1 Nephi 17:41

Nephi continues to use illustrations from the story of the Israelites to demonstrate to his brothers what they are doing and what they should do because of it. It is very interesting that there are so many parallels between these stories, because of the way humans are so consistent. There will always be some who rebel and some who will stay on the Lord's side. It is also interesting that Nephi knows about their forefathers. He had the plates of brass. He read them and pondered them, and because of that he knows how to apply them to his life.

In verse 41, he says that the Lord straitened out the Israelites in the wilderness. Other words for strait in this sense are strict and narrow. He did this by sending fiery flying serpents to them and and they bit them. He prepared a way for them to be healed, by having Moses place one on his staff and all they had to do was look, and they would be healed. Those that did not look were the unbelievers and they perished, because of the simpleness of the way and the easiness of it.

Nephi also said, in that verse, that the Israelites were hard hearted, as his brothers had become at the time of their conversation. This is a significant point. We shall see how they behave in the next little bit.