Abinadi Before King Noah

Arnold Friberg’s painting of Abinadi before King Noah is a well-known piece of LDS artwork. In the painting, Friberg explores the consequences of trying to kill Abinadi on King Noah’s efforts. His enthymeme is, “Abinadi cannot be killed...because Abinadi has not yet fulfilled his mission.” The implicit assumption here is that a prophet cannot be killed without fulfilling his mission.

Friberg makes the argument that the wicked cannot overpower those who have the power of God with them. His audience is probably largely members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, who are familiar with the story of Abinadi and will readily recognize the setting and circumstances surrounding the painting.

Friberg’s goal is to convey the power of the Lord, and he makes it with a little logos and a lot of pathos. The painting depicts a scene directly after Noah’s guards tried to “lay their hands” on Abinadi. Behind Abinadi, the guards stagger backwards from the prophet. In the bottom left corner, a sword lays on the floor in pieces; one can assume one of the guards attempted to use it on Abinadi. King Noah recoils and drops his cup of wine. A priest (is it Alma?) stands up in surprise. Something has happened, but Abinadi remains bound, so whatever it was, was done by the Lord––a logical conclusion. As mentioned, there are also heavy elements of pathos. King Noah’s girth and elaborate robes betray his gluttonous, and therefore wicked, lifestyle. Abinadi, though old, is muscular, suggesting spiritual strength, and wears ragged clothing, which alludes to the simplicity of the power of God. He stands in an elaborately-decorated room, his simplicity signifying that he lives in the world, but not of it. The wicked priests sit in shadow, while Abinidi’s head is bathed in light––obvious allusions to good and evil.

The argument is sufficient. Through his portrayals of the characters––namely, in his use of color, lighting, placement, and body structure––he shows that Noah’s wealth and power are no match for the power of the Lord, even when it is bestowed upon an elderly man. It is a relevant argument for its audience; Latter-day Saints believe in the argument Friberg is making––and I believe it is accurate. If one believes it is accurate, then it is certainly timely, as one can always lean from Abinadi’s example.