In the story of Abinadi, he is condemned by the priests of Noah, and he is in the process of being burned to death when he utters a prophetic curse, a part of which is not only strange, but doesn't find its fulfillment in the Book of Mormon story until another 93 pages have been written. Abinadi's curse against the priests of Noah and the people of Noah is found in Mosiah 17:15-18 and the odd part reads as follows:
15. "Behold, even as ye have done unto me, so shall it come to pass that thy seed shall cause that many shall suffer even the pains of death by fire; and this because they believe in the salvation of the Lord their God."
Why would a dying prophet curse those who were putting him to death (the priests of Noah) that their seed would put many others to death in the same manner? The answer perhaps lies in the subject matter of Abinadi's speech before King Noah. He spoke about Christ, and about the Atonement. Abinadi testified to Noah's priests that in slaying him, they were shedding innocent blood, a crime that is not redeemable either by the Law of Moses or by the Atonement of Christ. According to McConkie and Millet, to "shed innocent blood" (Mosiah 17:10) is to murder, to take the life of one who is innocent and underserving of death. It is a "sin unto death" (1 John 5:16-17), a crime against humanity, a heinous offense to heaven for which there is no forgiveness. [Joseph F. McConkie and Robert L. Millet, Doctrinal Commentary on the Book of Mormon, Vol. II, p. 251]
Note* What greater curse could anyone put on the posterity of another person, than that his seed would remain outside not only the Law of Moses, but outside the great atoning sacrifice of the Son of God! The fulfillment of Abinadi's curse is not mentioned until Alma 25:1-12 [Alan C. Miner, Personal Notes] [See the commentary on Alma 25:1-12]