This verse describes Zeezrom as he begins the process of repentance. Note the stages:
First, he “was astonished at the words which had been spoken.” This means that he actually heard the message Alma and Amulek were preaching. Otherwise, he would have continued in his previous course.
Second, he acknowledged his own guilt in Ammonihah’s level of disbelief, since his “astonishment” included a keen awareness “concerning the blindness of the minds, which he had caused among the people by his lying words.” Zeezrom was not only culpable for his own false beliefs but also for the communal blindness to the Spirit which he had encouraged. Recognizing our personal sins—seeing clearly those parts of our actions, thoughts, or feelings that are contrary to God’s will—is essential to repentance. Seeing the effects of our wrong actions on others is part of that recognition, although often we do not become fully aware of those influences except over time.
Third, this recognition causes Zeezrom pain: “and his soul began to be harrowed up under a consciousness of his own guilt.” The imagery of a harrow is unique to the Book of Mormon and comes from Joseph’s farming background. A harrow is an instrument for tilling the soil although, unlike the plow which makes a single deep furrow, a harrow has numerous teeth and covers a broader area but more shallowly. It breaks up clods and drags out vines or other vegetable encumbrances, so metaphorically, it is a powerful image of becoming submissive and humble. As an implement, it postdates the Book of Mormon and biblical time periods.
Finally, as Zeezrom recognizes the consequences of his actions, he “began to be encircled about by the pains of hell.” At this point, he not only experiences present pain over his past bad choices but understands that his actions are leading him away from God and toward the sufferings of hell.
Literature: The location of Zeezrom’s story does not create a formal chiasm, but it does manifest the structural reversal that characterizes formal chiasms. In the introduction to this sequence, Alma contrasts the small number of believers with the larger number of unbelievers. Here, a large number of unbelievers accuse Alma and Amulek while a small number (one man, Zeezrom) defends them. His action is a dramatic turnaround. Alma and Amulek were so effective that an accuser became a defender. Yet even Zeezrom was unable to reverse the large number of the hard-hearted.
Reference: The language describing Zeezrom’s repentance closely resembles the language that Alma will use to describe his conversion to his sons, suggesting that (since he probably recorded Zeezrom’s story) this is how he understood repentance. He saw both himself and Zeezrom as undergoing the same experience.