Abinadi bleakly and literally foretells the fate of the king.
Literature: Perhaps both the form and the metaphor of this curse derive from Old World sources. Although specific Nephite remembrance of Old World customs were certainly limited, the retention of certain literary structures, passed intact through the generations, is not beyond possibility, just as ritual practices from the law of Moses could also be retained. In this context, John Tvedtnes summarized Mark Morrise’s research and commented:
In Mosiah 12:3, Abinadi prophesied “that the life of king Noah shall be valued even as a garment in a hot furnace.” Noah’s priests reported the words a little differently, “thy life shall be as a garment in a furnace of fire” (Mosiah 12:10). The prophecy was fulfilled when King Noah was burned to death (see Mosiah 19:20).
Mark J. Morrise has shown that Abinadi’s words fit the pattern of a simile curse, in which the subject of the curse is likened to a specific event; Morrise provides many examples, such as the following from an Aramaic treaty of approximately 750 B.C.:
[“] Just as this… is burned by fire, so shall Arpad be burned. [”]
Hugh Nibley suggested that Abinadi borrowed from the simile curse in Isaiah 50:9, 11 (cited in 2 Ne. 7:9, 11): “Who is he that shall condemn me? lo, they all shall wax old as a garment, and the moth shall eat them up.… Behold, all ye that kindle a fire, that compass yourselves about with sparks: walk in the light of your fire, and in the sparks that ye have kindled.”
But the Isaiah parallel is only a partial one, for verse 11 (which mentions fire) has nothing to do with the garment which is consumed by the moth, not the fire. If there are parallels to be found, one might expect them to include both the garment and the fire and possibly the furnace. Yet no such complete parallels are forthcoming from the Old Testament or other ancient Near Eastern literature. Nevertheless, there are some partial parallels.
The Law of Moses provides that a garment visibly tainted by the plague is to be burned (see Leviticus 13:52, 57; compare Jude 1:23). While the Lord knew about germs, the ancient Israelites did not. Therefore, the burning of garments to prevent the spread of disease would not have been reasonable before the nineteenth century, when people learned that microorganisms caused diseases. But the burning of a man’s possessions after his death is very common in “primitive” cultures throughout the world. Typically, all his personal possessions would be brought into his house (usually a rather insubstantial structure in such societies), which would then be set on fire. In this way, the deceased would not be able to find his possessions and would be free to move on to the world of spirits. In such cases, we have the garment and the fire, but not the furnace.
A ceremonial burning of worn-out priestly clothing took place in the Jerusalem temple of Christ’s time during the Feast of Tabernacles. Located above the court of the women were huge cups in which olive oil was burned; these garments served as wicks. Just as priests who developed bodily infirmities were disqualified from performing priestly functions under the Law of Moses (see Lev. 21:17–23), so, too, their worn clothing became unsuited for temple service.