Jerusalem to the Red Sea

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Scripture Central

Abstract

Lehi’s flight into the wilderness and to the Red Sea fits into the general context of Israelite-Arabian relations in the 7th–6th century BC. It also makes sense in light of the danger posed to the lives of other prophets who had recently fled to Egypt.

The description of Lehi’s journey from Jerusalem to the Red Sea is brief and sparse on details. Nephi simply reports that the Lord commanded Lehi to “depart into the wilderness” (1 Nephi 2:2), and that Lehi “was obedient unto the word of the Lord” (1 Nephi 2:3–4). Following their departure, Lehi led his family “down by the borders near the shore of the Red Sea,” after which they travelled an extra three days before establishing a long-term camp (1 Nephi 2:5–6).¹

There is no indication that the Lord gave Lehi any specific instructions about where specifically in the “wilderness” Lehi should go, or what direction he should travel (the Liahona was not yet given to Lehi to guide him in his travels). Yet there is also no hint of confusion or directionless wandering on Lehi’s part. He took decisive action in leading his family out of Jerusalem and traveled directly to the Red Sea.

The brevity of the account, the lack of direct instruction from the Lord, and Lehi’s decisive departure combine to suggest that he not only led his family along an established route, but that it was on a road and toward a destination familiar to him.

Roads from Jerusalem to the Red Sea

Nephi’s brief remarks make it difficult to determine exactly what route Lehi and his family followed to get to the Red Sea, but there are multiple possibilities. In several publications, S. Kent Brown has outlined four different, but somewhat overlapping, routes out of the city and down to the Gulf of Aqaba (the eastern branch of the Red Sea)—two leading generally southward out of the city, and two leading first east, then south.² In addition, Warren Aston proposed another route that goes southward out of the city and, unlike some other paths, avoids going down to the Dead Sea.³

While it is impossible to determine exactly which route was taken, most scholars agree that Lehi probably led his family as directly as possible toward the Red Sea, and thus favor one of the routes going generally southward out of the city.⁴ Regardless of which route was followed, the existence of these roads establishes the essential accessibility of travel between Jerusalem and the Red Sea and ensures that the basic necessities (food, water, etc.) of Lehi’s family could have been met during their journey.

Connections Between Jerusalem and Arabia

According to S. Kent Brown, “there is a growing body of evidence, made available long after Joseph Smith’s day, for extensive contacts between Arabia and Jerusalem in antiquity, most commercial and military.”⁵ Some of this evidence comes from biblical texts and traditions dated to the 7th–6th century BC (see 2 Chronicles 17:11; Isaiah 60:6; Ezekiel 27:21–22),⁶ which have become better understood as archaeological and geographical research from the late-19th through the early 21st centuries has clarified the locations and relationships between various Arabian kingdoms, cities, and tribal groups. As Brown observed, “unless a reader knew the unfamiliar names of the Arabian cities and peoples noted in the Bible, there are few hints of meaningful connections in that direction as early as the seventh century BC.”⁷

In addition, archaeological evidence that has emerged over the last century or so has determined that commercial ties between the Syro-Palestine region and Arabian peoples were well-established by the 7th century BC.⁸ From Jerusalem, specifically, three jar handles with a South Arabian script on them were found and dated to the 8th–7th centuries BC, demonstrating that Jerusalem was involved in economic activity with South Arabia at this time.⁹ It is therefore likely that at least some of Jerusalem’s inhabitants in Lehi’s day would have been familiar with these south-bound trade routes.

Lehi and Sariah traveling in the wilderness. Image via churchofjesuschrist.org.

Egypt vs. Arabia

In biblical stories and traditions, Israelites who fled into the wilderness for refuge usually ended up going toward Egypt.¹⁰ Lehi, instead, went toward (and ultimately into) Arabia. Two factors likely influenced this decision.

