Culture: Verses 12–14 create implicit comparisons between Benjamin as a king and other available models of how a king should act. Only in the context of comparisons to other kings can we understand Benjamin’s declaration of the kind of king he was not. In this case the comparison is the socio-economic position of the Nephite king. Benjamin has not “sought gold nor silver nor any manner of riches” of his people. This stands as a clear implication that the people would be aware that there were other kings who had done so. Indeed, the institution of kings and the accompanying social hierarchies embodied in that type of government will continue to be one of the leitmotifs of Nephite apostasy throughout the Book of Mormon.
While we can take Benjamin at his word that he has not sought wealth at the expense of this people and that he has not levied taxes (v. 14), it is also clear that he must have required something from the people, since a central government cannot exist without goods in some form flowing from the people. And in fact, the town’s ceremonial architecture suggests the form that support took: the temple with its walls. Such building projects require large amounts of labor that perforce remove people from other pursuits. Almost certainly some of this effort was governed by the season, with food production taking precedence. Benjamin’s point is not that they have not contributed to the support of government, but that they have not contributed to enriching Benjamin. Benjamin is reminding them that the requirements have not been burdensome. In verse 14 Benjamin notes his desire “that there should nothing come upon you which was grievous to be borne.”
This relationship establishes the possibility of a political hierarchy that does not engender a social hierarchy. Because a persistent source of downfall in Nephite society is the evil that comes when one person elevates himself above another, is here emphasizing social egalitarianism as the foundation of Nephite society. (See 2 Nephi, Part 1: Context, Chapter 2, “Overview of 2 Nephi.”)