The children of Israel could see miracles and yet return to murmuring. Laman and Lemuel had seen an angel, yet they quickly returned to murmuring. In this case, however, the murmuring might be more of Nephi’s literary license than what they were doing. Their objection was really quite reasonable. Laban had twice sent servants to slay them. Even though the angel had promised that Laban would be delivered into their hands, they couldn’t see how it would happen. After all, Laban was a powerful man who could “command fifty, yea, even he can slay fifty.” The implication of being able to slay fifty, is that he would not be held accountable for it.
Hugh Nibley noted that this command of fifty was quite reasonable in an ancient context. He notes that while a military leader would have thousands in the field, he might command fewer in the city. He compares this account to the letters from Amarna which also suggest a smaller than expected number in the Amarna garrison.
The number fifty is, itself, significant. At that time, Jerusalem was under Babylonian domination, the Babylonians having been the ones who installed Zedekiah as king. A Babylonian platoon consisted of fifty men. Thus, Laban and his fifty represented Laban as having a standard military platoon at his command.
This ends a chapter in our current edition of the Book of Mormon. Prior to 1879, the text continued without interruptions. The brothers’ question, and Nephi will begin to respond in the next modern chapter.