First, only a few years before Lehi’s flight into the wilderness, another prophet, named Urijah, had issued a warning in Jerusalem and then fled to Egypt. He was subsequently extradited back to Jerusalem, where he was executed (Jeremiah 26:20–23). The Lachish letters, from a few years after Lehi’s departure, also reference a garrison sent down to Egypt seemingly to retrieve a prophet who had been warning the people to “Beware.”¹¹ Based on these incidents, Aaron P. Schade reasoned, “The first place that a posse in search of [Lehi’s family] would have looked was in Egypt.”¹²

Second, several factors indicate that Lehi was probably an expert in working with metals.¹³ As such, he had likely visited the copper mines located near the Gulf of Aqaba to purchase raw materials for his metalsmithing trade. Thus, as archaeologist Jeffrey R. Chadwick argued, “Lehi and Nephi had [likely] traveled to the region several times over the years to obtain copper supplies and knew the route well prior to their permanent departure from Jerusalem in 1 Nephi 2.”¹⁴

Mines at Timna Valley near the Gulf of Aqaba. Photo by Sara Toth Stub. Image via bbc.com.

Knowledge of the risk of capture and extradition in Egypt combined with Lehi’s plausible professional ties near the Red Sea (Gulf of Aqaba) could have influenced his decision to go to Arabia instead of Egypt.

Conclusion

It is tempting to overlook the relevance of the commercial ties connecting Jerusalem to Arabia in Lehi’s day, but where there is trade there are roads, and where there are roads, there are much-needed resources for survival—a fact easy to take for granted in the modern world, but of vital importance in antiquity, especially when traveling in a desert wilderness. Although exactly which route Lehi followed cannot be determined, routes connecting Jerusalem to the Red Sea, and onward to Arabia, did exist in Lehi’s day.¹⁵

As S. Kent Brown concluded, “Although at first glance it may seem out of character for refugees from Jerusalem to flee to Arabia rather than to Egypt, a review of ancient sources suggests well-established connections between peoples of Arabia and those who lived in and around the city [of Jerusalem].” Lehi’s and Nephi’s apparent skill in metallurgy suggest that their family may have had connections in the area near the Gulf of Aqaba, where they fled. Furthermore, recent events had likely steered them away from Egypt.

Overall, Lehi’s flight into the wilderness and to the Red Sea fits well in the general context of Israelite-Arabian relations in the 7th–6th century BC, along with what can be gleaned about Lehi’s own personal background. It also makes sense in light of contemporary events which endangered the lives of prophets fleeing to Egypt.

Warren P. Aston, “Into Arabia: Lehi and Sariah’s Escape from Jerusalem,” BYU Studies Quarterly 58, no. 4 (2019): 101–110.

S. Kent Brown, “Jerusalem Connections to Arabia,” in Glimpses of Lehi’s Jerusalem, ed. John W. Welch, David Rolph Seely, and Jo Ann H. Seely (Provo, Utah: FARMS, 2004), 625–643.

George Potter and Richard Wellington, Lehi in the Wilderness: 81 New, Documented Evidences That the Book of Mormon is a True History (Springville, UT: Cedar Fort, 2003), 19–28.

Bible2 Chronicles 17:11 Isaiah 60:6Jeremiah 26:20–23 Ezekiel 27:21–22Book of Mormon1 Nephi 2:1–5

