Sariah

According to the Book of Mormon, Sariah (/səˈraɪə/)[1] was the wife of Lehi, and the mother of Laman, Lemuel, Sam, and Nephi. The Book of Mormon also mentions Jacob, and Joseph, two additional sons born to Lehi after his departure from Jerusalem, but does not explicitly name Sariah as their mother, though no other wife of Lehi is ever named.[2] She traveled with her husband from Jerusalem, into the wilderness, and eventually, across the ocean to the "promised land" (the Americas). She is perhaps best known for the story in First Nephi where she complains against her husband for sending her sons back to Jerusalem. She becomes convinced that they have perished in the desert, but is overjoyed upon their eventual return.[3] In Lehi's vision of the tree of life, Sariah eats the precious fruit, symbolizing that she is righteous and will be saved.[4]

Not to be confused with Sarah, Saria (disambiguation), or Shariah.

Narration

Sariah is part of the first family mentioned in the Book of Mormon and is also the only woman named in Nephi's records.[5][6] Around 600 B.C., her husband, Lehi, is told by the Spirit to prophesy the destruction of Jerusalem if the citizens refuse to repent. Lehi's prophecies are rejected, and he is told to take his family out of Jerusalem and travel into the desert. Sariah, Lehi, and their four sons pack up what they need and leave their riches behind, ending up in a place they name the valley of Lemuel. After a period of time in the valley, Laman, Lemuel, Sam, and Nephi are sent back to retrieve the brass plates.[7][8]

As Sariah waits for her sons to return, she begins to worry that they have died in the wilderness and complains to Lehi for sending them back to the dangers of Jerusalem. Her husband comforts her, but she continues to worry until her sons return, when she testifies that Lehi truly is a prophet.[9] This belief is shown again later when Lehi dreams of the tree of life and calls his family to come and eat the fruit, which represents God's love. Sariah, Sam, and Nephi come and eat while Laman and Lemuel choose other paths.[10]

Later, while crossing the ocean, Laman and Lemuel try to kill Nephi, causing Sariah and Lehi so much grief that they become sick and almost die.[11][12] Sariah's actual death is not specifically mentioned in the Book of Mormon.[10]

Interpretation

Nephi's thesis

Nephi claims at the beginning of his writings that those who are faithful will become "mighty"[13] and the mercies of the Lord will be extended to them. According to Noel B. Reynolds, director of the Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon studies, this statement of Nephi's in 1 Nephi 1:20 is a thesis that he supports about thirty times with different events. These events include quoting prophecies from the brass plates that talk about the faithful delivered through the power of the Atonement and the angel saving Nephi and Sam from being beaten by their brothers. As Reynolds states it, Sariah's faith is contrasted against Laman and Lemuel's as she no longer needed to be persuaded to be faithful after her sons came back from Jerusalem, but Laman and Lemuel need to be persuaded and reminded multiple times of their faith.[14]

Role in desert travel

Anthropologist and Book of Mormon researcher Brant A. Gardner says as the wife of a wealthy man in Jerusalem, Sariah would have been used to running a household and would have had the responsibility of managing the family while they traveled as well.[15] In Heather B. Moore's book Women of the Book of Mormon, she explains that in Sariah's time, women were responsible to find find food besides the meat hunted for by the men, and make and serve each meal. According to Moore and retired BYU professor Camille Fronk, the women also helped with childbirth during the journey, and were responsible to collect water, gather firewood, weave materials like tent cords, and set up or take down the tents.[16][17]

Murmuring in the desert

While Lehi had a vision and was commanded by the Lord to leave Jerusalem, Sariah had to leave behind her home and connections with no "personal witness" that it truly needed to happen, says Fronk.[18] In The Book of Mormon For the Least of These, volume one, Fatimah S. Salleh and Margaret Olsen Hemming talk of Sariah's experience in 1 Nephi 5:2-9 as she waits for her sons to come back from Jerusalem and begins to think they will never return. Salleh and Olsen Hemming claim that while most people read the verses as a negative perspective on Sariah, looking closer reveals her faith as she leaves her valuables, birthright, and people behind for the wilderness.[19]

