THE BOOK OF MOSIAH
CHAPTER 11
King Noah rules in wickedness—He revels in riotous living with his
wives and concubines—Abinadi prophesies that the people will be taken into bondage—His life is sought by King Noah. [Between 160 and 150 B.C.]
1 AND now it came to pass that Zeniff conferred the kingdom upon Noah, one of his sons; therefore Noah began to reign in his stead; and he [ Noah ] did not walk in the ways of his father. [ Sets the context for the type of man that Noah was. ]
2 For behold, he did not keep the commandments of God, but he did walk after the desires of his own heart. [ Is this not good commentary for us that when we choose to not keep the commands of God we are just following or doing what we want not what God wants us to do. ] And he had many wives and concubines. [ Practices polygamy himself, ] And he did cause his people to commit sin, [ How did he do this? too lax of laws? Bad example? What else? ] and do that which was abominable in the sight of the Lord. Yea, and they did commit whoredoms [ Prostitution ] and all manner of wickedness. [ All other forms of corruption that follow. When the role of the family breaks down then society has a tendency to do so as well. ]
3 And he laid a tax of one fifth part of all they possessed, [ 20% tax ] a fifth part of their gold and of their silver, and a fifth part of their ziff, and of their copper, and of their brass and their iron; and a fifth part of their fatlings; and also a fifth part of all their grain.
4 And all this did he take to support himself, [ The reason for the tax was to support his lifestyle, not to help other citizens who may have been in need. So those problems appear to not have been addressed - he is thinking only of himself. A soft lifestyle begets sin and corruption. Mark Anthony story. A few things that he has built for his lavish lifestyle: an elaborate palace fro himself with elevated sitting area for the priests (8-11)A high tower so he can view the entire land (12) He also has another tower built on the highest hill north of Shilom, a location which was popular among the first settlers of the land, the original Nephites (v. 13). He also has a wine press built and vineyards planted all about (v. 15)] and his wives and his concubines; and also his priests, and their wives and their concubines; thus he had changed the affairs of the kingdom.
5 For he put down all the priests that had been consecrated by his father, [ replaces the righteous priest with ones of his own liking - or ones that will serve him and not God. After all what King wants to be reminded that he is sinning - it is easier to put priests in place that have the same standards. ] and consecrated [ Consecration is not the same as ordination (on consecration see 23:17, 2 Ne. 6:2, Alma 2:9; on ordination see Alma 13:1-3). Consecration means to be dedicated to a particular service. There is no mention of ordination, only consecration. Thus, these priests were probably already ordained priests, they were just the more arrogant self-promoting ones whom Zeniff had little use for. This would explain where Alma gets his authority from. He was already an ordained priest under Zeniff, but did not rise to a position of authority under Zeniff because of his vanity. Under Noah he is consecrated and elevation to a position of power, and abuses it. But, when confronted by Abinadi, he repents and spearheads a reform movements wherein he baptizes and so on, having obtained the authority to baptize (cf. 18:13-14) during Zeniff's reign but doing little or nothing with it until some time later. ] new ones in their stead, such as were lifted up in the pride of their hearts.
6 Yea, and thus they were supported in their laziness, [ for them to be supported in laziness it had to come on the backs of others. ] and in their idolatry, [ greed, pride, power, exploitations the things that men of the world worship more than God. "Man cannot worship God and mammon". Mammon becomes the "idol" when it becomes the purpose of power whether it be in the shape of a coin or a calf. ] and in their whoredoms, by the taxes which king Noah had put upon his people; thus did the people labor exceedingly [ How much harder does one have to work when they are supporting so many that are not working but spend their days determining how to spend more? ] to support iniquity.
7 Yea, and they [ The people ] also became idolatrous, [ ] because they were deceived by the vain and flattering words of the king and priests; for they did speak flattering things unto them.
8 And it came to pass that king Noah built many elegant and spacious buildings; and he ornamented them with fine work of wood, and of all manner of precious things, of gold, and of silver, and of iron, and of brass, and of ziff, and of copper;
9 And he also built him a spacious palace, and a throne in the midst thereof, all of which was of fine wood and was ornamented with gold and silver and with precious things.
