There are parallels between Nephi's story and the story of his ancestor, Joseph of Egypt. Similar to Joseph, Nephi was the youngest of his brothers and was told early on that he would be a "ruler and a teacher over (his) brethren". (2:22) Coming from Nephi, this must have sounded quite egotistical to his brothers Laman and Lemuel, but actually, it seems an angel was the first to tell the brothers about Nephi's eventual reign. "Know ye knot that the Lord hath chosen him to be a ruler over you, and this because of your iniquities?" the angel declared. (3:29) Even so, Laman and Lemuel were not convinced! Like Joseph's brothers, they plotted Nephi's death, even discounting the angel and Liahona - saying it was "cunning arts". Their thinking on this whole matter is revealed in their plot to kill Nephi after Ishamel's death. You can almost hear Joseph's brothers:
Nephi must have felt a kinship to Joseph after all this. And like Joseph, the Lord preserved Nephi's life so he could eventually preserve theirs.
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