Skip to main content
Some links on this page are Amazon affiliate links. We may earn a small commission from qualifying purchases.

Without the Mormon Lens: 12 - Attempt to Buy the Brass Plates

    Let's just pick up right where we left off, as Nephi and his brothers attempt to buy the plates from Laban.

The Book of Mormon, pg 11

~~~~~ The Book of Mormon ~~~~~
     "And it came to pass that we went in unto Laban, and desired him that he would give unto us the records which were engraven upon the plates of brass, for which we would give unto him our gold, and our silver, and all our precious things."

     "And it came to pass that when Laban saw our property, and that it was exceeding great, he did lust after it, insomuch that he thrust us out, and sent his servants to slay us, that he might obtain our property. And it came to pass that we did flee before the servants of Laban, and we were obliged to leave behind our property, and it fell into the hands of Laban." (pg 11)
~~~~~~~~~~

     If we look for a similar story related to Joshua, we find the account of Achan, who stole the silver, and gold, and precious things from the people of Ai.

~~~~~The Old Testament~~~~~
     19 And Joshua said unto Achan, My son, give, I pray thee, glory to the Lord God of Israel, and make confession unto him; and tell me now what thou hast done; hide it not from me. 

     20 And Achan answered Joshua, and said, Indeed I have sinned against the Lord God of Israel, and thus and thus have I done: 

     21 When I saw among the spoils a goodly Babylonish garment, and two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold of fifty shekels weight, then I coveted them, and took them; and, behold, they are hid in the earth in the midst of my tent, and the silver under it.  (Joshua 7:20-21)
~~~~~~~~~~

     And what was the punishment for Achan's sin? He and his entire family were put to death.

~~~~~The Old Testament~~~~~
     24 And Joshua, and all Israel with him, took Achan the son of Zerah, and the silver, and the garment, and the wedge of gold, and his sons, and his daughters, and his oxen, and his asses, and his sheep, and his tent, and all that he had: and they brought them unto the valley of Achor.

      25 And Joshua said, Why hast thou troubled us? the Lord shall trouble thee this day. And all Israel stoned him with stones, and burned them with fire, after they had stoned them with stones. (Joshua 7:24-25)
~~~~~~~~~~

         If we apply this to Laban, we can see that he is guilty of the same sin. While I don't want to get to far ahead in the story, Laban's life will eventually be taken by Nephi for this crime, just as Achan's life was taken by Joshua. It's a different method of execution and circumstance, but with how many other similarities we see between Nephi and Joshua, we can safely assume that it inspired the story of Laban. 

     Because of greed of Achan, the people of Ai sought to take way the lives of the Isrealites.

~~~~~The Old Testament~~~~~
     5 And the men of Ai smote of them about thirty and six men: for they chased them from before the gate even unto Shebarim, and smote them in the going down: wherefore the hearts of the people melted, and became as water.  (Joshua 7:5)
    
~~~~~ The Book of Mormon ~~~~~
     "And it came to pass that we fled into the wilderness, and the servants of Laban did not overtake us, and we hid ourselves in the cavity of a rock. (pg 11)
~~~~~~~~~~

     I believe that the reference to them hiding in the cavity of a rock is due to the story of the five kings fleeing from Joshua. This no doubt would have been on Smith's mind as it will eventually relate to the death of Laban, in my next post.

~~~~~The Old Testament~~~~~
     16 But these five kings fled, and hid themselves in a cave at Makkedah. (Joshua 10:16)

~~~~~~~~~~

   These next few paragraphs will retell several events from Numbers. It is the account of Isrealites complaining to Moses and Joshua after seeing the strength of their enemies. 

    (If Nephi is Joshua, would that make Sam Caleb?)

 ~~~~~The Old Testament~~~~~
     6  And Joshua the son of Nun, and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, which were of them that searched the land, rent their clothes: 

     7 And they spake unto all the company of the children of Israel, saying, The land, which we passed through to search it, is an exceeding good land. 

     8 If the Lord delight in us, then he will bring us into this land, and give it us; a land which floweth with milk and honey.

       9 Only rebel not ye against the Lord, neither fear ye the people of the land; for they are bread for us: their defence is departed from them, and the Lord is with us: fear them not. 