10 And he also caused that his workmen should work all manner of fine work [ How could Joseph Smith have known? Cognates are related words that come from the same root. For example, the English noun student is cognate to the verb study and the adjective studious. In Hebrew, a verb is sometimes followed by a noun that is a cognate, such as "wrote upon it a writing" (Exodus 39:30) and "she vowed a vow" (1 Samuel 1:11). In English, cognates are used much less often. Using such cognates is often considered an awkward or inelegant style in English. someone writing in English would be more likely to use "she vowed" or "she made a vow." Even in translation from the Hebrew, the King James Bible sometimes avoids using cognates. In Genesis 1:11, a literal translation of the Hebrew would be "Let the earth grass grass," but the English translation reads "Let the earth bring forth grass." The Book of Mormon uses cognates much more often than we would expect if the book had originally been written in English. These cognates show the Hebrew influence of the original. "work all manner of fine work" instead of work well. (The Maxwell Institute - Hebrew Background of the Book Of Mormon - http://maxwellinstitute.byu.edu/publications/books/?bookid=72&chapid=862) ] within the walls of the temple, of fine wood, and of copper, and of brass.
11 And the seats which were set apart for the high priests, which were above all the other seats, he did ornament with pure gold; and he caused a breastwork to be built before them, that they might rest their bodies and their arms upon while they should speak lying and vain words to his people.
12 And it came to pass that he built a tower near the temple; yea, a very high tower, even so high that he could stand upon the top thereof and overlook the land of Shilom, and also the land of Shemlon, which was possessed by the Lamanites; and he could even look over all the land round about.
13 And it came to pass that he caused many buildings to be built in the land Shilom; and he caused a great tower to be built on the hill north of the land Shilom, [ Which was the highest hill north of Shilom. ] which had been a resort for the children [ Ancient Disneyland... ] of Nephi at the time they fled out of the land; and thus he did do with the riches which he obtained by the taxation of his people.
14 And it came to pass that he placed his heart upon his riches, [ He is caught up in his own self worth and pride. If his heart is upon his riches then his decisions are centered upon them too. ] and he spent his time in riotous living with his wives and his concubines; and so did also his priests spend their time with harlots. [ Not only does he participate; but he permits his religious leaders to do so as well. Ever wonder how much of the spirit they would have access too? They were not even trying to live close to the commandments of God. They did not really care about the commandments of God either - they too cared about themselves and their riches. ]
15 And it came to pass that he planted vineyards round about in the land; and he built wine-presses, and made wine in abundance; and therefore he became a wine-bibber, and also his people.
16 And it came to pass that the Lamanites began to come in upon his people, upon small numbers, and to slay them in their fields, and while they were tending their flocks.
17 And king Noah sent guards round about the land to keep them off; but he did not send a sufficient number, and the Lamanites came upon them and killed them, and drove many of their flocks out of the land; thus the Lamanites began to destroy them, and to exercise their hatred upon them.
18 And it came to pass that king Noah sent his armies against them, and they were driven back, or they drove them back for a time; therefore, they returned rejoicing in their spoil.
19 And now, because of this great victory they were lifted up in the pride of their hearts; they did boast in their own strength, saying that their fifty could stand against thousands of the Lamanites; and thus they did boast, and did delight in blood, and the shedding of the blood of their brethren, and this because of the wickedness of their king and priests. [ The commentary here by Mormon a great leader n battle himself - his comments are sarcastic in nature; kind of a slap in the face to their boasting! He makes sure to place the blame squarely on the shoulders of their leaders. Where Zeniff lead to people to Christ Noah makes every effort to lead them away from Christ. ]
20 And it came to pass that there was a man among them whose name was Abinadi; [ Abinadi was among them he lived with them so he did not come from the outside. There is a very good possibility that he was one of the priests of Zeniff and was put out by king Noah vs 5. Notice how his authority is not questioned Possible because he had been a priest of Zeniff - - but they do try to badmouth him and to argue doctrine with him. He could have also been the son of one of the priests of Zeniff and raised in a righteous environment. “Abinadi”, as the name would read in Hebrew would be “avi-nadi”, meaning “my father is Nadi”. Perhaps “Nadi” was one of Zeniff’s priests, and this is why his name is important.] *and he went forth among them, and began to prophesy, saying: Behold, thus saith the Lord, and thus hath he commanded me, saying, Go forth, and say unto this people, thus saith the Lord—Wo be unto this people, for I have seen their abominations, and their wickedness, and their whoredoms; and except they repent I will visit them in mine anger.
