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Scripture Block
Mosiah 11–17
May 4–10. “A Light … That Can Never Be Darkened”
KnoWhys
Recommended Resources
Learn about the Book of Mormon with verse by verse commentaries from renowned Book of Mormon scholars like John W. Welch and Brant A. Gardner in the ScripturePlus app. Read this week's KnoWhy connected with the Come Follow Me curriculum, and watch a video elucidating an insight in this week's scripture reading.
Reading Plan
Structure your personal scripture study by following a multimedia, day by day plan. Each day's assignment includes the required scripture passages from the Come Follow Me curriculum, as well as suggestions for additional resources to bring context and understanding to your study. To dive deep, skip down to "Additional Resources" for a bibliography on Mosiah 11–17.
Monday
- Scripture: Mosiah 11:1–29
- KnoWhy 406: How Does The Book of Mormon Use a Hebrew Pun on King Noah's Name?
- KnoWhy 516: Why Does the Book of Mosiah Refer to the Exodus Narrative?
Tuesday
- Scripture: Mosiah 12:1–37
- KnoWhy 310: Why Did Abinadi Use a Disguise?
- KnoWhy 89: Why Would Noah’s Priests Quiz Abinadi on Isaiah?
Wednesday
- Scripture: Mosiah 13:1–35
- Chart: Did Abinadi Prophesy against King Noah on Pentecost?
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Quote: “And therein lies a message for every young man and young woman in this Church. You may wonder if it is worth it to take a courageous moral stand in high school or to go on a mission only to have your most cherished beliefs reviled or to strive against much in society that sometimes ridicules a life of religious devotion. Yes, it is worth it, because the alternative is to have our “houses” left unto us “desolate”—desolate individuals, desolate families, desolate neighborhoods, and desolate nations . . .
“Unfortunately, messengers of divinely mandated commandments are often no more popular today than they were anciently, as at least two spit-upon, potato-spattered sister missionaries can now attest. Hate is an ugly word, yet there are those today who would say with the corrupt Ahab, “I hate [the prophet Micaiah]; for he never prophesied good unto me, but always [prophesied] evil.” That kind of hate for a prophet’s honesty cost Abinadi his life. As he said to King Noah: “Because I have told you the truth ye are angry with me. … Because I have spoken the word of God ye have judged me that I am mad” or, we might add, provincial, patriarchal, bigoted, unkind, narrow, outmoded, and elderly.” Holland, Jeffrey R. “The Cost—and Blessings—of Discipleship.” General Conference April 2014. - Quote: “Now, here is my counsel to children. The Lord gave you a commandment with a promise: ‘Honor thy father and thy mother, that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.’ It is the only one of the Ten Commandments with a promise. You may not have parents that are living. In some cases, you may not feel that your parents are worthy of the honor and respect of their children. You may not even have ever known them. But you owe them life. And in every case, even if your life is not lengthened, its quality will be improved simply by remembering your parents with honor.” Eyring, Henry B. “Our Perfect Example.” General Conference October 2009.
Explore Further
- KnoWhy 90: Did Abinadi Prophesy During Pentecost?
Thursday
- Scripture: Mosiah 14:1–12
- KnoWhy 91: Why Did Abinadi Talk About the Suffering Messiah?
- Quote: “Abinadi poignantly taught that ‘God should redeem his people,’ that ‘God himself’ would come down from heaven, take upon himself by birth the form of a man, and ‘go forth in mighty power upon the face of the earth.’ To reinforce that declaration Abinadi quoted the 53rd chapter of Isaiah—surely the most powerful and extended passage regarding Christ in all the Old Testament—developing the symbolism of the Savior not so much as a shepherd but as a sheep.” Holland, Jeffrey R. Christ and the New Covenant, 152. Salt Lake City, UT: Deseret Book, 1997.
