You can read the entire chapter here: https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/bofm/alma/19?lang=eng.
Also check out these two videos: https://youtu.be/iWnNhTFTzvk and https://youtu.be/RRVj682zN_c.
This is a remarkable chapter because we witness heroism and amazing strength and depth of character from so many people, but in each in a different way. There are four people who stand out: two men (Ammon and King Lamoni) and two women (Lamoni’s wife and her servant Abish).
What is most striking is that each of these men and women are able to be stay so dialed in to the Lord and His way of doing things despite getting surprised left and right with unexpected challenges. Like the rest of us, they are imperfect and probably had their share of good and bad days. But in these moments, they are able to keep their focus on the bigger picture. And so, as events swirl around them, they make courageous choices that leave them vulnerable to physical death, but entitle them to spiritual protection that also allows them to deflate the rising tensions that have broken out into chaos and near-insurrection.
The chapter begins on a somber note. Lamoni’s family and royal attendants don’t know what his unconsciousness means. Apparently, they haven’t seen something like this before with him. After two days and nights and no change in his condition, they assume he is dead (verse 1).
In this situation, Lamoni’s wife turns to Ammon. This is a big decision. It is her husband and her people’s king. We don’t know the specific rules of succession in the land of Ishmael where Lamoni reigns, but there could be some major implications. Plus, his wife loves him. And she seems to want as much verification as possible for taking such an irreversible step as putting her husband in a sepulchre and potentially burying him alive (verses 2-4).
Ammon knows that this kind of catatonic state is not death, but some kind of deep spiritual coma where the person is undergoing a major transformation. When he and his brothers were confronted by the angel in Mosiah 27, Alma went through almost the exact same experience, down to the same duration of time (two days and nights).
The queen seems to be torn between her duty to do the right thing for her people and her desire to give her husband every chance to revive. The people around her seem to be divided about whether King Lamoni’s body has started to smell of decomposition, but she tells Ammon that “to me he doth not stink” (verse 5). Her turning to Ammon for verification seems to be like when we ask a trusted friend to give us a sanity check about something we observe or believe that seems oddly unpopular: “Tell me, am I crazy, or does this make sense?”
We learn that Ammon perceives the “dark veil of unbelief” being lifted from Lamoni’s mind, replaced by the “light of the glory of God.” We know that light dispels, or chases away, the “cloud of darkness,” and Ammon recognizes that it is infusing great joy into Lamoni’s soul. Fundamentally, then, Lamoni’s body literally has been overcome by joy. What we’ll learn next is that this joy can be infectious in the best way possible (verse 6-7).
Ammon tells the queen that Lamoni is only sleeping, not dead, and that he will wake the next day. She completely trusts Ammon, and her faith greatly impresses him. She keeps vigil at Lamoni’s bedside until the appointed time when Lamoni arises (verses 8-11).
When he does, he reaches out to his wife praising God and pronouncing blessings on her. We sense that whatever his past faults, he has been a good and loving husband. Then he simply states that he has seen his Redeemer (Christ), and He will be born into this world and redeem all who believe on Him. This simple, powerful truth once again overtakes the king’s physical strength, and he sinks once more into an unconscious state. His wife must have been greatly moved by the spirit attending his words, for she is also “overpowered by the Spirit” unto deep sleep (verses 12-13).
This miraculous manifestation of God’s power moves Ammon to indescribable feelings of joy and gratitude. He is struck with amazement at how the Lord has answered his prayers and used him to help the Lamanites come to Christ despite the many centuries of their false and wicked traditions and actions. Thus, he too is overcome with joy in the moment and falls motionless to the earth (verse 14).
Words on a page clearly fail at conveying the intense power that must have come over all who witnessed these things. The king’s poor servants have doubtless never encountered anything like this. In their dumbstruck and confused state, they turn in humility to calling on the Lord. Ammon’s example and the things they have witnessed lead them to prayer almost as reflexively as our leg kicks out when our knee is struck with a rubber hammer. And with the Spirit so palpably present, the servants don’t stand a chance. They also fall to the ground, overpowered as are the king, the queen, and Ammon (verses 15-16).
