King Benjamin’s Speech – Mosiah 2-5

Setting

Near the end of his life, in about 124 B.C., King Benjamin called his people together. They gathered with each family’s tent facing the temple. A tall tower was erected to make it easier for Benjamin to address them all. Because they couldn’t all hear him well, his speech was also transcribed and read by messengers (Mosiah 2:1-8).

Purpose

As he told his son, Mosiah, before the speech, Benjamin had two purposes for delivering it (Mosiah 1:10-12):

1. To formally resign as king and name Mosiah as his successor
2. To teach the people about Jesus Christ and convince them to take His name upon themselves

Outline

1. Benjamin’s service as king (Mosiah 2)
2. 1. Please open your ears to my message (Mosiah 2:9-11).
   2. I have served you well (Mosiah 2:12-15).
   3. Three lessons from my service as your king:
      1. When you serve others, you are serving God (Mosiah 2:16-17).
      2. If even the king serves you, you ought to serve one another (Mosiah 2:18).
      3. If I deserve any thanks, God deserves more. You can’t pay Him back for everything He has given you (Mosiah 2:19-24).
   4. The announcement: Mosiah is now your king (Mosiah 2:25-30).
   5. If you continue to keep the commandments, you will continue to prosper (Mosiah 2:31-41).
3. A message from an angel: through Jesus Christ, we can be saved (Mosiah 3)
   1. An angel appeared to me and gave me a joyful message (Mosiah 3:1-4).
   2. God will come to earth, work miracles, suffer for our sins, be crucified and resurrected, and judge the world (Mosiah 3:5-10).
   3. His blood atones for those who sin unknowingly (Mosiah 3:11-18).
   4. But those who know the truth must humble themselves and repent (Mosiah 3:19-27).
4. How to retain a remission of your sins (Mosiah 4)
   1. [The people pray for mercy and are spiritually reborn] (Mosiah 4:1-3).
   2. A recognition of the goodness of God has led you to humble yourselves and repent (Mosiah 4:4-10).
   3. You can retain a remission of your sins by remembering God, remaining humble, praying daily, and staying faithful (Mosiah 4:11-12).
   4. You should live peaceably with others, love and teach your children, and give to beggars (Mosiah 4:13-26).
   5. Do all of these things in wisdom and in order (Mosiah 4:27).
   6. If you borrow something, give it back (Mosiah 4:28).
   7. There are many ways to sin, so watch yourselves, your thoughts, your words, and your deeds (Mosiah 4:29-30).
5. Taking upon yourself the name of Christ (Mosiah 5)
   1. [The people enter a covenant to obey God until the end of their lives] (Mosiah 5:1-5).
   2. You are now “the children of Christ, his sons and his daughters” (Mosiah 5:6-10).
   3. Retain the name. Don’t let it be blotted out by transgression or by failing to serve Him. “Be steadfast and immovable” (Mosiah 5:11-15).

Outcome

The people were converted and took upon themselves the name of Christ. Benjamin recorded their names and appointed priests to help them remember the covenant they had made (Mosiah 6).

My Takeaways

What does it mean to take upon ourselves the name of Christ? As King Benjamin teaches in this speech, it means to be spiritually reborn through His atoning sacrifice, receiving a remission of our sins and being filled with joy. It also means to enter a new relationship with Him which enables us to retain the blessings of that rebirth over time.

King Benjamin was a humble leader. His people respected him because he had served them unselfishly. Through this speech, he was able not only to transfer political power to his son, but far more importantly, to help his people to accept Jesus Christ as their eternal King.

I can respond to Benjamin’s words by approaching God with the same reverence that would be given to a respected king. I will humble myself before Him, plead for His intervention on my behalf, and strive to submit my will to His and to serve His children. Ultimately, my goal is the same as Benjamin’s goal for his people: to retain the name of Jesus Christ written always in my heart, so that in the end, I will “know the voice by which [I] shall be called, and also, the name by which he shall call [me]” (Mosiah 5:12).

