institute. p. 68.
- Holland, Jeffrey (September 1976). "How can I explain Nephi's killing Laban to my nonmember friends?". The Ensign. Retrieved November 19, 2023.
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