Alma 18
People in this chapter
King Lamoni hears what happened at the waters of Sebus and comes to a startling conclusion: Surely, this is more than a man (v. 2). His people had a tradition of a Great Spirit, and he wonders whether the Great Spirit has come to punish him for killing his servants. Then he learns that Ammon, after all that, has gone quietly to feed the king's horses.
Tap any highlighted phrase to jump to the commentary that unpacks it.
Alma 18:1-11Surely, This Is More Than a Man
1And it came to pass that king Lamoni caused that his servants should stand forth and testify to all the things which they had seen concerning the matter. 2And when they had all testified to the things which they had seen, and he had learned of the faithfulness of Ammon in preserving his flocks, and also of his great power in contending against those who sought to slay him, he was astonished exceedingly, and said: Surely, this is more than a man. Behold, is not this the Great Spirit who doth send such great punishments upon this people, because of their murders? 3And they answered the king, and said: Whether he be the Great Spirit or a man, we know not; but this much we do know, that he cannot be slain by the enemies of the king; neither can they scatter the king's flocks when he is with us, because of his expertness and great strength; therefore, we know that he is a friend to the king. And now, O king, we do not believe that a man has such great power, for we know he cannot be slain. 4And now, when the king heard these words, he said unto them: Now I know that it is the Great Spirit; and he has come down at this time to preserve your lives, that I might not slay you as I did your brethren. Now this is the Great Spirit of whom our fathers have spoken.
Lamoni's people believed in a Great Spirit. When he hears what Ammon did, he wonders if Ammon is the Great Spirit, come because of the murders the king has committed.
5Now this was the tradition of Lamoni, which he had received from his father, that there was a Great Spirit. Notwithstanding they believed in a Great Spirit, they supposed that whatsoever they did was right; nevertheless, Lamoni began to fear exceedingly, with fear lest he had done wrong in slaying his servants; 6For he had slain many of them because their brethren had scattered their flocks at the place of water; and thus, because they had had their flocks scattered they were slain. 7Now it was the practice of these Lamanites to stand by the waters of Sebus to scatter the flocks of the people, that thereby they might drive away many that were scattered unto their own land, it being a practice of plunder among them.
Lamoni's tradition taught him there was a Great Spirit, but also that whatever they did was right. Now he begins to fear that killing his servants was wrong.
8And it came to pass that king Lamoni inquired of his servants, saying: Where is this man that has such great power? 9And they said unto him: Behold, he is feeding thy horses. Now the king had commanded his servants, previous to the time of the watering of their flocks, that they should prepare his horses and chariots, and conduct him forth to the land of Nephi; for there had been a great feast appointed at the land of Nephi, by the father of Lamoni, who was king over all the land. 10Now when king Lamoni heard that Ammon was preparing his horses and his chariots he was more astonished, because of the faithfulness of Ammon, saying: Surely there has not been any servant among all my servants that has been so faithful as this man; for even he doth remember all my commandments to execute them. 11Now I surely know that this is the Great Spirit, and I would desire him that he come in unto me, but I durst not.
After the battle, Ammon has quietly gone back to work, preparing the king's horses as he had been told. Lamoni is more amazed by his faithfulness than by his strength.
Alma 18:12-23I Am a Man, and Am Thy Servant
12And it came to pass that when Ammon had made ready the horses and the chariots for the king and his servants, he went in unto the king, and he saw that the countenance of the king was changed; therefore he was about to return out of his presence. 13And one of the king's servants said unto him, Rabbanah, which is, being interpreted, powerful or great king, considering their kings to be powerful; and thus he said unto him: Rabbanah, the king desireth thee to stay. 14Therefore Ammon turned himself unto the king, and said unto him: What wilt thou that I should do for thee, O king? And the king answered him not for the space of an hour, according to their time, for he knew not what he should say unto him. 15And it came to pass that Ammon said unto him again: What desirest thou of me? But the king answered him not.
Ammon sees the king's troubled face and asks, What wilt thou that I should do for thee? The king cannot answer for an hour.