Blog Posts about King Benjamin’s Speech

• Christmas, Easter, and the Book of Mormon (3/27/2024)
• Mercy (3/26/2024)
• Burdens (3/8/2024)
• Sense and Insensibility (2/10/2024)
• Belonging (1/6/2024)
• The Root and the Offspring (12/28/2023)
• “Worthy Is the Lamb” (12/10/2023)
• Letters to the Seven Churches (12/7/2023)
• Developing Christlike Attributes (11/25/2023)
• Divine Nature (11/24/2023)
• Bridling My Tongue (11/17/2023)
• Without the Camp (11/8/2023)
• Perfected Through Suffering (11/4/2023)
• Increase and Abound in Love (10/19/2023)
• “Be Careful for Nothing” (10/14/2023)
• Every Knee, Every Tongue (10/13/2023)
• Think Celestial! (10/12/2023)
• “Forbearing One Another” (10/3/2023)
• The Fruit of the Spirit (10/1/2023)
• Earning vs. Qualifying (9/28/2023)
• Learning from General Conference (9/26/2023)
• Sufficient and Abounding Grace (9/21/2023)
• “He Hath Dispersed” (9/20/2023)
• By the Grace of God (9/9/2023)
• Running the Race (8/29/2023)
• Wisdom and Foolishness (8/22/2023)
• Only by His Grace (8/11/2023)
• Truth and Soberness (8/4/2023)
• Void of Offense (8/2/2023)
• None Other Name (7/7/2023)
• They Know Not (6/21/2023)
• “That They Might Know Thee” (6/7/2023)
• “If Ye Love Me…” (6/6/2023)
• Numbered with the Transgressors (6/3/2023)
• Trimming My Lamp (5/28/2023)
• “Ye Visited Me” (5/27/2023)
• The Sheep and the Wayfaring Man (5/23/2023)
• Wedding Garments and Extra Oil (5/21/2023)
• “The Poor Always Ye Have with You” (5/20/2023)
• Servant Leadership (5/9/2023)
• Rivers of Living Water (4/28/2023)
• Abuse (4/20/2023)
• The Zeal of Thine House (4/4/2023)
• “Freely Ye Have Received, Freely Give” (3/11/2023)
• Poor in Spirit (2/17/2023)
• Passing Through the Midst of Them (2/5/2023)
• “Exact No More…” (1/26/2023)
• Our Great Creator (1/21/2023)
• Repentance and Resolutions (1/1/2023)
• “Consider Your Ways” (12/6/2022)
• But If Not… (11/6/2022)
• God Gave Them Knowledge (11/1/2022)
• Incline Your Ear (10/1/2022)
• Thy Name, My Name (9/25/2022)
• “Thou Art My Servant” (9/24/2022)
• “The Grass Withereth, the Flower Fadeth” (9/21/2022)
• Train Up a Child (9/3/2022)
• How Lovely Is Thy Dwelling-place (8/21/2022)
• We Love Thy House (8/14/2022)
• Preparing My Heart (7/23/2022)
• “Set Thine House in Order” (7/14/2022)
• Josiah and Benjamin (7/12/2022)
• Overcoming Temptation: Lessons from David and Corianton (6/24/2022)
• “I Will Build Thee an House” (6/22/2022)
• My Ebenezer (6/14/2022)
• Permanent Promises (6/9/2022)
• Gleaning (6/8/2022)
• Joshua and the Book of Mormon (5/26/2022)
• “Wells…Which Thou Diggedst Not” (5/22/2022)
• “Keep Thy Soul Diligently” (5/20/2022)
• With One Voice (4/26/2022)
• Thou Shalt Not Covet (4/20/2022)
• Segullah (4/19/2022)
• There Was Bread (3/11/2022)
• Beth-El (3/2/2022)
• Machpelah: Paying Full Price (2/18/2022)
• Creation as Grace (1/6/2022)
• Being Created (1/5/2022)
• Nothingness (12/30/2021)
• The Living Christ and the Book of Mormon (12/26/2021)
• The Healer (12/22/2021)
• The Creator (12/21/2021)
• Edifying (11/28/2021)
• Borrowing (11/24/2021)
• A House of Order (11/12/2021)
• Spirit (11/10/2021)
• Angels (11/9/2021)
• “Especial Care” (11/2/2021)
• Anointed (10/31/2021)
• Integrity (10/29/2021)
• Poured Out (10/3/2021)
• A Solemn Assembly (9/28/2021)
• Impart (9/14/2021)
• “Seek Diligently to Take Away Incumbrances” (9/4/2021)
• Grace for Grace (8/25/2021)
• Establish a House (8/15/2021)
• Maintenance (7/24/2021)
• Bound (7/23/2021)
• Knowledge and Power (7/15/2021)
• Willing (6/17/2021)
• “Spoken with Care” (6/12/2021)
