In the hopes of ensnaring Abinadi, one of King Noah's priests said to him, "What meaneth the words which are written, and which have been taught by our fathers, saying . . . " (Mosiah 12:20) and then he quoted what we know as Isaiah 52:7-10: "How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings; that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good; that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth, etc. . . ." (Mosiah 12:21-24). According to McConkie and Millet, it is as though the priest had asked, "Why is it that you bring a message of gloom, a message of rebuke, given that Isaiah taught that the servants of the Lord would bring glad tidings?" Abinadi's explanation of these verses comes at the end of Mosiah 15. Before giving that response, however, he quotes from what we know as Isaiah 53 in bearing testimony of Jesus the Messiah. [Joseph Fielding McConkie and Robert L. Millet, Doctrinal Commentary on the Book of Mormon, Vol. II, p. 208]
“What Meaneth the Words Which Are Written?”
After the priests of Noah had questioned Abinadi and he had "answered them boldly, and withstood all their questions, yea, to their astonishment . . . and did confound them in all their words" (Mosiah 12:19), one of the priests stepped forward and said unto Abinadi: "What meaneth the words which are written, and which have been taught by our fathers, saying: How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings; that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good; that publisheth salvation; that . . ." (Mosiah 12:20-24).
Hugh Nibley asks, Why is this priest of Noah asking this question? The answer is that he was implying that if Abinadi were a true prophet, he should be bringing them good news. Why don't you teach us to rejoice; that's what prophets teach. This is the kind of message a true prophet should deliver--good tidings that publisheth good and salvation, that bring joy and comfort to the people. Why aren't you bringing comfort and joy if you are a real prophet? That was a logical thing for the priests of Noah to ask because they believed that we should enjoy ourselves and teach people what they want to hear. [Hugh W. Nibley, Teachings of the Book of Mormon, Semester 2, p. 71]