�鶹��ý

Among the many voices in the Book of Mormon, two relatively minor yet powerful ones are those of Abinadi and Nephi, the son of Helaman (herein referred to as Nephi₂).[1] In some respects, these individuals are similar. Both are Nephite prophets, and both preach to hostile audiences. Both appear to be well versed in scripture, and both make multiple attempts to preach as commanded by the Lord. Although both of their words come mediated through Mormon, there are still distinct differences between their voices as recorded in the Book of Mormon. The purpose of this chapter is to examine these differences and, in so doing, help readers better come to know Abinadi and Nephi₂ as individuals and better understand their messages.

In approximately 150 BC Abinadi was called to preached to a group of Nephites who had been led into wickedness by King Noah and his corrupt priests in the land of Nephi. We do not know anything of Abinadi’s lineage, family situation, or even age (contrary to popular paintings depicting him as an old man). But we do know that when he was called by God to preach, he answered the call.

Abinadi prophesied to the Nephites that they would be placed in bondage if they did not repent. The people tried to kill Abinadi, “but the Lord delivered him out of their hands” (Mosiah 11:26). Two years later, Abinadi again came among the people—this time in disguise—and told them that now bondage would certainly come, and if they did not repent, they would perish. As with his first sermon, this call to repentance was not received well by the Nephites or their king. King Noah ordered Abinadi to be brought before him, where Noah’s priests tried to entrap Abinadi. Abinadi, however, employed the words of Moses and Isaiah to confound Noah and his priests.

So far as we have recorded, Abinadi’s words touched only one individual, a priest named Alma (the Elder), who attempted to defend Abinadi before being forced to flee for his life. Abinadi was sentenced to death by fire, and as the flames scorched his skin, he raised a voice of powerful prophecy and warning. He then sealed his testimony of Jesus Christ by becoming the first recorded martyr in the Book of Mormon. Though death quieted Abinadi’s voice, it did not have the power to silence his prophetic legacy (see chapter 8).

Approximately one hundred years after Abinadi’s death, a man named Nephi₂, the great-great-grandson of Alma the Elder, began his prophetic ministry. In 39 BC Nephi₂ became chief judge of his people and reigned for nine years. In about 30 BC, upon seeing a concerning trend of wickedness among the local Lamanites and Nephites and understanding the power of the word, Nephi₂ gave up his position as chief judge to preach the gospel. He had great success among the Lamanites; however, this was countered by his failure to persuade the Nephites to repent. Nephi₂’s primary appearance in the Book of Mormon occurs as he prays on his garden tower, mourning for the wickedness of the people. While doing so, he attracts the attention of a great multitude, to which he directs an important discourse, including a prophetic declaration of the death of their chief judge. The final time his voice is heard in the Book of Mormon comes when he pleads with the Lord to intervene on behalf of the Nephites.[2]

I chose to compare the voices of Abinadi and Nephi₂ because they are both minor (but significant) voices in the Book of Mormon text who speak about the same number of words (2,788 words attributed to Abinadi, and 2,213 to Nephi₂).[3] Both of them experienced similar circumstances; Abinadi faced an unrighteous court of priests while Nephi₂ confronted members of a scheming secret combination. Both men stepped away from their personal lives to preach to unresponsive audiences. However, despite their similar overall message of crying repentance, Abinadi and Nephi₂ speak differently from each other. In this chapter we will explore these differences by examining both their significant and seemingly insignificant words, as well as their use of quotations.

Significant Words

One clear manifestation of Abinadi’s and Nephi₂’s distinctive speaking styles is found in how they use theologically significant words. Table 4.1 illustrates some of these words and their different usages by Abinadi and Nephi₂.[4]

Table 4.1. Abinadi’s and Nephi₂’s uses of theologically significant words.

Abinadi’s significant words

Many of Abinadi’s significant words relate to Christ and his Atonement. While both prophets preach for the purpose of bringing people to Christ, Abinadi focuses much more on teaching about the Savior’s Atonement and Resurrection than Nephi₂ does. This is manifest in their respective usage counts for words such as resurrection, salvation, redemption, and death.

