Chapter 20
The Lord sends Ammon
to Middoni to deliver his imprisoned brethren—Ammon and Lamoni meet Lamoni’s
father, who is king over all the land—Ammon compels the old king to approve the
release of his brethren. About 90 B.C.
1 And it came to pass
that when they had established a church in that land, that king Lamoni desired
that Ammon should go with him to the land of Nephi, that he might show him unto
his father.
2 And the voice of the
Lord came to Ammon, saying: Thou shalt not go up to the land of Nephi, for
behold, the king will seek thy life; but thou shalt go to the land of Middoni;
for behold, thy brother Aaron, and also Muloki and Ammah are in prison.
3 Now it came to pass that
when Ammon had heard this, he said unto Lamoni: Behold, my brother and brethren
are in prison at Middoni, and I go that I may deliver them.
4 Now Lamoni said unto
Ammon: I know, in the strength of the Lord thou canst do all things. But
behold, I will go with thee to the land of Middoni; for the king of the land of
Middoni, whose name is Antiomno, is a friend unto me; therefore I go to the
land of Middoni, that I may flatter the king of the land, and he will cast thy
brethren out of prison. Now Lamoni said unto him: Who told thee that thy
brethren were in prison?
5 And Ammon said unto
him: No one hath told me, save it be God; and he said unto me—Go and deliver
thy brethren, for they are in prison in the land of Middoni.
6 Now when Lamoni had
heard this he caused that his servants should make ready his horses and his
chariots.
7 And he said unto
Ammon: Come, I will go with thee down to the land of Middoni, and there I will
plead with the king that he will cast thy brethren out of prison.
8 And it came to pass
that as Ammon and Lamoni were journeying thither, they met the father of
Lamoni, who was king over all the land.
9 And behold, the
father of Lamoni said unto him: Why did ye not come to the feast on that great
day when I made a feast unto my sons, and unto my people?
10 And he also said:
Whither art thou going with this Nephite, who is one of the children of a liar?
11 And it came to pass
that Lamoni rehearsed unto him whither he was going, for he feared to offend
him.
12 And he also told
him all the cause of his tarrying in his own kingdom, that he did not go unto
his father to the feast which he had prepared.
13 And now when Lamoni
had rehearsed unto him all these things, behold, to his astonishment, his
father was angry with him, and said: Lamoni, thou art going to deliver these
Nephites, who are sons of a liar. Behold, he robbed our fathers; and now his
children are also come amongst us that they may, by their cunning and their
lyings, deceive us, that they again may rob us of our property.
14 Now the father of
Lamoni commanded him that he should slay Ammon with the sword. And he also
commanded him that he should not go to the land of Middoni, but that he should
return with him to the land of Ishmael.
15 But Lamoni said
unto him: I will not slay Ammon, neither will I return to the land of Ishmael,
but I go to the land of Middoni that I may release the brethren of Ammon, for I
know that they are just men and holy prophets of the true God.
16 Now when his father
had heard these words, he was angry with him, and he drew his sword that he
might smite him to the earth.
17 But Ammon stood
forth and said unto him: Behold, thou shalt not slay thy son; nevertheless, it
were better that he should fall than thee, for behold, he has repented of his
sins; but if thou shouldst fall at this time, in thine anger, thy soul could
not be saved.
18 And again, it is
expedient that thou shouldst forbear; for if thou shouldst slay thy son, he
being an innocent man, his blood would cry from the ground to the Lord his God,
for vengeance to come upon thee; and perhaps thou wouldst lose thy soul.
19 Now when Ammon had
said these words unto him, he answered him, saying: I know that if I should
slay my son, that I should shed innocent blood; for it is thou that hast sought
to destroy him.
20 And he stretched
forth his hand to slay Ammon. But Ammon withstood his blows, and also smote his
arm that he could not use it.
21 Now when the king
saw that Ammon could slay him, he began to plead with Ammon that he would spare
his life.
22 But Ammon raised
his sword, and said unto him: Behold, I will smite thee except thou wilt grant
unto me that my brethren may be cast out of prison.
23 Now the king,
fearing he should lose his life, said: If thou wilt spare me I will grant unto
thee whatsoever thou wilt ask, even to half of the kingdom.
24 Now when Ammon saw
that he had wrought upon the old king according to his desire, he said unto
him: If thou wilt grant that my brethren may be cast out of prison, and also
that Lamoni may retain his kingdom, and that ye be not displeased with him, but
grant that he may do according to his own desires in whatsoever thing he
thinketh, then will I spare thee; otherwise I will smite thee to the earth.
25 Now when Ammon had
said these words, the king began to rejoice because of his life. (Alma 20:1-25)
Under King Lamoni’s direction, Ammon established a church in
his kingdom. Once that was done, he wanted him to travel with him to the land
of Nephi and meet his father.
But, the Lord spoke to Ammon. He was told not to go to the
land of Nephi. Lamoni’s father would attempt to kill him. Instead, he was told
to go to the land of Middoni. His brother Aaron, as well as two of their party,
Muloki and Ammah, were in prison.
Hearing this, Lamoni told him he was friend with the Antiomno,
the king of Middoni. He offered to go with him to convince him to release his
brethren.
He asked, who told him they were in prison? The Lord told
him. He was commanded to free his brethren.
