Zemnarihah was a prominent figure within the Nephite narrative, arising to leadership after the death of Giddianhi as the captain of the Gadianton robbers, a notorious band whose origins trace back to secret combinations and oaths passed down from earlier times. In the year AD 21, Zemnarihah attempted to overpower the Nephite nation by laying siege to their gathered forces, a desperate effort to cut off their supplies and compel them into submission (3 Nephi 4:16-17).
However, Zemnarihah’s strategy proved to be ineffective against the well-prepared Nephites. The siege caused significant hardships for his own forces, resulting in scarcity of provisions and weakening their position. Recognizing their impending defeat and the losses they were sustaining, Zemnarihah commanded his troops to withdraw towards the land northward to evade the Nephite army (3 Nephi 4:22-23).
Unfortunately for Zemnarihah, the Nephite forces, led by the prophet-general Gidgiddoni, assessed the vulnerability of the robbers and mounted a decisive counter-attack. The Gadianton robbers were surrounded, leading to the capture of thousands and eventually to the capture of Zemnarihah himself. His end came by way of execution, as he was taken and hanged upon a tree until dead. Thereafter, the tree was felled, symbolically representing the downfall of those who sought to destroy the Nephite society through power and secret combinations (3 Nephi 4:28-29). The death of Zemnarihah marked a critical victory for the Nephites and a temporary cessation of the Gadianton threat, echoing the resolve of the Nephite people to maintain their righteousness and political stability against such insurrections.