Misunderstandings of the Liahona

Theodore Brandley in his A North American Setting, makes the statement: “The use of the Liahona implies that Lehi's family traveled any way but along traditional routes, including the assumption they simply followed trade routes east of the Red Sea to Yemen. Or, that they simply followed the usual wind currents to Mesoamerica. Geographers need to explain what was peculiar about the routes in their model, or keep silent on the matter.”

The problem with such statements always seems that the writer has little or no understanding of the Liahona and its purpose and use. Shaped like a round ball it was obviously more than a compass, for it had two spindles, but only “one pointed the way whither we should go into the wilderness” (1 Nephi 16:10).

For those who have never traveled in the “wilderness” where there are no roads, people, or any man-made landmarks, etc., specific directions can be a problem. Past the Gulf of Aqaba, an eastern arm of the Red Sea, and then along the Red Sea itself, there is a wide swath of desert between the shore and the hills. It is so wide that the Sea cannot be seen from most of the distance, and direction is difficult to maintain since wandering along a 30 to 50 mile wide flat desert. At the turning point, or mouth of Aqaba, there is a 30-mile wide area between Gayal and Al Bad which, in 600 B.C., was unmarked, flat desert, which could have led the Lehi Colony north, east, or south. South of Duba, the desert is split by low lying hills, with two distinct areas to the Southeast one could travel, but only one (nearer the coast) would lead to Yanbu and Badr, Jeddah and eventually to Najran where the Colony turned almost due east

Thousands of square miles of empty, barren desert along the east shore of the Red Sea. Small parts of this area was fertile, and the Liahona showed the way to those fertile areas (1 Nephi 16:14)

The point is, the Liahona showed the Colony the direction of travel, and this travel had to be along traditional routes, for that is where the water holes lay. Had Lehi gone elsewhere, he and his colony would have died out in the desert without water. Anyone who has ever traveled this area knows that traditional routes are the only way one can cross this vast, nearly waterless desert. Brandley’s comment that “The use of the Liahona implies that Lehi's family traveled any way but along traditional routes” is without merit crossing that desert to the Irreantum Sea. It also shows a complete lack of understanding of desert travel even today, but especially in 600 B.C.

Brandley also states: “including the assumption they simply followed trade routes east of the Red Sea to Yemen.” Few, if any, that have written about Lehi’s desert travels has claimed that the Colony traveled to Yemen. Crossing the Rub’ al Khali or Empty Quarter after turning “nearly eastward” (1 Nephi 17:1). In fact, the route Lehi took was north of Yemen and never entered that country, but skirted it entirely (of course, the northeastern boundary along the Saudia Arabia Empty Quarter has never been exactly defined).

The Rub’ al Khali, the Empty Quarter, is about as featureless, barren of a desert of sand dunes as one could find. Without the Liahona, Lehi would have had no idea where to travel or in what direction

Here, where sand dunes are as high as 800-feet, blocking any distant view, and where it rains only 1.2 inches per year and the temperatures range between 117º and 133º, one does not wander where there are no water  holes—and they are few and far between--one either follows these “traditional routes” or one dies. Without the Liahona in 600 B.C., it is likely the Lehi Colony would have perished in this fearful and treacherous desert.

As for Brandley’s statement: “Geographers need to explain what was peculiar about the routes in their model, or keep silent on the matter,” should also be noted that there is no mention regarding a “peculiar” route in the entire writings of 1^st or 2^nd Nephi—in fact, the word “peculiar” does not appear in that writing at all. While it cannot be said that the Lehi Colony traveled a “peculiar” route, it can be stated that the route they traveled was part of the King’s Highway from the Dead Sea to the Red Sea, and along that to where they turned off toward Najran (heading nearly eastward). Here they also took the route traveled by camel caravans transporting Frankincense from the area of Oman to markets along the route east of the Red Sea all the way to Damascus and the Euphrates River--in the desert, no one goes anywhere but where "traditional routes" exist.

The Liahon was “a round ball of curious workmanship” (1 Nephi 16:10), and led the Colony “the way whither we should go into the wilderness” and “led us in the more fertile parts of the wilderness” (1 Nephi 16:10, 16). But more importantly, the Liahona was a teaching device, working only through faith. In fact, Nephi tells us: “the voice of the Lord said unto him: Look upon the ball, and behold the things which are written. And it came to pass that when my father beheld the things which were written upon the ball, he did fear and tremble exceedingly, and also my brethren and the sons of Ishmael and our wives. And it came to pass that I, Nephi, beheld the pointers which were in the ball, that they did work according to the faith and diligence and heed which we did give unto them. And there was also written upon them a new writing, which was plain to be read, which did give us understanding concerning the ways of the Lord; and it was written and changed from time to time, according to the faith and diligence which we gave unto it.”

Obviously, the Liahona was a very unique “compass,” that gave written direction, information, and guidance. Thus, we can see that Brandley’s statement: “The use of the Liahona implies that Lehi's family traveled any way but along traditional routes, including the assumption they simply followed trade routes east of the Red Sea to Yemen. Or, that they simply followed the usual wind currents to Mesoamerica. Geographers need to explain what was peculiar about the routes in their model, or keep silent on the matter” is simply without scriptural evidence or support.

(See the next post, “Misunderstandings of the Liahona—crossing the many waters,” to see how the Liahona was used and why it was necessary for the Colony to reach the Land of Promise."