Abinadi says resurrection sixteen times, more frequently than any other speaker in the Book of Mormon.[5] He speaks about a first resurrection[6] and a resurrection of endless life or of endless damnation.[7] He specifically talks about Christ’s role in resurrection and refers to other prophets’ teachings, saying that Christ “should bring to pass the resurrection of the dead, and that he, himself, should be oppressed and afflicted” (Mosiah 13:35). He also explains that Christ “bringeth to pass the resurrection” (Mosiah 15:20) and that “the sting of death is swallowed up in Christ” (Mosiah 16:8).

Abinadi says salvation ten times,[8] emphasizing that salvation does not come from the law of Moses alone (see Mosiah 13:27–28) but from the Savior. On four occasions he associates salvation with the Lord; for example, “the time shall come that the salvation of the Lord shall be declared to every nation, kindred, tongue, and people” (Mosiah 15:28; see also Mosiah 15:18; 16:1; and 17:15). The word law appears a total of seventeen times in Abinadi’s words. Nine of Abinadi’s uses are part of the exact phrase “law of Moses,”[9] and the other eight refer to the law of Moses, as Abinadi focuses on the importance of Christ in addition to the law for people’s salvation (see Mosiah 13:27–28). In contrast to Abinadi, Nephi₂ never uses the words resurrection, salvation, or law.

Abinadi also employs redeem and redemption a total of nineteen times—again, more frequently than any other speaker.[10] Nearly all Abinadi’s uses of redeem refer to Christ redeeming people. For example, Abinadi says, “I would that ye should understand that God himself shall come down among the children of men, and shall redeem his people” (Mosiah 15:1); “these are they whose sins he has borne; these are they for whom he has died, to redeem them from their transgressions” (Mosiah 15:12); “they are raised to dwell with God who has redeemed them” (Mosiah 15:23); and “redemption cometh through Christ the Lord” (Mosiah 16:15). Abinadi’s purpose is to show that it is Christ who redeems us, not the commandments themselves.

Abinadi also says death thirteen times, compared to Nephi₂’s one.[11] As with the words previously discussed, Abinadi specifically connects death with Christ and his role in the plan of salvation.[12] Abinadi teaches that death no longer has power over people, because “they have eternal life through Christ, who has broken the bands of death” (Mosiah 15:23; see also Mosiah 15:8, 9, 20; 16:7). He also states that “the sting of death is swallowed up in Christ” (Mosiah 16:8) and that “there can be no more death” (Mosiah 16:9). Nephi₂’s one use of death is completely different as Nephi₂ speaks of the murderer of the chief judge, who will “tremble, and shall look pale, even as if death had come upon him” (Helaman 9:33).

Nephi₂’s significant words

Although both Abinadi and Nephi₂ speak to antagonistic audiences, Nephi₂ focuses much more explicitly on repentance than Abinadi does.[13] Nephi₂ says repent fourteen times, while Abinadi says it only three times. Nephi₂ frequently uses except and repent together in some form of the phrase “except ye repent,” which he says eight times, typically associated with strong warnings. For example, he says, “And behold, instead of gathering you, except ye will repent, behold, he shall scatter you forth that ye shall become meat for dogs and wild beasts” (Helaman 7:19) and “O ye ought to begin to howl and mourn, because of the great destruction which at this time doth await you, except ye shall repent” (Helaman 9:22). Proportionally speaking, Nephi₂ uses the words except and repent together more times than any speaker.[14] Abinadi uses the word except only one time, and it is not in connection with repenting (see Mosiah 13:32).

Nephi₂ also focuses on destruction; destroy and destruction appear a total of fourteen times in his words. He employs these words consistently where his voice is heard in the Book of Mormon. Nephi₂’s preaching from his garden tower in Helaman 7 and 8 is focused on warning the people of destruction if they do not repent (Helaman 7:24, 28; 8:20, 21). In Helaman 9 he speaks of the efforts of the people to destroy him (Nephi₂ himself; see Helaman 9:24–25). Similarly, as he prays in Helaman 11, he twice speaks of people being destroyed (verses 4, 11). Conversely, Abinadi employs destroy or destruction only twice—both referring to himself being destroyed (Mosiah 13:3; 17:19). Although Abinadi warns King Noah and his people of the severe consequences of their actions, he uses words other than destroy and destruction to convey his message, such as afflicted or smitten (see Mosiah 12:31; 17:16–18).