- Quote: “Wounded (Hebrew chalal) is better translated as ‘pierced fatally.’ Bruised (Hebrew daka') is more correctly ‘crushed.’ The Servant suffered these pains because of what we had done. President Ezra Taft Benson wrote: ‘He suffered the pains of all men, . . . He suffered as only God could suffer, bearing our griefs, carrying our sorrows, being wounded for our transgressions, voluntarily submitting Himself to the iniquity of us all, just as Isaiah prophesied. (See Isa. 53:4-6.) It was in Gethsemane that Jesus took on Himself the sins of the world, in Gethsemane that His pain was equivalent to the cumulative burden of all men, in Gethsemane that He descended below all things so that all could repent and come to Him. The mortal mind fails to fathom, the tongue cannot express, the pen of man cannot describe the breadth, the depth, the height of the suffering of our Lord—nor His infinite love for us.’ chastisement of our peace was upon him. This passage might read, ‘He suffered the chastisement that brings us peace.’ The suffering of his atonement, which Christ bore, brings us peace as we partake of the blessings of that atonement.” Parry, Donald W., Jay A. Parry, and Tina M. Peterson. Understanding Isaiah, 475. Salt Lake City, UT: Deseret Book, 1998.
Friday
- Scripture: Mosiah 15:1–31
- KnoWhy 92: How is Christ Both the Father and the Son?
- KnoWhy 93: Why Does Abinadi Use the Phrase "the Bands of Death"?
Saturday
- Scripture: Mosiah 16:1–15
- KnoWhy 94: Why Did Abinadi Stretch Forth His Hand as He Prophesied?
- KnoWhy 95: Why Did Book of Mormon Prophets Speak of Future Events as if They Had Already Happened?
Sunday
- Scripture: Mosiah 17:1–20
- Chart: Legal Charges Brought against Abinadi
- KnoWhy 96: Why was Abinadi Scourged with Faggots?
Additional Resources
Mosiah 11
Donaldson, Lee L. “Benjamin and Noah: The Principle of Dominion.” In The Book of Mormon: Mosiah, Salvation Only Through Christ. Edited by Monte S. Nyman and Charles D. Tate, Jr., 49–58. Provo, UT: Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University, 1991.
Smith, Andrew. “Abinadi: A Minor Prophet, A Major Contributor.” Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship 28 (2018): 261–272.
Smoot, Stephen. “Approaching Abinadi.” Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship 28 (2018): 257–260.
Mosiah 11:6,11
Book of Mormon Central. “How Does The Book of Mormon Use a Hebrew Pun on King Noah's Name? (Mosiah 11:6).” KnoWhy 406 (February 8, 2018).
Bowen, Matthew L. “’This Son Shall Comfort Us’: An Onomastic Tale of Two Noahs.” Interpreter: A Journal of Mormon Scripture 23 (2017): 263–298.
Mosiah 11:8
Welch, John W. “Decorative Iron in Early Israel.” In Reexploring the Book of Mormon. Edited by John W. Welch, 133–134. Provo, UT/Salt Lake City: FARMS/Deseret Book, 1992.
Mosiah 11:12
Sorenson, John L. “Towers in the Book of Mormon.” Insights: A Window on the Ancient World 21, no. 2 (2001): 3.
Mosiah 11:15
Book of Mormon Central. “Why Does the Book of Mormon Mention Wine, Vineyards, and Wine-presses? (Mosiah 11:15).” KnoWhy 88 (April 28, 2016).
Mosiah 11:20
Cramer, Lew W. “Abinadi.” In Encyclopedia of Mormonism. Edited by Daniel H. Ludlow. Vol. 1. New York: Macmillan, 1992.
Matthews, Robert J. “Abinadi: The Prophet and Martyr.” In The Book of Mormon: Mosiah, Salvation Only Through Christ, edited by Monte S. Nyman and Charles D. Tate, Jr., 91–111. Provo, UT: Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University, 1991.
Mosiah 11:27
Book of Mormon Central. “Why Does the Book of Mosiah Refer to the Exodus Narrative? (Mosiah 11:27).” KnoWhy 516 (May 16, 2019).
Mosiah 12
Davis, Garold N. “Pattern and Purpose of the Isaiah Commentaries in the Book of Mormon.” In Mormons, Scripture, and the Ancient World: Studies in Honor of John L. Sorenson. Edited by Davis Bitton. Provo, UT: The Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies, 1998.
