We note that the youthful leader of his brothers, at the time did not follow a plan previously prepared. He proceeded as the Spirit led the way. Soon he found himself outside the house of Laban. Lying on the ground, was a human form. It was the dreaded enemy. And on closer inspection, Nephi found that he was unconscious, under the influence of wine.
The Hebrews were not, generally speaking, an intemperate people, but they enjoyed festivals. Besides the yearly occasions prescribed by law, they celebrated birthdays, marriages, harvest, vintage, and special occasions, as, for instance the return of the Prodigal. On such occasions great quantities of food and wine were consumed. Even at funerals, they feasted.
It is not improbable that Laban had celebrated, in the midst of convivial friends, his acquisition of the property of Lehi. For that was an unexpected "harvest."
There are some notable instances of intemperate drinking on record in the Hebrew Scriptures.
The case of Belshazzar, king of Babylon, is well known. It was his last debauch. For, "In that night was Belshazzar, the king of the Chaldeans, slain." (Dan. 5:30)
Another but less known instance is that of Nabal, a wealthy sheep owner. On one occasion, when he made a feast for his shearers, David sent word to him and asked for a tribute, as a recognition of the protection he had enjoyed for his flocks. Nabal refused. David then prepared for a raid on his property. But Abigail, the wife of Nabal, saved the situation by sending to David, without the knowledge of her husband, a handsome gift of provisions. In the meantime, Nabal feasted and drank. The next day, when he heard what his wife had done, he suffered a heart attack: "His heart died within him, and he became as a stone." About ten days afterwards he died. (Sam. 25:36-38)
Now here was Laban. Already dead to the world.