Akish

From MormonWiki
Jump to: navigation, search
Book of Mormon
Akish is a prominent character in the Book of Mormon's Book of Ether. Akish was a wicked leader of the Jaredites who obtained his throne through oaths and secret combinations. Originally a friend of Omer, king over the Jaredites, Akish fell into his wicked ways when Omer's son Jared brought him into a secret agreement whereby Akish would kill Omer in order for Jared to take the kingdom himself. Having been tempted by Jared's beautiful daughter, Akish agreed to kill Omer in exchange for marrying Jared's daughter. To make the plan work, Akish created a secret society, by establishing oaths with his family and friends. Omer, however, had been warned in a dream and fled with his family to Ablom. Jared took the throne and gave his daughter to Akish to marry. This proved to be Jared's downfall, as Akish used his secret society to murder Jared and take the throne for himself.

While king, Akish took measures to secure his position, even incarcerating one of his sons in jail until he starved to death. This created a division between him and his remaining sons. One of them, Nimrah, left the land with a small group of men and fled to Ablom. Others raised a rebellion against him, which lasted for the space of many years. In that timeframe, it is evident that he, along with all but thirty men, was killed. Those thirty fled to Omer in Ablom, allowing Omer to once again take the throne.[1]