Welch, John W. “The Trial of Abinadi.” In The Legal Cases in the Book of Mormon, 139–210. Provo, UT: BYU Press/Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship, 2008.
Welch, John W., and Greg Welch. “Legal Charges Brought against Abinadi.” In Charting the Book of Mormon: Visual Aids for Personal Study and Teaching. Provo, UT: Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies, 1999, chart 123.
Mosiah 12:1
Book of Mormon Central. “Why Did Abinadi Use a Disguise? (Mosiah 12:1).” KnoWhy 310 (May 8, 2017).
Goff, Alan. “Abinadi’s Disguise and the Fate of King Noah.” Insights: A Window on the Ancient World 20, no. 12 (2000): 2.
Mosiah 12:2
Calabro, David. “’Stretch Forth Thy Hand and Prophesy’: Hand Gestures in the Book of Mormon.” Journal of the Book of Mormon and Other Restoration Scripture 21, no. 1 (2012): 46–59.
Mosiah 12:3
Rees, Robert A. “Irony in the Book of Mormon.” Journal of Book of Mormon Studies 12, no. 2 (2003): 26–27.
Tvedtnes, John A. “Notes and Communications: ‘As a Garment in a Hot Furnace.’” Journal of Book of Mormon Studies 6, no. 1 (1997): 76–79.
Tvedtnes, John A. “As a Garment in a Hot Furnace.” In Pressing Forward with the Book of Mormon: The FARMS Updates of the 1990s, edited by John W. Welch and Melvin J. Thorne, 127–131. Provo, UT: FARMS, 1999.
Mosiah 12:19
Gee, John. “Book of Mormon Word Usage: To Cross Oneself.” Insights: A Window on the Ancient World 21, no. 6 (2001): 4.
Mosiah 12:20–24
Book of Mormon Central. “Why Would Noah’s Priests Quiz Abinadi on Isaiah? (Mosiah 12:20–21).” KnoWhy 89 (April 29, 2016).
Madsen, Ann N. “’What Meaneth the Words That Are Written?’ Abinadi Interprets Isaiah.” Journal of Book of Mormon Studies 10, no. 1 (2001): 4–15, 78.
Nyman, Monte S. “Abinadi's Commentary on Isaiah.” In The Book of Mormon: Mosiah, Salvation Only Through Christ, edited by Monte S. Nyman and Charles D. Tate, Jr., 161–186. Provo, UT: Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University, 1991.
Welch, John W., and Greg Welch. “Isaiah Passages Listed by Isaiah Reference.” In Charting the Book of Mormon: Visual Aids for Personal Study and Teaching. Provo, UT: Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies, 1999, chart 97.
Mosiah 12:21
Tvedtnes, John A. “’How Beautiful Upon the Mountains.’” In The Most Correct Book: Insights from a Book of Mormon Scholar, 173–175. Salt Lake City: Cornerstone Publishing, 1999.
Mosiah 13
Mosiah 13:5
Book of Mormon Central. “Did Abinadi Prophesy During Pentecost? (Mosiah 13:5).” KnoWhy 90 (May 2, 2016).
Welch, John W., Gordon C. Thomasson, and Robert F. Smith. “Abinadi and Pentecost.” In Reexploring the Book of Mormon. Edited by John W. Welch, 135–138. Provo, UT/Salt Lake City: FARMS/Deseret Book, 1992.
Welch, John W., and Greg Welch. “Did Abinadi Prophesy against King Noah on Pentecost?.” In Charting the Book of Mormon: Visual Aids for Personal Study and Teaching. Provo, UT: Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies, 1999, chart 124.
Mosiah 13:7
Tvedtnes, John A. “His Stewardship Was Fulfilled.” In Pressing Forward with the Book of Mormon: The FARMS Updates of the 1990s, edited by John W. Welch and Melvin J. Thorne, 132–134. Provo, UT: FARMS, 1999.
Tvedtnes, John A. “Notes and Communications: ‘His Stewardship Was Fulfilled.’” Journal of Book of Mormon Studies 5, no. 2 (1996): 169–170.
