Lehi's family would have taken weapons with them on their journey to help them slay wild game in the wilderness. Three specific weapons are mentioned by Nephi:
Slings have been used as weapons only slightly later than rocks. It was with a sling that David slew Goliath, a bear, and a lion. Those who grew up using slings would be very accurate and very deadly in killing game. Because they lived a nomadic life during at least part of their journey, Lehi's family didn't always have the luxury of planting and sowing grain and other foodstuffs (although they did take seeds and did camp in at least three places long enough to have sown and harvested a crop.) Their ability to find animals for food, skins, etc., would have been of utmost importance. (1 Nephi 16)
Wooden bows and arrows were also taken on the journey. The bows would have been of a fairly simple design. However, bows made of wood can lose their spring. If an area is more humid than the area where the bow was made, it can become too resilient to string properly. If the area is less humid, the wood can become brittle and break when being strung. This did happen to Lehi's family group. It was a huge problem because of the scarcity of wood in the area in which they traveled. Nephi was finally able to make a new bow, but not without a great deal of difficulty. (1 Nephi 16)
Composite bows were in use in Egypt by the time of the Hyksos who ruled Egypt during the days of Jacob and Joseph. (Such a bow was found in King Tut's tomb!) These bows had wooden cores, but the wood was reinforced and stabilized by things such as horn, bone, sinew, and metal. Nephi had one such bow, which he called his "steel-backed bow." They may have acquired it in Aqaba which had smelters for iron and bronze and was at the crossroads of the Egyptian trade routes to the east. [1]
To quote two articles on the history of bow-making:
By the time the regions of upper and lower Egypt were united by Menes . . ., Egyptians were very skilled at using bows to great advantage. Egypt, however, has a very limited supply of wood, which made archery a costly and spotty addition to its military arsenal. The introduction of a composite-style bow, however, changes that. [2]
The basic wooden bow style became stronger and more flexible around 2800 BC when the Egyptians developed the composite bow. The addition of materials such as horn, bone, sinew, and metal created bows which shot arrows with greater velocity, distance, and accuracy. The development of the composite bow may also have led to the development of the recurve style of bow. The ends of this bow bend back in the direction of the arrow rather than following the draw of the bow towards the archer's body. The recurve design provides additional power. [3]
When the other bows broke, Nephi's bow was the only thing upon which Lehi's family could rely. However, with a wooden core, Nephi's bow eventually broke and there was tragedy in the camp. (1 Nephi 16) According to the Hiltons, this may have taken place near the current site of Jiddah, Saudi Arabia. It is in this area that watering holes could be as far apart as 66 miles or several days' journey. There are two areas in Saudi Arabia where this occurs and it seems to coincide with two times recorded in the Book of Mormon where the party of Lehi had particular struggles finding food. Water and wood was so scarce that when they were able to kill game, they ate the meat raw. [4]
[1] There are three references in the Old Testament of steel bows - Job, Psalms, 1 Samuel. The word steel from the KJV has been replaced by the word bronze in the newer translations such as the NIV. This is probably a more accurate translation of the Hebrew. The words steel bow can refer to the strength of the bow, i.e., that it has been steeled and strengthened by the addition of metal over word as had been done in Egypt for centuries. I would not be surprised if what Nephi owned was a composite Egyptian bow, probably acquired in Aqaba, that was overlaid with bronze and other materials to make it stronger.
Here is a quote regarding the use of steel for bronze:
The phrase “bow of steel” occurs three
times in the KJV: 2 Sam 22.35, Job 20.24, and Ps 18.34. In all cases it
translates the Hebrew phrase qeshet nechushah,
which modern translations consistently, and correctly, translate as “bronze.” (William Hamlin, Meridian Magazine)
A
number of medieval rabbis (Rashi, Kimchi, Ralbag) understood nechushah as a metaphor for
strength: i.e., a strong bow and hard to pull. http://bycommonconsent.com/2006/02/20/on-nephis-steel-bow/
[3] According to the Hiltons, raw meat is still served in Egypt and the middle east. It is cut small and mixed with things like salt and garlic, then dried in the sun. It differs from jerky in that it is brown on the outside but red and moist on the inside. The Hiltons said it was very tasty. I'll take their word for it! Nephi said that although they had to eat the meat raw, they were still strong and healthy and their wives (who were having babies during those years) did have an ample milk supply and thus the children were strong. (1 Nephi 17:2)
Text copyright June 2013, Gebara Education
Picture of sling from www.cart.occpaleo.com
Picture of wooden bow from www.jp;uwars201.wordpress.com
Picture of composite bow from www.centenaryarchers.gil.co
Picture of Nephi's bow breaking from www.lds.org
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