16And it came to pass that Ammon, being filled with the Spirit of God, therefore he perceived the thoughts of the king. And he said unto him: Is it because thou hast heard that I defended thy servants and thy flocks, and slew seven of their brethren with the sling and with the sword, and smote off the arms of others, in order to defend thy flocks and thy servants; behold, is it this that causeth thy marvelings? 17I say unto you, what is it, that thy marvelings are so great? Behold, I am a man, and am thy servant; therefore, whatsoever thou desirest which is right, that will I do. 18Now when the king had heard these words, he marveled again, for he beheld that Ammon could discern his thoughts; but notwithstanding this, king Lamoni did open his mouth, and said unto him: Who art thou? Art thou that Great Spirit, who knows all things? 19Ammon answered and said unto him: I am not.
The Spirit shows Ammon what the king is thinking. Ammon answers the unspoken question: I am a man, and am thy servant.
Lamoni asks directly: Art thou that Great Spirit, who knows all things? Ammon answers, I am not.
20And the king said: How knowest thou the thoughts of my heart? Thou mayest speak boldly, and tell me concerning these things; and also tell me by what power ye slew and smote off the arms of my brethren that scattered my flocks— 21And now, if thou wilt tell me concerning these things, whatsoever thou desirest I will give unto thee; and if it were needed, I would guard thee with my armies; but I know that thou art more powerful than all they; nevertheless, whatsoever thou desirest of me I will grant it unto thee. 22Now Ammon being wise, yet harmless, he said unto Lamoni: Wilt thou hearken unto my words, if I tell thee by what power I do these things? And this is the thing that I desire of thee. 23And the king answered him, and said: Yea, I will believe all thy words. And thus he was caught with guile.
Lamoni offers Ammon anything he wants. Ammon asks for only one thing: that the king will listen to his words. Lamoni agrees to believe them.
Alma 18:24-35Believest Thou That There Is a God?
24And Ammon began to speak unto him with boldness, and said unto him: Believest thou that there is a God? 25And he answered, and said unto him: I do not know what that meaneth. 26And then Ammon said: Believest thou that there is a Great Spirit? 27And he said, Yea. 28And Ammon said: This is God. And Ammon said unto him again: Believest thou that this Great Spirit, who is God, created all things which are in heaven and in the earth?
Lamoni does not know the word God, but he believes in a Great Spirit. Ammon starts there: This is God.
29And he said: Yea, I believe that he created all things which are in the earth; but I do not know the heavens. 30And Ammon said unto him: The heavens is a place where God dwells and all his holy angels. 31And king Lamoni said: Is it above the earth? 32And Ammon said: Yea, and he looketh down upon all the children of men; and he knows all the thoughts and intents of the heart; for by his hand were they all created from the beginning. 33And king Lamoni said: I believe all these things which thou hast spoken. Art thou sent from God?
Ammon teaches that the Great Spirit created all things in heaven and earth, and that heaven is where God and His holy angels dwell.
God knows all the thoughts and intents of the heart, because He created us. This explains how Ammon knew the king's thoughts: God revealed them.
34Ammon said unto him: I am a man; and man in the beginning was created after the image of God, and I am called by his Holy Spirit to teach these things unto this people, that they may be brought to a knowledge of that which is just and true; 35And a portion of that Spirit dwelleth in me, which giveth me knowledge, and also power according to my faith and desires which are in God.
Ammon explains who he is: a man, made like everyone else in the image of God, called by the Holy Spirit to teach. His knowledge and power come from that Spirit.
Alma 18:36-43From the Creation to the Coming of Christ
36Now when Ammon had said these words, he began at the creation of the world, and also the creation of Adam, and told him all the things concerning the fall of man, and rehearsed and laid before him the records and the holy scriptures of the people, which had been spoken by the prophets, even down to the time that their father, Lehi, left Jerusalem. 37And he also rehearsed unto them (for it was unto the king and to his servants) all the journeyings of their fathers in the wilderness, and all their sufferings with hunger and thirst, and their travail, and so forth. 38And he also rehearsed unto them concerning the rebellions of Laman and Lemuel, and the sons of Ishmael, yea, all their rebellions did he relate unto them; and he expounded unto them all the records and scriptures from the time that Lehi left Jerusalem down to the present time.