Mosiah 13:30
Book of Mormon Central. “Were Nephite Prophets Familiar with the Passover Tradition? (Mosiah 13:30).” KnoWhy 420 (March 29, 2018).
Mosiah 13:33
Tvedtnes, John A. “The Messiah, The Book of Mormon, and the Dead Sea Scrolls.” In The Most Correct Book: Insights from a Book of Mormon Scholar, 328–343. Salt Lake City: Cornerstone Publishing, 1999.
Mosiah 13:35
Thompson, A. Keith. “The Doctrine of Resurrection in the Book of Mormon.” Interpreter: A Journal of Mormon Scripture 16 (2015): 101–129.
Hilton, III, John, and Jana Johnson. “Who Uses the Word Resurrection in the Book of Mormon and How Is It Used?” Journal of the Book of Mormon and Other Restoration Scripture 21, no. 2 (2012): 30–39.
Mosiah 14
Welch, John W. “Isaiah 53, Mosiah 14, and the Book of Mormon.” In Isaiah in the Book of Mormon. Edited by Donald W. Parry and John W. Welch, 293–312. Provo, UT: Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies, 1998.
Welch, John W., and Greg Welch. “Isaiah Passages Listed by Isaiah Reference.” In Charting the Book of Mormon: Visual Aids for Personal Study and Teaching. Provo, UT: Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies, 1999, chart 97.
Mosiah 14:4
Book of Mormon Central. “Why Did Abinadi Talk About the Suffering Messiah? (Mosiah 14:4).” KnoWhy 91 (May 3, 2016).
Mosiah 15
Mosiah 15:1–4
Book of Mormon Central. “How is Christ Both the Father and the Son? (Mosiah 15:2).” KnoWhy 92 (May 4, 2016).
Clark, Robert E. “The Type at the Border: An Inquiry into Book of Mormon Typology.” Journal of Book of Mormon Studies 2, no. 2 (1993): 63–77.
Hoskisson, Paul Y. “The Fatherhood of Christ and the Atonement.” Religious Educator 1, no. 1 (2000): 71–80.
Maxwell, Neal A. “The Children of Christ.” In The Book of Mormon: Mosiah, Salvation Only Through Christ. Edited by Monte S. Nyman and Charles D. Tate, Jr. Provo: Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University, 1991, 1–21.
Millet, Robert L. “The Ministry of the Father and the Son.” In The Book of Mormon: The Keystone Scripture. Edited by Paul R. Cheesman, S. Kent Brown and Charles D. Tate, Jr., 44–72. Provo, UT: Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University, 1988.
Parker, Jared T. “Abinadi on the Father and the Son: Interpretation and Application,” in Living the Book of Mormon: Abiding by Its Precepts, ed. Gaye Strathearn and Charles Swift (Provo, UT: Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University; Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2007), 136–50.
Ray, Brian K. “Adoption and Atonement: Becoming Sons and Daughters of Christ.” Religious Educator 6, no. 3 (2005): 129–136.
Mosiah 15:5–9
Welch, John W., and Greg Welch. “Consistent Elements in Nephite Declarations of Faith.” In Charting the Book of Mormon: Visual Aids for Personal Study and Teaching. Provo, UT: Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies, 1999, chart 43.
Mosiah 15:8
Book of Mormon Central. “Why Does Abinadi Use the Phrase "the Bands of Death"? (Mosiah 15:8).” KnoWhy 93 (May 5, 2016).
Childs, Larry G. “Present Participle Adjuncts in the Book of Mormon.” Journal of Book of Mormon Studies 6, no. 1 (1997): 24–38.
Mosiah 15:10–11
Baker, LeGrand L., and Stephen D. Ricks. “Abinadi: The Drama’s Sacral Kingship is About Being a Child of God.” In Who Shall Ascend into the Hill of the Lord?: The Psalms in Israel’s Temple Worship in the Old Testament and in the Book of Mormon, 489–519. 2nd ed. Salt Lake City: Eborn Books, 2011.
Mosiah 15:20–26
Thompson, A. Keith. “The Doctrine of Resurrection in the Book of Mormon.” Interpreter: A Journal of Mormon Scripture 16 (2015): 101–129.
