A Geographical Perspective for the Book of Mormon ~ Lehi Flees Jerusalem

I've introduced you to the Prophet Lehi, a man who lived in the Kingdom of Judah at the same time as Zedekiah and Jeremiah.  He fled for his life just prior to the Babylonian conquest and became the Patriarch of  the Book of Mormon family.

A look at the map above [Babylonian Empire around 550 BCE] shows that Lehi had few choices as to the direction he could go.  Going north and northeast would take him into the heart of Babylon.  Southwest would take him to Egypt.  Egypt had proven herself to be a false ally at the battle which killed the last righteous king in Judah, Josiah.  Lehi was also politically astute enough to know that Babylon's ultimate goal was the conquest of Egypt -which she accomplished by 536 BCE [see map below].  He could have traveled west, but soon would have arrived at the Mediterranean Ocean.  Lehi was a desert dweller.  He had camels and sheep, goats and donkey; not boats.  Traveling to the west would trap him between Babylon and the sea.  His only safe route was to go south to the Red Sea and then east across the Arabian Peninsula.  If you look at the map above, you can see that this was the only feasible route out of danger and, even at that, he would be running literally ahead of the storm [sometime between 597 BCE when Zedekiah became King of Judah and 587 BCE when Zedekiah was taken to Babylon].

The Book of Mormon itself gives a great deal of information about their trip across that great desert - a trip that took eight difficult years.  Because the Book of Mormon is primarily Another Testament of Jesus Christ, it's focus is on the spiritual aspects of the journey, but a careful reading gives many practical insights as well.  For example, Lehi said he lived at Jerusalem, not in Jerusalem.  This probably meant that he lived outside the city, but in the Kingdom of Judah, just as the Northern Kingdom of Israel had often be referred to as Samaria, the name of its capitol city.  Other examples include the fact that they dwelt in tents, probably very like the Bedouin tribes of Arabia today; they kept track of their journey by the measure of how far a man could walk in a day with camels, women, and children; where they found water; where they had trouble finding game; and finally, arriving in a place they called Bountiful - the only place on the Arabian Peninsula that is green and verdant.
 


Babylonian Empire at its peak

Many LDS and non-LDS alike have wondered about Lehi's journey in Arabia.  In 1976, Latter-day Saints Lynn and Hope Hilton acted on their curiousity.  Together with a photographer, they set out to follow Lehi's route, using only the Book of Mormon as their map.  The Hiltons were experienced travelers in the Middle East; owned a company in Cairo, and were educated and experienced researchers as well.  I will be drawing on their findings during this next week.  

If you are interested, you may want to read the full account of their trip at the following websites.  Just copy and paste to your browser.

http://www.lds.org/ensign/1976/09/in-search-of-lehis-trail-part-1-the-preparation?lang=eng

http://www.lds.org/ensign/1976/10/in-search-of-lehis-trail-part-2-the-journey?lang=eng

 

Text copyright June 2013 Gebara Education

Maps of Babylon from www.alef.net and www.keyway.ca