• Brimstone (6/10/2021)
• Oblations (5/30/2021)
• The Two Great Commandments (5/29/2021)
• “A Knowledge of the Goodness of God” – Mosiah 4:5-6 (5/28/2021)
• Rich and Poor (5/23/2021)
• Edify (5/15/2021)
• Family Financial Management and Section 48 (5/9/2021)
• Sanctified (4/25/2021)
• Every Nation, Kindred, Tongue, and People (4/20/2021)
• With a Loud Voice (4/11/2021)
• Love One Another and Serve One Another (3/30/2021)
• A House of Prayer (3/29/2021)
• The Sound of Rejoicing (3/27/2021)
• “In Wisdom and Order” – Mosiah 4:27 (3/16/2021)
• “With One Voice” (3/14/2021)
• Daughters of Christ (3/10/2021)
• “That Ye May Not Shrink” – 2 Nephi 9:46 (2/27/2021)
• “Whosoever…Borroweth” – Mosiah 4:28 (2/24/2021)
• “Temporal and Spiritual” – Mosiah 2:41 (2/20/2021)
• “Fellow-Servants” (Alma 17:29) (2/9/2021)
• “Faster Than He Has Strength” – Mosiah 4:27 (2/4/2021)
• Trifle (1/27/2021)
• “Beware Lest There Shall Arise Contentions Among You” – Mosiah 2:32 (1/5/2021)
• Son of God (12/27/2020)
• Mary (12/26/2020)
• “The Gift of His Calling” – Moroni 7:2 (12/10/2020)
• Book of Mormon References in Moroni 6 (12/5/2020)
• “Even as I Am” – 3 Nephi 27:27 (10/20/2020)
• “Behold, I Am Jesus Christ” – 3 Nephi 9:15-18, 11:10-11 (9/18/2020)
• Justice and Mercy (7/31/2020)
• “I Am Infirm” – Alma 31:30 (7/12/2020)
• “Will Ye Persist in Supposing That Ye Are Better One Than Another?” – Alma 5:54 (6/4/2020)
• “I Have Spoken Unto You Plainly” – Alma 5:43 (6/3/2020)
• Belief and Understanding – Mosiah 26:1-3 (5/20/2020)
• “I Will Cause That My People Shall Rejoice” – Mosiah 7:14 (4/29/2020)
• “From Day to Day” – Mosiah 2:21, Mosiah 4:24, 26 (4/28/2020)
• “That Christ…May Seal You His” – Mosiah 5:15 (4/26/2020)
• “Blotted Out” – Mosiah 1:12, Mosiah 5:11 (4/25/2020)
• The Greatness and Goodness of God (4/24/2020)
• What Is a “Remission” of Your Sins? (4/23/2020)
• “In Wisdom and Order” – Mosiah 4:27 (4/22/2020)
• “Take upon You the Name of Christ” – Mosiah 5:8 (4/21/2020)
• “As a Child” – Mosiah 3:19 (4/19/2020)
• “Glad Tidings of Great Joy” – Mosiah 3:3 (4/18/2020)
• “That I Might Rid My Garments of Your Blood” – Mosiah 2:27-28 (4/17/2020)
• “I Have Been Suffered” – Mosiah 2:12 (4/16/2020)
• “Grievous to Be Borne” – Mosiah 2:14 (4/15/2020)
• King Benjamin and Contention (4/14/2020)
• “He Changed Their Hearts” – Alma 5:7 (4/10/2020)
• Hearken (4/8/2020)
• Justice and Mercy (4/4/2020)
• “All Flesh Is of the Dust” – Jacob 2:21 (3/12/2020)
• What Are the Mysteries of God? (1/19/2020)
• What Does the Book of Mormon Refute? (12/29/2019)
• What Does the Book of Mormon Affirm? (12/28/2019)
• What Is the Significance of the Name “Jesus?” (12/26/2019)
• How Does the Savior Bring Us Peace? (12/25/2019)
• How Does the Gospel Bring Us Joy? (12/23/2019)
• What Is Meekness? (12/22/2019)
• How Can I Fully Receive the Forgiveness of God? (12/21/2019)
• What Is the Role of Music in the Gospel? (12/17/2019)
• Why Are Reunions Important? (12/14/2019)
• What Is Wisdom? (12/13/2019)
• What Does the Book of Mormon Teach About Corruption? (12/10/2019)
• What Does the Book of Mormon Teach About the Creation of the Earth? (12/8/2019)
• How Can I Manage Stress More Effectively? (12/6/2019)
• Why Would God “Inflict” Things on Us? (12/3/2019)
• What Do We Know About God’s Love for Us? (12/2/2019)
• What Does It Mean to “Render” Thanks? (12/1/2019)
• What Should I Be Thankful For? (11/28/2019)
• How Can I “Always Abound in Good Works?” (11/26/2019)
• What Does the Book of Mormon Teach about Sacrifice? (11/17/2019)
