Many similarities exist between the Israelites’ biblical exodus from Egypt and the journey of Lehi’s family from Jerusalem to the promised land. In fact, most modern Book of Mormon scholars believe that Nephi actually patterned his account after the exodus led by Moses hundreds of years previously.
Nephi, the son of a wealthy citizen of Jerusalem, would have been quite familiar with the story of the children of Israel and their flight from slavery. Many parallels are apparent between the two stories: both groups were led by prophets and departed from lands that had been condemned by God; both groups miraculously crossed immense water barriers to reach safety; both groups had a rebellious faction that murmured in the wilderness due to lack of food; both groups were commanded to “look” upon a metal object (the Liahona for the Lehites, a brazen serpent for the Israelites) in order to “live,” and both groups were led by God to a promised land. Numerous other features of the stories attest to the conclusion that Nephi purposely modeled his account of his father’s family’s journey on the biblical exodus. Thus he could remind his recalcitrant older brothers that they were following a pathway not unlike their Israelite progenitors, who, despite enjoying the favor of the Lord’s “matchless power” (verse 42), declined gradually in spiritual vitality. (See Echoes, 192–197.)