“Dumb” Puns in Alma 30: A Mesoamerican Twist on Korihor’s Talionic Punishment

Authors

Mark Alan Wright
Neal Rappleye

Keywords

Puns, Alma 30, Mesoamerica, Korihor

Abstract

Evidence for the use of both puns and talionic (or reciprocal) punishment by peoples of the Book of Mormon is well attested. To complement previous research in these areas, which focused primarily on data from the ancient Near East, we argue that Mesoamerican wordplay and legal systems may also be evident in the account of Korihor recorded in Alma 30. Recognizing these connections to the text’s plausible cultural and linguistic context illuminates why Korihor receives the punishment he is given: it was no arbitrary consequence, but one tailored to his accusations in an irony-laden narrative that would have been easily recognized by an ancient Mesoamerican audience.

Recommended Citation

Wright, Mark Alan and Rappleye, Neal (2023) "“Dumb” Puns in Alma 30: A Mesoamerican Twist on Korihor’s Talionic Punishment," BYU Studies Quarterly: Vol. 62: Iss. 3, Article 9.
Available at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/byusq/vol62/iss3/9