Lamoni had his servants prepare his horses and chariots for
their journey.
As they travelled to Middoni, they met Lamoni’s father. He
was king over all the land.
“Lamanite society appears to have been organized into
various lands and cities, with each land apparently presided over by a
territorial king, who in turn was superintended by the king of the entire
Lamanite population. For example, we know that Lamoni and Antiomno were kings
of separate Lamanite lands (Alma 17:21 and 20:4), while king Lamoni’s father
was king ‘over all the land’ (Alma 20:8; 22:1) and had power to restrict or
expand, at least to some degree, the rights of the other kings (Alma 20:24, 26;
21:21).”[1]
When they met, his father was not pleased Lamoni did not attend
the feast he had prepared. “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” (Alma 18:9).
He was also angry that Lamoni was with a Nephite, “who is
one of the children of a liar” (Alma 20:10). Nearly half a millennia has passed,
yet the Lamanites still hate the Nephites because Nephi was more righteous and
faithful than Laman and Lemuel.
“They were a wild, and ferocious, and a blood-thirsty people,
believing in the tradition of their fathers, which is this—Believing that they
were driven out of the land of Jerusalem because of the iniquities of their
fathers, and that they were wronged in the wilderness by their brethren, and
they were also wronged while crossing the sea;
“And again, that they were wronged while in the land of
their first inheritance, after they had crossed the sea, and all this because
that Nephi was more faithful in keeping the commandments of the Lord—therefore
he was favored of the Lord, for the Lord heard his prayers and answered them,
and he took the lead of their journey in the wilderness.
“And his brethren were wroth with him because they
understood not the dealings of the Lord; they were also wroth with him upon the
waters because they hardened their hearts against the Lord.
“And again, they were wroth with him when they had arrived
in the promised land, because they said that he had taken the ruling of the
people out of their hands; and they sought to kill him.
“And again, they were wroth with him because he departed
into the wilderness as the Lord had commanded him, and took the records which
were engraven on the plates of brass, for they said that he robbed them.
“And thus they have taught their children that they should
hate them, and that they should murder them, and that they should rob and
plunder them, and do all they could to destroy them; therefore they have an
eternal hatred towards the children of Nephi” (Mosiah 10:12-17).
Lamoni feared offending his father, so he told him why he
remained in his kingdom, missing his father’s feast.
His father was angry with him. He again reminded him of what,
the Lamanites believed, Nephi had done by robbing Laman and Lemuel of their
birthright. Not only did he rob them, but the Nephites were coming among they
to, by their cunning and lies, deceive them and steal their property.
Lamoni’s father commanded him to kill Ammon. He ordered him not
to go to Middoni, but to return with him to the land of Ishmael. Lamoni
refused. He told him he was going to Middoni to obtain the release of the
prisoners. He testified they were “just men and holy prophets of the true God”
(Alma 20:15).
He father was angry enough that he drew his sword with the
intentions of killing his son. Ammon stopped him. He responded, telling the
king Lamoni would be better off if he had died after repenting of his sins. If
he fell, his soul would be lost.
If he killed his son, he had killed an innocent man. His
blood would cry to the Lord for vengeance. He might well lose his soul.
The king admitted his son was an innocent man. But, it was
Ammon, not him, who desired to destroy his soul. He attempted to kill Ammon,
but he was unsuccessful. Ammon struck his arm. The king could no longer wield
his sword.
Seeing his situation, he pleaded with Ammon, begging him to
spare his life. Ammon said the only way he would spare him is if he orders his
brethren to be released from prison.
He also demanded that Lamoni be allowed to keep his kingdom.
He was not to be displeased with Lamoni, allowing him to retain his kingdom. He
was to have the freedom to do whatever he desired with his kingdom. If he doesn’t
do this, Ammon will slay him.
Hearing this, the king rejoiced his life would be spared.
“Ammon’s journey with Lamoni to the land of Middoni to
deliver his three brothers from prison brings to a climactic focus the question
of power and control (Alma 20). Here, the king over all the land commands
Lamoni to slay Ammon, then tries to kill Ammon himself. However, he is
withstood and put in peril of his life, offering Ammon at that point ‘whatsoever
thou wilt ask, even to the half of the kingdom’ (Alma 20:23). For the third
time refusing earthly glory or power, Ammon asks only for freedom for his
brothers and for Lamoni. This refusal of earthly power opens the way for Ammon
to counter a cause of anger held by the Lamanites for centuries, their belief
that Nephi had robbed them, that Laman and Lemuel’s younger brother had taken
over in both land and leadership. Ammon teaches Lamoni, among other things, ‘concerning
the rebellions of Laman and Lemuel, and the sons of Ishmael [Lamoni is a
descendent of Ishmael], yea, all their rebellions did he relate unto them’ (Alma
18:38). Then before the king over all the land, he responds to the Lamanite
view that the Nephites are sons of a liar and a robber (Nephi; cf. Alma 20:13).
By foregoing earthly power, Ammon shows forth God’s power and thus opens up the
most significant missionary harvest in the Book of Mormon. The editor’s (Mormon’s)
heavily repeated use of the word translated as ‘power’ drives home that point.”[2]
[1] Were
the Ammonites Pacifists? Duane Boyce, Journal of the Book of Mormon and Other
Restoration Scripture 18/1 (2009): 34-35.
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