Mosiah 7:12-17

12 And now, when Ammon saw that he was permitted to speak, he went forth and bowed himself before the king; and rising again he said: O king, I am very thankful before God this day that I am yet alive, and am permitted to speak; and I will endeavor to speak with boldness;

13 For I am assured that if ye had known me ye would not have suffered that I should have worn these bands.  For I am Ammon, and am a descendant of Zarahemla, and have come up out of the land of Zarahemla to inquire concerning our brethren, whom Zeniff brought up out of that land.

14 And now, it came to pass that after Limhi had heard the words of Ammon, he was exceedingly glad, and said: Now, I know of a surety that my brethren who were in the land of Zarahemla are yet alive.  And now, I will rejoice; and on the morrow I will cause that my people shall rejoice also.

15 For behold, we are in bondage to the Lamanites, and are taxed with a tax which is grievous to be borne.  And now, behold, our brethren will deliver us out of our bondage, or out of the hands of the Lamanites, and we will be their slaves; for it is better that we be slaves to the Nephites than to pay tribute to the king of the Lamanites.

16 And now, king Limhi commanded his guards that they should no more bind Ammon nor his brethren, but caused that they should go to the hill which was north of Shilom, and bring their brethren into the city, that thereby they might eat, and drink, and rest themselves from the labors of their journey; for they had suffered many things; they had suffered hunger, thirst, and fatigue.

17 And now, it came to pass on the morrow that king Limhi sent a proclamation among all his people, that thereby they might gather themselves together to the temple, to hear the words which he should speak unto them.

Mosiah 7:12-17

Ammon and his party are before King Limhi.  He has asked them to identify themselves and explain what they are doing wandering his kingdom.

Ammon speaks for his party.  Bowing before Limhi, Ammon expresses his thanks he is permitted to speak.  Had they known who he was, his party would not have been taken in bondage.  He introduces himself and informs the King he is a descendant of Zarahemla.  He and his party were sent to determine what happened to Zeniff’s party.

Limhi’s handling of Ammon and his party imply there were others in the new world when Lehi’s party arrived.

“Why were Ammon and company not recognized immediately as Nephites? Was their costume and tongue or accent so much different than what Limhi’s people expected of a Nephite that this put them off? Ammon was a ‘descendant of Zarahemla’ (Mosiah 7:13), a point that he emphasized in his introduction to the king. Does this mean that he somehow looked different than a ‘typical’ Nephite? Or had the Zeniffites had encounters with other non-Nephite types in their area which might have prompted Limhi’s cautious reception?”[1]

Limhi was happy to hear Ammon’s words.  There must have been questions about the survival of the people of Zarahemla.  Limhi rejoiced at learning of their survival.

Limhi explains that they are “in bondage to the Lamanites and are taxed” by the Lamanite king.  We will later read how the Lamanites came upon the people of Limhi and placed them in bondage.  “Therefore 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” (Mosiah 19:15).

Limhi is expecting Ammon and his party to deliver them from their situation.  He went so far as to say, “it is better that we be slaves to the Nephites than to pay tribute to the king of the Lamanites.’

Limhi ordered Ammon and his party to be freed.  A group was also sent out to gather the remaining members of Ammon’s party and bring them into the city.  They were to “eat, and drink, and rest themselves from the labors of their journey.”  The journey was not an easy one and there group had suffered many afflictions.

“After the sixteen messengers were properly identified (see Mosiah 7:13–14), Limhi gathered all his people together at the local temple, where he spoke of bondage and deliverance (see Mosiah 7:17–33).”^[2]  Following Nephite tradition, Limhi sent a proclamation to the people calling on them to gather at the temple.[3]  He would speak to his people.

“At this same time, among the people of Lehi-Nephi, who happened to be in bondage to the Lamanites, ‘king Limhi sent a proclamation among all his people, that thereby they might gather themselves together to the temple, to hear the words which he should speak unto them’ (Mosiah 7:17). Apparently such assemblies were a general practice and not invented by Benjamin.”^[4] 

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[1] When Lehi’s Party Arrived in the Land, Did They Find Others There?  John L. Sorenson, Maxwell Institute website.

[2] Benjamin, the Man: His Place in Nephite History, John W. Welch, Maxwell Institute website.

[3] Ancient Aspects of Nephite Kingship in the Book of Mormon, Todd R. Kerr, Maxwell Institute website.

[4] Old World Ritual in the New World, Hugh Nibley, Maxwell Institute website.