Before the crisis escalates to physical violence, there is an attempt to diffuse the situation with reason. Ammon pleads with Lamoni’s father to forbear. It is interesting that the argument that Ammon uses says nothing about Lamoni, but only about the harm done to Lamoni’s father. Indeed, this is the great harm of murder. The person who dies may answer for his own sins before God, and have the chance to repent on the other side. However, the person who has lost control to the point where they are willing and able to murder has undergone a transformation of soul that is eternally damaging. It is this eternal damage that Ammon can foresee, and against which he warns the king.