1 Nephi 4:10-11

[HoosierGuy]

1 Nephi 4:10-11

8 And when I came to him I found that it was Laban.

9 And I beheld his sword, and I drew it forth from the sheath thereof; and the hilt thereof was of pure gold, and the workmanship thereof was exceedingly fine, and I saw that the blade thereof was of the most precious steel.

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10 And it came to pass that I was constrained by the Spirit that I should kill Laban; but I said in my heart: Never at any time have I shed the blood of man. And I shrunk and would that I might not slay him.

11 And the Spirit said unto me again: Behold the Lord hath delivered him into thy hands. Yea, and I also knew that he had sought to take away mine own life; yea, and he would not hearken unto the commandments of the Lord; and he also had taken away our property.

QUOTES FOR DISCUSSION

That which is wrong under one circumstance, may be, and often is, right under another. God said, “Thou shalt not kill;” at another time He said, “Thou shalt utterly destroy.” This is the principle on which the government of heaven is conducted—by revelation adapted to the circumstances in which the children of the kingdom are placed. Whatever God requires is right, no matter what it is, although we may not see the reason thereof till long after the events transpire.
Joseph Smith, TPJS, p. 256

Joseph Smith wrote his wife, Emma: “There is one principle which is eternal; it is the duty of all men to protect their lives and the lives of the household, whenever necessity requires, and no power has a right to forbid it, should the last extreme arrive.
TPJS, p. 256

When there is to be anything different from that which the Lord has told us already, He will reveal it to His prophet and no one else.
Harold B. Lee, Stand Ye in Holy Places, 159

Was there legal justification to kill Laban?
The penalty in the Law of Moses for attempted murder was death (see 1 Nephi 3:25-26; Exodus 21:14).
The penalty in the Law of Moses for stealing could be death (see 1 Nephi 3:13; Exodus 22:2; Deuteronomy 24:7).

Thus we see that God cannot be bound even by his prior words or commandments. For example, he told Joseph Smith: “Abraham was commanded to offer his son Isaac; nevertheless it was written: Thou shalt not kill. Abraham, however, did not refuse, and it was accounted unto him for righteousness.” (D&C 132:36; italics added; compare Jacob 4:5.)
The spoken word of the Lord takes precedence over the written word of the Lord. The will of the Lord today takes precedence over the will of the Lord yesterday. That is precisely why a living prophet is indispensable, and why his inspired word supersedes written scripture. The God who proved Abraham is the God who proved Nephi, and, like Abraham, Nephi obeyed and it was accounted unto him for righteousness.
Rodney Turner, The Prophet Nephi

The law that was revealed was the law of retaliation. As the Spirit pointed out to Nephi, Laban had offended the Lord three times (1 Nephi 4:11); therefore, the Lord had delivered him into Nephi’s hand. The Lord, also knowing the eternal perspective of a nation about to be conceived, issued the decree to take Laban’s life. This ancient law has been revealed anew in this last dispensation of the fullness of times and verifies the action commanded by the Spirit. It even verifies that this law had been revealed to Nephi. (D&C 98:23-32.) A careful study of these verses and of 1 Nephi 3:11-4:18 will show that Nephi’s actions correlate with the revealed law of the Lord.
Laban had refused to heed the commandments of the Lord relayed by Lehi’s sons to give them the plates. This was the first offense. After the sons had attempted to purchase the records, Laban had robbed them of their gold and silver, and precious things which they had offered for the plates, a second offense. Following this bartering session, Laban had sent his servants to slay Nephi and his brothers. After these three offenses, the Lord had delivered Laban into Nephi’s hands and justified his demise because of the future destiny of Lehi and his colony.
Monte S. Nyman, Lehi & Nephi: Faith Unto Salvation

[Hemidakota]

There is article I posted in a previous thread explaining the whys and Jewish customs of that era, that Nephi was told why to kill him but not too murder.

[Islander]

This link was in my notes in regards to the subject:

When Is It Better for One Man to Perish Than an Entire Nation?

[Hemidakota]

Legal Perspectives on the Slaying of Laban - John W. Welch - Journal of Book of Mormon Studies - Volume 1 - Issue 1

Abstract: This article marshals ancient legal evidence to show that Nephi's slaying of Laban should be understood as a protected manslaughter rather than a criminal homicide. The biblical law of murder demanded a higher level of premeditation and hostility than Nephi exhibited or modern law requires. It is argued that Exodus 21:13 protected more than accidental slayings or unconscious acts, particularly where God was seen as having delivered the victim into the slayer's hand. Various rationales for Nephi's killing of Laban are explored, including ancient views on surrendering one person for the benefit of a whole community. Other factors within the Book of Mormon as well as in Moses' killing of the Egyptian in Exodus 2 corroborate the conclusion that Nephi did not commit the equivalent of a first-degree murder under the laws of his day.