The narrative does not mention any reaction at all from Laman and Lemuel before this point, although surely, during a speech so long, they were hardly passive or silent listeners. They probably react with a combination of shame and rage. Rather than taking the course of repentance, they project their anger against Nephi and attempt to kill him, inadvertently providing evidence for Nephi’s allegation that they are murderers in their hearts.
Geography: Eugene England identifies geographical clues in this passage. While cliffs are not specifically described, there is little threat in tossing someone into the sea when one is standing on the beach. Nothing in the text declares that they were in such a location rather than by the workplace (which would certainly not have been on a cliff). However, the threat implies dire consequences that cannot otherwise be explained. As noted above, wadi Sayq has cliffs near the sea that might have been the location of this argument. (See commentary accompanying 1 Nephi 17:5–6.)
Variant: The typesetter made a change in this verse. The manuscript has “wither even as a dried weed.” The typesetter changed this to “dried reed.” Skousen suggests that reed is probably the preferred reading as it mirrors Isaiah 19:6. Skousen suggests that Oliver probably misheard weed for reed in the dictation.