And My Father Dwelt In a Tent

Valley of Lemuel. Artwork by Joseph Brickey

In the opening chapters of the Book of Mormon Nephi records his family's flight from Jerusalem into the wilderness.

According to his record, upon reaching the environs of the Red Sea the group continued their journey for three more days until they came across a suitable place to encamp for a time.

The Book of Mormon terms the place in which they camped a "valley" but it was not the kind of valley that many readers of the Book of Mormon might imagine. In all probability it was what is known in the Near East as a wadi, and what those in the modern English-speaking world might call a canyon or a ravine.

One of the distinguishing features of this stopping place was a river or stream that the Book of Mormon suggests may have been a perennial one - an exceedingly rare phenomenon in the Arabian Peninsula (see 1 Nephi 2:8-9).

Apparently the wadi and its stream were either unnamed at that time or Lehi and his party were unaware of its name because Lehi dubs the wadi as the "Valley of Lemuel" and the stream as the "River of Laman" (1 Nephi 2:8,14). The Valley of Lemuel would become one of the most spiritually significant stopping points on their journey to the promised land.

It was during their sojourn in the Valley of Lemuel that Lehi's sons returned to Jerusalem for the Brass Plates and Ishmael's family. It was also during this time that both Lehi and Nephi had their famous visions of the Tree of Life. Regarding their time in the valley, Nephi recorded a succinct, and much commented upon phrase, which later editors would assign as its own verse. This phrase is found as verse 15 of 1 Nephi chapter 2 in the Book of Mormon:

Bedouin tent, Syrian desert. Wikimedia Commons.

"And my father dwelt in a tent"

This phrase is also found in at least three other passages of the Book of Mormon all of which are found in the portion of the record describing their sojourn in the Valley of Lemuel (1 Ne. 9:1; 1 Ne. 10:16; 1 Ne. 16:6).

Daniel Peterson has pointed out how this phrase conjures up the imagery of das wandernde Gottesvolk ("the wandering of God's people") which may have been Nephi's intent. Indeed, Nephi's phrase places Lehi and Nephi in good company with other prophet-wanderers including Abraham (Genesis 18:1), Jacob (Genesis 25:27) and perhaps most importantly Moses (Exodus 18:7).

A number of articles in Latter-Day Saint publications have pointed out how Nephi's account of his family's flight from Jerusalem parallels the exodus¹. An article in the April 1987 issue of the Ensign lists several parallels between the accounts. Below are listed most of the parallels (modified slightly) that are included in the Ensign article:

1. The Lord's guidance: 1 Ne. 1:6; 1 Ne. 16:16 & Ex. 13:21
2. Oppressive conditions: 1 Ne. 1:20 & Ex. 1:11-16
3. The Lord's command to depart: 1 Ne. 2:2 & Ex. 3:7-18
4. Sacrifice to the Lord after three days' journey: 1 Ne. 2:6-7 & Ex. 3:18; Ex. 15:22; Ex. 20:25
5. Murmuring against the Lord: 1 Ne. 2:11-12; 1 Ne. 5:2 & Ex. 15:24; Ex. 16:2-3
6. Dwelling in tents: 1 Ne. 2:15 & Ex. 18:7; Ex. 33:8
7. Promise of a new land of inheritance: 1 Ne. 2:20 & Ex. 3:17
8. Victory over enemies: 1 Ne. 4:12 & Ex. 17:8-13
9. Rebellious desire to return: 1 Ne. 7:6-7 & Ex. 14:12
10. Divine instruction on a high mountain: 1 Ne. 11:1-14 & Ex. 19:19-31:18
11. Revelatory devices: 1 Ne. 16:10 & Ex. 7:9-21; Ex. 8:16; Ex. 14:16
12. Miraculous provision of food: 1 Ne. 17:3-5 & Ex. 16:11-18
13. Prolonged wandering in the wilderness: 1 Ne. 17:4 & Ex. 16:35; Deut. 8:2
14. Afflictions in the wilderness: 1 Ne. 17:26; 1 Ne. 18:8-23 & Ex. 14:21-22, 29; Ex. 15:19
15. Two sons born in the wilderness: 1 Ne. 18:7 & Ex. 18:3-4
16. The Lord's providential wind: 1 Ne. 18:8 & Ex. 14:21
17. Wicked revelry: 1 Ne. 18:9 & Ex. 32:18-19
18. Threat of divine retribution: 1 Ne. 18:20 & Ex. 32:10
19. Inheritance of promised land: 1 Ne. 18:23-25 & Josh. 11:23

Indeed, even the very region in which the Valley of Lemuel was located may provide a link between Lehi's family and Moses.

