The sons of Akish were rulers in the Jaredite line, born to Akish after he had taken the throne. Akish had founded his power on a secret combination: he swore his kinsmen by the oaths handed down from Cain, then beheaded his father-in-law, the king Jared, as Jared sat giving audience to his people, and reigned in his stead (Ether 8; Ether 9:5-6). An earlier son of Akish died of starvation in prison after Akish grew jealous of him; the sons treated here were the other sons Akish later begat (Ether 9:7,10).
These sons won the people’s allegiance even though they had sworn to Akish to do all that he desired (Ether 9:10). Because the people sought gain as Akish sought power, the sons of Akish offered them money and so drew away the greater part of the people after them (Ether 9:11).
War then broke out between the sons of Akish and Akish himself, lasting many years and destroying nearly all the people of the kingdom; only thirty survived, along with those who had fled with the house of Omer, the king Akish had earlier overthrown. Omer was afterward restored to the land of his inheritance (Ether 9:12-13).