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CHAPTER 49
The invading Lamanites are unable to take the fortified cities of
Ammonihah and Noah— |
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1 AND now it came to pass in the
*eleventh month of the nineteenth year, on the
tenth day of the month, the armies of the Lamanites were seen approaching
towards the land of aAmmonihah.
2 And behold, the city had been rebuilt, and Moroni had stationed an army by the borders of the city, and they had acast up dirt around about to shield them from the arrows and the bstones of the Lamanites; for behold, they fought with stones and with arrowsa. 3 Behold, I said that the city of aAmmonihah had been rebuilt. I say unto you, yea, that it was in part rebuilt; and because the Lamanites had destroyed it once because of the iniquity of the people, they supposed that it would again become an easy prey for thema.
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2a they fought with stones and with
arrows The primative nature of the Lamanites warfare speaks
volumes concerning the life style of the Lamanites. Even the newly installed
Nephite Amalickiah as the Lamanite king and the Zoramites could do little to
or they did little to change that nature. But in order to encourage the
Lamanites to so again come to battle against the armies of Moroni, the did
provide them with shields and heavier protective clothing. Yet to Amalickiah
the Lamanites were but a means to his intended ends. And thus he cared
not to properly arm them and train his armies beyond their rudimentary
weapons of war war and presumed that by their shear number they could over
come and over through the Nephites.
3a because the Lamanites had destroyed it once because of the iniquity of the people, they supposed that it would again become an easy prey for them When one considers the lay of the land alone one has to wonder why the Lamanite armies would by pass the lands and cities of Melek which was 3 days south of Ammonihah and certainly between the Lamanties in the Land of Nephi in the south and Ammonihah much further north? But from the historical perspective of the Lamanites, Ammonihah was the only city where the Lamanites had had any previous success in defeating the Nephites in any of their invasion of the Land of Zarahemla previously. Thus as it states, they assumed that Ammonihah would be easy prey from them and certainly Ammonihas was much closer to the narrow neck and access to the land north which is will later be found is one of the primary objectives of the Lamanites in obtaining control over all of the land. |
1*
[72 B.C.] a Alma 8:6 2a Alma 48:8 b 1 Ne. 16:15; Alma 43:20 3a Alma 16:2 (2-3, 9, 11)
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4 But behold, how great was their disappointment; for behold, the
Nephites had dug up a aridge of earth round about them,
which was so high that the Lamanites could not cast their stones and their
arrows at them that they might take effect, neither could they come upon them
save it was by their place of bentrance.
5 Now at this time the chief acaptains of the Lamanites were astonished exceedingly, because of the wisdom of the Nephites in preparing their places of security.
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4a
Alma 48:8;
Alma 50:1 b Alma 49:20 5a Alma 52:19
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6 Now the leaders of the Lamanites had supposed, because of the
greatness of their numbers, yea, they supposed that they should be privileged
to come upon them as they had hitherto done; yea, and they had also prepared
themselves with shields, and with abreastplates; and
they had also prepared themselves with garments of skins, yea, very
thick garments to cover their
nakednessa.
7 And being thus prepared they supposed that they should easily overpower and asubject their brethren to the yoke of bondage, or slay and massacre them according to their pleasure. 8 But behold, to their uttermost astonishment, they were aprepared for them, in a manner which never had been known among the children of Lehi. Now they were prepared for the Lamanites, to battle after the manner of the instructions of Moroni.
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6a they had also prepared themselves with garments of skins, yea, very thick garments to cover their nakedness This Lamanite manner of dress for war seems to have been continued in later American societies which dress in the skins of lepords and wild beast, not only to show their fierceness or worship of a 'lepord god', but as stated here to protect their naked body from the attacks of battle which they had copied from the Nephites who worn such thick clothing to so guard themselves in battle (See Alma 43:19). |
6a
Alma 46:13;
Hel. 1:14 7a Alma 43:29 8a Alma 48:7-10
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9 And it came to pass that the Lamanites, or the
Amalickiahitesa,
were exceedingly astonished at their manner of preparation for
war.
10 Now, if king Amalickiah had come down out of the aland of Nephi, at the head of his army, perhaps he would have caused the Lamanites to have attacked the Nephites at the city of Ammonihah; for behold, he did care not for the blood of his people. 11 But behold, Amalickiah did not come down himself to battle. And behold, his chief captains durst not attack the Nephites at the city of Ammonihah, for Moroni had altered the management of affairs among the Nephites, insomuch that the Lamanites were disappointed in their places of retreat and they could not come upon thema.
