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Birds Along Lehi's Trail Journal of Book of Mormon Studies Volume 15 Number 2 Article 10 7-31-2006 Birds Along Lehi's Trail Stephen L. Carr Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/jbms BYU ScholarsArchive Citation Carr, Stephen L. (2006) "Birds Along Lehi's Trail," Journal of Book of Mormon Studies: Vol. 15 : No. 2 , Article 10. Available at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/jbms/vol15/iss2/10 This Feature Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Journals at BYU ScholarsArchive. It has been accepted for inclusion in Journal of Book of Mormon Studies by an authorized editor of BYU ScholarsArchive. For more information, please contact [email protected], [email protected]. Title Birds Along Lehi’s Trail Author(s) Stephen L. Carr Reference Journal of Book of Mormon Studies 15/2 (2006): 84–93, 125–26. ISSN 1065-9366 (print), 2168-3158 (online) Abstract When Carr traveled to the Middle East, he observed the local birds. In this article, he suggests the possi- bility that the Book of Mormon prophet Lehi and his family relied on birds for food and for locating water. Carr discusses the various birds that Lehi’s family may have seen on their journey and the Mosaic law per- taining to those birds. Birds - ALOnG LEHI’S TRAIL stephen l. cARR 84 VOLUME 15, NUMBER 2, 2006 PHOTOGRAPHy By RICHARD wELLINGTOn he opportunity to observe The King James translators apparently ex- birds of the Middle East came to perienced difficulty in knowing exactly which me in September 2000 as a member Middle Eastern birds were meant in certain pas- Tof a small group of Latter-day Saints1 traveling in sages of the Hebrew Bible. Obvious mistransla- areas thought to mark the route of Lehi and Sariah’s tions of bird names in the King James Version of wilderness trek—from Jerusalem, Israel, to Aqaba, the Bible have been noted, as in several corrective Jordan; and from Sanaʾa, Yemen, to Dhofar, Oman. footnotes in the 1979 Latter-day Saint edition of Another opportunity came in October 2004 with a the KJV. A recent Jewish translation of the Bible second visit to southern Oman, one that included makes similar delineations and issues this caveat: the leading candidates for Nephi’s Bountiful: “A number of these birds cannot be identified Khor Kharfot, Khor Rori, and Salalah. For me, with certainty.”2 Birds an amateur ornithologist, the excitement of these According to Deuteronomy 14:11 and 14:20, trips was multiplied because I was able to identify all clean birds could be eaten. Only the “unclean” numerous birds along the way, most of which might ones listed in sidebar 1 were prohibited. Mosaic have been present in those regions in 600 bc. Some law allowed the majority of the class Aves to be birds, of course, were forbidden as food for ancient used for food, but because many birds are small Israelites because of proscriptions in the law of and difficult to catch, it naturally follows that only Moses. For Lehi’s people, other birds may have larger birds, such as geese, partridges, and grouse, served as food sources in areas where they were would have been hunted. Even then, according plentiful and could be snared. to the Mosaic law, the birds had to be ritually In Leviticus 11 and Deuteronomy 14, Moses slaughtered and/or ritually prepared. Lehi, holding outlined many specific birds that were not to be the Melchizedek Priesthood, would have been eaten. Some Jewish authorities state one or two qualified, in the absence of Aaronic Priesthood– reasons for the prohibition, such as to prevent holding Levites in his party, to perform the diseases stemming from consuming carrion-eating required rituals for food preparation. birds. Others state that the only reason not to eat The color and activity of bird life undoubt- certain birds was that the Lord wished to try his edly did much to offset the tedium of life along chosen people. Whatever the case, the majority the trail to Bountiful. In addition, most land of proscribed birds are scavengers and carrion birds are attracted to water sources and may have eaters, with other birds eating a variety of lower helped desert travelers like Lehi’s caravan to vertebrate animal life that may be disease carriers locate water pockets. or poisonous to humans. Facing page: The Common Kingfisher is a regular seasonal migrant along the eastern Arabian coast. The Malachite Kingfisher is an inch smaller (5"), with a brilliant blue back and an oversizedJOURNAL bright OF B OOKred bill. OF BMothORMON of STUDIES 85 these birds generally frequent small lakes and water courses that support small fish and surface invertebrates. If Lehi owned an estate outside the walls of Israel, and Aqaba, Jordan. Most of these birds live Jerusalem (elevation 2,500 feet