This verse gives us a rare glimpse at Sariah, one of the few women mentioned in the Book of Mormon. Nephi captures a realistic and poignant vignette of his mother’s struggles with the burdens of her husband’s visions, her hopes, and her dreams. Such sympathy and the specificity of his report suggest that he was very close to Sariah and that she told him this story herself.
Even though Lehi was “filled with joy” at his sons’ return, Nephi actually spends more time describing how his mother was “exceedingly glad.” There is no indication in the text that she was consulted, or even informed, about their mission to Jerusalem, but she must have known that they were in danger, and she had obviously had to consider the possibility that they were dead (verses 5 and 8 both mention the threat posed by Laban, in addition to verse 2’s identification of fear about the “wilderness”).
Sariah’s fears for her sons come into even greater focus when we remember that being the mother of sons in Israelite society was a source of great joy, distinct status, and important social meaning. Facing the loss of her sons would be serious to any loving mother, but to a mother in Israel, it would have been a particularly crushing blow. Her social position depended upon sons; but perhaps more importantly, if she were widowed, her sons would become her economic security.