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CHAPTER 59Moroni asks Pahoran to strengthen the forces of Helaman—The Lamanites take the city of Nephihah—Moroni is angry with the government. [About 62 B.C.] |
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1 NOW it came to pass in the
*thirtieth year of the reign of the judges over the people
of Nephi, after Moroni had received and had read Helaman's
aepistle, he was exceedingly rejoiced because of the
welfare, yea, the exceeding success which Helaman had had, in obtaining
bthose lands which were lost.
2 Yea, and he did make it known unto all his people, in all the land round about in that part where he was, that they might rejoice also.
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1*
[62 B.C.] a Alma 56:1 b Alma 58:31 (31, 41)
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3 And it came to pass that he immediately sent aan
epistle to bPahoran, desiring that he should cause men to
be gathered together to strengthen Helaman, or the armies of Helaman,
insomuch that he might with ease maintain that part of the land which he had
been so miraculously prospered in regaining.
4 And it came to pass when Moroni had sent this epistle to the land of Zarahemla, he began again to lay a plan that he might obtain the remainder of those possessions and cities which the Lamanites had taken from them.
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3a
Alma 60:1 (1-3) b Alma 50:40
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5 And it came to pass that while Moroni was thus making preparations
to go against the Lamanites to battle, behold, the people of
aNephihah, who were gathered together from the city of Moroni
and the city of Lehi and the city of
Moriantona, were attacked by the
Lamanites.
6 Yea, even those who had been acompelled to flee from the land of Manti, and from the land round about, had come over and joined the Lamanites in this part of the land. 7 And thus being exceedingly numerous, yea, and receiving strength from day to day, by the command of Ammoron they came forth against the people of Nephihah, and they did begin to slay them with an exceedingly great slaughter.
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| 5a the people of Nephihah, who were gathered together from the city of Moroni and the city of Lehi and the city of Morianton Now the relationship between the cities of Nephihah, the city of Moroni, the city of Lehi and the city of Morianton and the rest of the lands of the nation of Zarahemla was as follows. Nephihah stood upon the plains of the land east of the eastern cordilleras and the sea east on a line from the city of Aaron near the base of the eastern cordilleras upon the east to Nephihah which lay upon the plains mid-way between the cordilleras and the sea and thence to Moroni which was upon the sea shore. And then from Moroni on the seashore north to Lehi upon the seashore to Morianton also upon the seashore. And when Moroni, Lehi and Morianton did fall before the Lamanite north moving invasion along the seashore, the people of Moroni, Lehi and Morianton had feld to and became a part of the city of Nephihah, making Nephihah a strength of defense against the Lamanites unto preventing an 'inland' invasion toward the more central parts of the land. Thus when Nephihah was taken by Ammoron it was of great concern to the Nephites for now the Lamanites had began to move toward the more capital parts of the land. And next would be Aaron and the valley of Gideon which would be in the line of attack toward the center of Zarhamela. And thus the Nephites were alarmed at the loss of Nephi and begin to doubt whether they would be able to prevail against the Lamanite invasion. |
5a
Alma 50:14 6a Alma 58:29-30
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8 And their armies were so numerous that the remainder of the
people of aNephihah were bobliged to flee
before thema; and they came even
and joined the army of Moroni.
9 And now as Moroni had supposed that there ashould be men sent to the city Nephihah, to the assistance of the people to maintain that city, and knowing that it was easier to keep the city from falling into the hands of the Lamanites than to retake it from them, he supposed that they would easily maintain that city. 10 Therefore he retained all his force to maintain those places which he had recovered.
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8a their armies were so numerous that the remainder of the people of Nephihah were obliged to flee before them At this time the strategy of the Lamanites did change. Along with receiveing additional numbers from the retreat from the southwestern quarter, there was intrigue afoot. That is there had been communications from the dissenting faction of the internal kingmen of Zarahemla to the Lamanites, that they kingmen would maintain the city of Zarahemla if the Lamanites would 'fight' their way into the interior of the country in support of them. Thus Ammoron did design to advance his holdings to the west along the line which would have first taken Nephihah, then likely Aaron and Gideon and on into the interior to the heart of the land to join forces with the dissenting kingmen. Thus no longer was the objective to obtain a route to the land northward. Now Moroni at this juncture was not yet aware, as were the Lamanites, that such dissent had occured in the interior of the land. Thus this new move by the Lamanites was not as expected. The 'game' had changed and the Lamanites' intend was changed now to be upon the capital city of Zarahemla itself. Hindsight is always better, and the nearness to such events often clouds one's perspective. After Moroni's successful defense, in the days of his son Moronihah, the Lamanites would again ingage in that same concept of attack upon Zarahemla directly under Coriantumr as was their last intent at this time. If Moronihah could have had 20/20 hindsight, he might well have considered it possible since it was the last objective of the Lamanites before, but Moronihah did not have such hindsight. |
8a
Alma 62:26 b Alma 60:17 9a Alma 60:15
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11 And now, when Moroni saw that the city of Nephihah was
alosta he was
exceedingly sorrowful, and began to
doubta, because of the wickedness
of the people, whether they should not fall into the hands of their brethren.
12 Now this was the case with all his chief captains. They doubted and marveled also because of the wickedness of the people, and this because of the success of the Lamanites over them. 13 And it came to pass that Moroni was angry with the government, because of their aindifference concerning the freedom of their country.
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11a the city of Nephihah was lost Up to this time the city of Nephihah had withstood the invasion of the Lamanites and it was Ammoron's Lamanites who did take it. Careful readers of the Book of Mormon will note that Alma 51:26 stated the it was Amalickiah who did take the city of Nephihah, but that was most likely an engraving error recorded in Mormon's abridgment. For just prior Mormon had reported the city of Moroni had been taken and that Amalickiah dared not come upon Nephihah. Mormon seems to then mistakenly engraves the name Nephihah in his listing of Alma 51:26 of the cities taken by Amalickiah and instead of engraving that it was Moroni which had been taken, which it apparent that his list has left out; he re-engraves the name of Nephihah instead of re-engraving the name of Moroni. |
11a
Alma 62:14 13a Alma 58:34; Alma 61:3
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| * Verse 1 [62 B.C.] | ||
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