Lehi'S Inheritance

[inquiringmind]

I'm re-reading the first book of Nephi, and I have a question.

As a member of the tribe of Joseph, wouldn't Lehi have left any ancestral property rites behind when he fled the apostate Northern Kingdom, and emegrated to Judah?

Given his ancestry, how could the land of his inheritance have been in or near Jerusalem?

[Joseph Antley]

I'm re-reading the first book of Nephi, and I have a question.

As a member of the tribe of Joseph, wouldn't Lehi have left any ancestral property rites behind when he fled the apostate Northern Kingdom, and emegrated to Judah?

Given his ancestry, how could the land of his inheritance have been in or near Jerusalem?

Lehi himself wouldn't have fled the northern kingdom. If his family did originate there, it would have to have been his father or grandfather. And if Lehi was a merchant who made regular caravans to Egypt like many speculate, and if this was an inherited occupation, the family may not have had a permanent residence in the northern kingdom.

There's also the fact that Laban, Lehi's cousin and fellow Josephite, was one of the "elders" in Jerusalem.

[Brant Gardner]

The best answer to our question is found here.

[inquiringmind]

The best answer to our question is found here.

Thank you Brant.

[inquiringmind]

The best answer to our question is found here.

I didn't realize the tribal boarder with Manasseh was that close to Jerusalem.

Thank you Mr. Gardner.

Edited August 21, 2011 by inquiringmind

[cdowis]

Lehi did not know his ancestry until he got the Plates of Brass.

[zerinus]

The best answer to our question is found here.

As a side note, while revisiting 1 Nephi 3 referenced in that article, I came across the following passage:

1 Nephi 3

:

19 And behold, it is wisdom in God that we should obtain these records, that we may preserve unto our children

the language of our fathers;

20 And also that we may preserve unto them the words which have been spoken by the mouth of all the holy prophets, which have been delivered unto them by the Spirit and power of God, since the world began, even down unto this present time.

This raises an interesting question: What was the “language of their fathers;” was it Hebrew or Egyptian? If it was Hebrew, how could a text written in Egyptian “preserve” for them the Hebrew language? If the “language of their fathers” was in fact Egyptian (which is not impossible, since many nations have in periods of their history spoken a language different from the one they started with, Greek and Arabic being two good examples), how did the Nephites learn Hebrew, as Moroni tells us they did!

The suggestion that the Plates contained texts written in both Hebrew as well as in Egyptian isn’t borne out by the facts, since the Book of Mormon makes clear that the Brass Plates were written in Egyptian:

Mosiah 4

:

4 For it were not possible that our father, Lehi, could have remembered all these things, to have taught them to his children, except it were for the help of these plates; for he having been

taught in the language of the Egyptians therefore he could read these engravings,

and teach them to his children, that thereby they could teach them to their children, and so fulfilling the commandments of God, even down to this present time.

All evidence suggests that the Plates contained Egyptian writing, not Hebrew. So how can this riddle be answered?

I can think of only one most likely explanation: the plates were written in Hebrew, using Egyptian characters. I can’t think of another theory that fits the facts better.

The idea that the word “language” as used by the Nephites had a broader meaning than just language itself, and includes a whole culture, may have some truth in it, but it doesn’t affect the discussion presented above.

Not intending to derail the thread, but an interesting idea that came to my mind while looking up 1 Nephi 3 referenced in that article.

Edited August 22, 2011 by zerinus