Nephi₂ also uses wo in connection with the people’s sins, using the word five times (compared with Abinadi’s one time). One of these is in a question: “Yea, how could you have given way to the enticing of him who is seeking to hurl away your souls down to everlasting misery and endless wo?” (Helaman 7:16). The other four are in proximity to reasons why wo will come unto the people, including having their hearts set on riches, being prideful, uniting with secret combinations, and being wicked in general (Helaman 7:21, 25, 26, 27).

Nephi₂ uses the word testify nine times, and most of the occurrences refer to prophets who testified of Christ (Helaman 8:16, 19, 22). Moreover, each use of testify refers to a prophet testifying of something he knows through revelation. Abinadi never employs this word, although he boldly testifies to Noah and his priests.[15]

References to Deity

Another way that Abinadi and Nephi₂ use significant words differently is in their references to Deity. Table 4.2 illustrates different ways in which Abinadi and Nephi₂ refer to Deity and how many times each does so.

Table 4.2. Abinadi’s and Nephi₂’s references to Deity.[16]

Abinadi refers to Deity fifty more times than Nephi₂ does, with a ratio of 2.39 to 1.[17] This comparison is even starker when we exclusively focus on the public speeches delivered by Abinadi and Nephi₂. Given that eleven of Nephi₂’s references to Deity are when he is addressing the Lord in prayer (in contrast to only one for Abinadi), the references to Deity in public speeches are 85 (Abinadi) to 25 (Nephi₂), a ratio of 3.4 to 1. Part of this could be explained by the fact that Abinadi speaks more regarding the nature of God in Mosiah 15:1–5, but even when those sections are excluded, he still refers to Deity overwhelmingly more often than Nephi₂.[18]

In addition to referring to Deity more times than Nephi₂, Abinadi also uses specific titles that Nephi₂ does not. The most notable is the term Father, which Abinadi uses six times, in addition to twice using the title Eternal Father. Nephi₂ does not use the word Father.

The most notable name for Deity that Nephi₂ uses, which Abinadi does not, is Good Shepherd. Nephi₂ asks the people why they do not “hearken unto the voice of the good shepherd” (Helaman 7:18). This is a rare term for Deity in the Book of Mormon; the only other speaker to use it is Alma.[19]

Names

Another way in which Abinadi and Nephi₂ differ in their use of significant words is in how they reference people’s names. Although Abinadi is much more prone than Nephi₂ to say names of Deity, Nephi₂ refers to mortals more frequently than Abinadi does. Nephi₂ mentions Abraham, Moses, Isaiah, Lehi, Nephi, Jeremiah, Zenock, Zenos, Ezias, Mulek, Zedekiah, Gadianton, Seantum, Seezoram, and Nephi₂ himself. While some of these names are also commonly used by other people in the Book of Mormon (for example, Abraham, Moses, and Isaiah), Nephi₂ seems to have a special propensity for utilizing names. For instance, Lehi speaks more than twice as many words as Nephi₂ and was closer in time to the writings of the brass plates, yet he never mentions Abraham, Moses, or Isaiah by name.

Many of the names Nephi₂ uses are to show people how all prophets have testified of Christ. Referring to Moses, Nephi₂ says, “Did he not bear record that the Son of God should come?” (Helaman 8:14). Then he cites Abraham: “Abraham saw of his coming, and was filled with gladness and did rejoice” (verse 17). After invoking these two great prophets, Nephi₂ lists many more individuals, endeavoring to prove to the people that prophecy—specifically of Jesus Christ—is valid.

Nephi₂ mentions both Zenock and Zenos, stating that they testified of Christ. Mormon, Alma, Nephi, and Amulek are the only other speakers to mention both Zenock and Zenos. Similarly, Jeremiah’s name is used relatively sparingly in the Book of Mormon, especially considering he was a contemporary of Lehi. Of the six times Jeremiah appears in the Book of Mormon, three come from Nephi₂’s words (Helaman 8:20).[20] Nephi₂ also mentions Ezias, another prophet who testified of Christ, and is the only person in the scriptures who speaks of this prophet.[21]