     10 But all the congregation bade stone them with stones... (Numbers 14:6-10)

~~~~~ The Book of Mormon ~~~~~
     "And it came to pass that Laman was angry with me, and also with my father; and also Lemuel; for he hearkened unto the words of Laman. Wherefore Laman and Lemuel did speak many hard words unto us, their younger brothers, and they did smite us even with a rod."

     "And it came to pass as they smote us with a rod, behold an angel of the Lord came and stood before them, (pg 11)

~~~~~The Old Testament~~~~~
10...And the glory of the Lord appeared in the tabernacle of the congregation before all the children of Israel. (Numbers 14:6-10)

~~~~~ The Book of Mormon ~~~~~
     "and he spake unto them saying: Why do ye smite your younger brother with a rod? Know ye not that the Lord hath chosen him to be a ruler over you , and this because of your iniquities? (pg 11)

~~~~~The Old Testament~~~~~
     11  And the Lord said unto Moses, How long will this people provoke me? and how long will it be ere they believe me, for all the signs which I have shewed among them? (Numbers 14:11)

~~~~~ The Book of Mormon ~~~~~
 "Behold thou shalt go up to Jerusalem again, and the Lord will deliver Laban into your hands. And after that the angel had spoken unto us, he departed." (pg 11)
~~~~~~~~~~
   
     Laman and Lemuel, then complain that they will not be able to take on Laban due to his strength.

~~~~~ The Book of Mormon ~~~~~
      "And after that angel had departed, Laman and Lemuel again began to murmur, saying, how is it possible that the Lord will deliver Laban into our hands? Behold he is a mighty man, and he can command fifty, yea, even he can slay fifty; then why not us?" (pg 11)
~~~~~~~~~
   
     Which should remind us of the same complaints that the children of Isreal had againsts Moses after the spies returned from the land of Cannan.

~~~~~The Old Testament~~~~~
     27 And they told him, and said, We came unto the land whither thou sentest us, and surely it floweth with milk and honey; and this is the fruit of it.  

     28 Nevertheless the people be strong that dwell in the land, and the cities are walled, and very great: and moreover we saw the children of Anak there. 

     29 The Amalekites dwell in the land of the south: and the Hittites, and the Jebusites, and the Amorites, dwell in the mountains: and the Canaanites dwell by the sea, and by the coast of Jordan. 

     30 And Caleb stilled the people before Moses, and said, Let us go up at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it. (Numbers 13: 29-30)



~~~~~ The Book of Mormon ~~~~~
     "And it came to pass that I spake unto my brethren, saying: Let us go up again unto Jerusalem, and let us be faithful in keeping the commandments of the Lord; for behold he is mightier than all the earth, then why not mightier than Laban and his fifty yea, or even than his tens of thousands."

~~~~~The Old Testament~~~~~
     31 But the men that went up with him said, We be not able to go up against the people; for they are stronger than we. (Numbers 13: 30)

~~~~~ The Book of Mormon ~~~~~
     "Therefore let us go up; let us be strong like unto Moses: For he truly spake unto the waters of the Red Sea, and they divided hither and thither, and our fathers came through out of captivity on dry ground, and the armies of Pharaoh did follow and were drowned in the waters of the Red Sea." (pgs 11-12)

~~~~~The Old Testament~~~~~
    9 Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest. 

     10 Then Joshua commanded the officers of the people, saying, 

     11 Pass through the host, and command the people, saying, Prepare you victuals; for within three days ye shall pass over this Jordan, to go in to possess the land, which the Lord your God giveth you to possess it.

     12  And to the Reubenites, and to the Gadites, and to half the tribe of Manasseh, spake Joshua, saying, 

     13 Remember the word which Moses the servant of the Lord commanded you, saying, The Lord your God hath given you rest, and hath given you this land. (Joshua 1:9-13)

     16 And they answered Joshua, saying, All that thou commandest us we will do, and whithersoever thou sendest us, we will go.  

     17 According as we hearkened unto Moses in all things, so will we hearken unto thee: only the Lord thy God be with thee, as he was with Moses. (Joshua 1:16-17)

The Book of Mormon, pg 12

~~~~~ The Book of Mormon ~~~~~
     "Now behold ye know that this is true; and ye also know that an angel hath spoken unto you, wherefore can ye doubt. Let us go up; the Lord is able to deliver us, even as our fathers, and to destroy Laban, even as the Egyptians." (pg 12)



Check Your Understanding:

Test what you picked up from this post.