"Departure of the Israelites", by David Roberts, 1829

As a young man, Moses killed an Egyptian whom he saw abusing one of his fellow Israelites. In fear for his safety, he fled Egypt and went to the land of Midian where he was taken in by Jethro's family and where he married one of Jethro's daughters, Zipporah (Exodus 2:15-21). Moses' flight from Egypt may have prefigured Israel's flight, for once they left they may have crossed the Sinai Peninsula and found refuge in Midian like Moses. Therefore, there exists a significant probability that Mt. Sinai was located in Midian rather than the traditionally accepted locale of the southern Sinai peninsula.

Eminent Harvard professor and Dead Sea Scrolls scholar Frank Moore Cross said as much in an interview with Hershel Shanks, editor of Bible Review, in the August 1992 issue:

The ancient land of Midian lies in the northwest corner of
modern-day Saudi Arabia.

FMC: The notion that the 'mountain of God' called Sinai and Horeb was located in what we now call the Sinai Peninsula has no older tradition supporting it than Byzantine times. It is one of the many holy places created for pilgrims in the Byzantine period.

HS: So you would place Sinai in what is today Saudi Arabia?

FMC: ... Yes, in the northwestern corner of Saudi Arabia, ancient Midian.

The importance of the Israelites' stay at Mount Sinai cannot be overstated. It was at Mount Sinai where the Israelites, with Moses at their head, experienced many of their most spectacular miracles while in the wilderness. It was upon the mount where Moses conversed with the Lord for forty days and where he received the law (Ex. 24:18). It was at the mount where the plans for the tabernacle were revealed to Moses and where it was constructed (Ex. 25-30). There are more chapters in Exodus devoted to the Israelite's stay at Sinai than any other period of their wanderings.

Interestingly, the best candidate for the Valley of Lemuel also sits in the ancient land of Midian where Mount Sinai may have been located. In May 1995 LDS scholar George Potter was exploring Midian, which lies in modern-day Saudi Arabia, when he came across a wadi, called Tayyib al Ism that seemed a likely candidate for the Valley of Lemuel. Potter wrote about his discovery in a Journal of Book of Mormon studies article entitled "A New Candidate in Arabia for the 'Valley of Lemuel'". In the article Potter notes that Tayyib al Ism shares key characteristics with the Valley of Lemuel, as mentioned in the Book of Mormon, including:

1. Both contain a perennial river or stream   (1 Ne. 2:6, 8-9).
2. Both streams are located within a "valley" or wadi (1 Ne. 2:6).
3. Both streams empty into the Red Sea       (1 Ne. 2:8).
4. Both are located within a three-day walk or camel ride of the northeast tip of the Red Sea (1 Ne. 2:5-6).
5. Both are located within a "wilderness" or an area that is generally devoid of people (1 Ne. 2:6).

Therefore, the most significant stopping place in Nephi's journey also may have been the most significant stopping place for the Israelites during their wanderings. A fact evidently not lost on Nephi. 

Additionally, both Nephi and Moses appear to have had similar visionary experiences while in this land. Both were "caught up into an exceedingly high mountain" (Moses 1:1; 1 Ne. 11:1) and Nephi began acquiring relics sacred to the Nephites and which may have been placed in a Nephite version of the Ark of Covenant while in Midian similar to how Moses began acquiring the sacred relics for the Israelite ark while in Midian.

Window in the Saint Denis Basilica (Chapel St. Peregrine). 

The Ark of the Covenant. Abbot Suger, 12th century.

Don Bradley, in a fascinating presentation delivered at the 2012 FairMormon Conference entitled "Piercing the Veil: Temple Worship in the Lost 116 Pages", suggested that perhaps some of the relics that were passed from generation to generation among the righteous Nephites and which ended up in the stone box found by Joseph Smith may have been deposited into a Nephite ark and were analogous to the relics found in the Israelite ark. Interestingly, as Bradley points out in his article, Martin Harris referred to the stone box found by Joseph Smith as an "ark". According to the Bible the Israelite ark contained the stone tablets of the law (Ex. 25:16), the pot of manna (Ex. 16:33) and Aaron's budding rod (Heb. 9:4). Perhaps the Nephite relics paralleled the Israelite relics in the following ways, according to Don Bradley:

The Tablets of the Law: The Lord instructs Moses in Exodus 25:16 to place the stone tablets of the law, which the Lord would shortly give him, into the ark of the covenant. Bradley suggests that perhaps the gold plates may have served as an analog to Moses' stone tablets. While this seems a reasonable suggestion, I believe the brass plates were the more likely analog for the following reasons:

1. According to Joseph Smith's sister, Catherine, the brass plates were indeed included in the stone box on the hill near the Smith home (source).
2. Like the tablets of the law, the brass plates also contained the law (1 Ne. 4:16), whereas the gold plates did not.
3. The gold plates were a work in progress and would not reach their completed form until after the destruction of the Nephite civilization (WM 1:1).
4. Like Moses's stone tablets the brass plates may have been a possession of Moses, as suggested by Dann Hone. If this were the case, then the brass plates would have provided the Nephites with a concrete link to Moses and his authority.