Nephi₂ is one of only four Book of Mormon speakers to say the name Zedekiah and is the only one of these individuals who does not have a historical or clerical reason to refer to him. Most speakers in the Book of Mormon speak of Zedekiah in terms of marking time (for example, 1 Nephi 5:12–13; 3 Nephi, heading). In contrast, Nephi₂ uses the fact that the seed of Zedekiah are among them as proof that Jeremiah’s prophecy was fulfilled concerning the destruction of Jerusalem. Nephi₂ says, “Now we know that Jerusalem was destroyed according to the words of Jeremiah. . . . And now will you dispute that Jerusalem was destroyed? Will ye say that the sons of Zedekiah were not slain, all except it were Mulek? Yea, and do ye not behold that the seed of Zedekiah are with us, and they were driven out of the land of Jerusalem?” (Helaman 8:20–21).[22]

In Nephi₂’s frequent appeals to previous prophets, we perhaps see Nephi₂ looking to the past to establish his credibility. He may also have been seeking escape from the tribulations of his time by taking comfort from what he perceived to be better positions of his predecessors, or perhaps he was mourning a lost sense of community found among saints. When grieving about the wickedness of the people, he referred to the past, saying, “Oh, that I could have had my days in the days when my father Nephi first came out of the land of Jerusalem, that I could have joyed with him in the promised land; then were his people easy to be entreated, firm to keep the commandments of God, and slow to be led to do iniquity; and they were quick to hearken unto the words of the Lord—yea, if my days could have been in those days, then would my soul have had joy in the righteousness of my brethren” (Helaman 7:7–8). It may be that in quoting and citing ancient prophets, Nephi₂ felt a respite from his current conditions by metaphorically surrounding himself with previous prophets.

The remainder of the names Nephi₂ uses are of people living during his lifetime. These people, such as Gadianton, Seezoram, and Seantum, are integral to the central drama of Helaman 8–9. Nephi₂ also refers to himself by name twice. In contrast, Abinadi never mentions himself or any of his contemporaries by name. Considering that he is addressing King Noah, it is odd that he never directly says his name, especially since King Noah calls Abinadi by name three times.[23]

The only two names Abinadi employs are Moses and Isaiah. He says “Moses” eleven times (only Mormon and Nephi say it more); however, nine of those times are part of the phrase “law of Moses.” In contrast, Nephi₂ talks about Moses three times but never says “law of Moses”; rather, he speaks of Moses’s witness of Christ. Abinadi only says Isaiah’s name twice: both times occur when he is beginning to quote from Isaiah. The fact that Nephi₂ mentions fifteen names compared to Abinadi’s two suggests a possible difference in how these two prophets seek to establish credibility for their words.

Insignificant Words

As noted in the previous chapter, analyzing distinct voices in the Book of Mormon is made more difficult—and less objective—by the topics addressed by different speakers. While Abinadi uses resurrection sixteen times and Nephi₂ never says it, it is difficult to determine how much of this difference is influenced by the topics they address. However, an interesting phenomenon appears when one closely compares Abinadi’s and Nephi₂’s use of seemingly insignificant words.

For example, consider the word behold. This is a commonly used word in the Book of Mormon (appearing 1,636 times). Abinadi employs this word in only six instances, while Nephi₂ utilizes it thirty-six times. There is no clear indication why Nephi₂ employs the word so frequently; it appears to be a nuance of his individual voice. Table 4.3 illustrates several of these insignificant words and their relative usages by Abinadi and Nephi₂.

Table 4.3. Use of insignificant words.

In the following sections I provide details on specific patterns concerning some of these seemingly insignificant words.

Connecting clauses

Abinadi and Nephi₂ use different connecting phrases. Abinadi often uses the word thus to connect phrases or ideas[25]—for example, he says, “They are raised to dwell with God who has redeemed them; thus they have eternal life through Christ, who has broken the bands of death” (Mosiah 15:23; see also Mosiah 15:3, 5, 23, 24; 16:4; and 17:19). Nephi₂ never uses thus in this way.[26]

Another way that Abinadi connects ideas is with the phrase “and again.” He uses “and again . . .” to restate a point in a different way or to introduce a quote or paraphrase; these uses account for four out of his five uses of again. Consider two examples:

• Restating his own words: “Because I have told you the truth ye are angry with me. And again, because I have spoken the word of God ye have judged me that I am mad” (Mosiah 13:4).
• Quoting the law of Moses: “Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of things which are in heaven above, or which are in the earth beneath, or which are in the water under the earth. And again: Thou shalt not bow down thyself unto them, nor serve them” (Mosiah 13:12–13).

