The brothers set out with their tents to go up to the land of Jerusalem. Approaching Jerusalem from any direction requires an ascent in elevation. All the locative adverbs (the “downs” and “ups”) in the next pages of scripture accurately depict the topography of Judah and the deserts to the south.
After Laman’s attempt to talk Laban out of the plates, the brothers agreed to go down to the land of their inheritance (which suggests that their holdings were outside the city proper), gather the gold, silver, and other valuable objects they had left behind, and offer them to Laban in exchange for the plates. They went up again to Laban’s house in Jerusalem, and upon their failure to secure the plates by that means, they fled for their lives and hid in a cave, or “cavity of a rock.” Caves are numerous in the Judean hills and desert.
Having exhausted their resources and their patience, Laman and Lemuel had some hard words for their younger brothers. They resorted to physical violence and even questioned the Lord’s ability to resolve the situation, until stopped by an angel. The angel again commanded them to go up and get the plates, saying that the Lord would deliver Laban into their hands. After all human effort was expended, the Lord himself would help them accomplish the task. This is a life-lesson for each of us.