Cultural Reception

Several poems have been written about Sariah, including Sariah by Marni Aspond Campbell,[20] a portion of the poetry book Branches that Run over the Wall by Louisa Greene Richard,[21] and a section of Book of Mormon Abridged in Rhyme by Orrin R. Wilcox.[22]

Sariah is also depicted in a master's thesis, Portrayal of Women in the Book of Mormon which explores understanding the roles of women in the Book of Mormon through choreography.

Proposed etymology

Among LDS linguists, prevalent consensus of the reading of the name "Sariah" is שׂריה Śaryāh ("princess of Jehovah"), and an alternative voicing of the name Seraiah.[23][24]

Family tree

Sariah's immediate family is shown in the diagram below.

LehiSariah
LamanLemuelSamNephiJacobJoseph

References
  1. "Book of Mormon Pronunciation Guide", churchofjesuschrist.org (retrieved 2012-02-25), IPA-ified from «sa-rī´a»
  2. 1 Nephi 18
  3. 1 Nephi 5
  4. 1 Nephi 8
  5. Hamilton Christian 2002, p. 7.
  6. 1 Nephi 1
  7. Thomas 2016, p. 32.
  8. Aston, Warren P. (2019). "Into Arabia" (PDF). BYU Studies Quarterly. 58 (4): 110. Retrieved 20 October 2023.
  9. 1 Nephi 5
  10. Largey, Dennis L. (2003). Book of Mormon Reference Companion. Deseret Book. p. 701. ISBN 1573452319.
  11. Reynolds 1980, p. 142.
  12. 1 Nephi 18:17-18
  13. 1 Nephi 1:20
  14. Reynolds 1980, p. 132.
  15. Gardner 2007, p. 82.
  16. Moore, Heather B. (2010). Women of the Book of Mormon: Insights & Inspirations. Covenant Communications, Inc. pp. 15–16. ISBN 9781680476583.
  17. Fronk 2000, p. 13.
  18. Fronk 2000, p. 8-9.
  19. Salleh, Fatimah; Olsen Hemming, Margaret (2020). The Book of Mormon For the Least of These, Volume 1. Common Consent Press. pp. 14–15. ISBN 9781948218238.
  20. Asplund Campbell, Marni (1993). "Sariah". Inscape. 13 (2): 44–45. Retrieved 26 October 2023.
  21. Greene Richards, Louisa L. (1904). Branches that Run Over the Wall. Salt Lake City: The Magazine Printing Company. pp. 39–41.
  22. Wilcox, Orrin R. (1972). Book of Mormon Abridged in Rhyme Part I. Mansfield, Missouri. p. 18.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  23. Fronk 2000, p. 7.
  24. Chadwick, Jeffrey R. (2000). "The Names Lehi and Sariah-Language and Meaning". Journal of Book of Mormon Studies. 9 (1): 34. Retrieved 26 October 2023.

Sources Cited
  • Fronk, Camille (2000). "Desert Epiphany: Sariah and the Women in 1 Nephi". Journal of Book of Mormon Studies. 9 (2).
  • [1]
  • Hamilton Christian, Wendy (2002). "And Well She Can Persuade": The Power and Presence of Women in the Book of Mormon (Thesis). Brigham Young University.
  • Reynolds, Noel B. (1980). "Nephi's Outline" (PDF). Brigham Young University Studies. 20 (2). Retrieved 24 October 2023.
  • Thomas, John Christopher (2016). A Pentecostal Reads the Book of Mormon: A Literary and Theological Introduction. CPT Press. ISBN 978-1-935931-55-3.
  1. Gardner, Brant A. (2007). Second Witness: Analytical and Contextual Commentary on the Book of Mormon. Volume 1 First Nephi. Greg Kofford Books, Inc. ISBN 9781589580411.
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