Nephi₂ never employs the phrase “and again”; in fact, he uses the word again on only one occasion, when he asks the Lord to see if his people will again serve him (see Helaman 11:16).

Clarifying clauses

Abinadi uses the word or to clarify his message, meaning “or, in other words.” For example, he says, “These are his seed, or they are the heirs of the kingdom of God” (Mosiah 15:11); “All those that have believed in [the prophets’] words, or all those that have kept the commandments of God, shall come forth in the first resurrection” (Mosiah 15:22); and “If Christ had not risen from the dead, or have broken the bands of death that the grave should have no victory, and that death should have no sting, there could have been no resurrection” (Mosiah 16:7). While Abinadi shows a consistent pattern of using the word or to clarify an idea he has just set forth, Nephi₂ never utilizes this word.

Great

Nephi₂ utilizes the word great much more frequently than Abinadi. He tends to use it as a modifier, speaking about the people’s “great need” to marvel because of the “great hold” Satan has on their hearts (Helaman 7:15), and he refers to their “great city” and “great cities” (Helaman 7:22). He also speaks of “great knowledge” (Helaman 7:24), and he calls Gadianton’s band a “great abomination” (Helaman 7:25). Nephi₂ explains that “great riches” have corrupted the people (Helaman 7:26), teaches that Moses was given “great power” to part the Red Sea (Helaman 8:13), testifies that people knew of Christ a “great many thousand years” before his coming (Helaman 8:18), and prophesies that “great destruction” awaits the people if they don’t repent (Helaman 9:22). In contrast, Abinadi’s single use of great is found in Mosiah 12:29, which deals with the “great evil” he is accused of prophesying concerning the people. In this instance, Abinadi is echoing the words of the people who captured him and brought him to King Noah (see Mosiah 12:9–10, 13).

O

The word O is sometimes used to begin an exclamation or to address the Lord. Abinadi uses O three times: two instances of “O how beautiful . . .” in reference to Isaiah’s words (Mosiah 15:15, 18), and one when he says “O God, receive my soul” as he dies (Mosiah 17:19). In comparison, Nephi₂ uses O fifteen times. Ten of these uses are part of the phrase “O Lord” that Nephi₂ says in prayer (Helaman 11:4; 11:10–16). However, Nephi₂ also employs the word O in other ways, such as “O repent ye” (Helaman 7:17), “O, how could you” (Helaman 7:20), “O then why not” (Helaman 8:20), “O ye fools” (Helaman 9:21), and “O ye ought to” (Helaman 9:22). From his consistent usage of O, both in prayer and public speaking, we see Nephi₂ putting passion and emphasis into his words. Of individuals who speak more than one thousand words in the Book of Mormon, proportionally speaking, nobody uses the word O more frequently than Nephi₂.[27]

Negatives

Abinadi uses negative words more frequently than Nephi₂ does. Abinadi says words such as “nay,” “not,” and “no” sixty-two times, almost three times as many as Nephi₂, whose negative word count totals twenty-three.[28] For example, Abinadi uses the word no to emphasize what would have happened if there had been no Atonement: “If Christ had not come into the world, . . . there could have been no redemption” (Mosiah 16:6) and “[Without Christ] there could have been no resurrection” (Mosiah 16:7). Nephi₂ does not demonstrate any patterns in how he uses no.

Abinadi also uses the word not to describe what would have happened in the absence of Christ. Abinadi states, “For were it not for the redemption which he hath made for his people, . . . all mankind must have perished” (Mosiah 15:19; see also Mosiah 13:28; 16:4). Abinadi also uses this phrase to describe hypothetical conditions, stating, “If Christ had not come into the world, . . . there could have been no redemption. And if Christ had not risen from the dead, or have broken the bands of death that the grave should have no victory, and that death should have no sting, there could have been no resurrection” (Mosiah 16:6–7). Nephi₂ never utilizes the word not in this way.

