Why was Helaman’s Servant Justified in Killing Kishkumen?

The Know

Shortly after the assassination of Chief Judge Pahoran and the death of his son Pacumeni, Helaman, the son of Captain Helaman, was appointed as chief judge (Helaman 2:2).1 But the job was becoming an increasingly risky one. 

Persuaded by the flattery of “one Gadianton, who was exceedingly expert in many words” (Helaman 2:4), Kishkumen,2 who assassinated Pahoran, “went forth towards the judgment-seat to destroy Helaman” also (v. 6). Just when he was about to assassinate Helaman, one of the chief judge’s servants, having discovered the plot, stabbed “Kishkumen even to the heart, that he fell dead without a groan” (v. 9).

This story may be shocking to many readers, who may expect the servant to have taken Kishkumen prisoner so he could face trial. In a previous situation, Mormon felt it necessary to explain why enemy soldiers were detained without a trial, yet he gave no explanation in this case.3 A careful reading of Mormon’s narrative, however, suggests he viewed killing Kishkumen as the correct decision. 

In Helaman 2, Mormon uses the rare phrase “out by night.” This phrase appears only three times in the Book of Mormon: when Nephi kills Laban (1 Nephi 4:22), when Teancum kills Amalickiah (Alma 51:33), and just before Helaman’s servant kills Kishkumen (Helaman 2:6). Ancient Israelite authors often used a rare word or phrase like this from an earlier story as a way of alluding back to the previous story.4

Comparing the connected stories allows the reader to use information from the first story to answer questions about the second story.5 Assuming Mormon used this ancient literary technique, the stories of Nephi and Teancum may explain why Helaman’s servant killed Kishkumen instead of taking him prisoner.

In Alma 51:33–34, for example, when Teancum was “out by night,” he killed Amalickiah so silently “that he did not awake his servants.” He did this by stabbing him in the heart.6 Helaman’s servant also stabbed Kishkumen in “the heart,” killing him so silently “that he fell dead without a groan” (Helaman 2:9). This comparison suggests that Kishkumen had to be killed because an attempt to take him prisoner would have been loud enough to alert his friends, just like anything but a silent killing would have awakened Amalickiah’s servants (cf. Alma 62:36).

This conclusion is supported by the fact that Kishkumen was part of a secret combination. When dealing with a secret society, one never knows who is part of the conspiracy and who is not.7 In ancient Assyria, when one of the king’s servants attempted to expose a plot against him, he unknowingly reported it to a man who was in league with the assassins, and was promptly killed.8

This threat may explain why Helaman’s servant didn’t somehow incapacitate Kishkumen and take him away to stand trial. It was impossible to know how many people were in on the conspiracy, and a co-conspirator could have been lurking around any corner. The only safe thing was to kill Kishkumen so quietly that his death did not alert anyone else who might have been nearby.9

A comparison to 1 Nephi 4, which also uses the phrase “out by night,” may be illuminating. When Nephi stumbled upon Laban, the Spirit told Nephi to kill him. When Nephi resisted, the Spirit told Nephi to “slay him, for the Lord hath delivered him into thy hands” (1 Nephi 4:12, emphasis added). This justification may refer to Exodus 21:13 (emphasis added), which states that it is acceptable to kill someone “if a man lie not in wait, but God deliver him into his hand.”10 The striking parallel between these texts indicates that the Spirit was legally authorizing Nephi to slay Laban.11

In the same way, Mormon may have been implying that the killing of Kishkumen was legal as well. Mormon specifically noted that the servant of Helaman only killed Kishkumen after he heard from his mouth “that it was his object to murder, and also that it was the object of all those who belonged to his band to murder, and to rob, and to gain power” (Helaman 2:8).12 Simply becoming part of a conspiracy to overthrow the government appears to have been illegal during this period.13 Thus the servant of Helaman could legally kill Kishkumen as a traitor.

The Why

The Book of Mormon sometimes contains details that can be confusing or unclear to modern readers. This is because ancient texts were written in a different style than most books today. The Israelite literary scholar, Hermann Gunkel, noted, “In very many situations where the modern writer would expect a psychological analysis,” the ancient Israelite author “simply presents an action.”14 Because of this, modern readers can understand the book better if they look carefully at the exact words of the author and where else he said those words.

This ancient literary technique of using an early story to explain a later story reveals a higher moral justification for the servant’s actions. The Spirit finally got Nephi to kill Laban by telling him, “It is better that one man should perish than that a nation should dwindle and perish in unbelief” (1 Nephi 4:13).

 Mormon likely expected his readers to recognize that the servant’s motivation in killing Kishkumen was similar to Nephi’s reasons for slaying Laban: it was better for Kishkumen to die than for the Nephite nation to dwindle and perish in the unbelief brought about by having a band of robbers in a position of power.15

A passage in Helaman 2:8–9 strengthens this notion (emphasis added): “And when the servant of Helaman had known all the heart of Kishkumen … the servant of Helaman … did stab Kishkumen even to the heart.” Knowing that the wicked hearts of Kishkumen and his band would corrupt the Nephites, the servant stabbed Kishkumen in his heart, the heart that Mormon just established was so evil.

People who want to understand the Book of Mormon better have many good resources at their disposal, one of the best resources is the book itself. If readers remember that they can use one part of the Book of Mormon to explain a more confusing part of the book, this will help readers in many ways. 

As they put themselves into the real-life situations recounted in the book, and as they comprehend the writing conventions of its authors and abridgers, they will understand its message more clearly. All this helps in affirming the justice and equity of this true testament of our Lord and Lawgiver, Jesus Christ.