With all of our main characters out of commission, our attention turns now to how the people of the land of Ishmael will respond to this very strange and miraculous cascade of events. When the authority figures are totally helpless and vulnerable, what will the masses do?
Truth definitely seems stranger than fiction in this case. There is one servant who has not fallen unconscious. It is a Lamanite woman named Abish who serves the queen. We learn that Abish has already been a secret follower of the Lord and His truth for years because her father received and shared a “remarkable vision” (verse 16).
This is one of our first signs that amid whatever chaos may ensue, the Lord is very aware of the situation and all of the people involved. When the vision came to Abish’s father those many years ago, doubtless much of the reason was that God was looking ahead to this day, when his daughter would have such an important part in what comes next.
Abish knows that the power of God has overcome the king, the queen, Ammon, and the other servants. She acts without hesitation—the people must see this because it will cause them to also believe in God and His power. What an example of faith and fearlessness this good woman is to us! She goes house to house, like a female Paul Revere, only instead of a warning about impending danger from an enemy, Abish is inviting them all to come and see for themselves what has happened (verse 17).
In the next verses, some of us may be tempted to think, “Abish, how naive and foolish you are. You should have known that inviting the whole town to this scene would lead to panic, chaos, and mob rule. People are their own worst enemy.” And indeed, the first signs are not encouraging. Yes, the people are amazed at what they see, but instead of recognizing what has happened to the king and his retinue as a blessing, they view it as a curse. What terrible thing have these people done to be rendered completely inert? “Serves King Lamoni right for letting that terrible Nephite (Ammon) live among us.” Or “It’s bad karma for being so cruel to the servants who couldn’t stop the flocks from being scattered.” Rumors fly among the assembled crowd (verses 18-21).
Not surprisingly, the thieves who Ammon battled in saving the king’s flocks see an opportunity for revenge. One (whose brother died at Ammon’s hand) raises his sword to kill the motionless Nephite prophet and servant, and—instantly falls dead (verses 22-23).
This dismays the gathered people even more. What is going on here? Who’s next? Who or what is this Ammon person, that such otherworldly things are happening after his arrival in our land? Is he the Great Spirit or a messenger? Is he a monster meant to torture us (verses 24-27)?
Abish hasn’t expected this, and I expect it pains her to think that the people are getting the wrong message from her effort to show them something wonderful. Our narrator (as usual in the Book of Mormon, it is the great record-keeper named Mormon) tells us that Abish is “exceedingly sorrowful, even unto tears.” But instead of helplessly gnashing her teeth and watching the people take things in the wrong direction, she acts. Approaching the queen, Abish grasps her hand, hoping to revive her. Immediately the queen regains her strength and jumps to her feet (verses 28-29).
The queen is clearly quite a leader in her own right. These next, extremely important moments, with the situation so tense among the people, are hers. Her first exclamation is to praise Jesus and how He has personally saved her from sin. Her second statement is prayerful: she calls on God to have mercy on the gathered people. She cannot contain the joy she feels, and bursts with words that are clearly meaningful to her but probably beyond the understanding of those assembled, who have not yet had a personal encounter with God. Knowing she needs help, the queen revives King Lamoni by taking his hand (verses 29-30).
The effect is immediate. Lamoni also jumps to his feet. We read that he teaches and rebukes his people at the same time. When we are corrected, it is important that we feel like it is for our growth and greater knowledge, so that we can learn from mistakes and help others do the same (verses 30-31).
And so it is that Lamoni becomes the foremost witness of Jesus Christ and His gospel among his own people. Ammon and the king’s servants soon awake and add their testimonies to that of the king and queen. Some of these include accounts of being visited by angels. The people who are willing to hear believe and are converted to the Lord—their hearts are turned away from evil to good desires. They begin making covenants to follow the Lord and form a church through baptism. Just as the Jewish followers of Jesus were to take the gospel to the Gentiles in another 125 years, the Nephites through Ammon show that even their long-estranged Lamanite brothers and sisters can repent and find salvation (verses 32-36).