In Mosiah 12:11-12, Abinadi delivers the Lord's decree to a wicked king Noah. He compares king Noah to a "dry stalk" and the people to scattered blossoms. According to Alan Goff, since the Book of Mormon is supposed to be a product of an ancient Israelite culture, we might look to the Bible to see some meaning of this passage. The faithful Book of Mormon student should realize that both Hebrew narrative and biblical narrative relish repetition.
In 1 Kings, the narrative speaks of a man named Jeroboam. Jeroboam was the first of the Northern Israelite kings (who were breakaway kings from Judah and the Southern kingdom). In order to consolidate power and prevent his subjects from continuing to participate in southern religious festivals in Jerusalem, Jeroboam sets up two shrines ("two calves of gold"--1 Kings 12:28)--one at the northern end of his kingdom and one at the southern end--to prevent religious boundary crossings from lapsing over into political border violations. . . . Thus, Jeroboam's kingship is intricately wound up, in the writer's eyes, with the prototypical instance of idolatry in Israelite tradition, a bad omen for his reign.
When Jeroboam's son, Abijah, becomes sick, Jeroboam sends his wife in disguise to the blind prophet Ahijah to discover his son's fate. The blind prophet sees through the disguise and pronounces a curse on Jeroboam and his house. The prophet Ahijah declares in the Lord's name that Jeroboam "hast done evil above all that were before thee: for thou hast gone and made thee other gods, and molten images to provoke me to anger" (1 Kings 14:9) The prophet Ahijah then pronounces on Jeroboam a simile curse similar to the curse pronounced on king Noah by the prophet Abinadi. Ahijah says the following:
The Lord shall raise him up a king over Israel, who shall cut off the house of Jeroboam that day: but what? even now. For the Lord shall smite Israel, as a reed is shaken in water, and he shall root up Israel out of this good land, which he gave to their fathers and shall scatter them beyond the river, because they have made their groves, provoking the Lord to anger (1 Kings 14:14-15)
King Noah is also compared to a plant uprooted, and the people to scattered blossoms. Abinadi delivers the Lord's decree as follows:
He saith that thou shalt be as a stalk, even as a dry stalk of the field, which is run over by the beasts and trodden under foot. And again, he said thou shalt be as the blossoms of a thistle, which, when it is fully ripe, if the wind bloweth, it is driven forth upon the face of the land" (Mosiah 12:11-12)
In summary, the Northern Israelites are to be punished for Jeroboam's sins by being driven into exile and slavery. Abinadi pronounces similar punishment on the people of Noah. [See the commentary on Mosiah 11:27; 12:1; 12:2; 12:3] [Alan Goff, "Uncritical Theory and Thin Description: The Resistance to History," in Review of Books on the Book of Mormon, Vol. 7, Num. 1, F.A.R.M.S., 1995, pp. 196-200]
Mosiah 12:11-12 Thou shalt be as a stalk, even as a dry stalk ([Illustration]): The parallels between king Jeroboam and king Noah. [Alan Goff, "Uncritical Theory and Thin Description: The Resistance to History," in Review of Books on the Book of Mormon, Vol. 7, Num. 1, F.A.R.M.S., 1995, pp. 201-202]
Mosiah 12:19 He [Abinadi] answered them boldly, and withstood all their questions ([Illustration]): Abinadi before King Noah. Artist: Arnold Friberg. [The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Gospel Art, #308]
Note* In an interview with Margot Butler, Arnold Friberg, the artist who did the painting Abinadi before King Noah, had some interesting comments concerning it's creation:
I composed it the opposite of the well-known principle in art, the "Principle of the Jewel." . . . It is like a jewel setting--the central figure is the most interesting part. You use the strongest color and the strongest and most vibrant contrast around the center of interest, and then it goes into surrounding neutrals. I reversed it here for the purposes of this picture. Against the simplicity of Abinadi in his grey prison garb was the opulence of the court. The richness of the colors set off this simple, humble man.
And the jaguars--I spent days studying them at the zoo. There were several reasons for putting them in. One thing, it gives a royal touch to have the animals chained to the throne. They are not leopards; they are jaguars, which are more compact animals than leopards. Jaguars are found only in Central and South America, so they sort of help define the geographical setting. Animals are very sensitive to supernatural power. . . . The jaguars are snarling because they sense the awesome power that is surrounding Abinadi.
Then there are the priests of King Noah. I had somewhat in mind the man back here at the right might be young Alma. He was mightily impressed by the courageous testimony of Abinadi, so much so that he became a prophet.
This is the artist's favorite painting of the entire set. The figure of Abinadi held special meaning for Arnold Friberg. When his family was converted in 1921 in Arizona through the missionary efforts of a Brother Altop, Arnold was seven years old. He was baptized the next year and remembers fondly the missionary teaching his family received from Brother Altop. As Friberg was at work painting this picture, Brother Altop visited him in Salt Lake City. Lean and muscular from years of working as a carpenter, the revered friend was immediately put to work posing as Abinadi. [Vern Swanson, "The Book of Mormon Art of Arnold Friberg: "Painter of Scripture," in Journal of Book of Mormon Studies , vol. 10, num. 1, 2001, p. 32]