Pahoran, the peaceful chief judge of the Nephites who responded so patiently to the angry captain Moroni, died without having selected a successor. Three of his sons claimed right to the judgeship. Following are their names and their successive fates:
· Pahoran the younger (Pahoran2) was “appointed by the voice of the people to be chief judge and a governor over the people of Nephi” (v. 5). He was murdered by Kishkumen.
· Paanchi and his followers were angry that he had not been selected as chief judge. Paanchi was tried and executed because he “raised up in rebellion and sought to destroy the liberty of the people” (v. 8). A group of his followers sent forth an assassin named Kishkumen to kill Pahoran the younger. Kishkumen’s band of conspirators took oaths to protect Kishkumen. They were the core of the gang that became the Gadianton Robbers.
· Pacumeni had graciously stepped down when his brother, Pahoran the younger, had been selected. He was subsequently appointed “according to the voice of the people” to be chief judge after Paanchi was executed (v. 13). Pacumeni was then killed by Coriantumr during his invasion of Zarahemla (v. 21).
Thus, between the beginning of the fortieth year and the end of the forty-first year, in addition to Pahoran the elder, the Nephites had lost three chief judges in rapid succession. What would this have meant for the Nephite world in general?