Amulek in Ammonihah

One of the most famous missionary companionship in the scriptures is certainly Alma and Amulek, beginning their ministry in the city of Ammonihah. While not much is known about Amulek's early life from the Book of Mormon text, there are quite a few internal clues that can be gleaned from the text about Amulek.

It is my opinion that Amulek was, according to these internal clues, set up as a leader, whether past or present, of Ammonihah in some capacity, or that he held some sort of authoritative claim or position over the people. I hope to explore the possible roots of Amulek's origin in a way that will help the reader gain an understanding for just how much Amulek lost — and how much he gained — when he chose to repent and follow the teachings of a living prophet in his day.

Amulek's Name

Amulek's name immediately reminds the reader of the name Mulek, the last son of the wicked king Zedekiah in Jerusalem who fled to the new world. It is doubtful that Amulek was a Mulekite, as upon greeting Alma, he says "I am a Nephite" (Alma 8:20) and clearly traces his lineage back to Nephi and Lehi through his father's side (see Alma 10:2-3). One possibility, however, is that Amulek was of mixed descent, from Nephites paternally and Mulekites maternally. This could explain why Mulek's name appears in his own and further strengthen his claims to having been "a man of no small reputation" who had  "many kindreds and friends, and [who had] also acquired much riches by the hand of [his] industry" (Alma 10:4).

The Book of Mormon Onomasticon offers a few insights to the meaning of Amulek and Mulek's names. The initial vowel could be traces of the definite article "the" in Hebrew (ha), translating to "the Mulek." Mulek's name can be more difficult to trace since variant spellings occur in printed editions and the printer's manuscript, but since all share the same Hebrew root, I will treat it as it appears in the 2013 edition printed by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. (1)

Mulek's name likely is derived from the Hebrew root mlk, meaning "to reign" or "king." Thus, if indeed the beginning of Amulek's name is a definite article, Amulek could be HaMelek, or "the king" (2). Amulek, whose name denotes royalty, not only traced his lineage though Nephi, who was himself a king, but should he have also had Mulekite roots, would be able to then trace his lineage back to an Israelite king as well (Zedekiah). While he makes no claims of desiring to be king, any relationship between him and the throne was probably insignificant, but it does open up the possibility that he could have been, based on those merits, a leader in some capacity in the city of Ammonihah.

Edit since original post: As I discussed this with my friend Nathan Davies, he made an interesting comment that I will share with his permission. In Alma 8:11-12, the people of Ammonihah reject Alma because of his lack of authority over them, having delivered the judgement-seat to Nephihah. Upon his return his authority to teach is again questioned (see Alma 9:6), but upon seeing Amulek "the people began to be astonished" (Alma 10:12). While they would have been familiar with the law of witnesses set forth in the scriptures, what's interesting is the choice of the second witness that God provided. The people rejected a man over his lack of authority, and now God provided a man with authority and a potential claim to have been a regent king (or otherwise a leader in some capacity) under Mosiah before having adopted the reign of the judges. The Ammonihahites were fixated on authority, and God spoke to them according to their needs.

Amulek's Family

Another clue to Amulek's leadership capacities could be found when Alma blesses his family:

For behold, he hath blessed mine house, he hath blessed me, and my women, and my children, and my father and my kinsfolk; yea, even all my kindred hath he blessed, and the blessing of the Lord hath rested upon us according to the words which he spake (Alma 10:11).

This gives us a great deal of insight not only to Nephite family structures, but also AMulek's own immediate family. Amulek notes that not only was his father blessed, but his extended family (his kinsfolk), indicating that they lived in or near the same household as Amulek, which was common in ancient societies, especially Mesoamerica. (3) Perhaps even more of an oddity is Amulek's use of "my women" just before his children. While some might consider the use of women to be all inclusive of his wife, sisters, cousins, aunts, etc, I do not believe Amulek is referring to this with the addition of his kinsfolk just shortly afterwards, which would effectively list them twice. Another interpretation that fits the ancient world better would be Amulek's wives (4). 