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9a Amalickiahites Now from
the perspective of leadership, with Amalickiah being their king, the combined
forces of the Lamanites, Zoramites and other dissenting Nephites could
properly be stipulated as Amalickiahites. And from the genrealized perspective
of belief, which stipulates that the Nephites were the followers of Christ
after the teachings of Nephi and that the Lamanites were they who did
opposed them and seek to destroy them, certainly they were all Lamantites.
11a the Lamanites were disappointed in their places of retreat and they could not come upon them What this most assuredly has reference to is the fact that the Lamanites could not mount a surprise attack upon Ammonihah from the western wilderness as before. For the timber was clearer from that forested area both to build the defenses fo the city and to also so provide a great buffer clearing of the land so as to not allow the Lamanites to secure their army in tha wilderness undetected and unobserved by the Nephites. |
10a
2 Ne. 5:8;
Omni 1:12;
Alma 47:1, 13-24
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12 Therefore they retreated into the wilderness, and took their
camp and marched towards the land of
aNoaha, supposing
that to be the next best place for them to come against the Nephites.
13 For they knew not that Moroni had fortified, or had built aforts of security, for every city in all the land round abouta; therefore, they marched forward to the land of Noahb with a firm determination; yea, their chief captains came forward and took an boath that they would destroy the people of that city. 14 But behold, to their astonishment, the city of Noah, which had hitherto been a weak place, had now, by the means of Moroni, become strong, yea, even to exceed the strength of the city Ammonihah.
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12a they took their camp and marched
towards the land of Noah It is not stressed in the highly
condensed and abridged Book of Mormon record concerning the great distances
and marches of the armies in these great lands of much size. But even the
distance between neighboring land and cities of Ammonihah and Noah required
the moving of the camp and an additional march of the army before they would
come to Noah from Ammonihah. And off course they had already come days upon
days of travel originating from the land of Nephi and the city thereof, and
further into the land of Zarahamela passing by the land of Melek and thence
at least 3 days or more march between the regions of Melek to arrive at
Ammonihah. Thus it must be understood that these distances and battles were
transversed over great distances. They were NOT single day affairs as
the quick read artists of the limited land theories would surmize due to the
land of detail in the highly one hundredeth part abridgement of the Book of
Mormon record.
13a every city in all the land round about One of the common phrases used in the Book of Mormon is 'round about'. It here is used to mean all the lands and their cities in the borders 'round about' the entire nation and not every single city of the entire nation of Zarahemla. Thus when we hear of the 'defensive cities of Moroni', we must consider that they are these cities 'round about' upon the borders of the land and that there were many more cities and lands in the interior of the land, which of course have remained for the most part unnamed in the abridged Book of Mormon record. 13b they marched forward to the land of Noah It is of particular note to begin to observe the use of the word 'forward' in Mormon's abridgement record. For some will choose to surmize that when the Book of Mormon says 'forward' it means 'backwards' rather than further forward. |
12a
Alma 16:3 13a Alma 48:8; Alma 50:10 (1-6, 10) b Alma 49:17
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15 And now, behold, this was wisdom in Moroni; for he had
supposed that they would be frightened at the city Ammonihah; and
as the city of Noah had hitherto been the weakest part of the
land, therefore they would march thither to battle; and thus it
was according to his desires.
16 And behold, Moroni had appointed Lehi to be chief captain over the men of that city; and it was that asame Lehi who fought with the Lamanites in the valley on the east of the river Sidon. 17 And now behold it came to pass, that when the Lamanites had found that Lehi commanded the city they were again disappointed, for they feared Lehi exceedingly; nevertheless their chief captains had asworn with an oath to attack the city; therefore, they brought up their armies.
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16a
Alma 43:35 17a Alma 49:13
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18 Now behold, the Lamanites could not get into their forts of
security by any other way save by the entrance, because of the
highness of the bank which had been thrown up, and the depth of
the ditch which had been dug round about, save it were by the
entrance.
19 And thus were the Nephites prepared to destroy all such as should attempt to climb up to enter the fort by any other way, by casting over stones and arrows at them. 20 Thus they were prepared, yea, a body of their strongest men, with their swords and their slings, to smite down all who should attempt to come into their place of security by the place of aentrance; and thus were they prepared to defend themselves against the Lamanites.
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20a
Alma 49:4, 18, 21, 24
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21 And it came to pass that the captains of the Lamanites
brought up their armies before the place of entrance, and began
to contend with the Nephites, to get into their place of
security; but behold, they were driven back from time to time,
insomuch that they were slain with an immense slaughter.
22 Now when they found that they could not obtain power over the Nephites by the pass, they began to dig down their banks of earth that they might obtain a pass to their armies, that they might have an equal chance to fighta; but behold, in these attempts they were swept off by the stones and arrows which were thrown at them; and instead of filling up their ditches by pulling down the banks of earth, they were filled up in a measure with their dead and wounded bodies.
