Abish is one of only six women mentioned by name in the Book of Mormon. Abish played a pivotal role in the account of King Lamoni’s conversion. Having been previously but privately converted, it was Abish who “ran forth from house to house, making it known unto the people” of Lamoni’s miraculous experience (19:17).
Often, when we think of missionary work in the Book of Mormon, we think of full-time missionaries like Alma, Ammon, or Aaron. However, one of the most important missionaries in the Book of Mormon was a “member missionary” who took advantage of a prime opportunity to share the gospel with her neighbors—Abish. She was a servant in the king’s household who had been previously “converted to the Lord.” Therefore, “when she saw that all the servants of Lamoni had fallen to the earth, and also her mistress, the queen, and the king, and Ammon lay prostrate upon the earth, she knew that it was the power of God; and supposing that this opportunity, by making known unto the people what had happened among them, that by beholding this scene it would cause them to believe in the power of God, therefore she ran forth from house to house, making it known unto the people.”
We are familiar with the principle, “Every member a missionary.” Abish provides an excellent example of how we can all be member missionaries today. She had kept her testimony alive and therefore readily recognized that it was the power of God that accounted for what was happening to Lamoni and the rest of the royal court. She quickly became anxiously engaged in inviting others to see and share in the experience. When others misunderstood what was happening in the royal household, she facilitated bringing them to the truth. She was in the right place at the right time, and took advantage of an opportunity to bring others to God.
Michael J. Call, “Reading Competency in the Book of Mormon: Abish and Other Model Readers,” BYU Studies, 56, no. 2 (2017): 59–70.
Book of Mormon Central, “What Can We Learn from Abish’s Member-missionary Work? (Alma 19:17),” KnoWhy 374 (October 19, 2017).
Book of Mormon Central, “Why Was Abish Mentioned by Name? (Alma 19:16),” KnoWhy 127 (June 22, 2016).
Book of Mormon Central, “What Does the Abish Story Signal About the Resurrection? (Alma 19:29),” KnoWhy 449 (July 12, 2018).