Helaman 2:1-5

Chapter 2

Helaman the second becomes chief judge—Gadianton leads the band of Kishkumen—Helaman's servant slays Kishkumen, and the Gadianton band flees into the wilderness. About 50–49 B.C.

¹ AND it came to pass in the forty and second year of the reign of the judges [50 B.C.], after Moronihah had established again peace between the Nephites and the Lamanites, behold there was no one to fill the judgment–seat; therefore there began to be a contention again among the people concerning who should fill the judgment–seat. ² And it came to pass that Helaman, who was the son of Helaman, was appointed to fill the judgment–seat, by the voice of the people.

³ But behold, Kishkumen, who had murdered Pahoran, did lay wait to destroy Helaman also; and he was upheld by his band, who had entered into a covenant that no one should know his wickedness. ⁴ For there was one Gadianton, who was exceedingly expert in many words, and also in his craft, to carry on the secret work of murder and of robbery; therefore he became the leader of the band of Kishkumen. ⁵ Therefore he did flatter them, and also Kishkumen, that if they would place him in the judgment–seat he would grant unto those who belonged to his band that they should be placed in power and authority among the people; therefore Kishkumen sought to destroy Helaman.

Helaman 2:1 – 5 (Emphasis mine)

With the war over, a replacement for Pacumeni needed to be found.  The judgment-seat was patriarchal in nature, so it would be natural for a son of Pahoran₁, Pahoran₂, or Pacumeni to fill it.  Mormon told us that only three of Pahoran₁’s sons were interested in the judgment-seat (“Now these are not all the sons of Pahoran (for he had many), but these are they who did contend for the judgment–seat… - Helaman 1:4).  Those sons not previously interested in filling the judgment-seat apparently still did not want to sit in the judgment-seat. 

No mention is made of sons of Pahoran₂ and Pacumeni being considered.    This leaves us with three possibilities.  (1) They had no sons.  (2) They had sons, but they were too young to be considered for the judgment-seat.  (3) They had sons, but they had no desire to sit in the judgment-seat.  The line of Pahoran₁ on the judgment-seat ended here. 

The people turned to Helaman₃, the son of Helaman₂, the grandson of Alma₂, a previous chief judge.  He was appointed to the judgment-seat by the voice of the people.

As we look at Nephite history, we can point to verse 3 as the beginning of the end of the Nephite civilization.  It will remain for almost half a millennia, but the foundation for its destruction is laid by a man named Gadianton.  Gadianton “was exceedingly expert in many words, and also in his craft, to carry on the secret work of murder and of robbery.” 

We know nothing about Gadianton. He suddenly appears in the record.  He may well have been a member of the band who took the opportunity to take over leadership when it became available.  He may have been an outsider who is introduced to the band.  All we know that, is through words and flattery, he “became the leader of the band of Kishkumen.”    

It is here that the secret combinations become a part of Nephite society.  Hugh Nibley explains the future consequences and results.

“When Nephite missionaries came among the Zoramites, a general assembly was held to discuss the threat to vested interests, ‘for it did destroy their craft’ (Alma 35:3). Finally in Gadianton we find an out-and-out criminal using the intellectual appeal and garb of reason as an instrument to achieve his ends. This Gadianton ‘was exceedingly expert in many words’ (Helaman 2:4), and in the end he ‘did prove the overthrow, yea, almost the entire destruction of the people of Nephi’ (Helaman 2:13). And it all began with perfectly reasonable and plausible talk.”[1]  (Emphasis mine)

Anyone who does not believe in the effects of the spoken word need look no further than Gadianton.  The destruction of the Nephites began “with perfectly reasonable and plausible talk.”  President Obama once said, “words matter.”  You can find no better example of this than Gadianton.

He wanted to sit on the judgment-seat.  He promised Kishkumen and the rest of the band “they should be placed in power and authority among the people” if they placed him on the judgment-seat.  Kishkumen “sought to destroy Helaman₃” to make this possible.

Richard Rust writes about the implications of the Gadianton robbers.

“The nature, rise, and effect of secret combinations is a third significant type of narrative which is reinforced and confirmed by repetition. We anticipate the problem of Gadiantonism in Jacob's speaking of the Devil's stirring up secret combinations, Nephi's prophecies of secret combinations among the Gentiles, and Alma₂'s testimony that the Jaredites were destroyed because of their secret works (2 Nephi 9:9; 26:22; Alma 37:30). Then the character of secret combinations is presented dramatically and frighteningly in the detailed accounts of Kishkumen and Gadianton and their band (Helaman 2–3, 6–8, 11) and of Akish's machinations (Ether 8). One account confirms the other. Together they help reinforce Moroni's warning:

“And they have caused the destruction of this people of whom I am now speaking [the Jaredites], and also the destruction of the people of Nephi. And whatsoever nation shall uphold such secret combinations, to get power and gain, until they shall spread over the nation, behold, they shall be destroyed. (Ether 8:21–22)”[2]  (Emphasis mine)

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[1] The Way of the "Intellectuals", Hugh W. Nibley, Provo, Utah: Maxwell Institute, accessed June 8, 2012.

[2] Recurrence in Book of Mormon Narratives, Richard Dilworth Rust, Provo, Utah: Maxwell Institute, accessed June 8, 2012.