1 Nephi 19:22

In verse 22, Nephi shares that he read many things to his brethren from the plates of brass. He does this because he wants them to know the dealings of the Lord in other lands among the people of old. The phrase "that they might know concerning the doings of the Lord" stands out. I believe that Nephi wants his brethren to get to know their Savior and to know that His work and glory is to bring to pass the eternal life of man (Moses 1:39).

My other point is to bring up the possible attachment that Laman and Lemuel had gotten to the plates of brass. But, judging by their wickedness, I'm not too sure how much this could be true. Later on, like a few hundred years later, this becomes one of the reasons there is strife between the Nephites and Lamanites. One recording is found in Mosaiah 10:16-17:

"16 And again, they [Nephi's brethren] were wroth with him [Nephi] because he departed into the wilderness as the Lord had commanded him [which will eventually happen], and took the ^arecords which were engraven on the plates of brass, for they said that he ^brobbed them."

Here is where I think that Nephi's brethren had some attachment to the plates. Today's verse leads me to think so. The next verse shows from hindsight what Laman and Lemuel did about it:

"17 And thus they have taught their children that they should hate them, and that they should murder them, and that they should rob and plunder them, and do all they could to destroy them; therefore they have an eternal hatred towards the children of Nephi."

There was eventually a thousand year strife between these two people, the Lamanites eventually killing off the Nephites that wouldn't join them in about A.D. 400. Did they want the plates so bad for their monetary value? I'm not inclined to think so because they could get precious metals. But in the end, I'm still not sure because they were wicked and did not have a disposition to follow the word of God, then why read it? What do you think?