Gideon, a noble and faithful servant of God and of the people (see Mosiah 20:17-22; Mosiah 22:3-9), now weighed down with years, sought to withstand Nehor with the power of the word. And nothing is more abhorrent to the immoral and the perverse than the truth; pure, diamond truth.
It cuts the wicked to the core of their beings, and thus they fight it with vicious and often irrational anger (see 1 Nephi 16:1-2; 2 Nephi 9:40; 2 Nephi 33:5). Unable to stand up and defend his falsehoods in the face of truth spoken with power and conviction, Nehor sought to silence his accuser.
“Your Judge Is Murdered”
Patience is a requisite to witnessing the fulfillment of most prophecy. Not so in the present case. Nephi surprises his hearers by telling them that the chief judge, Seezoram, had been murdered by his brother, Seantum, who coveted his office. Runners are then sent to verify the prophecy.