The Life of Nephi, the Son of Lehi: Who Emigrated from Jerusalem, in Judea, to the Land Which Is Now Known as South America, about Six Centuries Before the Coming of Our SaviorCannon, George Q. (George Quayle)
History
The Life of Nephi, the Son of Lehi: Who Emigrated from Jerusalem, in Judea, to the Land Which Is Now Known as South America, about Six Centuries Before the Coming of Our Savior
Cannon, George Q. (George Quayle)
Book of Mormon
Now that the vessel was finished, the voice of the Lord came unto Lehi
that they were to embark upon the ship. It was still through him that
the word came for a movement of this character. They had prepared
fruits and meats and honey in great quantities, and "provisions
according to that which the Lord had commanded them;" these with all
their "loading" and their seeds and everything they had brought with
them, they carried on board their vessel, and embarked themselves,
"everyone according to his age." At this point we find mentioned for
the first time, the names of two sons of Lehi, who were born in the
wilderness--Jacob and Joseph. These boys grew up to be faithful and
renowned men of God, and were a great help to their brother Nephi,
after they reached the promised land.
After they put forth to sea they were driven by the wind towards the
promised land. We are not informed as to whether they used sails or
other means to propel their vessel; but as they were "driven before
the wind" it is most likely they had sails. They steered their ship by
the direction of the compass which the Lord had prepared for them. [A]
[Footnote A: In this connection it may be of interest to know
something of the progress which had been made in the art of navigation
at the time Lehi and his company made this wonderful voyage by
direction of the Lord. The earliest record of the practice of this art
after the construction of the ark by Noah--excepting the account we
have in the Book of Mormon of the voyage of Jared and his brother and
their colony--is that of the Egyptians, who at a very remote period
are said to have established commercial relations with India. This
traffic was carried on between the Arabian Gulf and the western coast
of India, across the Indian Ocean. It may be that Lehi himself might
have been familiar with a famous expedition by sea which was fitted
out by Necho II. king of Egypt; for as near as we can ascertain this
was done in his day. This Necho was the king of Egypt against whom
Josiah, king of Judah, fought when he received his death wound (_II.
Chron. xxxv. 22_). He fitted out a fleet in the Red Sea, and having
engaged some expert Phoenician pilots and sailors, he sent them on a
voyage of discovery along the coast of Africa. They were ordered to
start from the Arabian Gulf, and come round through the Pillars of
Hercules (now the straits of Gibraltar) into the Mediterranean, and so
return to Egypt. This voyage was a very daring one for those days.
Through it the peninsular form of Africa was ascertained, and the Cape
of Good Hope was doubled about twenty-one centuries before it was seen
by Diaz [B] or doubled by Vasco de Gama. The vessels of the Egyptians
were frequently of large dimensions, and were generally propelled by
oars, though they understood to a certain extent the use of sails. We
read of one vessel in later times carrying as many as 400 sailors,
4,000 rowers, and nearly 3,000 soldiers.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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