17 And 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.
18 And 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.
19 And 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.
20 And 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:
21 How 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;
22 Thy 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;
23 Break forth into
joy; sing together ye waste places of Jerusalem; for the Lord hath comforted
his people, he hath redeemed Jerusalem;
24 The 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?
Mosiah 12:17-24
The people had brought Abinadi to the king. Noah cast him into prison. The next action he took was to call his
priests together so decisions could be made about what to do with Abinadi.
Noah put Abinadi in prison pending
trial (Mosiah 12:17). Prisons had limited use in the administration of justice
in ancient Israel and in the ancient Near East … Their main function in Israel
seems to have been the holding of accused persons pending trial or judgment,
particularly when the laws or procedural rules were uncertain … While Abinadi
was being held, Noah met with his priests to discuss what should be done
(Mosiah 12:17–18).70 In
light of the fact that Alma was soon able to attract a sizable group of
converts to follow him and the teachings of Abinadi, Noah and his priests must
have had reason to worry about the threat of Abinadi's growing popularity.[1]
It was decided to bring Abinadi before the priests. They would question him. Their ultimate goas was to confuse him and
get him to give them evidence with which they could accuse him. Ah, the best laid schemes of mice and men.
King Noah cast Abinadi into prison
and called his priests to a council to decide his fate. At a certain point in
the proceeding, agents brought Abinadi before the priests, who began to
question Abinadi, trying to "cross him" so they could find evidence
with which to accuse him. But he "answered them boldly and withstood all
their questions" and "did confound them in all their words" (Mosiah
12:19).[2]
Having brought Abinadi before them, a priest asks Abinadi
what is meant by the words spoken in Isaiah.
He then quotes Isaiah 52:7-10.
21
How 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;
22
Thy 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;
23
Break forth into joy; sing together ye waste places of Jerusalem; for the Lord
hath comforted his people, he hath redeemed Jerusalem;
24
The 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?
Mosiah 12:21-24
Why might they have asked Abinadi about these particular
scriptures from Isaiah?
Now, why do they ask this question?
Well, it's obvious why they ask it … What he is asking is this: If you are a
true prophet, why don't you bring us this good news. Why don't you teach us to
rejoice; that's what prophets teach. This is the kind of message you should
deliver—good tidings that publisheth good and salvation, that bring joy and comfort
to the people. Why aren't you bringing comfort and joy if you are a real
prophet? That was a logical thing to ask because they believed that we should
enjoy ourselves and teach people what they want to hear. If you were a prophet
like this, you would bring us good news.[3]
[2] "What
Meaneth the Words That Are Written?" Abinadi Interprets Isaiah, Ann
Madsen, Maxwell Institute, accessed September 24, 2014.
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