Article by Warren P. Aston. Into Arabia - BYU Studies In his exhaustively reasoned paper “Dating the Departure of Lehi from Jerusalem,”1 Jeffrey Chadwick moved the discussion of the timing of the Lehite departure significantly further. Those like myself, who have long assumed that the Book of Mormon’s dating for the departure (about six hundred years before Christ’s birth) is simply a round, approximate number, now have additional reasons to see that the dating may, in fact, be literal and that a definitive year for the event might be within reach. While I cannot add to the material on the dating of Lehi and Sariah’s departure from Jerusalem, I would like to offer some observations and suggestions on two aspects of their passage into Arabia that Chadwick’s paper deals with: first, the routing taken from Jerusalem; second, the valley of Lemuel, it's possible location, and the timing of the family’s arrival there.
The Book of Mormon Student Manual Religion 121 - 122 1 Nephi 2: 5-10 1 Nephi: 2 6-10 1 Nephi 2: 11-15 1 Nephi 2: 20
Lehi takes his family into the wilderness by the Red Sea. They leave their property. Lehi offers a sacrifice to the Lord and teaches his sons to keep the commandments. Leman and Lemuel murmur against their father. Nephi is obedient and prays in faith; the Lord speaks to him, and he is chosen to rule over his brethren about 600 B.C. Here is a link to the scripture passage. 1 Nephi 2 (churchofjesuschrist.org)
Book of Mormon Student Manual Religion 121 - 122 1 Nephi 1: 1 1 Nephi 1: 2 1 Nephi 1: 4 1 Nephi 1: 16-17 1 Nephi 1: 20
His Reign and Ministry, Introduction and Chapter 1. Nephi begins the record of his people. Lehi sees in vision a pillar of fire and reads from a book of prophecy. He praises God, foretells the coming of the Messiah, and prophesies the destruction of Jerusalem. He is persecuted by the Jews about 600 B.C. Here is the link to the scripture passage. 1 Nephi 1 (churchofjesuschrist.org)