We often hear of the great journey of the Lehites through the wilderness before they set sail on the ocean. But seldom do we explore the travels of the Jaredites with the same level of depth. Perhaps it has to do with the fact that the Lehites departed from a very well known place (Jerusalem) and during a period of time that can be examined with a plenitude of historical and cultural context, and the Jaredites did not.

The Jaredite saga begins at the Tower of Babel, a place of ambiguous historicity, in an era so far in the past that there are extremely limited external clues that might give us bearings regarding their precise whereabouts, or their place in the time’s historical schema. A few interesting points can be gleaned from the account of the Jaredite travels when we focus on the mentioning of barges.

On interesting clue that often gets overlooked is that the Jaredites built barges to assist them in their travels long before they embarked on their big transoceanic trip:

“And it came to pass that they did travel in the wilderness, and did build barges, in which they did cross many waters, being directed continually by the hand of the Lord.” (Ether 2:6)

These are not to be confused with the famous Jaredite barges that are constructed at a later time; in fact, the Lord refers to this first fleet of barges in his instructions to build the second, when he says:

“Go to work and build, after the manner of barges which ye have hitherto built.” (Ether 2:16)

Given that the Tower of Babel’s location was most likely located in what become known as Babylon (now Iraq,) we can assume that the Jaredites were traveling, at least part of the time, through Mesopotamia. In any case, it is clear that their travels required marine transportation, hence their barges. With that in mind, we can examine the bodies of water in the environs, and see if any plausible route might take them through any. Here is an interactive map of the region.

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The major aquatic features are the Caspian Sea, the Black Sea, and the Mediterranean Sea. Any guess is as good as another regarding where the Jaredites might have passed through. For all we know, the Jaredites could have used their barges to travel via the Tigris-Euphrates river system, a major geographic feature that contributed to the prosperity of the fertile crescent. In any case, I find it interesting that the Jaredites used water travel well before they set off on their major journey to the promised land.

Another interesting nugget has to do with the details of the second fleet of barges. We will remember that the Brother of Jared had three major problems in his barge-construction efforts: (See Ether 2:18-19)

1. Lighting
2. Steering
3. Ventilation

The Lord solves the first two problems by miraculous means, but he provides a practical solution for the ventilation problem:

“Behold, thou shalt make a hole in the top, and also in the bottom; and when thou shalt suffer for air thou shalt unstop the hole and receive air. And if it be so that the water come in upon thee, behold, ye shall stop the hole, that ye may not perish in the flood.” (Ether 2:20)

So here we learn that barges (which were not ships with decks like Nephi’s) were completely sealed, “tight like unto a dish” even, but according the the Lord’s instructions, had holes (or perhaps hatches) on the top and bottom. The function of the top hole is clearly described, but the function of the bottom hole is not.

Conventional wisdom would explain that the barges would tip upside down, and thus, in an inverted state, the bottom hole becomes the top hole and serves the same purpose. However, if one seriously thinks through the implications of this, considering the cargo and the livestock that was on board, it seems very unlikely that the barges were designed to flip upside down. Additionally, this notion finds no support in the text, as there is never any mentioning of barges flipping over.

So then, what was the purpose of the bottom hole? If we consider the practical realities of being sealed up in a barge for months at a time, (a barge filled with many people and animals, no less) it becomes fairly clear that a substantial mass of waste product would be generated on a regular basis. If the top hole is plugged, the barge would form an airlock that would allow a moon pool to be formed when the bottom hole is open.

A moon pool in the barge would provide an accessible and convieniant way to dispose of refuse, and, as long as the top hole stays plugged, the barge would stay afloat. Additionally, a moon pool would allow for an easy fishing spot; they likely could not have packed the amount of food they needed for the entire journey, but the bottom hole would have helped them out in that regard.

So it seems that the Brother of Jared actually had more problems than the three he mentioned to the Lord. But in his providence, the Lord gave him an all-encompassing solution to problems the Jaredites didn’t even know they had.