Redaction: At the end of Benjamin’s embedded discourse, Mormon returns to condensed narrative. In the next verse, he describes the official bestowal of authority on Mosiah but simply gives Benjamin’s instructions on the nature of the coming meeting. Why did Mormon quote that passage but condense the ceremonial transfer of the kingly symbols? The answer must lie in the importance of the new covenant, which unifies these two remnants of Israel into a new single people, represented under a refreshed covenant carried over from the previous peoples.
Culture: The transition from verse 16 to 17 is critical to understanding verse 17. When Benjamin gives Mosiah “charge concerning the affairs of the kingdom,” we are seeing him transfer political power to Mosiah. Part of that ceremonial transferal of title and authority includes some specific items: “the records which were engraven on the plates of brass; and also the plates of Nephi; and also, the sword of Laban, and the ball or director.”
Each of these items originated in or near Jerusalem. They are physical proofs that Yahweh has preserved this people. They have great interest as historical relics, but their true value is that they are highly charged with religious meaning. For Benjamin, the religious meaning is most important, as underscored by his definition of the director. Benjamin highlights its religious meaning, not its historical one. In the combined world of religious politics, these sacred relics serve as physical reminders of the covenant between the people and Yahweh. They are physical witnesses of Yahweh’s fulfillment of that promise.