Who was Isabel?

Thomas R. Valletta

“Alma does not mention doctrinal errors that Corianton started to believe but rather his ‘go[ing] after’ the harlot Isabel. … She was apparently a Lamanite. To reach her, Corianton had to physically move toward the Lamanites, but he also moved culturally in that direction. He abandoned his mission, not to return to Zarahemla, his home, but to head in the opposite direction both physically and spiritually. Considering the fact that only six women in the Book of Mormon are named (and three of them, Eve, Sarah, and Mary, are biblical women), it is remarkable that Isabel’s name is recorded. This fact alone suggests her importance but doesn’t give us enough of a hint to know why she was sufficiently important to name” (Gardner, Second Witness, 4:563).

The Book of Mormon Study Guide: Start to Finish

References