According to Hugh Nibley, is it any wonder that Laman and Lemuel worked off their pent-up frustration by beating their younger brother with a stick when they were once hiding in a cave? Every free man in the East carries a stick, the immemorial badge of independence and authority; and every man asserts his authority over his inferiors by his stick, which “shows that the holder is a man of position, superior to the workman or day-labourers… . This is exactly the sense in which Laman and Lemuel intended their little lesson to Nephi, for when the angel turned the tables he said to them, Why do ye smite your younger brother with a rod? Know ye not that the Lord hath chosen him to be ruler over you?” (1 Nephi 3:29) [Hugh Nibley, Lehi in the Desert, F.A.R.M.S., pp. 69-70]
“A Rod”
The use of the rod or staff as a symbol of rule is mentioned in a number of Bible passages (Psalms 110:2; Isaiah 14:5; Jeremiah 48:17; Ezekiel 19:11-12 14; cf. D&C 85:7).
According to John Tvedtnes, it is interesting that when Laman and Lemuel were stopped from beating their younger brothers Sam and Nephi with a rod, the angel said to them, “Why do ye smite your younger brother with a rod? Know ye not that the Lord hath chosen him to be a ruler over you, and this because of your iniquities?” (1 Nephi 3:29; cf. 1 Nephi 2:22; 2 Nephi 5:19). It is possible that the elder brothers deliberately selected the rod to punish their brother to symbolize their claim to ruling authority in the family. (Several Book of Mormon passages note that the Lamanites believed that Nephi had stolen from them their rights to govern the people (2 Nephi 5:3; Mosiah 10:15-16; Alma 54:17). [John A. Tvedtnes, “Rod and Sword as the Word of God,” in Journal of Book of Mormon Studies, Vol. 5/2, p. 148]
It is also interesting to compare the use of a rod in the story of Nephi with the “rod of God” mentioned in the story of Moses:
“And the Lord said unto Moses in Midian, Go, return into Egypt … and he returned to the land of Egypt; and Moses took the rod of God in his hand. And the Lord said unto Moses, When thou goest to return into Egypt, see that thou do all those wonders before Pharaoh, which I have put in thine hand: but I will harden his heart, that he shall not let the people go.” (Exodus 4:19-21)
“And the Lord spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying, When Pharaoh shall speak unto you, saying, Shew a miracle for you: then thou shalt say unto Aaron, Take thy rod, and cast it before Pharaoh, and it shall become a serpent. And Moses and Aaron went in unto Pharaoh, and they did so as the Lord had commanded; and Aaron cast down his rod before Pharaoh, and before his servants, and it became a serpent. Then Pharaoh also called the wise men and the sorcerers: now the magicians of Egypt, they also did in like manner with their enchantments. For they cast down every man his rod, and they became serpents: but Aaron’s rod swallowed up their rods. And he hardened Pharaoh’s heart, that he hearkened not unto them; as the Lord had said.” (Exodus 7:8-13)
Did Nephi take with him a “rod of God” when he returned to Jerusalem to secure the plates of Laban? Did Laman and Lemuel, like Pharaoh and his wise men who represented false authority and false ideas, also harden their hearts? (See 1 Nephi 3:31; 4:4.)
1 Nephi 3:29 They smote us with a rod ([Illustration] “Laman and Lemuel did speak many hard words unto us … and they did smite us even with a rod. And … as they smote us with a rod, behold, an angel of the Lord came and stood before them, ” [W. Cleon Skousen, Treasures from the Book of Mormon, Vol. 1, p. 1043]
1 Nephi 3:29 As they smote us with a rod, behold, an angel of the Lord came ([Illustration] Angel Saves Nephi. [Artist: Gary E. Smith, Verse Markers, Book of Mormon, Vol. 1, p. 2]