above sea level),3 his in excessively dry habitats and subsist on seeds and gardens would have been populated with a variety insects. After three days of travel since encountering of colorful and interesting birds, with others flying the Red Sea, Lehi’s group came to a valley that Lehi overhead (see sidebar 2). Birds are attracted to water named after Lemuel. During their prolonged stay sources as well as to trees, bushes, and gardens. there, they would have seen many more bird species Although some fruit-eating birds are considered a than those mentioned in sidebar 3. nuisance because they ruin much good fruit, they When Lehi and his party (which now included also eat many fruit- and tree-injuring insects. Ishmael’s family and Zoram) left the Valley of Lem- Upon leaving Jerusalem, the Lehite colony may uel, they may have journeyed southeastward, paral- have traveled essentially due east to the Jericho area, leling the eastern shore of the Red Sea for some 50 crossed the Jordan River near there, continued up to 100 miles before crossing the Al-Sarāt Mountains into Moabite lands, then taken the King’s Highway and then traveling on the east side of that range. southward in what is now the Hashemite Kingdom Surprisingly, we saw relatively few waterbirds near of Jordan. Or they could have headed southward the coast, although there are presently fishing vil- through the Hebron area, then descended to the lages at intervals along the way. These few birds are level of the Dead Sea (elevation 1,200 feet below sea listed in sidebar 4. level) south of the sea itself. On the way they would The higher elevations around Nahom would have seen some of the familiar dry-country birds as have brought new varieties of bird life. Then, as the well as a few new ones in the desolate Arabah Val- caravan turned eastward from Nahom (a short dis- ley and in the long gradual climb from the Dead tance east and north of present day Sanaʾa, Yemen), Sea to sea level at the now-ancient ghost town of it may have first passed by the ancient Marib Dam, Ezion-geber, situated between present-day Eilat, whose construction had begun almost a century earlier. This dam impounded water from several nearby canyons (wadis) following heavy rains. Numerous marsh and freshwater birds would have been detected in the swampy lands around the res- ervoir. The group may not have spent much time there, however, because most of the waterbirds they would have seen (e.g., herons, egrets, and storks) were not permitted as food, despite their large size. Although the ancient dam was breached sometime after the beginning of the Christian era, the water- courses and springs still exist today, and a new dam has been erected to hold water for irrigation. For several miles east of Marib, the country is quite green and fertile, with numerous birds flying about and catching reptiles and amphibians near the edges of the reservoir and adjacent canals. Near the ruins of the Temple of the Moon Goddess, a monument that the Queen of Sheba possibly contributed to, I watched several birds of the species Little Green Bee-eater. This rather unimposing light green bird flashes a bright, almost neon-like iridescent coppery The Little Green Bee-eater is one of the more interesting birds seen orange color from the underside of its wings when along the Lehi trail. The bright copper coloring of its underwings reflects the sunlight while it catches bees and other flying insects. it flies out from a branch to catch an errant bee. I This bee-eater is tossing a dead dragonfly up in the air so as to eat would like to think that some members of the Lehite the most edible parts first. 86 VOLUME 15, NUMBER 2, 2006 The Western Reef Heron occurs in two forms—one dark blue and and tried to locate some morsel of food; but I could the other white. Although large and imposing, it was an unclean bird not tell how successful they were. One of them, a according to the Mosaic law and therefore could not have been used for food. It is found along the shores of the Red Sea and the Arabian Long-tailed Shrike, came up to the hubcap of one of Peninsula. our vehicles and pecked and hammered at its reflec- tion. Apparently it injured itself in so doing, because party would have been interested and intrigued two minutes after I picked it up, it died in my hand. by this bird since it does not inhabit their native Judging from the scriptural account, this hostile Jerusalem. desert area was probably where the Lord did not After leaving the area of ancient Marib, the allow the families to “make much fire,” saying, “I party traveled in extreme desert habitat—far from will make thy food become sweet, that ye cook it the Red or Arabian seas, along the southern edge not” (1 Nephi 17:12).
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