Rhetoric: Belief in the “ancient prophecies,” by which Korihor means Nephite prophets, creates certain requirements on how Nephites live. Those rules and regulations necessarily restrict the Nephites from certain activities, which Korihor describes as bondage. Of course, if the prophecies are true, then there is a reason for the rules and commandments. But Korihor asserts that they are not true and that the bondage is harmful and unnecessary.
Literature: David P. Wright, an Old Testament scholar, suggests that verses 24–26 form a particular device he terms statement-counterstatement. This form is a parallel listing of statements in which each statement is countered in the next phrase:
a Ye say that this people is a free people,
b behold, I say these are in bondage
c Ye say that those ancient prophecies are true,
d behold, I say that ye do not know that they are true
e Ye say that this people is a guilty and a fallen people
f because of the transgression of a parent,
g behold, I say that a child is not guilty because of its parents.
h And ye also say that Christ shall come,
i but, behold, I say that ye do not know that there shall be a Christ.
j And ye say also that he shall be slain for the sins of the world—
Korihor first makes a statement about what the people believe (a, c, e, h) and then refutes it (b, d, g, i). The last item in the series contains only a statement (j) with no refutation, but this is intuited by the momentum of the passage. The third statement contains an extra explanatory tag (f) not found in the other cases. Each statement contains the initial elements “ye… say that.” The counterstatements begin with “behold, I say that.” This form… sets up a rhythmic expectation. Its tempo is much slower than [a list], but it draws the reader’s attention to its message just as well. This form which sets ideas off against one another is particularly apt as a miniature reflection of the larger political and religious conflict between Korihor and Alma.