According to Robert Matthews, the scripture does not say he was "burned at the stake," it says he "suffered death by fire" (Mosiah 17:20). Three words in the foregoing scripture should be noted. The first is that they bound him. . . . The second is that they scourged him. To scourge means to whip, flail, or beat. The third term is faggots: A faggot is a bundle of sticks or twigs, used for fuel. This passage seems to say that Abinadi's tormentors took burning torches and poked him with these, burning his skin until he died. . . . They actively, eagerly, and physically caused his death; they were not merely passive, interested bystanders watching a bonfire. I can imagine them dancing and cavorting about Abinadi, and hear them shouting, exulting, and gloating over what they were doing. And during it all, Abinadi was pronouncing prophecies of God's vengeance upon them. [Robert Matthews, "Abinadi: The Prophet and Martyr," The Book of Mormon: Mosiah, Salvation Only through Christ, pp. 102-103]
Mosiah 17:13 They took him and bound him, and scourged his skin with faggots, yea, even unto death ([Illustration]): Abinadi at the Stake. King Noah and his wicked priests burn Abinadi at the stake because he will not take back the words that he has spoken. Artist: Ronald K. Crosby. [Thomas R. Valletta ed., The Book of Mormon for Latter-day Saint Families, 1999, p. 230]
Mosiah 17:13 They took him and bound him ([Illustration]): This unusual method of confinement among the Maya could recall the situation of Abinadi, the Book of Mormon prophet who was slain by burning. Perhaps he was restrained like this when "they took him and bound him, and scourged his skin with faggots" (Mosiah 17:13). [John L. Sorenson, Images of Ancient America, p. 116]
Mosiah 17:13 They took him and bound him, and scourged his skin with faggots, year, even unto death ([Illustration]): Abinadi Seals His Testimony. Artist: Ronald K. Crosby [Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, The Ensign, March 1996, inside front cover] [See also The Ensign, April 1992, p. 31]
“They Scourged His Skin with Faggots”
In Mosiah 17:13 we find that "they took him [Abinadi] and bound him, and scourged his skin with faggots, yea, even unto death." According to Brant Gardner, the antiquated terms scourge and faggot may be unfamiliar to many modern readers, however in Joseph Smith's day the verb scourge meant "to whip severely" or "to punish with severity," and the noun fagot denoted a bundle of sticks used for firewood.
Punishment by scourging was known in the ancient Near East of Lehi's day. A wooden rod was the usual instrument of punishment in ancient Egypt and remains so in some modern Arab countries even today. The Romans used whips as well as wooden rods to scourge malefactors (note that Jesus was scourged by "Gentiles"--see Matthew 20:19; Luke 18:33). The scourging of Abinadi was similar to the Old World practice with the use of faggots possibly being an exception.
There is a direct parallel between Abinadi's scourging and a form of punishment common in the much later Aztec culture of Mexico. In 1541 the Codex Mendoza was produced in Mexico City in order to make a record of Aztec daily life. This richly illustrated ethnographic record contains a painting that depicts two men beating a youth (see illustration). The caption of the painting is tlequahuital, which means "firebrand." The translated annotation next tot he painting reads in part, "The two telpuchtlato, who are masters who govern youths, punished a youth who had been living with a woman by beating him with burning firebrands." In Book of Mormon language, we could say they "scourged" him with "faggots."
Referring to this same painting, the editors of a modern edition of the codex note, "Cudgels almost identical to these . . . appear in three illustrations of the Florentine Codex where they are used to punish an adulterer, a careless musician, and a merchant who had misused a woman." (see illustration). The Florentine Codex is the most complete version of Franciscan friar Bernardino de Sahagun's General History of the Things of New Spain, a 16th-century record of Aztec culture written in Nahuatl (the language of the Aztecs) with parallel Spanish text. [Brant Gardner, "Scourging with Faggots," FARMS Update in Insights, No. 148, vol. 21, 2001, pp. 3-4]
Mosiah 17:13 They . . . scourged his skin with faggots ([Illustration]): Fig. 1. Aztec artist's depiction of a youthful miscreant being scourged with what are described as "burning firebrands." Courtesy of Bodeleian Library. [Brant Gardner, "Scourging with Faggots," FARMS Update in Insights, No. 148, vol. 21, 2001, p. 3]
Mosiah 17:13 They . . . scourged his skin with faggots ([Illustration]): Fig 2. In Aztec society a common form of punishment was to beat malefactors with sticks or cudgels. Illustrations from the Florentine Codex, from top: punishment of an immoral merchant, judgment and execution of an adulterer, and a noblewoman who corrects and punishes. [Brant Gardner, "Scourging with Faggots," FARMS Update in Insights, No. 148, vol. 21, 2001, p. 4]