Justification of the death of Laban

[Hyena]

Can someone explain to me why it was important, necessary even, so much that, yea, the spirit compelled Nehi, even against his desire to kill another person, to murder essentially an unarmed and helpless man essentially in his sleep? What about love thy neighbor, even thy enemy? It's the one thing that really bothers me about the book of Nephi 1

.

Please help me understand?

Thanks.

[pam]

Here is the answer to that question from Elder Holland:

http://stream.byui.edu/course/rel121/Lesson2/nephikillinglaban.pdf

[verizonwiz]

Also it said in the scriptures that it was better for one man to die than a hole nation parish in unbelief.

Meaning: If Laban lived then they wouldn't get the plates and they would have no book to teach the Gospel to their children with. I hope this helps!

-JET/verizonwiz

[Hyena]

Thank you both, that helped a lot!

I guess I just wondered why he couldn't have just tied him up or something and then pretended to be him.

But I understand now that they would have known no peace because Laban was also a descendant of Joseph.

[Vort]

Thank you both, that helped a lot!

I guess I just wondered why he couldn't have just tied him up or something and then pretended to be him.

But I understand now that they would have known no peace because Laban was also a descendant of Joseph.

I heard someone who knows more than I know say that, according to the laws of the time, a good argument could have been made that Nephi was justified in killing Laban, who had actively tried to kill him and his brothers and outright stolen their property, and who very likely had told his servants to kill them on sight. In other words, even by the laws of the time and place (if they had been administered without corruption, Nephi may have been innocent of wrongdoing.

Note that Nephi was resistant to killing Laban; he knew full well that his act was not murder in the moral sense. Doubtless this is because he knew it was God telling him to do the killing, but I think it's likely that Nephi also knew he was legally justified (though he probably also knew that governmental corruption would have had him executed for murder despite his innocence).

[Traveler]

This may not be the time and place but a few years ago I had a very interesting discussion with a Islamic friend while he was reading the Book of Mormon and I was reading the Koran.

I was interested to see that he was very much in support of Nephi because he said it was necessary that Laban be beheaded because of offenses before G-d. In other words it was not just that Laban die but that he be beheaded. I have since looked into ancient covenants and found that there is much more to this than what we may think from our modern culture and time.

Something sometimes over looked is that Laban had charge of the records and that the Brass plates belonged by covenant in the Ark of the Covenant in the temple. From the Book of Mormon we know that Laban and removed the Brass Plates to his home of residents for his pleasure. It is possible that Laban once stood in the temple of G-d and swore an oath to keep the plates - offering that his own life would be taken (possibly by beheading) for not keeping his sacred covenant. Though this is not specified in scripture - most LDS understand that breaking sacred covenants in an attitude of disrespect is an offense before G-d worthy of death.

It is my personal belief that the beheading of Laban was according to covenant he had willing made and then broken before G-d.

The Traveler

[Blackmarch]

Can someone explain to me why it was important, necessary even, so much that, yea, the spirit compelled Nehi, even against his desire to kill another person, to murder essentially an unarmed and helpless man essentially in his sleep? What about love thy neighbor, even thy enemy? It's the one thing that really bothers me about the book of Nephi 1

.

Please help me understand?

Thanks.

Laban put god between a rock and a hard place. If you're god which is more important the wants of the few or the needs of the many? In this case if Laban hadn't been killed, Nephi's family would not have made it to the promised land, resulting in preventing the raising of hundreds and thousands of righteous individuals before God.

this scene in the book of Mormon is also very informative on this sort of situation- Nephi had to be told multiple times to do it, and that he was still sorrowful that he had to take the life of another... Even if it was just (laban stole their family inheritance, and also had ordered them put to death without a council and judgement)

[skippy740]

thekabalist gives an interesting perspective in those verses:

http://www.lds.net/forums/jewish-perspective-book-mormon/28381-1-nephi-chapter-4-a.html

[estradling75]

What I find interesting is that we see in this story the Idea of God judging us by the standard we use to judge others.

Laban called Nephi and his brothers robbers and tried it best to have them killed. Thus he set the standard for his judgement personally.

While at the same time Laban robbed Nephi and his brothers of the wealth they brought from their home.

Thus Laban 'the robber' was killed. When he stands before the judgement bar of Christ he isn't going to have a leg to stand on about how he was killed

[Traveler]

What I find interesting is that we see in this story the Idea of God judging us by the standard we use to judge others.

Laban called Nephi and his brothers robbers and tried it best to have them killed. Thus he set the standard for his judgement personally.

While at the same time Laban robbed Nephi and his brothers of the wealth they brought from their home.

Thus Laban 'the robber' was killed. When he stands before the judgement bar of Christ he isn't going to have a leg to stand on about how he was killed

I personally think there is much more going on here. Nephi and his brothers had already abandoned their property and wealth when they left for the wilderness the first time. I really do not think that Laban desiring Nephi's abandoned property was why G-d required Laban's death and required Nephi to behead him.

G-d could have taken Laban's life simply by stopping his heart or some other means as happened to the couple in Acts that lied about their tithing. G-d could have struck down Laban as was done with the priests of Baal at the hands of Elijah.

I find it interesting that symbolically the spilling of Laban's blood was similar to animal sacrifices that Nephi had been involved with his father and though I do not know and understand such things myself - I am inclined to think that this has relationship to Laban's position within Israel and concerning the temple. This all may have been more a sign and symbol for Israel to have the mighty Laban "sacrificed" as he was than it was for Nephi.

The Traveler