“Several studies have recently demonstrated that kings and temples were closely connected in antiquity … .
“Becoming a king, issuing laws or judgments, and performing many other acts of legal consequence in the ancient world were virtually unthinkable without a temple… .
“Temples were similarly prominent in the royal and legal landscapes of Nephite civilization. This invites the observation that Nephi’s construction of a temple in the city of Nephi directly paved the way for him, two verses later, to become king (see 2 Nephi 5:16–18)” (Lundquist and Welch, “Kingship and Temple,” 66).