Hilton, III, John, and Jana Johnson. “Who Uses the Word Resurrection in the Book of Mormon and How Is It Used?” Journal of the Book of Mormon and Other Restoration Scripture 21, no. 2 (2012): 30–39.
Mosiah 16
Mosiah 16:1
Book of Mormon Central. “Why Did Abinadi Stretch Forth His Hand as He Prophesied? (Mosiah 16:1).” KnoWhy 94 (May 6, 2016).
Calabro, David. “’Stretch Forth Thy Hand and Prophesy’: Hand Gestures in the Book of Mormon.” Journal of the Book of Mormon and Other Restoration Scripture 21, no. 1 (2012): 46–59.
Mosiah 16:3
Skinner, Andrew C. “Serpent Symbols and Salvation in the Ancient Near East and the Book of Mormon.” Journal of Book of Mormon Studies 10, no. 2 (2001): 42–55, 70–71.
Skinner, Andrew C.“Savior, Satan, and Serpent: The Duality of a Symbol in the Scriptures.” In The Disciple as Scholar: Essays on Scripture and the Ancient World in Honor of Richard Lloyd Anderson. Edited by Stephen D. Ricks, Donald W. Parry and Andrew H. Hedges, 359–384. Provo, UT: Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies, 2000.
Mosiah 16:6
Book of Mormon Central. “Why Did Book of Mormon Prophets Speak of Future Events as if They Had Already Happened? (Mosiah 16:6).” KnoWhy 95 (May 9, 2016).
Ricks, Stephen D. “I Have a Question: Can you explain the use of verb tenses in prophecy?.” Ensign (August 1988).
Mosiah 16:15
Thompson, A. Keith. “The Doctrine of Resurrection in the Book of Mormon.” Interpreter: A Journal of Mormon Scripture 16 (2015): 101–129.
Hilton, III, John, and Jana Johnson. “Who Uses the Word Resurrection in the Book of Mormon and How Is It Used?” Journal of the Book of Mormon and Other Restoration Scripture 21, no. 2 (2012): 30–39.
Mosiah 17
Mosiah 17:2
Bowen, Matthew L. “Alma — Young Man, Hidden Prophet.” Interpreter: A Journal of Mormon Scripture 19 (2016): 343–353.
Bowen, Matthew L. “’And He Was a Young Man’: The Literary Preservation of Alma’s Autobiographical Wordplay.” Insights: A Window on the Ancient World 30, no. 4 (2010): 2–3.
Bowen, Matthew L. “He Did Go About Secretly´´: Additional Thoughts on the Literary Use of Alma’s Name.” Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship 27 (2017): 197–212.
Hoskisson, Paul Y. “What’s in a Name? Alma as a Hebrew Name.” Journal of Book of Mormon Studies 7, no. 1 (1998): 72–73.
Ricks, Stephen D. “Some Notes on Book of Mormon Names.” Interpreter: A Journal of Mormon Scripture 4 (2013): 155–160.
Szink, Terrence L., Berrett, LaMar C., and S. Kent Brown. “New Light: Further Evidence of a Semitic Alma.” Journal of Book of Mormon Studies 8, no. 1 (1999): 64–70, 79.
Szink, Terry L. “The Personal Name 'Alma' at Ebla.” Religious Educator: Perspectives on the Restored Gospel 1, no. 1 (2000): 53–56.
Mosiah 17:4
Hilton, III, John. “Textual Similarities in the Words of Abinadi and Alma's Counsel to Corianton.” BYU Studies 51, no. 2 (2012): 39–60.
Mosiah 17:13
Book of Mormon Central. “Why was Abinadi Scourged with Faggots? (Mosiah 17:13).” KnoWhy 96 (May 10, 2016).
Gardner, Brant. “Scourging with Faggots.” Insights: A Window on the Ancient World 21, no. 7 (2001): 2–3.
Skousen, Royal. “’Scourged’ vs. ‘Scorched’ in Mosiah 17:13.” Insights: A Window on the Ancient World 22, no. 3 (2002):