In the Book of Mormon, Laman and Lemuel () are the two eldest sons of Lehi and the older brothers of Sam, Nephi, Jacob, and Joseph. According to the text, they lived around 600 BC. They were notable for their rebellion against Lehi and Nephi, becoming the primary antagonists of the First and Second Books of Nephi. Their descendants became known as the Lamanites and Lemuelites, while the descendants of Nephi and their other brothers became the Nephites. Disputes over the proper order of succession fueled disputes between the two peoples over the course of the Book of Mormon's narrative.

Narrative

Laman and Lemuel are introduced as the two eldest sons of the prophet Lehi and his wife Sariah, and older brothers of Sam and Nephi. When Lehi announces that the family will flee Jerusalem, Lemuel and Laman "murmur" as they follow their father into the wilderness. Notably, their father names a river and a valley after Laman and Lemuel, respectively. Lehi then sends the pair with their younger brothers to retrieve the brass plates from Laban. Laman attempts to retrieve them first, failing to reason with Laban and escaping to brief his brothers on the issue. The sons of Lehi make a second attempt, using luxury goods to try to bribe Laban into giving them the plates. This attempt also fails, with Laban confiscating their property and the four brothers hiding in a cave. Laman and Lemuel then attack Nephi and Sam with a "rod." An angel appears, interrupting the assault. The angel indicates Nephi's eventual stewardship of the family and affirms that there will be divine aid to retrieve the plates. Laman and Lemuel are dubious about the practicality of this as Nephi goes into Jerusalem for a third try, this time alone. Nephi returns, bearing the plates, Laban's gear, and with Zoram in tow. Laman, Lemuel, and Sam initially do not recognize Nephi (as he is wearing Laban's armor) and attempt to escape. In Nephi's attempt to calm them, Zoram realizes that Nephi is not his master and has in fact killed him. Nephi extracts an oath from Zoram that he will leave Jerusalem with them. Zoram and the brothers then return to the tent of their parents. Later, Laman and Lemuel ask Nephi for his interpretation of the vision. Laman, Lemuel, Zoram, Sam, and Nephi then marry the daughters of Ishmael. Laman and Lemuel's children are blessed that their descendants will remain upon the land and eventually accept the gospel. Their children are also blessed that their sins will be held to the account of their parents. Once Lehi dies, discord arises again in the new colony, leading to the departure of Nephi's party. Laman and Lemuel and their descendants remain in the original site. Rebecca Bateman, in a review on the Association of Mormon Letters blog, critiqued it for issues with characterization and for anachronisms in the text.

The Nephiad

Michael R. Collings wrote an epic poetry adaptation of the mission to retrieve the brass plates. In an interview with William Morris, Collings acknowledged the cowardly characterization of Laman and Lemuel in the epic, attributing it both to the source text and the Miltonian style of the piece.

River of Laman and Valley of Lemuel

In 1 Nephi 2:2–11, Lehi's party makes its way from Jerusalem towards the promised land. The passage also recounts the naming of a river and a valley after Laman and Lemuel. a mountain sometimes identified with Mount Sinai although most people reject this classification.

Proposed etymology

"Lemuel" (Hebrew:לְמוּאֵל) is the name of a Biblical king mentioned in Proverbs 31, but otherwise unknown. Hugh Nibley remarked that Lemuel has a "good pure Arabic name, incidentally."

Family

References

Further reading

See also

  • Lamanites