While many may begin to question whether or not Amulek could have had plural wives as a Nephite, especially in light of Jacob's sermon in Jacob 2-3, Neal Rappleye has masterfully pointed out that Jacob was discoursing specifically on the Law of the King found in Deuteronomy 17 and less on polygamy itself. As such, "Jacob’s concerns, therefore, were less about the people practicing polygamy in and of itself, and more about how they were practicing it, in violation of God’s laws" (5).

Moreover, if Amulek did have multiple wives, it would fit the context of him having many riches and being of no small reputation as he points out. In the ancient world, if a man had multiple wives it was a sign that he was wealthy because he could take care of his larger family. And, as Neal pointed out in his post, this practice of polygamy was used in Mesoamerica in conjunction with wealth and status just as it was in the Middle East.

Looking Forward to the Great Prophet, Priest, and King

Another interesting note is that the entire basis of Amulek's great sermon in Ammonihah not only challenges the legality of the lawyers' actions, but hearkens back to King Mosiah's final sermon ending the kingship while looking forward to the Son of God, who would act as the great King and Judge over all the earth. Since it was common for ancient authors to incorporate their names as "puns" into their writings and sermons, it would make sense that "the king" would talk about the righteous kings the Nephites worshiped with and the King they did worship.

When the wicked lawyers begin questioning Amulek, he is quick to point them to King Mosiah, a righteous king who's sons refused to be king and the royal family more or less was abolished as a governmental power:

Yea, well did Mosiah say, who was our last king, when he was about to deliver up the kingdom, having no one to confer it upon, causing that this people should be governed by their own voices—yea, well did he say that if the time should come that the voice of this people should choose iniquity, that is, if the time should come that this people should fall into transgression, they would be ripe for destruction. (Alma 10:19)

King Mosiah was well beloved by the people and for one whose name was "the king," it would only make sense to hearken back to the last king, a king who was a man of God and a Prophet and Seer (see Mosiah 28:13). By effectively telling the people how they had broken the trust of that beloved and righteous king, it challenged their authority while perhaps coming from one who could make a claim to authority.

As the questioning continued, Amulek then turned his attention forwards, looking to the day when the Son of God would come. To the judges and lawyers, a great deal of this sermon was based on Christ's role as judge, but the intent of Christ's judgments were described to determine who could inherit the kingdom of heaven. By pointing the people to a Heavenly King while drawing on language from King Benjamin's sermon at the temple, he backed his authority not only by another king's words, but by the witness of a third king. This third king, "the Eternal Father of heaven and of earth, and all things which in them are" (Alma 11:39, see also Mosiah 3:8), would be the ultimate judge over all the earth when he established the kingdom of heaven on earth in His Millennial Reign.

What's even mire interesting is how Alma followed up with Amulek's speech. In Chapter 13, Alma again looks backwards in time to the great Melchizedek, whose name literally means "king of righteousness." This Melchizedek held the high priesthood after the order of the great heavenly King, even the Son of God, and was known by his people as "the prince of peace," and later in life his people even called him "the king of heaven... or, in other words, the King of peace." (Genesis 1:33, 36, Inspired Version/JST, see also Alma 13:18). By hearkening to a fourth witness of a righteous king (who was perhaps even the greatest foreshadowing of the Son of God on earth), just as Amulek was righteous and his name meant "the king," it provided a stark contrast between a righteous king and the wicked rulers of Ammonihah who now spurned the teachings of the holy prophets.

Amulek's Great Loss and Gain

One would hope, as did Alma and Amulek that so many witnesses would change the hearts of the Ammonihahites. Unfortunately, history proved otherwise.

Mormon, the great prophet-historian showed what had happened to each of Amulek's family members following the two's sermons. According to Alma 10:11, Amulek listed his family as himself, his women (likely referring to wives), children, his father, and his kinsfolk in that order. Mormon goes through that same order and describes the terrible reality that Amulek now faced.

