“How Beautiful Upon the Mountains are the Feet of Him That Bringeth Good Tidings”

Ed J. Pinegar, Richard J. Allen

Before the court of the king, Abinadi is subjected to a cross-examination intended to expose his fraudulent claims. One of the priests asks him about the meaning of the scripture from Isaiah which reads, “How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings; that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good; that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth” (Mosiah 12:21; compare Isaiah 52:7). The priest seems to imply with this reference that the gospel should be all about peace and good tidings, comfort and joy rather than inveighing against the good name of the king and his court. In this misguided effort to contrast the biblical prophecy about peace and good news with Abinadi’s divinely commissioned invective against sin, the priest reveals his ignorance of scripture and his serious misjudgment about the power behind Abinadi’s mission as a servant of the Almighty.

Commentaries and Insights on the Book of Mormon, Vol. 1

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