Mosiah 12
People in this chapter
Two years after he first warned King Noah's people, Abinadi comes back. This time he comes in disguise, that they knew him not (v. 1), and his message is sharper. The people will be smitten, driven, and brought into bondage, and Noah's life shall be valued even as a garment in a hot furnace (v. 3).
Tap any highlighted phrase to jump to the commentary that unpacks it.
Mosiah 12:1-8Abinadi Came Among Them in Disguise
1And it came to pass that after the space of two years that Abinadi came among them in disguise, that they knew him not, and began to prophesy among them, saying: Thus has the Lord commanded me, saying—Abinadi, go and prophesy unto this my people, for they have hardened their hearts against my words; they have repented not of their evil doings; therefore, I will visit them in my anger, yea, in my fierce anger will I visit them in their iniquities and abominations. 2Yea, wo be unto this generation! And the Lord said unto me: Stretch forth thy hand and prophesy, saying: Thus saith the Lord, it shall come to pass that this generation, because of their iniquities, shall be brought into bondage, and shall be smitten on the cheek; yea, and shall be driven by men, and shall be slain; and the vultures of the air, and the dogs, yea, and the wild beasts, shall devour their flesh.
Abinadi had been ordered killed, so he came back in disguise. The Lord's charge to him is the same: the people have hardened their hearts, so the warning must be given again.
Abinadi's prophecies were specific: smitten on the cheek, driven like animals, burdens on their backs. Mosiah 21 records each of them coming true.
3And it shall come to pass that the life of king Noah shall be valued even as a garment in a hot furnace; for he shall know that I am the Lord. 4And it shall come to pass that I will smite this my people with sore afflictions, yea, with famine and with pestilence; and I will cause that they shall howl all the day long. 5Yea, and I will cause that they shall have burdens lashed upon their backs; and they shall be driven before like a dumb ass. 6And it shall come to pass that I will send forth hail among them, and it shall smite them; and they shall also be smitten with the east wind; and insects shall pester their land also, and devour their grain. 7And they shall be smitten with a great pestilence—and all this will I do because of their iniquities and abominations.
Abinadi prophesied that Noah's life would be like a garment in a hot furnace. Years later Noah's own men put him to death by fire (Mosiah 19:20).
8And it shall come to pass that except they repent I will utterly destroy them from off the face of the earth; yet they shall leave a record behind them, and I will preserve them for other nations which shall possess the land; yea, even this will I do that I may discover the abominations of this people to other nations. And many things did Abinadi prophesy against this people.
The Lord says that even if this people is destroyed, their record will be preserved for other nations. You are reading that record now.
Mosiah 12:9-17We Are Guiltless
9And it came to pass that they were angry with him; and they took him and carried him bound before the king, and said unto the king: Behold, we have brought a man before thee who has prophesied evil concerning thy people, and saith that God will destroy them. 10And he also prophesieth evil concerning thy life, and saith that thy life shall be as a garment in a furnace of fire. 11And again, he saith that thou shalt be as a stalk, even as a dry stalk of the field, which is run over by the beasts and trodden under foot. 12And again, he saith thou shalt be as the blossoms of a thistle, which, when it is fully ripe, if the wind bloweth, it is driven forth upon the face of the land. And he pretendeth the Lord hath spoken it. And he saith all this shall come upon thee except thou repent, and this because of thine iniquities.
The people tie Abinadi up and bring him to the king. They report what he said, but they call it his own words, saying he only pretendeth the Lord had spoken.
13And now, O king, what great evil hast thou done, or what great sins have thy people committed, that we should be condemned of God or judged of this man? 14And now, O king, behold, we are guiltless, and thou, O king, hast not sinned; therefore, this man has lied concerning you, and he has prophesied in vain. 15And behold, we are strong, we shall not come into bondage, or be taken captive by our enemies; yea, and thou hast prospered in the land, and thou shalt also prosper. 16Behold, here is the man, we deliver him into thy hands; thou mayest do with him as seemeth thee good.
The people tell the king, we are guiltless and we are strong. They believe they cannot be brought into bondage. That confidence was the very thing the prophet warned against.
17And it came to pass that king Noah caused that Abinadi should be cast into prison; and he commanded that the priests should gather themselves together that he might hold a council with them what he should do with him.
Noah puts Abinadi in prison and calls his priests together to decide what to do with him.
Mosiah 12:18-24How Beautiful upon the Mountains
18And it came to pass that they said unto the king: Bring him hither that we may question him; and the king commanded that he should be brought before them. 19And they began to question him, that they might cross him, that thereby they might have wherewith to accuse him; but he answered them boldly, and withstood all their questions, yea, to their astonishment; for he did withstand them in all their questions, and did confound them in all their words.
The priests question Abinadi to trip him up so they can accuse him. He answers boldly and confounds them in everything they say.
20And it came to pass that one of them said unto him: What meaneth the words which are written, and which have been taught by our fathers, saying: 21How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings; that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good; that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth;
One priest asks Abinadi to explain Isaiah 52:7-10, words taught by our fathers. They have the scriptures, but they do not understand them.
22Thy watchmen shall lift up the voice; with the voice together shall they sing; for they shall see eye to eye when the Lord shall bring again Zion; 23Break forth into joy; sing together ye waste places of Jerusalem; for the Lord hath comforted his people, he hath redeemed Jerusalem; 24The Lord hath made bare his holy arm in the eyes of all the nations, and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God?
The passage promises a day when watchmen shall see eye to eye, the Lord will bring again Zion, and He will comfort and redeem His people.
The Lord made bare his holy arm, rolling up His sleeve to act, so that all the ends of the earth will see His salvation. Isaiah's next words, which Abinadi quotes in Mosiah 14, ask who will recognize that arm.
