These seven chapters trace the main events that followed in the immediate aftermath of the infamous execution of Abinadi. They involve four interwoven storylines about: (1) King Noah and his priests led by Amulon, (2) the priest Alma and his followers who fled from Noah, (3) the Lamanites who controled the land of Nephi and sought revenge for the capture of twenty-four of their daughters, and (4) Limhi who succeeded his father Noah as king, and the courageous Gideon who was the main military officer under Limhi.
In particular, Alma and his followers formed a covenant group that suffered in servitude under Amulon, but eventually were delivered by the Lord and safely reached Zarahemla (chapters 18, 23–24). King Noah was killed by his own priests, fulfilling the prophecy of Abinadi (chapter 19). The priests, in exile, carried off twenty-four Lamanite daughters, and the Lamanites attacked and put Limhi and his people under their domination (chapters 20–21), but Limhi, Gideon, and their people were aided by the Lord and managed to escape and find their way back to Zarahemla (chapter 22).
The style of these chapters is indirect narrative, employing 57 times the rhetorical marker "and it came to pass." But these chapters also include eight direct quotations: Alma’s words when he was performing baptisms (Mosiah 18:8–10, 12–13), official conversations between King Limhi and Gideon (20:14–22; 22:3–8), Alma’s refusal to be made king (23:7–14), and three statements of comfort and guidance given by the voice of the Lord (24:13–14, 16–17, 23).
At the center of the book of Mosiah is the story of the prophecies, trial, and death of Abinadi at the hand of King Noah (chapters 11–17). The aftermath of that martyrdom plays out here in chapters 18–24, in sections that have counterparts previously found in the events leading up to the Abinadi section.
Thus, immediately before the central Abinadi section was the record of Noah’s father, King Zeniff (chapters 9–10), and right after the Abinadi section is found a record of events in the life of Noah’s son, King Limhi (chapters 18–22). Before chapter 9 was the account of the coming of Ammon from Zarahemla to the land of Nephi (chapters 7–8), and after chapter 20 we are told about Ammon’s teachings and how he returns with Limhi’s people from Nephi to Zarahamla (chapters 21–22). Indeed, the entire book of Mosiah can thus be diagrammed as follows:
| A | King Benjamin counsels with his sons, showing how much good a righteous king can do. | |||||
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| B | The angel of the Lord appears to Benjamin. | ||||
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| C | Ammon goes from Zarahemla to the land of Nephi and finds Zeniff’s grandson Limhi, whose explorers found the twenty-four Jaredite gold plates. | |||
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| D | The record of King Zeniff is given. | ||
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| E | Abinadi prophesies against King Noah and his priests answer by quoting from Isaiah 52. | |
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| F | Abinadi rehearses texts from the law (the Ten Commandments) and the prophets (Isaiah 53). |
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| F | Abinadi interprets Isaiah 52 and explains the coming mission of Christ. |
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| E | Noah and his priests execute Abinadi. | |
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| D | The record of King Zeniff’s group continues and ends. | ||
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| C | Limhi’s group with Ammon and Alma’s group return from Nephi to Zarahemla with the twenty-four gold plates. | |||
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| B | The angel of the Lord appears to Alma the Younger. | ||||
| A | King Mosiah abdicates the throne rather than passing the kingship on to one of his four sons. | |||||
And thus, the entire book of Mosiah can be seen as one large chiastic structure, and one of its overall themes is how much trouble kingship can cause. In addition, in the midst of all this coming and going, many important doctrinal and personal lessons can be learned. In Mosiah 18–24, these spiritual lessons include the critical need for righteous political leadership, heeding the words of the prophets of God, making covenants, obeying the commandments, working together in unity and charity, and faithfully enduring burdens by trusting in the Lord.