Bible

Book of Mormon

¹ On the location of this first long-term camp, see Evidence Central, “Book of Mormon Evidence: The Valley of Lemuel,” November 28, 2020, online at evidencecentral.org.
² See S. Kent Brown, “Jerusalem Connections to Arabia,” in Glimpses of Lehi’s Jerusalem, ed. John W. Welch, David Rolph Seely, and Jo Ann H. Seely (Provo, Utah: FARMS, 2004), 626–629; S. Kent Brown, “New Light From Arabia on Lehi’s Trail,” in Echoes and Evidences of the Book of Mormon, ed. Donald W. Parry, Daniel C. Peterson, and John W. Welch (Provo, Utah: FARMS, 2002), 57–60; S. Kent Brown, Voices from the Dust: Book of Mormon Insights (American Fork, UT: Covenant Communications, 2004), 3–6; S. Kent Brown, “Refining the Spotlight on Lehi and Sariah,” Journal of Book of Mormon Studies 15, no. 2 (2006): 46–47.
³ Warren P. Aston, “Into Arabia: Lehi and Sariah’s Escape from Jerusalem,” BYU Studies Quarterly 58, no. 4 (2019): 101–110.
⁴ For the different points of view, see Sidney B. Sperry, Book of Mormon Compendium (Salt Lake City, UT: Bookcraft, 1968), 97–98; Lynn M. Hilton and Hope A. Hilton, In Search of Lehi’s Trail (Salt Lake City, UT: Deseret Book, 1976), 35–39; D. Kelly Ogden, “Answering the Lord’s Call (1 Nephi 1–7),” in Studies in Scripture, Volume Seven: 1 Nephi to Alma 29, ed. Kent P. Jackson (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1987), 21–23; George Potter and Richard Wellington, Lehi in the Wilderness: 81 New, Documented Evidences That the Book of Mormon is a True History (Springville, UT: Cedar Fort, 2003), 19–28; Jeffrey R. Chadwick, “The Wrong Place for Lehi’s Trail and the Valley of Lemuel,” FARMS Review 17, no. 2 (2005): 201–206; Richard Wellington and George Potter, “Lehi’s Trail: From the Valley of Lemuel to Nephi’s Harbor,” Journal of Book of Mormon Studies 15, no. 2 (2006): 28–29; Jeffrey R. Chadwick, “An Archaeologist’s View,” Journal of Book of Mormon Studies 15, no. 2 (2006): 70–71; Aston, “Into Arabia,” 101–110. Of these, only Potter and Wellington argue for a route that goes out east, crosses the Jordan, and then goes south (see the papers by Chadwick for a critique of this view). While Sperry, Hilton, Ogden, Chadwick, and Aston variously advocate for different routes, they all agree that Lehi went southward out of Jerusalem from the start.
⁵ Brown, “New Light From Arabia on Lehi’s Trail,” 56.
⁶ See Brown, “Jerusalem Connections to Arabia,” 629–635. See also Jan Retso, “The Domestication of the Camel and the Establishment of the Frankincense Road from South Arabia,” Orientalia Suecana 40–41 (1990–1991): 34–39, 42–46.
⁷ Brown, “New Light From Arabia on Lehi’s Trail,” 56.
⁸ See Nigel Groom, “Trade, Incense and Perfume,” in Queen of Sheba: Treasures from Ancient Yemen, ed. St. John Simpson (London: British Museum Press, 2002), 88.
⁹ Yigal Shiloh, “South Arabian Inscriptions from the City of David,” Palestine Exploration Quarterly 119, no. 1 (1987): 9–18. Benjamin Sass, “Arabs and Greeks in Late First Temple Jerusalem,” Palestine Exploration Quarterly 122, no. 1 (1990): 59–61 argues that two of the three jar handles were actually Greek inscriptions but agrees that at least one was South Arabian. See also Brown, “Jerusalem Connections to Arabia,” 635.
¹⁰ Brown, “Jerusalem Connections to Arabia,” 625; Brown, “New Light From Arabia on Lehi’s Trail,” 56.
¹¹ On both of these episodes, see Aaron P. Schade, “The Kingdom of Judah: Politics, Prophets, and Scribes in the Late Preexilic Period,” in Glimpses of Lehi’s Jerusalem, 311–312.
¹² Schade, “Kingdom of Judah,” 315.
13 John A. Tvedtnes, The Most Correct Book: Insights from a Book of Mormon Scholar (Springville, Utah: Horizon Publishers, 2003), 78–97; Jeffrey R. Chadwick, “Lehi’s House at Jerusalem and the Land of his Inheritance,” in Glimpses of Lehi’s Jerusalem, 113–117.
¹⁴ Chadwick, “Lehi’s House at Jerusalem,” 117.
¹⁵ For Lehi’s route through the rest of Arabia, see Evidence Central, “Book of Mormon Evidence: The Frankincense Trail,” April 26, 2021, online at evidencecentral.org.
¹⁶ Brown, “Jerusalem Connections to Arabia,” 639.

Geography

Book of Mormon

Evidence #211 | July 5, 2021

Jerusalem to the Red Sea