Brief Biography
Sariah was the wife of Lehi and the faithful mother of six sons and at least two daughters. She lived in Jerusalem with her family and departed Jerusalem with her husband, when he was warned of God that his life was in danger. While at their camp in the Valley of Lemuel, when her sons were sent up to Jerusalem to obtain the plates of brass, Sariah, fearing for their lives, initially murmured against her husband. When they returned, she bore testimony of the Lord's blessings and her husband's prophetic call. While traveling through the wilderness, she gave birth to two sons, Jacob and Joseph. During the family's journey crossing the ocean, Sariah suffered greatly due to the rebellious actions of Laman and Lemuel, and she and her husband nearly died. She died sometime after their arrival in the land of promise.
Insights into the Words and Phrases
Sariah
Did you know that Lehi comforted his wife by teaching that he was a true prophet like Jeremiah?
When Sariah murmured against her husband, she called him a "visionary man" and
complained that he had led them into the wilderness, where she feared they
might perish. The term "visionary man," a term Laman and Lemuel also applied
to their father, is noteworthy (1 Nephi 2:11).
Sariah’s
contemporary, Jeremiah, warned of false prophets who gave false dreams and who
spoke "after the vision of their own heart" (Jeremiah 23:16). Unlike Jeremiah,
the false prophets proclaimed peace and did not believe that Jerusalem would
be destroyed. Jeremiah taught that true prophets, like himself, in contrast to
false prophets, had actually stood in the Lord’s heavenly council where they
had received their message directly from God (Jeremiah 23:18, 21-22).
Lehi’s words, responding to his wife’s complaint, reflect the
context of Jeremiah’s prophecy when he says, "I know that I am a visionary
man; for if I had not seen the things of God in a vision I should not
have known the goodness of God, but had tarried at Jerusalem, and had perished
with my brethren" (1 Nephi 5:4). Lehi, unlike the false prophets of his day,
had actually seen a true vision and had, in fact, met the criteria given by
Jeremiah to have stood in the Lord’s heavenly council to receive the prophetic
word (1 Nephi 1:8-15, 18-19). He had faithfully declared that message and then
fled Jerusalem because the Lord commanded him to do so. This obedience brought
protection.
Sariah’s words fit into the context of Jeremiah’s day, and Lehi’s gentle response to her concerns shows how the guiding words of prophets bring comfort and assurance, and can help us distinguish the true prophets from those who are not.
Chronology
Before 597 B.C. Sariah lives at Jerusalem with her husband
Lehi.
597 B.C. Sariah departs from Jerusalem with Lehi and
her family.
597-596 B.C. Concerned for the safety of her
sons, who were sent to Jerusalem to obtain the plates of brass, Sariah murmurs
against her husband, who comforts her. When her sons return safely, she
testifies of Lehi’s prophetic call and the blessings of God.
596-587 B.C. Sariah travels with Lehi and her family through the
wilderness. She gives birth to two sons, Jacob and Joseph.
587
B.C. Sariah suffers greatly and comes close to death, during the ocean
crossing to the land of promise, due to the rebellion of Laman and Lemuel and
the sons of Ishmael. She arrives in the land of promise with her
family.
After 586 B.C. Sariah dies.