1. What do Nephi and his brothers offer Laban in exchange for the brass plates?




2. Which Old Testament episode does the post connect most directly to Laban’s greed?




3. Why does the author highlight that Nephi and his brothers “hid themselves in the cavity of a rock”?




4. In the post’s reading, Laman and Lemuel’s behavior in this scene is most like:




5. What role does the visiting angel play in this part of the narrative?




6. According to the post, Nephi’s pep talk about going back to Jerusalem is modeled on:





-Next Post-
Nephi slays Laban
Compared to Joshua conquering the promised land

New here? Consider starting at the first post.


Category:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Mormon Blood and the Esther Cohen-Tizer-Epstein Letter

With the recent release of nearly 3.5 million pages of the Epstein files, there have been several connections made regarding Jeffery Epstein paying tuition for several students at BYU. The most notable of which is presented in what is known as the Esther Cohen-Tizer-Epstien Letter.    Some are questioning the authenticity of the letter, but some clues seem to point us to a woman named   Esther Cohen .  Lets look at a few connections. Note that these connections are not an attempt at making any accusations and are simply connections made through publicly available information. I will be updating this page as I find more information. EFTA00129111  Reference to the Seven Bowls School of Nutrition From Esther's website: alchemyofnourishment.com (Update March 04, 2026: The site seems to have been taken down) She began studying nutrition as a teenager: Which also seems to align with her site. Alchemy of Nourishment Along with the claim of residing in Colorado Alc...
3 comments
Read

How the Book of Mormon Has Changed Since 1830

     Discussion of changes to the Book of Mormon often settles into two opposing claims: either the book has remained essentially unchanged since 1830, or later editors rewrote it beyond recognition. The reality is that both positions carry a bit of truth. Although the main narrative remains recognizable, the book has changed in several distinct ways. Its wording and grammar were revised in the early editions.⁶ , ⁷ The chapter and verse system was reorganized in 1879, while chapter summaries were added in 1920.¹⁹ Those summaries and other study aids were revised again in 2013 and 2025.²⁰ , ²¹ Following these changes in chronological order makes their differences easier to see. The history begins with dictation in 1829 and continues through the original and printer’s manuscripts, the 1830 printing, Joseph Smith’s revisions, and the later editorial committees that produced the modern edition. Tracing that sequence also makes it possible to distinguish changes to the script...
Post a Comment
Read

Everything You Need to Know About the Salt Lake Temple

  The Salt Lake Temple will open to the public from April 5 through October 1, 2027, before it is rededicated and again restricted to Latter-day Saints with temple recommends. [2] Reservations opened on September 1, 2026, and one million tour spaces were claimed in less than 24 hours. [1] The Church describes the event as only the second public open house in the temple’s 134-year history. [2] The building visitors will enter is both old and substantially new. [12] [13] Construction began in 1853 and ended with the temple’s dedication in April 1893, but the interior has been altered repeatedly since then. [3] [20] The current renovation adds about 100,000 square feet of underground space, two baptistries instead of one, five instruction rooms, and 22 sealing rooms instead of 13. [12] The temple now rests on 98 base isolators about 20 feet below the structure, part of a seismic system designed to allow substantial horizontal movement during a major earthquake. [14] [24] The chan...
Post a Comment
Read

The "Mormon" Trademark is About to Expire

 The request for Mormon Stories to rebrand has spread quickly through Mormon spaces. Followers learned that om November 14th 2025, the LDS Church had reached out with claims that the podcast was infringing on the “Mormon” trademark. The demand leaned on the legal idea that the Church owns the word.  The request was shared on social media by @mormstories, but those posts seem to have been removed. Fortunately, copies of the email were  shared on reddit. But there is a significant detail sitting behind this entire dispute. The Church will have to renew the "Mormon" trademark in the 2026 to 2027 window.  Source: USPTO database When that time comes, they must prove that they still use the word “Mormon” in active commerce. USPTO rules are clear on this point. A trademark only survives if the owner can show that it is still printed on actual goods or services that are still being sold or distributed. The official guidelines spell it out at uspto.gov under “ Keeping your r...
3 comments
Read

Candon Dahle to Marry After Child Abuse Conviction

Former BYU baseball player Candon Dahle is expected to marry this week, less than a year after receiving a plea deal that allowed him to avoid sex offender registration despite admitting guilt to two felony counts involving the abuse of a child. News of the wedding has reignited criticism online, where many argue Dahle's return to ordinary life has come far too quickly in light of the allegations against him.  The topic was recently discussed on Instagram by  @justinthenickofcrime View this post on Instagram A post shared by Justin (@justinthenickofcrime) Dahle first made headlines in February 2025 when he was charged in Fremont County, Idaho, with felony lewd conduct with a child under the age of 16. According to the probable cause affidavit summarized by East Idaho News , prosecutors alleged Dahle sexually abused an 11-year-old girl and covered her mouth during one of the assaults. Authorities also filed a separate juvenile case in neighboring Bing...
1 comment
Read