• How Can I Avoid Being an “Unholy Temple?” (11/14/2019)
• How Can I Recognize the Hand of the Lord in My Life? (10/27/2019)
• What Does It Mean to “Cast Out Devils?” (10/24/2019)
• What Is Joy? (10/11/2019)
• Will We Be Judged by the Apostles? (10/9/2019)
• What Should I Do When Prophetic Teachings Are Difficult to Understand or Accept? (10/6/2019)
• What Does It Mean to Serve Others “According to Their Wants?” (10/2/2019)
• What Does It Mean to Bear One Another’s Burdens? (9/28/2019)
• What Does It Mean to Become the Sons and Daughters of Christ? (9/23/2019)
• What Should I Teach My Children? (9/20/2019)
• What Is the Relationship Between the Family and the Church? (9/18/2019)
• What Does the Book of Mormon Teach About Education? (8/29/2019)
• What Does It Mean to Be Saved “In and Through” the Grace of God? (8/27/2019)
• What Should I Think About? (8/24/2019)
• How Can I Be a More Effective Leader? (8/23/2019)
• How Can I Manage Time More Effectively? (8/21/2019)
• Why Did the Nephites Keep the Law of Moses? (8/11/2019)
• What Does It Mean to Minister? (8/3/2019)
• What Does It Mean to Seek the Kingdom of God? (7/30/2019)
• What Can We Learn from the Lord’s Prayer? (7/25/2019)
• How Can I Find Peace? (7/23/2019)
• What Is the Significance of God’s Promise to Nephi? (7/19/2019)
• What Does the Book of Mormon Teach About Self-Reliance? (7/18/2019)
• What Does the Book of Mormon Say About Teaching the Gospel in Families? (7/16/2019)
• What Does It Mean to “Hearken?” (7/14/2019)
• What Does the Book of Mormon Teach About Obedience? (6/30/2019)
• What Should I Do When I Feel Guilty? (6/24/2019)
• How Can I Know If I’ve Been Forgiven? (6/19/2019)
• How Can I Have More Experiences with God? (6/18/2019)
• How Can I Be a Better Father? (6/17/2019)
• What Does the Book of Mormon Teach About Being an Effective Parent? (5/15/2019)
• What Does It Mean to Endure to the End? (5/14/2019)
• How Can I Be More Humble? (5/13/2019)
• How Can I Be a Better Listener? (5/12/2019)
• What Does the Book of Mormon Teach About Fear? (5/8/2019)
• What Does the Book of Mormon Teach About Happiness? (5/6/2019)
• What Does It Mean to Consecrate Something? (5/4/2019)
• What Does the Book of Mormon Teach About Serving Others? (4/26/2019)
• How Can We Be Open to Change While Being “Steadfast and Immovable?” (4/24/2019)
• What Does It Mean to Be Steadfast? (4/23/2019)
• What Is a Saint? (4/22/2019)
• What Does It Mean to Be Sober? (4/20/2019)
• How Does God Communicate with Us? (4/16/2019)
• Why Is It Good to Be Submissive? (4/13/2019)
• What Does the Book of Mormon Teach About Patience? (4/11/2019)
• How Can I Prepare to Hear the Words of Prophets? (4/6/2019)
• What Does the Book of Mormon Teach About Taxes? (4/6/2019)
• Should We Always Give to Beggars? (4/4/2019)
• What Does the Book of Mormon Teach About Finances? (4/2/2019)
• What Can We Learn from the Prayers Recorded in the Book of Mormon? (3/28/2019)
• What Is the Significance of the Title “the Lord Omnipotent?” (3/13/2019)
• How Do Book of Mormon Prophets Use the Title “Savior?” (3/11/2019)
• What Is the Significance of the Names and Titles of Jesus in the Book of Mormon? (3/3/2019)
• What Does It Mean to “Succor” Someone? (2/27/2019)
• What Are Some Examples of People Coming Unto Christ? (2/14/2019)
• What Is the Significance of the Phrase “a Tabernacle of Clay?” (2/5/2019)
• What Is the “Natural Man?” (2/4/2019)
• What Is the Significance of the Savior Bleeding “from Every Pore?” (2/3/2019)
• What Does It Mean to “Apply the Atoning Blood of Christ?” (1/31/2019)