Mosiah 12:25-32Ye Have Not Applied Your Hearts to Understanding
25And now Abinadi said unto them: Are you priests, and pretend to teach this people, and to understand the spirit of prophesying, and yet desire to know of me what these things mean? 26I say unto you, wo be unto you for perverting the ways of the Lord! For if ye understand these things ye have not taught them; therefore, ye have perverted the ways of the Lord. 27Ye have not applied your hearts to understanding; therefore, ye have not been wise. Therefore, what teach ye this people?
Abinadi turns the question around. They are the priests, so why are they asking him? If they understood, they would have taught it. They have not applied their hearts to understanding.
28And they said: We teach the law of Moses. 29And again he said unto them: If ye teach the law of Moses why do ye not keep it? Why do ye set your hearts upon riches? Why do ye commit whoredoms and spend your strength with harlots, yea, and cause this people to commit sin, that the Lord has cause to send me to prophesy against this people, yea, even a great evil against this people? 30Know ye not that I speak the truth? Yea, ye know that I speak the truth; and you ought to tremble before God.
The priests say they teach the law of Moses. Abinadi asks why they don't keep it, and names their sins: riches, immorality, and leading the people into sin.
31And it shall come to pass that ye shall be smitten for your iniquities, for ye have said that ye teach the law of Moses. And what know ye concerning the law of Moses? Doth salvation come by the law of Moses? What say ye? 32And they answered and said that salvation did come by the law of Moses.
Abinadi asks the key question: Doth salvation come by the law of Moses? The priests say yes. He answers it in Mosiah 13:28: the law alone cannot save, and salvation comes through the atonement God Himself will make.
Mosiah 12:33-37Thou Shalt Have No Other God Before Me
33But now Abinadi said unto them: I know if ye keep the commandments of God ye shall be saved; yea, if ye keep the commandments which the Lord delivered unto Moses in the mount of Sinai, saying: 34I am the Lord thy God, who hath brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
Abinadi meets the priests on their own ground. If they want to talk about the law of Moses, he will recite it, starting with the commandments given on Sinai.
The commandments begin by naming who God is: the One who brought Israel out of the house of bondage. Noah's people, who will soon be in bondage, had forgotten Him.
35Thou shalt have no other God before me. 36Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing in heaven above, or things which are in the earth beneath. 37Now Abinadi said unto them, Have ye done all this? I say unto you, Nay, ye have not. And have ye taught this people that they should do all these things? I say unto you, Nay, ye have not.
The first two commandments forbid other gods and graven images. Noah's priests had led the people into idolatry (Mosiah 11:6-7). Abinadi asks, Have ye done all this? and answers, Nay.
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.
- Why Did Abinadi Use a Disguise?Scholars compare Abinadi's disguise with Old Testament accounts of prophets who came to kings in disguise.
- Did Abinadi Prophesy During Pentecost?A scholarly proposal that Abinadi's return may have come at the festival celebrating the giving of the law at Sinai.
- AbinadiAn overview of Abinadi's ministry and martyrdom, with references through Mosiah 11-17.
- Ten CommandmentsThe commandments Abinadi begins to recite in verses 34-36 and finishes in Mosiah 13.
Where this echoes in Scripture
Abinadi Came Among Them in Disguise
- Mosiah 21:3-4They would smite them on their cheeks... and drive them as they would a dumb ass.Verses 2 and 5, fulfilled.
- Mosiah 19:20They... caused that he should suffer, even unto death by fire.Verse 3, fulfilled.
- 1 Kings 20:38-42The prophet... waited for the king by the way, and disguised himself with ashes upon his face.Another prophet who came to a king in disguise.
- 2 Peter 3:9The Lord... is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish.
- Mormon 8:35Behold, I speak unto you as if ye were present, and yet ye are not.The record was preserved for later readers.
We Are Guiltless
- 1 John 1:8-9If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves... If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us.
- Mosiah 19:15Deliver up their property, even one half of all they possessed.What became of the boast in verse 15.
- Revelation 3:17Thou sayest, I am rich... and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched.
- Mosiah 17:2There was one among them whose name was Alma... and he believed the words which Abinadi had spoken.The one priest in this council who listened.
How Beautiful upon the Mountains
- Mosiah 15:14-18How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that is the founder of peace, yea, even the Lord.Abinadi's answer to the priests' question.
- Romans 10:15How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace.Paul quotes the same verse.
- 3 Nephi 20:40How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings unto them.The risen Savior quotes it to the Nephites.
- Luke 11:53-54Seeking to catch something out of his mouth, that they might accuse him.The same tactic used against Jesus.
- D&C 128:19How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of those that bring glad tidings of good things.Joseph Smith applies Isaiah's words to the Restoration.
Ye Have Not Applied Your Hearts to Understanding
- D&C 8:2-3I will tell you in your mind and in your heart, by the Holy Ghost.
- Romans 2:21-23Thou therefore which teachest another, teachest thou not thyself?
- Mosiah 13:28Salvation doth not come by the law alone.Abinadi's answer to verse 31.
- 2 Nephi 25:24-26We talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ.How the Nephites kept the law while looking to Christ.
- Proverbs 2:2Incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thine heart to understanding.The same phrase in the Old Testament.
Thou Shalt Have No Other God Before Me
- Exodus 20:2-4I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
- Matthew 22:37-38Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart... This is the first and great commandment.
- Mosiah 11:6-7They also became idolatrous, because they were deceived by the vain and flattering words of the king and priests.
- D&C 1:16Every man walketh in his own way, and after the image of his own god.Idolatry in the latter days.