Aaron, Son of Mosiah
One of the sons of Mosiah who rejected a kingdom to preach the gospel among the Lamanites
The Sons of Mosiah
Aaron was one of the four sons of King Mosiah II: Ammon, Aaron, Omner, and Himni. In their youth all four had been deeply wicked and had even sought to destroy the church—until a dramatic angelic intervention during which they fell to the earth and were rendered unconscious for days, an event that coincided with the conversion of Alma the Younger (Mosiah 27:10–24).
After their conversion, all four sons renounced their claim to the Nephite throne and petitioned their father to let them go on a mission to the Lamanites—at that time, the most feared and dangerous people in the land. Mosiah prayed over the decision and the Lord confirmed it: they would go, and many would be converted (Mosiah 28:5–7).
Aaron’s Mission
While Ammon’s adventures among the people of King Lamoni receive the most extended narrative in the book of Alma, Aaron’s work was no less significant. He preached in the city of Jerusalem (in Lamanite territory) and in the land of Middoni, where he was captured and cast into prison before being freed by Ammon and King Lamoni (Alma 20:29).
Aaron’s most prominent recorded ministry was with Lamoni’s father, the king over all the Lamanites. When Aaron was led to the king’s household, the king received him and asked: “What shall I do that I may have this eternal life of which thou hast spoken?” (Alma 22:15). The king then prayed one of the most sincere and earnest recorded prayers in the Book of Mormon:
Alma 22:18
“O God, Aaron hath told me that there is a God; and if there is a God, and if thou art God, wilt thou make thyself known unto me, and I will give away all my sins to know thee, and that I may be raised from the dead, and be saved at the last day.”
The king fell prostrate, was revived by Aaron, and was converted along with his entire household. He then issued a proclamation giving freedom to all missionaries to preach throughout his kingdom, opening the way for the greatest single missionary harvest in the Book of Mormon.
The Anti-Nephi-Lehies
The mass conversion of Lamanites that followed the sons of Mosiah’s mission produced a people who took the covenant name Anti-Nephi-Lehies and buried their weapons of war, covenanting never to take them up again—even under threat of death. Thousands were subsequently killed by unconverted Lamanites without resistance, choosing martyrdom over violating their covenant. This group eventually became the people of Ammon, some of the most faithful covenant-keepers in the Book of Mormon (Alma 24).
What Aaron Teaches
Aaron’s story illustrates what radical conversion looks like: men who had been violently opposed to the gospel, transformed into missionaries willing to suffer imprisonment and death to share it. His encounter with Lamoni’s father also produced one of the Book of Mormon’s most quoted and beloved prayers—“I will give away all my sins to know thee”—a statement that has become a touchstone for understanding true conversion.
Key Scriptures
- Mosiah 27–28 — Conversion of the sons of Mosiah; departure for Lamanite mission
- Alma 22 — Aaron teaches Lamoni’s father; the king’s prayer and conversion
- Alma 22:18 — “I will give away all my sins to know thee”
- Alma 24 — The Anti-Nephi-Lehies bury their weapons