• How Is the Word “Atonement” Used in the Book of Mormon? (1/30/2019)
• I Would That Ye Should Take Upon You the Name of Christ – Mosiah 5:7-8 (11/10/2018)
• The Children of Christ – Mosiah 5:7 (6/18/2018)
• Always Retain a Remission of Your Sins – Mosiah 4:11-12 (6/17/2018)
• Those…Who Have Ignorantly Sinned – Mosiah 3:11-12 (6/16/2018)
• That I Might Rid My Garments of Your Blood – Mosiah 2:27-28 (6/15/2018)
• They Were Filled with Joy – Mosiah 4:2-3 (3/14/2018)
• The Glad Tidings of Great Joy – Mosiah 3:2-4 (3/13/2018)
• And Becometh as a Child – Mosiah 3:19 (11/17/2017)
• A Mighty Change – Mosiah 5:2-5 (10/22/2017)
• Are We Not All Beggars? – Mosiah 4:19-21 (10/20/2017)
• Believe in God – Mosiah 4:9-10 (10/19/2017)
• They Had Viewed Themselves in Their Own Carnal State – Mosiah 4:1-3 (10/18/2017)
• The Natural Man – Mosiah 3:19 (10/17/2017)
• That a Righteous Judgment Might Come – Mosiah 3:5-10 (10/16/2017)
• In the Service of Your God – Mosiah 2:16-17 (10/15/2017)
• I Am Like As Yourselves – Mosiah 2:10-11 (10/14/2017)
• Because of the Exceeding Faith – Mosiah 4:3 (1/4/2017)
• A Righteous Judgment – Mosiah 3:9-10 (12/30/2016)
• No Other Name…nor Any Other Way nor Means – Mosiah 3:17 (12/29/2016)
• Love One Another – Mosiah 4:15 (12/24/2016)
• A Tabernacle of Clay – Mosiah 3:5 (12/13/2016)
• Causing…the Blind to Receive Their Sight – Mosiah 3:5-6 (12/3/2016)
• Ye Will Not Suffer Your Children… – Mosiah 4:14-15 (11/23/2016)
• They Pitched Their Tents Round About – Mosiah 2:5-6 (9/26/2016)
• The Blessed and Happy State – Mosiah 2:41 (9/13/2016)
• Whom He Has Not Served – Mosiah 5:13 (8/15/2016)
• Ye Will Teach Them…to Serve One Another – Mosiah 4:14-15 (8/14/2016)
• To Spend My Days in Your Service – Mosiah 2:12-14 (7/25/2016)
• Open Your Ears That Ye May Hear – Mosiah 2:9 (7/19/2016)
• Ye Do Withdraw Yourselves – Mosiah 2:36 (6/20/2016)
• Because of the Covenant Which Ye Have Made – Mosiah 5:6-7 (6/1/2016)
• Whosever Among You Borroweth – Mosiah 4:28 (5/26/2016)
• Ye Will Teach Them – Mosiah 4:14-15 (5/12/2016)
• All the Thanks and Praise – Mosiah 2:20-21 (5/4/2016)
• That Ye May Learn Wisdom – Mosiah 2:17, Alma 38:9 (4/27/2016)
• All Things Must Be Done in Order – Mosiah 4:27 (4/21/2016)
• It Is Expedient that He Should Be Diligent – Mosiah 4:27 (4/14/2016)
• For the Sake of Retaining a Remission of Your Sins – Mosiah 4:26 (4/6/2016)
• Are We Not All Beggars? – Mosiah 4:16-19 (4/5/2016)
• In the Service of Your Fellow Beings – Mosiah 2:17 (4/2/2016)
• Humble Yourselves Even in the Depths of Humility – Mosiah 4:11 (3/20/2016)
• No More Disposition to Do Evil – Mosiah 5:2 (2/9/2016)
• In Adam, or by Nature, They Fall – Mosiah 3:16 (2/5/2016)
• And Putteth off the Natural Man – Mosiah 3:19 (2/2/2016)
• In a Tabernacle of Clay – Mosiah 3:5-8 (1/12/2016)
• All The Things Which the Lord Can Comprehend – Mosiah 4:9 (1/6/2016)
• How Knoweth a Man the Master Whom He Has Not Served – Mosiah 5:13 (4/23/2015)
• In Wisdom and Order – Mosiah 4:27 (4/22/2015)
• Believe in God – Mosiah 4:9-10 (4/21/2015)
• As Ye Have Come to the Knowledge of the Glory of God – Mosiah 4:11-12 (4/21/2015)
• Willing to Submit – Mosiah 3:19 (4/20/2015)
• Unprofitable Servants – Mosiah 2:21 (4/18/2015)
• Ye Do Withdraw Yourselves – Mosiah 2:36 (4/17/2015)
• Open Your Ears That Ye May Hear – Mosiah 2:9 (4/16/2015)
• Mosiah 4:26 Every Man According to That Which He Hath (10/13/2014)
• Mosiah 3:11-12 Wo Unto Him Who Knoweth That He Rebelleth Against God (10/12/2014)
• Mosiah 2:41 They Are Blessed in All Things (10/10/2014)