Nephi's statement that "the Lord had not hitherto suffered that we should make much fire" (1 Nephi 17:12) might be culturally profound. According to Hugh Nibley's commentary regarding travel through the Saudi Arabian deserts, "I remember well" writes Bertram Thomas "taking part in a discussion upon the unhealthiness of campfires by night; we discontinued them forthwith in spite of the bitter cold." Major Cheesman's guide would not even let him light a tiny lamp in order to jot down star readings, and they never dared build a fire on the open plain where it "would attract the attention of a prowling raiding party over long distances and invite a night attack." Once in a while in a favorably sheltered depression "we dared to build a fire that could not be seen from a higher spot," writes Raswan. That is, fires are not absolutely out of the question, but rare and risky--not much fire was Lehi's rule. And fires in the daytime are almost as risky as at night: Palgrave tells how his party were forced, "lest the smoke from our fire should give notice to some distant rover, to content ourselves with dry dates," instead of cooked food. [Hugh Nibley, Lehi in the Desert, F.A.R.M.S., pp. 63-64]
“For the Lord Had Not Hitherto Suffered That We Should Make Much Fire”
In Tedlock's 1985 translation of the Popol Vuh, the history of the Quiche-Maya people of Guatemala, it says in reference to the ancestors of these people from Mesoamerica, "they walked in crowds when they arrived at Tulan (Bountiful), and there was no fire." [Popol Vuh, 1985, p. 172]
1 [Nephi 17:12] For the Lord Had Not Hitherto Suffered That We Should Make Much Fire:
Nephi informs us that the group had not been allowed to "make much fire" while in the wilderness (1 Nephi 17:12). According to Terrance Szink, commentators have usually explained that this was to avoid contact with unfriendly groups. However, an additional reason might have been to provide an opportunity for the Lord to prove to the travelers that he was the one who led them. The reader is advised to compare the passages in 1 Nephi 17:13-14 with Exodus 6:7-8.
The similarity of the texts is interesting, but their differences are enlightening as well. In Exodus the concept of a people chosen of God is emphasized, while in the Book of Mormon the idea of a people choosing God through obedience to his commandments is featured. Another point that seems to be emphasized in this retelling of the Exodus is the fact that "the Lord esteemeth all flesh in one." Perhaps Nephi had seen how the perversion of the "chosen people" idea had contributed to the downfall of his people in Jerusalem, and he may have worried that his brothers' belief that "the people who were in the land of Jerusalem were a righteous people" (1 Nephi 17:22) was a sign that they were falling into the same trap. [Terrence L. Szink, "To a Land of Promise," in Studies in Scripture: Book of Mormon, Part 1, pp. 66-67] [See the commentary on 1 Nephi 17:13]