21 And except they repent and turn to the Lord their God, behold, I will deliver them into the hands of their enemies; [ Abinadi give them a warning this time as directed by the Lord. Compare this to Mosiah 12:2 where two years later Abinadi returns and the warning is changed to a prophecy of what is going to happen because they did not heed this command. ] yea, and they shall be brought into bondage; and they shall be afflicted by the hand of their enemies.
22 And it shall come to pass that they shall know that I am the Lord their God, and am a jealous God, [ see also Exod 20:5 - an impassioned God ] visiting the iniquities of my people.
23 And it shall come to pass that except [ The people still have their agency ] this people repent and turn unto the Lord their God, they shall be brought into bondage; and none shall deliver them, except it be the Lord the Almighty God. [ Fulfilled in Mosiah 21:5 ]
24 Yea, and it shall come to pass that when they shall cry unto me I will be slow to hear their cries; yea, and I will suffer them that they be smitten by their enemies. [ verse 24 & 25 need to be read together and do not stand alone. They explain that God is not merciless - but he does become slow to hear the cries of those who are slow to repent. Fulfilled in Mosiah 21:15 ]
25 And except they repent in sackcloth and ashes, and cry mightily to the Lord their God, I will not hear their prayers, neither will I deliver them out of their afflictions; and thus saith the Lord, and thus hath he commanded me.
26 Now it came to pass that when Abinadi had spoken these words unto them they were wroth with him, and sought to take away his life; but the Lord delivered him out of their hands.
27 Now when king Noah had heard of the words which Abinadi had spoken unto the people, he was also wroth; [ Why? Because he was used to having his own way, he did not want anyone to tell him what was right and wrong, he thought he was God in a way as he says why should he be judged of God. He has i pretty good he is living the high life on the backs of others with his heavy taxes; so of coarse he would not want anything to change. ] and he said: Who is Abinadi, that I and my people should be judged of him, or who is the Lord, that shall bring upon my people such great affliction? [ If we look carefully at this sentence King Noah is not asking who is Abinidi, but rather he is stating that while we know who Abinidi is that Abinidi has no standing in his court so we don't have to listen to him. Maybe Abinidi was one of the previous priests, but is not now. If we look at Omni 1:30 we might get a good idea who Abinidi is and where he learned so much of the scriptures. If we look at King Noah he does not either know God, he has no respect for the power of God; hence he does he fear him. Abinadi is in pretty good company here since he and his standing is with the Lord. There must have been some who were listening to Abinadi and it was causing some trouble for King Noah - hence he needed to cut him down; stop him. ]
28 I command you to bring Abinadi hither, that I may slay him, [ an effort to show who has the power here. Note all of the contextual ME me me; I, I ] for he has said these things that he might stir up my people to anger one with another, [ or rather he has taught doctrine that I do not like to hear and I do not want it taught anywhere in the kingdom. It is doctrine that King Noah has heard and been taught by his father so he does know better. One more proof that when men turn away from God they become hard hearted, cold and really do everything they can to drive the spirit away. ]and to raise contentions among my people; therefore I will slay him. [ If you do not like someone or wha they are doing just kill them. It is what Satan taught Cain before he killed Able. He is most likely saying what a lot of people are thinking anyway. They do not like the lifestyle that he is living while they have to work so hard and pay so many taxes. So King Noah does not want to let his message gain any traction - So the best thing for him to do is remove Abinadi. ]
29 Now the eyes of the people were blinded; [ some were fooled others chose not to see; and others did not want to know] therefore they hardened their hearts against the words of Abinadi, and they sought from that time forward to take him. And king Noah hardened his heart against the word of the Lord, and he did not repent of his evil doings.
* Verse 20 [About 150 B.C.].