Aaron's Rod & the Pot of Manna: Bradley, in his presentation, suggests that these two objects from the Israelite ark together could have found their analog in the Liahona found by Lehi outside the door of his tent, while in the Valley of Lemuel (1 Ne. 16:6,10). Bradley points out that the language used to describe the discovery of the Liahona was similar to that used in the Bible to describe the discovery of the manna:

• The manna: Exodus 16:13-15: “In the morning the dew lay round about the host. And when the dew that lay was gone up, behold, upon the face of the wilderness there lay a small round thing…. And when the children of Israel saw it, they said one to another, It is manna, for they wist not what it was.” 
• The Liahona: 1 Nephi 16:10: “As my father arose in the morning, and went forth to the tent door, to his great astonishment he beheld upon the ground a round ball of curious workmanship”

Also, as Bradley points out, the Liahona was used by Lehi's family to find sustenance (1 Ne. 16:30-31) and therefore would be a fitting substitute for the manna. In addition, the Liahona was a revelatory device, as was Aaron's rod, as Bradley points out, and thusly would have been a fitting substitute:

Aaron’s rod had been an instrument for divining God’s will. To settle dispute [sic] over who had right to serve in the priestly role in the Tabernacle, each of the twelve tribes placed a rod before the Ark. Aaron’s rod then budded, demonstrating that it was his family that had been chosen for these duties.

In addition to the items listed above, the Israelite temple contained other relics that seemed to have been vital to temple worship and which seem to have been paralleled by items found by Joseph Smith in the stone box containing the gold plates.

Israelite high priest

Urim & Thummim and Breastplate: In Moses' day the Aaronic high priest wore vestments that included a kind of breastplate. The breastplate contained a pouch in which the Urim and Thummim were kept "upon Aaron's heart" (Ex. 28:30; Lev. 8:6-8). The Urim and Thummim were evidently some kind of revelatory device and the Bible depicts individuals using them to ascertain God's will. (Num. 27:21).

The breastplate and Urim and Thummim found by Joseph Smith (JH 1:35) were described in similar terms to the Israelite implements by Joseph's brother William, and therefore may have been included in the Nephite priestly vestments:

A pocket was prepared in the breastplate on the left side, immediately over the heart. When not in use the Urim and Thummim was placed in this pocket, the rod being of just the right length to allow it to be so deposited. This instrument could, however, be detached from the breastplate and his brother said Joseph often wore it detached when away from home, but always used it in connection with the breastplate when receiving official communications, and usually so when translating as it permitted him to have both hands free to hold the plates. (J. W. Peterson in The Rod of Iron I:3 (February 1924), 7.)

Furthermore, like the Israelite Urim & Thummim, the Nephite "interpreters", as the Book of Mormon calls them, are unambiguously portrayed as revelatory devices (Mosiah 8:13).

Bradley, in his presentation, brings up yet another interesting idea which applies to the Nephite Urim & Thummim. Bradley points out that the tablets of the law were especially sacred as they had been touched by the finger of the Lord and were, as he points out, "literal touchstones with Deity" and "an embodiment of his presence". It's possible that the Nephite Urim & Thummim filled a similar role.

The Nephite Urim & Thummim did not originate with Nephi and his family, rather, they came into Nephite hands several centuries after the opening of the book. The Nephite interpreters were given by the Lord to the brother of Jared and presumably were two of the sixteen stones touched by God to make them shine to provide light for their vessels (Ether 3; D&C 17:1). Therefore, like the Mosaic tablets of the law, these two stones, touchstones, had been literally touched by Deity and served as an embodiment of his presence.

Michelangelo, David and Goliath,
Sistine Chapel, Rome.

Sword of Goliath: Bradley next turns his attention to another Israelite relic kept, at least for a time, within the confines of the tabernacle. Following his estrangement from Saul, David fled to Nob, just north of Jerusalem, and sought support from the priests who were the caretakers of Moses' tabernacle. The priests provided David with the showbread from the sanctuary and gave him Goliath's sword which was being kept with the ephod (1 Sam. 21:9). This sword, as pointed out by Brett Holbrook, became a potent symbol of kingly authority, and Nephi (of whom later Nephite kings took his name) used it as such (Jacob 1:9-11).