Mormon Stories Fires Back: The Core Defenses Against the LDS Lawsuit

In April 2026, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and its intellectual property arm, Intellectual Reserve, filed a federal lawsuit against the Open Stories Foundation and John Dehlin. The complaint alleges trademark infringement, copyright infringement, and consumer confusion arising from the use of the name Mormon Stories, its branding, and its use of Church-related images.      The Church portrays the case as a straightforward effort to protect its trademarks and prevent confusion among people seeking information about the faith. Mormon Stories sees the case very differently. In its response and counterclaim , the organization argues that the Church is attempting to claim ownership over a word that belongs to an entire religious movement while using intellectual property law against one of its most visible critics. Here are the major arguments at the center of the dispute.
1 comment
Read

Mormonism's Complicated History With Caffeine

Ask whether Latter-day Saints can drink caffeine and the current answer is yes. The Church’s own historical summary says caffeine has been “left to the judgment of individual Saints” and is not prohibited as a condition for receiving a temple recommend. [3] That answer is clearer today than it was for much of the twentieth century. Church leaders and publications repeatedly discussed caffeine as a drug, a poison, a potentially habit-forming substance, and at times as the apparent reason coffee and tea were objectionable. Some leaders extended that reasoning directly to cola drinks. In 1965, the First Presidency even told a bishop that decaffeinated coffee did not violate the Word of Wisdom and should not disqualify an otherwise worthy member from a temple recommend.[5] The result was a long period in which formal policy, medical explanation, and everyday Mormon culture did not always point in exactly the same direction. That history helps explain why older and younger Latter-day Saints...
Post a Comment
Read

No. The Mormon Church is Not Suddenly Opposed to Gambling

Almost immediately after President D. Todd Christofferson said, “Gambling is morally wrong,” during the October 2026 General Conference, the LDS apologetic account @allthoseinfavor reacted as though the Church had just drawn a new moral line on gambling. Which personally is a bit concerning, seeing as the account runs a podcast discussing all aspects of Mormonism, including the history of the church. So I find it hard to believe that they haven't ever encountered the anti-gambling position of the church in their studies. Christofferson’s talk was certainly timely. He described a world in which smartphones have made sports betting, casino-style games, and prediction markets available almost anywhere, and he warned against treating an occasional wager as harmless entertainment.[1] But the moral judgment itself was not new. In fact, the Church had used almost the same words more than a century earlier. In August 1908, Church President Joseph F. Smith addressed speculation and gambling...
Post a Comment
Read

John Corrill followed Joseph Smith for six years. This was his conclusion.

  John Corrill’s 1839 history is easy to quote as an anti-Mormon source. That misses what makes it useful. Corrill did not spend the early years of Joseph Smith’s movement standing outside it. He joined after trying to disprove it, defended the Saints against accusations he thought were false, served in church leadership, and eventually decided that the movement was a false religion. [1] [2] What changed his mind was a pattern which he had watched develop from the inside: failed plans, financial collapse, pressure against dissenters, escalating militancy, and promises of divine protection that always ended in disaster. [1] That makes Corrill’s story more useful than a simple hostile exposé. It records both why an intelligent early convert believed and why he later stopped believing. The complete 1839 text is available in the Lucifer’s Lantern Full Text Library, including Corrill’s own account of his conversion, church service, the Missouri conflict, and his final remarks to the S...
Post a Comment
Read

Mormonism and the Satanic Ritual Abuse Scare of the 1980s

       All right. So, for this post today, I’m going to be talking about a pretty sensitive subject. And that’s going to be satanic ritual abuse and potential ties to leadership of the Mormon church.      It should go without saying that this is going to be a little bit more of a sensitive subject. I’ll say up front that I have no intention of diving into specific examples—detailed descriptions of what satanic ritual abuse looks like—outside of broad definitions. My goal is just to give an idea of what makes ritual abuse a little bit different than regular abuse (for lack of a better word). Consider this your heads up that this is going to be a sensitive subject.      I typically wouldn’t really give this type of subject very much attention. I certainly never planned on making a post about it. But I did have an interesting conversation the other day with an LDS content creator that I message with sometimes. I was a little surprised whe...
Post a Comment
Read