Aside from being painfully redundant, there is a notable contradiction in the story of Korihor. It is patently clear from other verses that the Nephites enjoyed what Americans today would call “freedom of speech.” If a man was free to have his opinions and was only punished for the illegal things he had done, such as theft or murder, then why was Korihor arrested and bound three different times for speaking his mind?:  

“Now (Korihor) went over to the land of Jershon also, to preach these things among the people of Ammon, who were once the people of the Lamanites. But behold they were more wise than many of the Nephites; for they took him, and bound him, and carried him before Ammon, who was a high priest over that people. And it came to pass that he caused that he should be carried out of the land. And he came over into the land of and the chief judge saw the hardness of his heart… they caused that he should be bound; and they delivered him up into the hands of the officers, and sent him to the land of Zarahemla…” (Selected verses from Alma 30)

Perhaps freedom of belief was allowed but freedom of speech was not. In any case, after Korihor was struck dumb, a proclamation was sent out to warn those that had sympathized with him that “they must speedily repent, lest the same judgments would come unto them.” (v.57) Were they to understand that while there was no law in the land against a man’s beliefs, God would nonetheless strike them dumb if they chose to agree with Korihor? Does God really operate in such a manner?

When Nephite dissident, Nehor, was about to be put to death, “he was caused, or rather did acknowledge, between the heavens and the earth, that what he had taught the people was contrary to the word of God…” (Alma 1:15) So which is it? Was he forced to confess, or did he voluntarily speak his own mind? It’s important to know, because “there was no law against a man’s belief,” suggesting that the use of coercion was illegal. 

As was the case with Abinadi’s reference to Christ in the past tense (Mosiah 16:6), it would appear that what is really happening in this verse is that Joseph Smith had once again caught himself in a contradiction, and had made an instantaneous correction during dictation. Ironically, while he had the presence of mind in the moment to fix this error, Joseph was completely oblivious in the case of Korihor, as he allowed Korihor to be arrested three times for espousing his beliefs.