King Limhi Is Quoted Directly

King Limhi was "the son of Noah" and the grandson of "Zeniff, who came up out of the land of Zarahemla to inherit [the land of Lehi-Nephi]." Even though he was the son of wicked King Noah, Limhi was a just man who had faith in God and who was concerned for the welfare of his people.

John Gee has pointed out that direct quotations of Limhi occur in four places in the Book of Mormon record:

1. The trial of Ammon, Amaleki, Helem, and Hem (Mosiah 7:8–15);
2. An official address given to all his subjects at a covenant renewal ceremony (Mosiah 7:17–33);
3. The discussion with Ammon about the records (Mosiah 8:5–21); and
4. The interrogation of the king of the Lamanites (Mosiah 20:13–22). 

Gee further noticed that all direct quotations of Limhi derive from situations where an official scribe would normally have been on hand to write things down. According to Gee, we can learn some very important things about Limhi’s character from these quotations. "The major speeches of king Limhi [carefully quoted by Mormon] are dotted with quotations from previous records and prophecies, some of which are no longer available to us." He also observed that Limhi’s speeches show a man who was very well-versed in the records. "From these [speeches] it seems that Limhi had spent a good deal of time studying and memorizing the records of his people."

Thanks to the inspired preservation by Mormon, we can look to Limhi as a righteous example. As Gee stated, "Limhi’s passionate interest in records and scriptures might also explain why he was righteous in spite of the wickedness of his father. … We need look no further than Limhi for reasons to be serious about studying our scriptures."

Further Reading

John Gee, "Limhi in the Library," Journal of Book of Mormon Studies 1, no. 1 (1992), 54–66.

Book of Mormon Central, "Why Are Mormon’s Extensive Quotations of Limhi Significant?" KnoWhy 85 (April 25, 2016).