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22a an equal chance to fight Often the false 'honor and valor of war' seems to instill in the warior a certain chivalry of 'fairness of battle'. But when the activities of war are but to inflict death upon one's enemy even when the cause is wrong, the 'chivalry' of the innocent party who is being attacked is but foolishness. War and murder is a crime. Only in protecting of one's own, in a defensive posture is such ever justified. The sin is always upon the agressor. Why then is it deemed 'fair' and 'chivalrous' for the attacked to meet the sin of the agressor on what might be deemed 'equal basis'? If one can protect one's self from such unwarnanted assults of agression, more is the better if one can turn the tables upon them to the advantage of the defender. Amalickiah who but instigates the evil of war and the design of murder and bloodshed, and who cares little for his men of arms, but desires the fight and the blood. He is angry when the Nephites by their strategy and preparations out flank his murderous design. So much for 'chivalry' is such unwarranted battles and wars of sinful agression. And what is 'fair' and right, is to 'protect' one's self from such murderous agression and especially if one can obtain the advantage over one's murderous and unprovoked agressor. The sin is upon the agressor unto violence, not upon he who attempts to avoid the fight and to protect and preserve one's self, one's family, one's rights, freedoms, liberties and righteous religion unto God. And what is not fair is for the agressor to have levied the attack in the first place. |
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23 Thus the Nephites had all power over their enemies; and thus the
Lamanites did attempt to destroy the Nephites until their
achief captains were all slain; yea, and more than a
thousand of the Lamanites were slain; while, on the other hand, there was not
a single soul of the Nephites which was slain.
24 There were about fifty who were wounded, who had been exposed to the arrows of the Lamanites through the pass, but they were shielded by their ashields, and their breastplates, and their head-plates, insomuch that their wounds were upon their legs, many of which were very severe. 25 And it came to pass, that when the Lamanites saw that their chief captains were all slain they fled into the wilderness. And it came to pass that they returned to the land of Nephi, to inform their king, Amalickiah, who was a aNephite by birtha, concerning their great bloss.
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25a Amalickiah, who was a Nephite by birth It seems of particular interest to have stated that Amalickiah was a Nephite by birth. We do not know if the previous 'kingmen' were of Nephi or perhaps of Mulek in their desire and claim to be king. But here it is expressly established that is the Nephite Amalickiah who has usurped to the throne of the Lamanites and inparticular, Amalickiah has placed Zoramite and dissenting Nephite chief captains over the Lamanites. And at this particular time, if it had not been for Nephite raising up against Nephite, there would be no war, for the Lamanites did at this particular time fear the Nephites greatly and did not of themselves desire war. |
23a
Alma 48:5 24a Alma 43:19 25a Alma 46:3 b Alma 51:11
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26 And it came to pass that he was exceedingly angry with his
people, because he had not obtained his desire over the Nephites;
he had not subjected them to the yoke of bondage.
27 Yea, he was exceedingly wroth, and he did acurse God, and also Moroni, swearing with an boath that he would drink his blood; and this because Moroni had kept the commandments of God in preparing for the safety of his peoplea.
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27a Moroni had kept the commandments of God in preparing for the safety of his people Now we do not have a full account from the perspective of Moroni'a righteousness. But certainly Moroni does appear to be a 'prophet' in his own right. All of his preparations were certainly inspired as to what to do and where to do them. And here we even hav a hinting that Moroni had received directly from God the commandment to so prepare for the safety of his people. Like General Washington, Moroni would have spent much time upon his knees in pray and requesting such divine guidance in his military leadership. Moroni had made great decission which without the divine guidance and assurance of God would be most difficult to make, such as the putting to death they who would not defend their nation's liberty. Such dramatic acts even of a righteous man must needs entail God's inspired direction that it was according to the mind, will and even command of God. |
27a
TG
Blasphemy b Acts 23:12; Alma 51:9
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28 And it came to pass, that on the other hand, the people of Nephi
did athank the Lord their God, because of his matchless
power in delivering them from the hands of their enemies.
29 And thus ended the nineteenth year of the reign of the judges over the people of Nephi.
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28a
TG
Thanksgiving
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30 Yea, and there was continual peace among them, and exceedingly
great prosperity in the church because of their heed and diligence which they
gave unto the word of God, which was declared unto them by Helaman, and
Shiblon, and Corianton, and Ammon and his brethren, yea, and by all those who
had been ordained by the aholy order of God, being baptized
unto repentance, and sent forth to preach among the people.
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30a
Alma 30:20-23, 31;
Alma 43:2; Alma 46:38
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| * Verse 1 [72 B.C.]. |
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