51 And now when the chief judge saw this, he put forth his hand and wrote unto Korihor, saying: Art thou convinced of the power of God? In whom did ye desire that Alma should show forth his sign? Would ye that he should afflict others, to show unto thee a sign? Behold, he has showed unto you a sign; and now will ye dispute more?
52 And Korihor put forth his hand and wrote, saying: I know that I am dumb, for I cannot speak; and I know that nothing save it were the power of God could bring this upon me; yea, and I always knew that there was a God.
53 But behold, the devil hath deceived me; for he appeared unto me in the form of an angel, and said unto me: Go and reclaim this people, for they have all gone astray after an unknown God. And he said unto me: There is no God; yea, and he taught me that which I should say. And I have taught his words; and I taught them because they were pleasing unto the carnal mind; and I taught them, even until I had much success, insomuch that I verily believed that they were true; and for this cause I withstood the truth, even until I have brought this great curse upon me.
Alma 30:51-53 (Emphasis mine)
Korihor has received his sign. He can neither hear nor speak.
The chief judge wrote him a note that asked, “Are you convinced there is a God and He has power? Will you still challenge God and argue against Him?”
For the first time in this account, we begin to see the type of person Korihor truly is. He confesses that only God could have done this. And, he says he always knew there was a God.
See, it’s all the devil’s fault. He deceived me. He appeared as an angle, told me there is no God, and taught all I should say. As I taught this, and had so much success, I actually began to believe my lies. I have brought this curse upon me.
13 For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ.
14 And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.
2 Corinthians 11:13-14 (Emphasis mine)
Richard Rust comments on the justice in Korihor’s punishment.
“There is poetic justice in this consequence: a man whose unrighteous influence depended on his skillful use of words is struck dumb at his own proud insistence. The power of Korihor's language is overcome by the power of God through Alma. To the chief judge's query, ‘Art thou convinced of the power of God?’ (Alma 30:51), Korihor in his extremity writes the truth. In its simplicity and in its emphasis on knowing, Korihor's subdued statement contrasts sharply with his earlier taunting disbelief: ‘I know that I am dumb, for I cannot speak; and I know that nothing save it were the power of God could bring this upon me; yea, and I always knew that there was a God’ (Alma 30:52).” [1] (Emphasis mine)
54 Now when he had said this, he besought that Alma should pray unto God, that the curse might be taken from him.
55 But Alma said unto him: If this curse should be taken from thee thou wouldst again lead away the hearts of this people; therefore, it shall be unto thee even as the Lord will.
56 And it came to pass that the curse was not taken off of Korihor; but he was cast out, and went about from house to house begging for his food.
Alma 30:54-56 (Emphasis mine)
Korihor felt that his confession was enough. He then asked Alma(2) to pray and ask God to remove his curse. But Alma(2) knew better.
If I did this, he said, you would go back to your evil ways. You would again lead people away from the truth, so the curse stays.
Korihor, once a proud, arrogant, and prominent man, was then force to beg for his very survival.
57 Now the knowledge of what had happened unto Korihor was immediately published throughout all the land; yea, the proclamation was sent forth by the chief judge to all the people in the land, declaring unto those who had believed in the words of Korihor that they must speedily repent, lest the same judgments would come unto them.
58 And it came to pass that they were all convinced of the wickedness of Korihor; therefore they were all converted again unto the Lord; and this put an end to the iniquity after the manner of Korihor. And Korihor did go about from house to house, begging food for his support.
59 And it came to pass that as he went forth among the people, yea, among a people who had separated themselves from the Nephites and called themselves Zoramites, being led by a man whose name was Zoram—and as he went forth amongst them, behold, he was run upon and trodden down, even until he was dead.
60 And thus we see the end of him who perverteth the ways of the Lord; and thus we see that the devil will not support his children at the last day, but doth speedily drag them down to hell.
Alma 30:57-60 (Emphasis mine)
The chief judge published a proclamation throughout the land telling the people what had happened to Korihor. They must speedily repent “lest the same judgments would come unto them.” Korihor’s converts repented and returned to the Lord.
Korihor met a violent end. He eventually left and went among the Zoramites. They were a group of proud and arrogant Nephite dissidents. No doubt, he believed not only would he feel more comfortable among these people, but also that they were kindred spirits. Korihor was also a Nephite dissident.
Instead, he met was trampled by a mob. (We have no idea what was responsible for his being trampled by this mob.)
We close the story of Korihor with the wisdom and insight of Mormon. He reminds us that if we serve the devil, he will not support us at the last day. He will drag us down to hell.
Dennis and Sandra Packard provide and interesting comparison of Alma(2) and Korihor.
“How are Alma the Younger and Korihor alike and different? Alma and Korihor were both gifted speakers who used their persuasive powers to flatter and deceive people into leaving the church and into committing sin. Both were struck dumb for their iniquities, Alma in terror over an angel's warning, and Korihor by a prophet in response to his request for a sign. The similarity ends there. Alma accepted responsibility for his sins, ‘repenting nigh unto death’ (Mosiah 27:28) and becoming a great missionary of righteousness. Korihor, on the other hand, blamed his sins on the devil, who, he said, appeared to him as an angel of light. He didn't repent and died dumb. The prophet who struck Korihor dumb was the then mature Alma. His own past and repentance must have given him insight into Korihor's soul, for he told Korihor, ‘If this curse should be taken from thee thou wouldst again lead away the hearts of this people; therefore, it shall be unto thee even as the Lord will’ (Alma 30:55).” [2] (Emphasis mine)
[1] "To Show unto the Remnant of the House of Israel" - Narrators and Narratives, Richard Dilworth Rust, Provo, Utah: Maxwell Institute, accessed November 20, 2011.
[2] Pondering the Word, Dennis Packard, and Sandra Packard, Provo, Utah: Maxwell Institute, accessed November 20, 2011.
