Abish is distinguished because she is one of only three women named in the Book of Mormon.
One sentence about the Lamanite woman convert is at once informative and cryptic: "she having been converted unto the Lord for many years, on account of a remarkable vision of her father" (Alma 19:16).This sentence, explains Daniel H. Ludlow in his A Companion to Your Study of the Book of Mormon, "may have two possible interpretations. One interpretation is that Abish herself had this vision and in her vision she saw her father. Another possible interpretation is that the vision was actually had by the father of Abish. Regardless of which interpretation is correct, this conversion of Abish plays an important role in converting large numbers of Lamanites."
The scriptures say that when Abish saw king Lamoni and his entourage fallen to the earth she "knew it was by the power of God; and supposing . . . that by beholding this scene it would cause them to believe in the power of God, therefore she ran forth from house to house, making it known unto the people."
Later, Abish went forth in great faith as she took the queen by the hand, an act that lead to the recovery of the royal entourage and the conversion of many people.
