The Hebrew word (nekhoshet), which the Bible translators have rendered “brass” should rather be “copper,” as is clear from 22:15) The altar and its network, the basins, the “sea” that rested on the oxen, and the oxen themselves, and also the two pillars, Boaz and Jachin, that stood before the temple,—all were of “brass.” (Chron. 4:1-15)
The records of the Jews and the genealogy of Lehi were both absolutely necessary to the development of the colony in the new land. Without sacred literature a people is liable to become lost in darkness. Without genealogical data, the links that join individuals to their ancestors are unknown. There must be weighty reasons why the Lord has caused the records of the Jews, as well as those of the first apostles of the Savior, and the descendants of Lehi, to be preserved for the benefit of this generation.