1 Nephi 4:13
13 Behold the Lord slayeth the wicked to bring forth his righteous purposes. It is better that one man should perish than that a nation should dwindle and perish in unbelief.
One of the footnote references for the scripture above, about the slaying of Laban, is D&C 98:32.
Doctrine and Covenants Sections 98
23 Now, I speak unto you concerning your families—if men will smite you, or your families, once, and ye bear it patiently and revile not against them, neither seek revenge, ye shall be rewarded;
24 But if ye bear it not patiently, it shall be accounted unto you as being meted out as a just measure unto you.
25 And again, if your enemy shall smite you the second time, and you revile not against your enemy, and bear it patiently, your reward shall be an hundred fold.
26 And again, if he shall smite you the third time, and ye bear it patiently, your reward shall be doubled unto you four-fold;
27 And these three testimonies shall stand against your enemy if he repent not, and shall not be blotted out.
28 And now, verily I say unto you, if that enemy shall escape my vengeance, that he be not brought into judgment before me, then ye shall see to it that ye warn him in my name, that he come no more upon you, neither upon your family, even your children's children unto the third and fourth generation.
29 And then, if he shall come upon you or your children, or your children's children unto the third and fourth generation, I have delivered thine enemy into thine hands;
30 And then if thou wilt spare him, thou shalt be rewarded for thy righteousness; and also thy children and thy children's children unto the third and fourth generation.
31 Nevertheless, thine enemy is in thine hands; and if thou rewardest him according to his works thou art justified; if he has sought thy life, and thy life is endangered by him, thine enemy is in thine hands and thou art justified.
32 Behold, this is the law I gave unto my servant Nephi, and thy fathers, Joseph, and Jacob, and Isaac, and Abraham, and all mine ancient prophets and apostles.
33 And again, this is the law that I gave unto mine ancients, that they should not go out unto battle against any nation, kindred, tongue, or people, save I, the Lord, commanded them.
34 And if any nation, tongue, or people should proclaim war against them, they should first lift a standard of peace unto that people, nation, or tongue;
35 And if that people did not accept the offering of peace, neither the second nor the third time, they should bring these testimonies before the Lord;
36 Then I, the Lord, would give unto them a commandment, and justify them in going out to battle against that nation, tongue, or people.
37 And I, the Lord, would fight their battles, and their children's battles, and their children's children's, until they had avenged themselves on all their enemies, to the third and fourth generation.
38 Behold, this is an ensample unto all people, saith the Lord your God, for justification before me.
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Doctrinal Commentary on the Book of Mormon
Volume One - 1 Nephi 4:7-18
Joseph Fielding McConkie - Robert L. Millet
The Lord had a mission in mind for Nephi and a destiny for the Nephites, and he would not allow a greedy and worldly man to interfere with the accomplishment of his purposes. To Nephi’s utter horror, he was commanded to put Laban to death, to send a wayward man to the spirit world to account for his deeds. At first, the idea of killing a man was abhorrent to this sensitive soul, but the Spirit provided a rational explanation for the divine directive. In particular, it brought to Nephi’s remembrance the fact that Laban: (1) had sought to kill Nephi and his brothers; (2) had not been obedient to the commandments of the Lord; and (3) had confiscated their gold, silver, and precious things. The Spirit assured Nephi that the present fortuitous circumstance—finding Laban drunken and incapacitated in the streets—was not an accident, but that “the Lord hath delivered him into thy hands.” According to the “law of retribution,” Nephi was perfectly justified in slaying Laban. In a revelation given through the Prophet Joseph Smith in August 1833, the Lord explained the circumstances wherein the Saints were justified in standing up and striking back at their enemies. He then said: “Behold, this is the law I gave unto my servant Nephi, and thy fathers, Joseph, and Jacob, and Isaac, and Abraham, and all mine ancient prophets and apostles.” (See D&C 98:23–32; italics added.)
In general, Nephi was justified in slaying Laban (without rational explanation) because God had commanded it. “That which is wrong under one circumstance,” Joseph Smith explained in 1842, “may be, and often is, right under another. God said, ‘Thou shalt not kill;’ at another time He said, ‘Thou shalt utterly destroy.’ This is the principle on which the government of heaven is conducted—by revelation adapted to the circumstances in which the children of the kingdom are placed. Whatever God requires is right, no matter what it is, although we may not see the reason thereof till long after the events transpire.” (Teachings, p. 256.)
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How can I explain Nephi’s killing Laban to my nonmember friends? Some really reject it as scriptural.
By: Jeffrey R. Holland, Commissioner of Church Education, Sept. 1975
Read this article HERE.
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The Power of Deliverance: Why Nephi Killed Laban
By Clyde J. Williams, Correlation Department
By Clyde J. Williams, Correlation Department
Read this article HERE.
