In the ''

Book of Mormon The Book of Mormon is a religious text of the Latter Day Saint movement, which, according to Latter Day Saint theology, contains writings of ancient prophets who lived on the American continent from 600 BC to AD 421 and during an interlude date ...

'', Ammon () is a

Mulekite Mulek (), according to the Book of Mormon, was the only surviving son of Zedekiah, the last King of Judah, after the Babylonian conquest of Jerusalem. The Book of Mormon states that after escaping from Judah, Mulek traveled to the Americas and e ...

descendant and leader of a

Nephite According to the Book of Mormon, the Nephites () are one of four groups (along with the Lamanites, Jaredites, and Mulekites) to have settled in the ancient Americas. The term is used throughout the Book of Mormon to describe the religious, po ...

expedition from

Zarahemla According to the beliefs of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Zarahemla () refers to a large city in the ancient Americas which is described in the Book of Mormon. Archaeologists and historians have not been able to archaeological ...

, sent to discover the fate of

Zeniff Zeniff () is a minor but pivotal person in the Book of Mormon. According to the Book of Mormon, his lineage is uncertain other than he came from a group of Nephites which included Nephites, Zoramites, and Mulekites. He left Zarahemla with a large ...

and his people (who had not been in contact for 75 years). Zeniff and his followers left Zarahemla and travelled to Nephi, their ancestral home, which was then in the possession of the Lamanites. This may have contributed to his expedition, not knowing the actual route to Nephi. Ammon and his men discover the descendants of the people of Zeniff, who had successfully colonized Nephi but were then enslaved by the Lamanites. Zeniff's grandson

Limhi In the Book of Mormon, Limhi () was the third and final king of the second Nephite habitation of the land of Lehi-Nephi. He succeeded his father, Noah. Led by Ammon (a mulekite) Limhi escaped from the Lamanites with his people to the land of Zara ...

rules under the Lamanites and initially imprisons Ammon. Upon learning who Ammon is, he releases him and rejoices in his arrival. Ammon teaches the people of Limhi the famous sermon of

King Benjamin According to the Book of Mormon, King Benjamin, son of King Mosiah the first, was the second Nephite king to rule over Zarahemla. An account of his life and teachings are recorded in both the Words of Mormon and the Book of Mosiah. He was consid ...

and helps convert them to the gospel. However, he refuses to baptize the converts, "considering himself an unworthy servant". The reason for his apprehension is not given, and the people wait until they reach Zarahemla to be baptised by

Alma the Elder According to the Book of Mormon, Alma () was a Nephite prophet who established the Church of Jesus Christ in the Americas during the reign of the wicked King Noah. One of the Book of Mormon's greatest figures, he is sometimes referred to as Al ...

. Ammon,

Gideon Gideon (; ) also named Jerubbaal and Jerubbesheth, was a military leader, judge and prophet whose calling and victory over the Midianites are recounted in of the Book of Judges in the Hebrew Bible. Gideon was the son of Joash, from the Abiez ...

, and King Limhi conspire to escape from the Lamanites by making the guards drunk. The plan is successful and Ammon escorts them to Zarahemla.

Etymology

According to

Hugh Nibley Hugh Winder Nibley (March 27, 1910 – February 24, 2005) was an American scholar and an apologist of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) who was a professor at Brigham Young University (BYU) for nearly 50 years. He was a ...

, ''Ammon (or Amon)'' is "the commonest name in the Book of Mormon" and "the commonest name in the

Egyptian Empire The New Kingdom, also referred to as the Egyptian Empire, is the period in ancient Egyptian history between the sixteenth century BC and the eleventh century BC, covering the Eighteenth, Nineteenth, and Twentieth dynasties of Egypt. Radioc ...

" (which embraced

Palestine __NOTOC__ Palestine may refer to: * State of Palestine, a state in Western Asia * Palestine (region), a geographic region in Western Asia * Palestinian territories, territories occupied by Israel since 1967, namely the West Bank (including East ...

at Lehi's time, which fell within its Late Period). The name also occurs in the Bible.Genesis 19:37-38

References

Book of Mormon people {{LDS-stub

Etymology

See also

References