Among the items found by Joseph Smith with the gold plates was Laban's sword (D&C 17:1). Nephi obtained the sword after finding Laban drunk in the streets of Jerusalem and took it after killing Laban and putting on his armor (1 Ne. 4). While sojourning in the Valley of Lemuel Lehi had commanded his sons to return to Jerusalem to retrieve the brass plates. Laban, the custodian of the plates, refused to hand them over and attempted to have Nephi and his brothers killed (1 Ne. 3:13; 1 Ne. 3:25). In telling this story Nephi uses language similar to that used in the account of David and ties himself to that story. Laban is portrayed as Goliath with Nephi filling the role of David as pointed out by Holbrook:

All of the thematic parallels exist in the same order in both narratives (Nephi/Laban & David/Goliath). First, we have the introduction of the antagonist, who is described in terms of his feats of strength and who inspires fear. Then the protagonist responds, claiming that there is no need to fear—the God who has historically acted on the protagonist’s behalf will again act to destroy this threat, not only to save the protagonist, but also to ensure that God is recognized in the future. Next the antagonist and protagonist meet, and the text announces to us that the antagonist is delivered into the hands of the protagonist by God. Finally, the antagonist is reduced to a helpless state, and the protagonist takes his enemy’s sword, pulls it from its sheath, decapitates the antagonist, and then gathers his foe’s armor as his own.

In conclusion, from all the evidence it seems clear that Nephi saw his family as a new Israel, and himself as a new Moses, being led by God into the wilderness to establish a new nation and to build a new temple. Nephi's sojourn in the Valley of Lemuel was of inestimable importance and the events that occurred both in the valley and while his family stayed there defined this small community. Nephi was cognizant of this and several decades later as he proceeded to record these events he constructed his record in such as way as to communicate his understanding of his new community.

---

1 See for example: Szink, Terrence L. "Nephi and the Exodus" in Rediscovering the Book of Mormon, ed. John L. Sorenson and Melvin J. Thorne (Salt Lake City: DeseretBook and F.A.R.M.S., 1991); “Research and Perspectives: Nephi and the Exodus,” Ensign, April 1987, 64–65;

Evidences of the Book of Mormon

In my last couple of posts I have briefly mentioned some fairly minor bits of evidence for the authenticity of the Book of Mormon and the work of Joseph Smith. In the spirit of those posts I thought I would post a video featuring a presentation by Daniel C. Peterson examining some of the more impressive pieces of evidence for the authenticity of the Book of Mormon:

 

"Though argument does not create conviction, the lack of it destroys belief. What seems to be proved may not be embraced; but what no one shows the ability to defend is quickly abandoned. Rational argument does not create belief, but it maintains a climate in which belief may flourish."

-Austin Farrer

Jesus Christ on the Tree of Life

Burne-Jones' mosaic of the Crucifixion was unveiled in November 1894. It shows Christ on the Tree between Adam and Eve, for by his death on the Cross he undid their death from the Tree of Eden.

Acts 5

29 ¶Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to ^aobey God rather than men.

30 The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom ye slew and ^ahanged on a tree.

31 Him hath God exalted ^awith his right hand to be a ^bPrince and a ^cSaviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and ^dforgiveness of sins.

32 And we are his ^awitnesses of these things; and so is also the ^bHoly Ghost, whom God hath ^cgiven to them that obey him.

The apostle Peter in this passage refers to the cross upon which Jesus Christ was crucified as a tree. Perhaps Peter's purpose in doing this was to equate the cross with the tree of life. When Nephi was shown his father's vision of the fruit bearing tree of life he asked to know the meaning of the tree. In response Nephi was shown a vision of Mary, the mother of Jesus, bearing the Christ-child in her arms. Ancient Judea had a tradition of an ancient mother goddess who was known as Asherah, Astarte and Wisdom among other names and who was the mother of the son of God. Her symbol was a tree. Nephi, who was a product of this culture, instantly recognized the symbolism and saw that the tree in his dream was a symbol of Mary (who was the earthly embodiment of the archetypical heavenly mother) and the fruit of the tree was a symbol of the son of God. Jesus, being depicted as hanging on a tree during his crucifixion draws upon this mother-goddess symbolism. He is the fruit of the tree of life. (For more on this I highly recommend a fascinating article by Daniel C. Peterson entitled "Nephi and His Asherah" published in the Journal of Book of Mormon Studies.)

