One Very Wicked Man

Alma 46 is a story of two men.  One very righteous and one very wicked.  The righteous man is Moroni, who we meet here in more depth after being briefly introduced to him in chapter 44.  The wicked man is Amalickiah.

Mormon tells us in verse 9:  Yea, and we also see the great wickedness one very wicked man can cause to take place among the children of men.

Here are some things we learn about Amalickiah in the first few verses of this chapter:

• He would not hearken to the words of Helaman and his brethren.
• He was seeking for power, even to be king, even knowing that the laws of the Nephites had ruled against having kings.
• He used flattery, promising his followers that if they would follow him he would give them more power.
• He was exceeding wroth, insomuch that he and his followers were determined to slay the leaders.
• He and his followers were lower judges, so they had some authority and wanted more.
• He used dissension to get what he wanted.

Amalickiah and his followers dominate the story for many of the coming chapters.  They cause the death of thousands of Nephites and Lamanites.  He definitely was one very wicked man.