Plates of Brass are engraved records containing “the record of the Jews” and “a genealogy of my forefathers,” held by Laban (1 Nephi 3:3). Nephi knew that “the law was engraven upon the plates of brass” (1 Nephi 4:16).
Nephi and his brethren sought the records from Laban, offering “our gold, and our silver, and all our precious things” for them (1 Nephi 3:24). They took the plates and Laban’s servant into the wilderness and journeyed to Lehi’s tent (1 Nephi 4:38).
Lehi searched the records from the beginning and found a genealogy of his fathers, learning that he was a descendant of Joseph, the son of Jacob (1 Nephi 5:10; 1 Nephi 5:14). Alma described the plates as containing “the records of the holy scriptures” and “the genealogy of our forefathers, even from the beginning” (Alma 37:3).