Ammon starts at the beginning: the Creation, Adam, and the Fall. To understand why we need a Savior, we must first understand the Creation and the Fall.
Ammon tells the Lamanites the story of their own ancestors, including Laman and Lemuel's rebellions, from the Nephite record.
39But this is not all; for he expounded unto them the plan of redemption, which was prepared from the foundation of the world; and he also made known unto them concerning the coming of Christ, and all the works of the Lord did he make known unto them. 40And it came to pass that after he had said all these things, and expounded them to the king, that the king believed all his words.
41And he began to cry unto the Lord, saying: O Lord, have mercy; according to thy abundant mercy which thou hast had upon the people of Nephi, have upon me, and my people. 42And now, when he had said this, he fell unto the earth, as if he were dead. 43And it came to pass that his servants took him and carried him in unto his wife, and laid him upon a bed; and he lay as if he were dead for the space of two days and two nights; and his wife, and his sons, and his daughters mourned over him, after the manner of the Lamanites, greatly lamenting his loss.
Lamoni believes and immediately prays for mercy for himself and his people. Then he falls to the earth as if dead, and lies that way for two days and two nights.
Research trail
Sources & further study
These references support the historical, linguistic, manuscript, and contextual notes in this chapter. Scripture remains the primary text; external sources are provided so readers can inspect the research directly.
- LamoniScripture references for King Lamoni, from his meeting with Ammon to his conversion.
- Plan of RedemptionThe plan Ammon expounded to Lamoni, prepared from the foundation of the world (v. 39).
- Fall of Adam and EveWhy Ammon taught the Fall before he taught the Redeemer (v. 36).
- Gloss on RabbanahScholars connect Rabbanah (v. 13) to the Semitic root meaning "great" and compare the editorial explanation that follows it to similar glosses in the Bible.
Where this echoes in Scripture
Surely, This Is More Than a Man
- Luke 16:10He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much.
- Matthew 25:21Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things.
- Alma 17:28Now the king will slay us, as he has our brethren.What the servants feared at the waters of Sebus.
- Romans 2:15Their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another.
I Am a Man, and Am Thy Servant
- Mark 10:51What wilt thou that I should do unto thee?The Savior's question to blind Bartimaeus.
- Acts 10:25-26Cornelius met him, and fell down at his feet… But Peter took him up, saying, Stand up; I myself also am a man.
- Matthew 10:16Be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.
- Alma 12:3He knows all thy thoughts, and thou seest that thy thoughts are made known unto us by his Spirit.Alma and Amulek also perceive thoughts by the Spirit.
- John 20:16She turned herself, and saith unto him, Rabboni; which is to say, Master.
Believest Thou That There Is a God?
- Acts 17:23Whom therefore ye ignorantly worship, him declare I unto you.Paul begins with what the Athenians already believe.
- Alma 22:9-10Is God that Great Spirit that brought our fathers out of the land of Jerusalem? … Yea, he is that Great Spirit.Aaron teaches Lamoni's father the same way.
- Genesis 1:27So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him.
- Moses 6:9In the image of his own body, male and female, created he them.
- Psalm 139:1-2O Lord, thou hast searched me, and known me… thou understandest my thought afar off.
From the Creation to the Coming of Christ
- Luke 24:27Beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.
- 1 Peter 1:19-20The precious blood of Christ… who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world.
- Luke 18:13God be merciful to me a sinner.
- Alma 22:12-14He began from the creation of Adam, reading the scriptures unto the king.Aaron teaches Lamoni's father in the same order.
- D&C 20:17-25He created man, male and female, after his own image… the Almighty God gave his Only Begotten Son.The same sequence, Creation, Fall and Redeemer, in modern revelation.