(Note: Alma 36-42 consist of Alma(2)’s letter to his three sons. I have discussed them in earlier posts. We pick up our story where we left off.)
Chapter 43
Alma and his sons preach the word—The Zoramites and other Nephite dissenters become Lamanites—The Lamanites come against the Nephites in war—Moroni arms the Nephites with defensive armor—The Lord reveals to Alma the strategy of the Lamanites—The Nephites defend their homes, liberties, families, and religion—The armies of Moroni and Lehi surround the Lamanites. About 74 B.C.
1 AND now it came to pass that the sons of Alma did go forth among the people, to declare the word unto them. And Alma, also, himself, could not rest, and he also went forth.
2 Now we shall say no more concerning their preaching, except that they preached the word, and the truth, according to the spirit of prophecy and revelation; and they preached after the holy order of God by which they were called.
3 And now I return to an account of the wars between the Nephites and the Lamanites, in the eighteenth year [About 74 B.C.] of the reign of the judges.
Alma 43:1-3 (Emphasis mine)
Mormon tells us that Alma(2) and his sons continued to go forth and preach to the people. He explains that they preached according to the spirit of prophecy and revelations.
But he tells us that he will no longer write about their preaching. He is going write about wars instead of things of a spiritual nature.
Steven Olsen discusses this change.
“Although [Mormon] had known of and alluded to extensive armed conflict in his earlier abridgment of the Nephite records (e.g., Mosiah 10; 20; Alma 2; 15), to this point in his narrative he had chosen not to detail even one battle. In further contrast, Mormon had just completed a detailed account of the remarkable spiritual conversions and relatively successful ministries of Alma the Elder, Alma the Younger, and the sons of Mosiah among both the Nephites and Lamanites (see Mosiah 17—Alma 35). He had also included the verbatim account of the final spiritual counsel of Alma the Younger to his sons Helaman, Shiblon, and Corianton (see Alma 36—42).
“After focusing on patently spiritual matters for over 100 pages of text, Mormon makes an abrupt shift in his narrative. He acknowledges that Alma and his sons continued their missions but then explicitly states, ‘Now we shall say no more concerning their preaching; (Alma 43:2). This shift in focus was not required by a lack of ecclesiastical data; throughout the war narrative, Mormon intermittently refers to their ongoing ministries (e.g., Alma 45:22—23; 46:6, 38; 50:23—25; 62:44—51). Yet instead of focusing on ecclesiology, theology, conversions, and spiritual epiphanies, Mormon chooses at this point to focus his account of the next century of Nephite history almost exclusively on military conflicts between Lamanites and Nephites, fractious internal Nephite politics, social disintegration, and natural catastrophes (Alma 43—3 Nephi 9). The preaching of Samuel the Lamanite is a notable exception (Helaman 13—15).” [1] (Emphasis mine)
4 For behold, it came to pass that the Zoramites became Lamanites; therefore, in the commencement of the eighteenth year the people of the Nephites saw that the Lamanites were coming upon them; therefore they made preparations for war; yea, they gathered together their armies in the land of Jershon.
5 And it came to pass that the Lamanites came with their thousands; and they came into the land of Antionum, which is the land of the Zoramites; and a man by the name of Zerahemnah was their leader.
6 And now, as the Amalekites were of a more wicked and murderous disposition than the Lamanites were, in and of themselves, therefore, Zerahemnah appointed chief captains over the Lamanites, and they were all Amalekites and Zoramites.
7 Now this he did that he might preserve their hatred towards the Nephites, that he might bring them into subjection to the accomplishment of his designs.
8 For behold, his designs were to stir up the Lamanites to anger against the Nephites; this he did that he might usurp great power over them, and also that he might gain power over the Nephites by bringing them into bondage.
Alma 43:4-8 (Emphasis mine)
War begins. The Zoramites affiliate with the Lamanites. Thousands of Lamanites arrived in the land of the Zoramites. The leader, Zerahemnah, appointed captains over the Lamanites. All these captains were Amalekites and Zoramites. It seems they were much more bloodthirsty than the Lamanites. He wanted to make sure he had leaders who would be as violent as he wanted them to be. He ultimate goal was to bring the Nephites into bondage so he could develop his own power.
Hugh Nibley observes:
“The Zoramites now severed all connection with the Nephites and considered themselves as being officially Lamanite (Alma 43:4). They invited the Lamanite hordes to move in and occupy their country as the first major move against the Nephites (Alma 43:5). At their head came the Lamanite commander-in-chief, the Amalekite Zerahemnah. The Amalekites were Nephite dissenters of an earlier day, and like most dissenters were more bitter against the Nephites and ‘of a more wicked and murderous disposition than the Lamanites were’ (Alma 43:6). Zerahemnah had seen to it that all the key commands in the army had gone to Amalekites like himself or to equally ferocious Zoramites (Alma 43:6). So we see the Nephites being punished for their own wickedness in more ways than one; in fact the Lamanites appear at times as no more than the simpleminded tools of Nephite or ex-Nephite wickedness. Certainly Zerahemnah was using them as his cat's paw, ‘or behold, his designs were to stir up the Lamanites to anger against the Nephites; this he did that he might usurp great power’ (Alma 43:8).” [2] (Emphasis mine)
[1] Prophecy and History: Structuring the Abridgment of the Nephite Records, Steven L. Olsen, Provo, Utah: Maxwell Institute, accessed December 12, 2011.
[2] A Rigorous Test: Military History, Hugh Nibley, Provo, Utah: Maxwell Institute, accessed December 12, 2011.
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