Quotation Patterns

A final contrast between Abinadi and Nephi₂ is in their differing tendencies to use quotations. While Nephi₂ never explicitly quotes from mortals, on nine different occasions Abinadi specifically references the words of another prophet,[29] primarily referring to Moses and Isaiah. For example, Abinadi states, “I know if ye keep the commandments of God ye shall be saved; yea, if ye keep the commandments which the Lord delivered unto Moses in the mount of Sinai, saying: I am the Lord thy God . . .” (Mosiah 12:33–34). Abinadi goes on to quote the Ten Commandments. On another occasion, Abinadi prefaces a quote, saying, “Yea, even doth not Isaiah say: Who hath believed our report, and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed?” (Mosiah 14:1), and then quotes Isaiah 53.

In addition to quoting from mortals, Abinadi frequently quotes from the Lord. In total, his quotations of the Lord number 918 words.[30] Both of Abinadi’s initial speeches to the people involve lengthy quotations from the Lord. For example, in Mosiah 11:20 we read,

Mormon

And it came to pass that there was a man among them whose name was Abinadi; and he went forth among them, and began to prophesy, saying:

Abinadi

Behold, thus saith the Lord, and thus hath he commanded me, saying,

The Lord

Go forth, and say unto this people, thus saith the Lord, Wo be unto this people, for I have seen their abominations, and their wickedness, and their whoredoms; and except they repent I will visit them in mine anger.

This quote continues for five verses. Two years later the same pattern takes place as recorded in Mosiah 12:1:

Mormon

And it came to pass that after the space of two years that Abinadi came among them in disguise, that they knew him not, and began to prophesy among them, saying:

Abinadi

Thus has the Lord commanded me, saying—

The Lord

Abinadi, go and prophesy unto this my people, for they have hardened their hearts against my words; they have repented not of their evil doings; therefore, I will visit them in my anger, yea, in my fierce anger will I visit them in their iniquities and abominations.

This quote continues for seven verses. Abinadi continues to quote from the Lord throughout his message to the priests. In contrast, throughout all his words, Nephi₂ quotes from the Lord on only two occasions, for a total of forty-one words.

Therefore, What?

The clear differences between the voices of Abinadi and Nephi₂ suggest that dissimilarities in voices can shine through the processes of abridgment and translation. This may tell us something about Mormon’s efforts to maintain individual voices in the source texts he had access to. As we’ve seen elsewhere in this book, two prophets preaching the same gospel in different ways is another testament to unique authorship in the Book of Mormon. In addition, their distinct voices testify of who these men were as people as well.

Observing the specific ways in which Abinadi and Nephi₂ taught has helped me feel more connected to them as individuals and has provided a deeper feeling of the reality of their words. Abinadi and Nephi₂ are not just people on a page, they are real individuals in real-life situations. Abinadi preached to a people who claimed to follow the law of Moses. They asked him to interpret Isaiah, and in response, Abinadi used specific language to address this specific context. He showed how the law of Moses is fulfilled in Christ and explained that Isaiah’s words centered on the Savior. In response to King Noah’s question “Who is the Lord?” (Mosiah 11:27), Abinadi extensively quoted the Lord.

Nephi₂’s situation, while similar, was not identical. He faced corrupt judges who argued that his prophecy could not come to pass (see Helaman 7:28; 8:6). Nephi₂’s patterns of speaking addressed such an audience, particularly as he provided a series of examples of how prophecies had come to pass. In my mind’s eye, I can picture Nephi₂ mentioning several prophets in succession, energetically saying, “O repent ye, repent ye!” (Helaman 7:17) and urging the people to avoid the “great destruction” that awaits them (Helaman 9:22).

With one hundred years between them, their approaches to truth and testifying were unique, yet their similarities are inspiring as well. Both men followed God into difficult places. Both relied on previous prophets and scripture to teach. And both testified boldly of Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. Their distinctive voices remind me that Abinadi and Nephi₂ are real people who did their best to follow God—setting an example for me to follow.

More than two thousand years have passed since their voices were originally heard, and yet they continue to speak, inviting our own voices to join theirs in faith and testimony. We are all in different circumstances. What similarities do we share with Abinadi and Nephi₂? What will we do with the unique voices God has given us?

Notes

[1] Some of the analysis on the material presented in this chapter was done by Matthew Critchley, a research assistant at Brigham Young University. I acknowledge his work and insights and consider him a coauthor of this chapter.

[2] In Helaman 10:14 Nephi preaches to the people, but the only words we have him recorded as saying are “thus saith the Lord,” followed by a quotation from the Lord.

