Mosiah 19
People in this chapter
Abinadi is dead and Alma has escaped into the wilderness with about four hundred and fifty believers (Mosiah 18:35). King Noah's army comes back empty-handed (v. 1). His forces are smaller now, and his people begin to turn on him.
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Mosiah 19:1-8Gideon, Spare Me
1And it came to pass that the army of the king returned, having searched in vain for the people of the Lord. 2And now behold, the forces of the king were small, having been reduced, and there began to be a division among the remainder of the people. 3And the lesser part began to breathe out threatenings against the king, and there began to be a great contention among them.
The king's army could not find Alma's people. With a smaller army and an unhappy people, Noah's kingdom begins to split apart.
4And now there was a man among them whose name was Gideon, and he being a strong man and an enemy to the king, therefore he drew his sword, and swore in his wrath that he would slay the king. 5And it came to pass that he fought with the king; and when the king saw that he was about to overpower him, he fled and ran and got upon the tower which was near the temple. 6And Gideon pursued after him and was about to get upon the tower to slay the king, and the king cast his eyes round about towards the land of Shemlon, and behold, the army of the Lamanites were within the borders of the land. 7And now the king cried out in the anguish of his soul, saying: Gideon, spare me, for the Lamanites are upon us, and they will destroy us; yea, they will destroy my people. 8And now the king was not so much concerned about his people as he was about his own life; nevertheless, Gideon did spare his life.
Gideon, an enemy of the king, attacks Noah. Noah flees up his tower, sees the Lamanite army coming, and begs for his life. Gideon spares him.
Mosiah 19:9-17They Would Not Leave Them
9And the king commanded the people that they should flee before the Lamanites, and he himself did go before them, and they did flee into the wilderness, with their women and their children. 10And it came to pass that the Lamanites did pursue them, and did overtake them, and began to slay them. 11Now it came to pass that the king commanded them that all the men should leave their wives and their children, and flee before the Lamanites. 12Now there were many that would not leave them, but had rather stay and perish with them. And the rest left their wives and their children and fled.
13And it came to pass that those who tarried with their wives and their children caused that their fair daughters should stand forth and plead with the Lamanites that they would not slay them. 14And it came to pass that the Lamanites had compassion on them, for they were charmed with the beauty of their women. 15Therefore the Lamanites did spare their lives, and took them captives and carried them back to the land of Nephi, and granted unto them that they might possess the land, under the conditions that they would deliver up king Noah into the hands of the Lamanites, and deliver up their property, even one half of all they possessed, one half of their gold, and their silver, and all their precious things, and thus they should pay tribute to the king of the Lamanites from year to year.
Those who stayed sent their daughters to plead for mercy, and the Lamanites spared them. But the price was heavy: they had to hand over Noah and pay half of everything they owned every year.
16And now there was one of the sons of the king among those that were taken captive, whose name was Limhi. 17And now Limhi was desirous that his father should not be destroyed; nevertheless, Limhi was not ignorant of the iniquities of his father, he himself being a just man.
Limhi, Noah's son, is among the captives. He did not want his father destroyed, and he also knew his father's sins, and he himself was a just man.
Mosiah 19:18-29Even unto Death by Fire
18And it came to pass that Gideon sent men into the wilderness secretly, to search for the king and those that were with him. And it came to pass that they met the people in the wilderness, all save the king and his priests. 19Now they had sworn in their hearts that they would return to the land of Nephi, and if their wives and their children were slain, and also those that had tarried with them, that they would seek revenge, and also perish with them. 20And the king commanded them that they should not return; and they were angry with the king, and caused that he should suffer, even unto death by fire. 21And they were about to take the priests also and put them to death, and they fled before them.
The men who fled with Noah regret leaving their families. When Noah forbids them to go back, they put him to death by fire, just as Abinadi had prophesied. The priests escape.
22And it came to pass that they were about to return to the land of Nephi, and they met the men of Gideon. And the men of Gideon told them of all that had happened to their wives and their children; and that the Lamanites had granted unto them that they might possess the land by paying a tribute to the Lamanites of one half of all they possessed. 23And the people told the men of Gideon that they had slain the king, and his priests had fled from them farther into the wilderness. 24And it came to pass that after they had ended the ceremony, that they returned to the land of Nephi, rejoicing, because their wives and their children were not slain; and they told Gideon what they had done to the king.
Gideon's men find the others in the wilderness and tell them their families are alive. They return home rejoicing.
25And it came to pass that the king of the Lamanites made an oath unto them, that his people should not slay them. 26And also Limhi, being the son of the king, having the kingdom conferred upon him by the people, made oath unto the king of the Lamanites that his people should pay tribute unto him, even one half of all they possessed. 27And it came to pass that Limhi began to establish the kingdom and to establish peace among his people. 28And the king of the Lamanites set guards round about the land, that he might keep the people of Limhi in the land, that they might not depart into the wilderness; and he did support his guards out of the tribute which he did receive from the Nephites. 29And now king Limhi did have continual peace in his kingdom for the space of two years, that the Lamanites did not molest them nor seek to destroy them.
The people make Limhi king. He agrees to pay the Lamanites half of everything and works to bring peace. The Lamanites set guards to keep the people from leaving.
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.
Where this echoes in Scripture
Gideon, Spare Me
- Mosiah 11:12He built a tower near the temple; yea, a very high tower... and overlook the land of Shilom, and also the land of Shemlon.The tower Noah built with his people's taxes.
- Alma 1:8Gideon... was an instrument in the hands of God in delivering the people of Limhi out of bondage.
- Proverbs 16:32He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city.
- 1 Samuel 24:10I will not put forth mine hand against my lord.David spares a king who had sought his life.
They Would Not Leave Them
- John 10:11-13The good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. But he that is an hireling... leaveth the sheep, and fleeth.
- Ezekiel 34:2Woe be to the shepherds of Israel that do feed themselves! should not the shepherds feed the flocks?
- Mosiah 11:21-23They shall be brought into bondage; and none shall deliver them, except it be the Lord the Almighty God.Abinadi's first prophecy to Noah's people.
- Mosiah 7:22We at this time do pay tribute to the king of the Lamanites... even one half of all we have or possess.Limhi describes the same tribute years later.
Even unto Death by Fire
- Mosiah 12:3The life of king Noah shall be valued even as a garment in a hot furnace.Abinadi's prophecy, now fulfilled.
- Mosiah 17:18Ye shall suffer, as I suffer, the pains of death by fire.
- Mosiah 21:15The Lord was slow to hear their cry because of their iniquities; nevertheless the Lord did hear their cries.How the bondage begun here will end.
- Galatians 6:7Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.
- D&C 1:38Whether by mine own voice or by the voice of my servants, it is the same.