Laban (/ˈleɪbən/)[1] is a figure in the First Book of Nephi, near the start of the Book of Mormon, a scripture of the Latter Day Saint movement. He keeps the brass plates which Nephi and his brothers return to Jerusalem for. After refusing to give them the records several times and taking the riches they bring in an attempt to trade, Laban is killed by Nephi. Although he only makes a brief appearance in the Book of Mormon, his brass plates later play an important role amongst the Nephites.

Narrative

Laban appears in First Nephi as a wealthy and politically influential military commander who appears to be a distant kinsman of Lehi. Laban is in possession of the brass plates and rebuffs both Laman and Nephi in their initial approaches. In both cases, Laban attempts to kill the sons of Lehi, and in the latter case takes the entirety of Lehi's family fortune from his sons. After Nephi and his brothers have the opportunity to recuperate, Nephi sneaks inside Jerusalem and discovers Laban lying drunkenly in the road. After a conversation with the Spirit of the Lord, Nephi decapitates Laban. He then dons his clothing and armor and retrieves the plates. During Nephi's escape from Jerusalem, he persuades Zoram depart Jerusalem with the sons of Lehi.[2]

Interpretation

Brass Plates

Brant Gardner identified five ways that the plates of Laban were "extremely important",[3] both in the immediate context of their retrieval by the sons of Lehi and in later Nephite, Lamanite, and Mulekite society. For Gardner, the plates function as a symbol of political authority, as a "social anchor" for the Nephites, a doctrinal source text, a prototype for Nephite recordkeeping, and as a "sacred object."[3] The last point, indicating that the brass plates function as royal insignia, is also discussed in depth by Stephen D. Ricks, a Latter-day Saint Hebraist and apologist. Ricks associated the brass plates with the "protocol" that was used as a prop in Josiah's coronation, citing Rashi's interpretation of the Hebrew word "edût" as the Torah in 2 Kings 11:12.[4]

James Strang's alleged translation of the Book of the Law of the Lord asserts that it largely consists of the Brass Plates of Laban.[5]

Death

Nephi's killing of Laban has been the subject of significant debate in the Mormon Studies community. Common arguments include that the killing was legally justified as self defense, that it was a political act, that it was specifically one of "sovereignty,"[6] and that it functioned similarly to the Akedah as a test of Nephi's faith. Other interpretations from a secular standpoint include that it is a response by Joseph Smith to repressed trauma or a symbolic severing of the narrative from the established biblical canon. Generally agreed upon is that there is some significance to the Spirit of the Lord ordering Laban's death.[6]

Sword of Laban

The sword of Laban has also generated academic discussion. Steven L. Peck, a Latter-day Saint writer and scientist, wrote a Deleuzean treatment of the sword of Laban as emblematic of climate change and of power structures, referring to it as symptomatic of the "Jerusalem-machine."[7] Stephen D. Ricks also discusses the sword of Laban as part of the royal coronation ceremony captured in Mosiah, counting the sword as a sacred emblem of kingship.[4] Psychobiographers of Joseph Smith, such as Robert D. Anderson and William D. Morain, have interpreted the sword of Laban, and particularly its use in beheading Laban, as an attempt to reckon with childhood trauma; this reading has been disputed by other Joseph Smith scholars.[8]

In The Book of Mormon Movie, adapted from First and Second Nephi, Laban was portrayed by the actor Michael Flynn.[9] The film was widely panned by Latter-day Saint and secular critics. The Austin Chronicle wrote of "Michael Flynn turning in a ripping good Edward G. Robinson impersonation as the villainous Laban."[10]

See also

References

  1. ↑ churchofjesuschrist.org: "Book of Mormon Pronunciation Guide" (retrieved 2012-02-25), IPA-ified from «lā´bun»
  2. ↑ Thomas 2016, pp. 32–33.
  3. 1 2 Gardner 2007, pp. 100–101.
  4. 1 2 Ricks, Stephen D. (1998). "Kingship, Coronation, and Covenant in Mosiah 1--6". In Welch, John W.; Ricks, Stephen D. (eds.). King Benjamin's Speech: "That Ye May Learn Wisdom". Provo, Utah: Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies. pp. 247–248.
  5. ↑ Beshears, Kyle R. (2021, September 25). "Wingfield Scott Watson and His Struggle to Preserve the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Strangite) after the Death of Its Founder" (dissertation). Boyce Digital Repository. Retrieved October 30, 2023, from https://hdl.handle.net/10392/6603.
  6. 1 2 Swift, Charles (2019). ""The Lord slayeth the wicked": Coming to Terms with Nephi Killing Laban". Journal of Book of Mormon Studies. 86 (1).
  7. ↑ Peck, Steven L (2022). "THE SWORD OF LABAN, DELEUZE, AND CLIMATE CHANGE: SLOUCHING TOWARD APOCALYPSE IN THE BOOK OF MORMON". Ships of Hagoth.
  8. ↑ Brigham, Janet (March 29, 2018). "Being Joseph Smith". Dialogue. 33 (2): 187–190.
  9. ↑ The Book of Mormon Movie, Deseret News.
  10. ↑ The Book of Mormon Movie, Volume 1: The Journey in the Austin Chronicle

Works cited

Further reading

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