It Is A Hard Thing Which I (Nephi) Have Required Of Them

"And now, behold thy brothers murmur, saying it is a hard thing which I have required of them; but behold I have not required it of them, but it is a commandment of the Lord." (1 Nephi 3:5)

Were Laman and Lemuel lazy people or was there more to the story? The Book of Mormon Student Manual states, "The distance from Jerusalem to the Red Sea (the Gulf of Aqaba) is about 180 miles through hot, barren country infested anciently by many marauders. And they had gone three days' journey beyond that. (See 1 Nephi 2:6). This meant at least a twelve to fourteen day trip one way, giving added meaning to Nephi's response in verse 7." (1981 Book of Mormon Student Manual, p. 16).