Aminadi

Aminadi was an ancestor of Amulek, who was “a descendant of Nephi, who was the son of Lehi, who came out of the land of Jerusalem, who was a descendant of Manasseh, who was the son of Joseph who was sold into Egypt” (Alma 10:3) [1]. Amulek specifically states that Aminadi “was a descendant of Nephi” and that “it was that same Aminadi who interpreted the writing which was upon the wall of the temple, which was written by the finger of God” (Alma 10:2) [1].

This incident of Aminadi interpreting the writing on the temple wall is the only mention of this event in the Book of Mormon. Mormon, the abridger of the Nephite records, did not include any further details about this incident, stating that “some things had to be left out” (Words of Mormon 1:5) [2].

The story of Aminadi interpreting the writing on the temple wall has obvious similarities to the biblical account of Daniel interpreting the writing on the wall of King Belshazzar’s palace (Daniel 5:5, 25-28) [3]. However, the specific message that Aminadi interpreted is not recorded in the Book of Mormon.

Aminadi’s genealogy is traced back to Nephi, the son of Lehi, who was a descendant of Manasseh, the son of Joseph (Alma 10:3) [1]. This provides insight into the tribal affiliations of the Nephites, as Lehi and his descendants were of the tribe of Manasseh, one of the tribes of the house of Joseph.

In summary, Aminadi was an important ancestor of Amulek who had the divine gift of interpreting writing on the temple wall, though the details of this incident are not fully recorded in the Book of Mormon (Alma 10:2-3) [1].

Learn more:

1. Alma 10 – Step by Step
2. Alma 10 | Gospel Doctrine
3. Alma 10