In a great act of martyrdom, all of the believing women and children were thrown into a great fire, perhaps mirroring in function the "lake of fire and brimstone, whose flame ascendeth up forever and ever" that Alma and Amulek warned awaited the wicked (Alma 12:17):

And they brought their wives and children together, and whosoever believed or had been taught to believe in the word of God they caused that they should be cast into the fire; and they also brought forth their records which contained the holy scriptures, and cast them into the fire also, that they might be burned and destroyed by fire. (Alma 14:18, emphasis added)

These women and children would have doubtlessly included the women and children that had been blessed by Alma's hand as he dwelt with them.Upon seeing the pains of his own family members burning to death, one might sense a plea to Alma to save them by the power of God (see Alma 14:10) or a desire to join his family (see Alma 14:12). Nevertheless, he was faithful enough to trust in the Lord during this enormous trial of faith.

The rest of his family, his father and kinsfolk, would also die in Ammonihah, but not because they believed in Amulek's testimony. After the exodus from Ammonihah, Mormon states that Amulek had been "rejected by those who were once his friends and also by his father and his kindred" (Alma 15:16, emphasis added). By listing Amulek's family in the same order that Amulek did, Mormon allowed the reader to recognize the severity of Amulek's heartrending loss. Those who believed him were killed for it, and those who rejected him would soon be killed by invading Lamanites according to Alma's prophecy, facing an even worse fate as they went to the spirit world with an unrepentant spirit.

As Amulek's father and kindred rejected him, he could not return home before leaving Ammonihah even for a single coin. His lifetime of work and wealth was no longer his to use and would be subject to the invading Lamanites. With not a coin to his name and no family left who would accept him, Alma took his kindred brother home to Zarahemla and ministered unto him (see Alma 15:18).

While Amulek lost all his authoritative position in Ammonihah could have offered him, he gained something else that was perhaps even greater. Besides gaining a new family in the home of Alma, Amulek was more than likely ordained to the Priesthood by Alma either before their missionary work or in Zarahemla, the same Priesthood that King Mosiah, Benjamin, and Melchizedek held. This Priesthood set Amulek apart from the world as a spokesman for the Great King of Heaven and Earth, Jesus Christ, who has in turn promised us that just as He is the King of Kings, should we come unto Him, we will become Kings and Queens to Him and God the Father when Christ returns again. While Amulek "abdicated" his earthly right to authority, he laid up a greater treasure for himself in heaven and made claim to a heavenly kingship that would last for eternity with his family right beside him to go no more out.

NOTES

1. While Mulek has variant spellings, Amulek's name does not except for one instance in Helaman 5:10 when it is spelled "Amalick" in the printer's manuscript but corrected above the line to read "Amulek." The other spelling of Mulek that is worth note is the variant Muloch, which would make Mulek/Muloch named after the idolatrous god that the Israelites would sacrifice their children to in the Old World (see 2 Kings 23:10). Scholars such as Royal Skousen believe that Mulek was named such, and while I agree with that interpretation myself and encourage the reader to look into that possibility, I here chose to use the name Mulek because it is how it appears in Amulek's name and both Mulek and Muloch share the same Hebrew root and would provide a similar translation.

2. Book of Mormon Onomasticon, Amulek. See also Book of Mormon Onomasticon, Mulek.

3. For a more in-depth look at Amulek's family, see Book of Mormon Central, "Why Is Amulek's Household Significant?" and Brant A. Gardner, Second Witness: Analytical and Contextual Commentary on the Book of Mormon, 6 vols. (Salt Lake City, UT: Greg Kofford Books, 2007), 4:168-169. I would wholeheartedly recommend that Brant Gardener's commentary be found in every Latter-day Saint's household.

4. BMC, "Why Is Amulek's Household Significant?", see also Footnote 5 of that article.

5. Neal Rappleye, "Jacob on Polygamy in Historical Context," http://www.studioetquoquefide.com/2020/03/jacob-on-polygamy-in-historical-context.html. Accessed 16 June 2020.