There is no surprise that the incident at the waters of Sebus was reported to the king. What is somewhat surprising is the king’s response. How did the story move from a foreign servant to a servant being the Great Spirit?
The beginning of the positive impression is that it was a Nephite, an enemy, who was the one to preserve the flocks. That was shocking enough, but the fact that he was able to subdue so many intruders was probably made to be as impressive as possible. It certainly seemed to Ammon’s fellow servants that he had done something extraordinary. When the king hears it, his first response is to suggest that Ammon was “more than a man.” What does it mean to be “more than a man?”
First, it means that Ammon certainly appeared to be a man. Second, it means that he was not what he appeared to be. In many ancient cultures, and especially Mesoamerican ancient cultures, it was understood that sometimes the gods might walk on earth in the form of a man. They might be demigods, or part god and part man. Thus, the king believes that perhaps Ammon is such a semidivine being.
The term “Great Spirit” is likely due to the translation into English at a time when most Americans assumed that Native Americans believed in a Great Spirit, or that there was a Great Spirit taught to them by missionaries. We cannot know what the actual Nephite word was, or what it meant, but it is probable that it indicated a particular god that King Lamoni believed might have come to earth to appear in the guise of the man Ammon.