In Proverbs 8 this divine mother (Wisdom) speaks in the first person as the tree of life and teaches about her fruit:

19 My fruit is better than gold, yea, than fine gold; and my revenue than choice silver.

The name Asherah is the feminine Hebrew form of the word asher which means "happy" and Lehi in the account of his dream may have been engaging in word play when he said the following (1 Nephi 8:10):

10 And it came to pass that I beheld a ^atree, whose ^bfruit was desirable to make one ^chappy. (emphasis added)

Just as the fruit was partaken by Nephi and his faithful followers in his dream we as Latter-Day Saints also partake of emblems of Jesus Christ every week in our sacrament service. When we eat food we assimilate it and it becomes part of us (you are what you eat). Metaphorically the Lord intends for us to partake of the Savior's divine nature and take upon ourselves his identity.

Judean terracotta figurine

Additionally, it is interesting to note that anciently the mother-goddess was also associated with bread. Archaeologist in the Holy Land have found hundreds of terracotta figurines depicting females which scholars have identified with Asherah. They all date roughly to the time of Nephi and before and some have been found clasping a round object to their breast. This object is sometimes interpreted as a tambourine but William Dever has interpreted the objects as loaves of bread (see here for his statement regarding this. The discussion begins at about 17:45). Jeremiah 44 mentions that the people of his day were baking cakes to the queen of heaven and that they attributed their good fortune to this practice.

During the Savior's mortal ministry he associated himself with bread and identified himself as the "bread of life" in John 6 and associated the sacramental bread with his body during the Last Supper (Matthew 26:26). Likewise, its easy to see an analogy between bread baking in an oven and an infant in his mother's womb and this may have been part of the divine mother/son iconography.

Tree of Life = the Mother = the Cross

The Burning Bush

In Exodus 3, the curious story is told of Moses' encounter with the burning bush where the Lord (יהוה - Yahweh or Jehovah) speaks with Moses from the midst of the bush regarding his mission to deliver the Israelites out of Egyptian bondage. While the idea of God speaking from the midst of a burning bush may seem foreign to modern readers it was not an unfamiliar theme to the ancient Israelites and carried meaning not immediately obvious to us.

The early religion of the Canaanites and the Israelites were closely related (See See Daniel C. Peterson, . "Nephi and his Asherah." Maxwell Institute. Maxwell Institute, n.d. Web. 29 Jun 2012.). In the Canaanite pantheon the chief deity was El, whose wife was a goddess named Asherah (aka Elat - the feminine form of El). Additionally, as Daniel Peterson explains:

"In the earliest Israelite conception, father El had a divine son named Jehovah or Yahweh.⁴ Gradually, however, the Israelite conception of Yahweh absorbed the functions of El and, by the 10th century BC, King Solomon's day, had come to be identified with him.⁵" (Peterson, "Nephi and his Asherah").

Asherah (אשרה) was commonly associated with many different types of trees including the almond tree. She was also associated with the concepts of fruitfulness, posterity, fertility etc. One of the main features in the temple at Jerusalem was the menorah which represented a stylized almond tree (see Exodus 25:31-35). Therefore, in the minds of the Israelites the menorah was probably connected with Asherah. It is interesting to note also that the burning bush and the menorah were both, in essence, burning trees and the Israelites would have undoubtedly have seen this connection as well.

Additionally, rabbinic writings associate the burning bush with the Shekinah or Divine Presence. The word Shekinah is a feminine word (the -ah ending making it feminine) and was thought of as having feminine attributes (See Louis Ginzberg, "Legends of the Jews.", http://philologos.org, Web 30 Jun 2012.).

We see, therefore, a strong connection between Asherah and everything associated with her and the burning bush. That connection is reinforced by the text of Exodus itself and the account of the interaction between Moses and God.

In Exodus 3, verses 2 - 6 describe how Moses sees the bush from afar, draws closer to investigate, is told to remove his shoes and then speaks with the Lord. The Lord then identifies himself to Moses as the God worshipped by Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, but does not use the name יהוה (Jehovah or Yahweh).

However, later in Exodus chapter 6 verses 2 - 3 the Lord explains that:

"I am Jehovah. And I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob, as El Shaddai, but by my name Jehovah I did not make myself known unto them."

In the King James Version (KJV) of the Bible El Shaddai (אֵל שַׁדַּי ) is usually translated as "God Almighty". As has been discussed in other posts, the name/title of El Shaddai carries a female connotation which is generally used while discussing the concepts of fertility, posterity, fruitfulness etc. (See Gen. 28:3 for example).

The Israelites were on the cusp of being delivered from bondage in Egypt and coming into being, as a distinct nation. It would appear, therefore, that God, by appearing in the burning bush, was sending a clear message to Moses and the Israelites that they were about to be delivered (or born) to a fruitful land to be made a fruitful people.