Lehi’s partaking of the fruit and his soul being filled with great joy (v. 12) confirms what was said above about the imagery. His desire for his family to partake was discussed above (vv. 3–4). Being shown which members of his family would partake was possibly so that Lehi would do all in his power to get Laman and Lemuel to partake. Therefore if they did not partake, they were left without excuse. Of course Lehi was desirous for all of his family to partake of the fruit, but the Lord allows everyone to exercise their agency and make their own choices. The river of water that ran near the tree was later explained to Nephi by an angel as a “fountain of filthy water … and the depths thereof are the depths of hell” (1 Nephi 12:16). Nephi later told his brothers that his father’s mind was so “swallowed up in other things that he beheld not the filthiness of the water” (1 Nephi 15:27). The things that occupied his mind were probably concerning how to persuade Laman and Lemuel to partake.