Mosiah 19:1-5

Questions

Why might a minority of the people have been upset with the king?
What does it mean to "breathe out threatenings"?
How does the theme of contention play throughout the history of the Zeniff colony?

How might this Gideon's role as liberator echo that of the Old Testament judge Gideon?
What are we to make of Gideon? Is he a role model? A cautionary figure? What can we learn from his experience?
How should we judge Gideon's wrath, swearing, and threats of violence?
After reading this account, should we be surprised by how Gideon meets his eventual end?

Why are we told here that Noah "fled and ran"? Aren't these pretty much the same thing?
What might be the significance of a tower being "near" the temple, rather than part of the temple?
What do we know about this Nephite temple?

Gideon. In Hebrew, the name Gideon means "hacker." The root verb is used elsewhere to describe the hacking down idolatrous images or shrines (cf. Deut 7:5; 12:3; 2 Chr 14:3; 31:1). The Old Testament judge Gideon may have recieved this name as a likely foreshadowing of either hacking down of the altar of Baal in Judg 6:25-32, or the hacking down of Israel's enemies depicted in Judg 7. The Book of Mormon Gideon is similarly a man of the sword; he draws it here in fighting King Noah, and is ultimately killed by the sword in Alma 1:9.

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