SWORD OF LABAN

SWORD OF LABAN - A few years back I decided more out of curiosity to research the Sword of Laban. I ran across some interesting research and thought I would share it with the rest of the blogging community. As a disclaimer I only display this information as something to think about and don't necessarily believe it to be absolute fact. Some of the information is based on assumption and pure guessing. Read and believe at your own risk.
Point 1: The sword of Laban is referenced through out the Book of Mormon and was brought by Nephi to the Americas.
1 Nephi 4: 18-19 Therefore I did obey the voice of the Spirit, and took Laban by the hair of the head, and I smote off his head with his own sword.
2 Nephi 5:14 And, I Nephi did take the sword of Laban, and after the manner of it did make many swords, lest by any means the people who were now called Lamanites should come upon and destroy us.....
Jacob 1:10-12 The people having loved Nephi exceedingly, he having been a great protector for them, having wielded the sword of Laban in their defence, and having labored in all his days for their welfare........
Words of Mormon 1:13 And it came to pass also that the armies of the Lamanites came down out of the land of Nephi, to battle against his people. But behold, king Benjamin gathered together his armies, and he did stand against them; and he did fight with the strength of his own arm, with the sword of Laban.
Point 2: The 3 witnesses were given the opportunity to see the sword of Laban.
D&C Section 17:1-2 Behold, I say unto you, that you must rely upon my word, which if you do with full purpose of heart, you shall have a view of the plates, and also of the breastplate, the sword of Laban, the Urim and Thummim................
Point 3: Who was Laban that he should posses such a fine sword? Answer: According to Hugh Nibley, Laban was of noble descent, of the same ancestry as Lehi himself and of a more direct line to the patriarch Joseph. For the genealogy was kept in his family (1 Nephi 5:16) and the archives were housed at his official residence.
Point 4: Why did Nephi bring the sword of Laban with him to the promise land? Answer: To be honest, Nephi and his brothers at the time were more concerned with attaining the plates of Brass. Which again begs the question why would Laban have ownership of them. More important who are the author or authors of the plates of Brass? Did the book of Lehi publish his full genealogy that was supposedly on the plates of Brass? Was the Sword of Laban and the Plates of Brass passed down from generation to generation as items commonly were according to the rules of Birthrights? Nephi as humble as he was, probably learned of the importance of the sword either through inspiration, divine communication, Zoram told him, or he took a liking to the sword and decided to keep it for his own personal weapon.
Point 5: Swords were items of importance in Old Testament times. Methuselah slew myraids of demons with a "wonderful sword", Abraham is said to have inherited Methuselah's sword. Esau thus received it , as a heirloom from Isaac since he was the first born. This sword passed to Jacob when he purchased the birth-right". This miraculous sword of Methuselah, described as being "more precious than money." Eventually Jacob "bequeathed it to his favorite son Joseph."
Point 6: If the legend is true that Abraham had inherited Methuselah's sword (which isn't a hard concept to grasp, but hard to prove) then it's possible that the sword would have been passed down through the generations to Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, and eventually Laban. That being true, why would Laban be allowed to be in possession of such a sacred sword. Perhaps that is why the book of Mormon supplied us with the account of Omni maintaining the Gold Plates as well as the Sword of Laban I am assuming.
1 Behold, it came to pass that I, Omni, being commanded by my father, Jarom, that I should write somewhat upon these plates, to preserve our genealogy--
2 Wherefore, in my days, I would that ye should know that I fought much with the sword to preserve my people, the Nephites, from falling into the hands of their enemies, the Lamanites. But behold, I of myself am a wicked man, and I have not kept the statutes and the commandments of the Lord as I ought to have done.
Point 7: If there is a connection from the sword of Laban from Nephi to Methuselah, then it is only important to know where Methuselah attained the sword. Noah who was the grandson of Methuselah received the sword shortly before Methsuselah died, thus preserving the sword from the great flood, but Methuselah I am assuming received the sword from his father Enoch, who would have received it from Jared, who would have received it from Mahalael, who received it from Kenan, who received it from Enos, who received it from Seth, who would have received it from Adam.
Point 8: The last known information comes from Brigham Young as stated in the Journal of Discourses.
Brigham Young, on June 17, 1877, related the following: "I lived right in the country where the plates were found from which the Book of Mormon was translated, and I know a great many things pertaining to that country. I believe I will take the liberty to tell you of another circumstance that will be as marvelous as anything can be. This is an incident in the life of Oliver Cowdery, that he did not take the liberty of telling such things in meeting as I take.
"I tell these things to you, and I have a motive for doing so. I want to carry them to the ears of my brethren and sisters, and to the children also, that they may grow to an understanding of some things that seem to be entirely hidden from the human family. Oliver Cowdery went with the Prophet Joseph when he deposited these plates. Joseph did not translate all of the plates; there was a portion of them sealed, which you can learn from the Book of Doctrine and Covenants. When Joseph got the plates, the angel instructed him to carry them back to the Hill Cumorah, which he did.
"Oliver says that when Joseph and Oliver went there, the hill opened, and they walked into a cave, in which there was a large and spacious room. He says he did not think, at the time, whether they had the light of the sun or artificial light, but that it was just as light as day. They laid the plates on a table; it was a large table that stood in the room. Under this table there was a pile of plates as much as two feet high, and there were altogether in this room more plates than probably many wagon loads; they were piled up in corners and along the walls.
"The first time they went there the SWORD OF LABAN hung upon the wall; but when they went again it had been taken down and laid upon the table across the gold plates; it was unsheathed, and on it was written these words: 'This sword will never be sheathed again until the kingdoms of this world become the kingdom of our God and his Christ." I tell you this is coming not only from Oliver Cowdery, but others who were familiar with it, and who understood it... I take the liberty of referring to those things so they will not be forgotten and lost." (19 Journal of Discourses 38)
Conclusion: The Sword of Laban may very well be the Sword of Adam, it may very well be not. Regardless their is a special meaning to the Sword of Laban, and how special would it be if the sword had been passed through the generations from Adam to Joseph Smith.
To emphasize the importance of swords, there is only one place where you can see Joseph Smith's sword that he wore as General of the Nauvoo Legion. That place is in the Nauvoo Temple. Most people don't know about it and the old people working there only take you to where it is hanging on the wall in the recorders office when you ask them nicely.
Overall, I am not saying I believe all of this, I am just saying it would be nice if it is true. I am interested in anyone's comments about this posting on the Sword of Laban.