[3] In both cases their words come to us through the mediation of others. Alma the Elder records the words of Abinadi, and Mormon eventually includes (and likely abridges) Alma the Elder’s record. Likewise, the words we attribute to Nephi₂ come through Mormon’s editing.

[4] Because of the relatively small number of words spoken by Abinadi and Nephi₂, I have not attempted to calculate statistical significance; nevertheless, the stark differences between these speakers clearly indicate different voices.

[5] Although Alma₂ says resurrection more times than Abinadi does, proportionally speaking, Alma₂ uses this word less frequently than Abinadi. Abinadi says resurrection 6.5 times per 1,000 words, while Alma₂ (with 34 uses) says it 1.7 times per 1,000 words.

[6] The only other speakers who use the phrase “first resurrection” are Alma the Elder (Mosiah 18:9) and Alma (Alma 40:15–17).

[7] Abinadi is the only one to say “endless” and “life” together with “resurrection.” While Alma does refer to an “endless state” after the Resurrection (Alma 12:24), Abinadi is also the only one to use the phrase “endless damnation,” though many others use similar phrases, such as “endless torment.”

[8] Abinadi ties with Alma for the speaker who uses this word the most times.

[9] With the exception of Mormon, Abinadi employs this phrase more times than any other individual in the Book of Mormon, and proportionally speaking, Abinadi uses this phrase more frequently than anyone else.

[10] Although Alma says these words more times than Abinadi (30 times), he says them only 1.3 times per 1,000 words spoken, as opposed to Abinadi’s 6.5 times per 1,000 words spoken.

[11] Proportionally speaking, nobody in the Book of Mormon uses the word death more frequently than Abinadi.

[12] In addition, Abinadi speaks of his own death three times.

[13] Even when he prays, Nephi₂ focuses on the repentance of the people. See Helaman 11:4, 10, and 15.

[14] The Lord collocates these words twelve times, more than Nephi₂. However, Nephi₂ does so 3.6 times per 1,000 words spoken while the Lord does it only 1 time per 1,000 words spoken.

[15] Abinadi does not use “testify,” but he does use “teach” while Nephi₂ does not. Refer to table 4.1.

[16] In this table, phrases like “Lord God” and “Son of God” were counted separately from the words “Lord” or “God.”

[17] Abinadi speaks 1.26 words for each word Nephi₂ says; thus we would expect him to utilize any given word slightly more than Nephi₂.

[18] In Mosiah 15:1–5, Abinadi uses names of Deity sixteen times in quick succession as he describes the nature of God.

[19] See also John 10:11, 14.

[20] The other two people who use Jeremiah’s name are Mormon and Nephi₁ (see 1 Nephi 5:13; 7:14; 3 Nephi 19:4).

[21] The name Ezias appears in the Apocrypha once (see 1 Esdras 8:2). See Thomas Wayment, “Joseph Smith’s Developing Relationship with the Apocrypha,” in Approaching Antiquity: Joseph Smith and the Ancient World, ed. Lincoln H. Blumell, Matthew J. Grey, and Andrew H. Hedges (Provo, UT: Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University; Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2015), 339.

[22] Here Nephi₂ mentions the only surviving son of Zedekiah, Mulek, making Nephi₂ the only individual other than Mormon to do so.

[23] Abinadi does quote the Lord as rebuking Noah, as well as the Lord commanding Abinadi by name.

[24] Being is always used as a verb by these speakers.

[25] Abinadi also uses “thus” in the phrase “thus saith the Lord” (Mosiah 11:20, 25)

[26] Nephi₂ only uses the word “thus” as part of the phrase “thus saith the Lord” (Helaman 7:23; 10:14).

[27] The brother of Jared uses this phrase twelve times. Because his words appear so infrequently in the Book of Mormon, proportionally speaking, he uses the word O more frequently than Nephi₂.

[28] Abinadi uses “nay” four times, “not” forty-five times, “cannot” two times, “no” nine times, and “neither” two times. Nephi₂ uses “nay” one time, “not” eighteen times, “cannot” one time, “no” three times, and “neither” zero times.

[29] Nephi₂ does quote the Lord. See Helaman 7:23 and 10:14.

[30] These words are not included in Abinadi’s total, nor are any explicit quotes.