King Noah Suffered Death by Fire

John W. Welch

Abinadi had prophesied that if King Noah did not repent, Noah himself would be burned by fire. So, when some of the people became angry with the king, they caused "that he should suffer, even unto death by fire," that violent end was the precise and immediate fulfillment of that prophecy (17:15–18). Ironically, but truthfully, Abinadi had prophesied that the life of King Noah would be "valued even as a garment in a hot furnace; for he shall know that I am the Lord (Mosiah 12:3)." These violent events demonstrated that Abinadi was a true prophet, and Noah, having falsely accused Abinadi, suffered the punishment he had applied incorrectly to Abinadi, as Deuteronomy 19:16–19 requires:

If a false witness rise up against any man to testify against him that which is wrong; Then both the men, between whom the controversy is, shall stand before the Lord, before the priests and the judges, which shall be in those days; And the judges shall make diligent inquisition: and, behold, if the witness be a false witness, and hath testified falsely against his brother; Then shall ye do unto him, as he had thought to have done unto his brother: so shalt thou put the evil away from among you.

Further Reading

Book of Mormon Central, "Why was Abinadi Scourged with Faggots? (Mosiah 17:13)," KnoWhy 96 (May 10, 2016).

John W. Welch Notes

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