48 And it came to pass that when the men of Moroni saw the fierceness and the anger of the Lamanites, they were about to shrink and flee from them. And Moroni, perceiving their intent, sent forth and inspired their hearts with these thoughts—yea, the thoughts of their lands, their liberty, yea, their freedom from bondage.
49 And it came to pass that they turned upon the Lamanites, and they cried with one voice unto the Lord their God, for their liberty and their freedom from bondage.
50 And they began to stand against the Lamanites with power; and in that selfsame hour that they cried unto the Lord for their freedom, the Lamanites began to flee before them; and they fled even to the waters of Sidon.
Alma 43:48-50 (Emphasis mine)
The tide of battle was turning against the Nephites. We read earlier where the Lamanites were fight with a ferocity never before seen. The Nephite army was about to retreat.
Moroni(1) saw this and cried to his army to remember that were fighting for their lands, liberty, and freedom. This had the desired effect. The troops began to pray for these things.
No sooner had the prayer been offered, and an answer from the Lord was apparent. The Nephites began to defeat the Lamanites. The Lamanites began to flee from Moroni(1)’s army.
1 DELIVER me from mine enemies,
O my God:
defend me from them
that rise up against me.
2 Deliver me
from the workers of iniquity,
and save me
from bloody men.
3 For, lo, they lie in wait
for my soul:
the mighty are gathered against me;
not for my transgression,
nor for my sin, O LORD.
4 They run and prepare themselves
without my fault:
awake to help me,
and behold.
5 Thou therefore,
O LORD God of hosts,
the God of Israel,
awake to visit
all the heathen:
be not merciful
to any wicked transgressors.
Selah.
Psalms 59:1-5 (Emphasis mine)
51 Now, the Lamanites were more numerous, yea, by more than double the number of the Nephites; nevertheless, they were driven insomuch that they were gathered together in one body in the valley, upon the bank by the river Sidon.
52 Therefore the armies of Moroni encircled them about, yea, even on both sides of the river, for behold, on the east were the men of Lehi.
53 Therefore when Zerahemnah saw the men of Lehi on the east of the river Sidon, and the armies of Moroni on the west of the river Sidon, that they were encircled about by the Nephites, they were struck with terror.
54 Now Moroni, when he saw their terror, commanded his men that they should stop shedding their blood.
Alma 43:51–54 (Emphasis mine)
Despite their numerical superiority, the Lamanites were driven back into the valley by the river Sidon. They found themselves surrounded by both Moroni(1) and Lehi(2). The realization that they were about to be defeated struck terror in their hearts.
We learn much about the character of Moroni(1) in verse 54. It would have been easy to massacre the Lamanites. He would have been justified, in many ways, for his actions. A thoroughly defeated army would no longer be a threat. But this was not his way.
Seeing their fear and the probability of a blood bath, Moroni(1) stopped the fighting. He was following the rules of war set by the Lord. They were to fight for their freedom, land, liberty, and family. The objective was to defeat the enemy. There was no room for excess killings. Once the enemy was defeated, the fighting was to end. Moroni(1) followed the Lord’s guideline when he stopped his army from fighting.
We see that Moroni(1) was a man of God. He turned to the spiritual leader (Alma(2)) for guidance as he fought the war. When his army was losing the battle, he rallied them with the cry of freedom and liberty. He followed the Lord’s command to the end of the battle.
Chapter 44
Moroni commands the Lamanites to make a covenant of peace or be destroyed—Zerahemnah rejects the offer, and the battle resumes—Moroni's armies defeat the Lamanites. About 74–73 B.C.
1 AND it came to pass that they did stop and withdrew a pace from them. And Moroni said unto Zerahemnah: Behold, Zerahemnah, that we do not desire to be men of blood. Ye know that ye are in our hands, yet we do not desire to slay you.
Alma 44:1 (Emphasis mine)
Hugh Nibley comments:
“The sorely pressed Lamanites, by flocking together for protection, as beaten armies usually do, made it all the easier for Moroni with his carefully hoarded reserves to surround them. Then he immediately called a halt to the fighting… He had his men fall back and went out to meet Zerahemnah, telling him… Here was Moroni's chance to settle the Lamanite problem once and for all on the spot; a vastly superior force had entered and ravaged a large part of his country, bent on subduing it entirely, and now he had them, as he says, completely in his power. Well might he have said, ‘Kill or be killed. It is either you or us!’ and finished them off. But instead of that type of total victory he did not even ask for unconditional surrender—an oxymoron, that, since everyone surrenders at least on the one condition of his life being spared. All he asked of his bloodthirsty foe was that they deliver up their weapons and promise not to fight the Nephites anymore…” [1] (Emphasis mine)
[1] A Rigorous Test: Military History, Hugh Nibley, Provo, Utah: Maxwell Institute, accessed December 17, 2011.
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