Alma 46:38-41, 47:1-4

³⁸ And Helaman and the high priests did also maintain order in the church; yea, even for the space of four years did they have much peace and rejoicing in the church.

³⁹ And it came to pass that there were many who died, firmly believing that their souls were redeemed by the Lord Jesus Christ; thus they went out of the world rejoicing. ⁴⁰ And there were some who died with fevers, which at some seasons of the year were very frequent in the land—but not so much so with fevers, because of the excellent qualities of the many plants and roots which God had prepared to remove the cause of diseases, to which men were subject by the nature of the climate—⁴¹ But there were many who died with old age; and those who died in the faith of Christ are happy in him, as we must needs suppose.

Alma 46:38-41 (Emphasis mine)

Peace reigns in the land.  Helaman and his high priests “maintain[ed] order in the church.”  This lasted for four years.

Mormon then tells us that many died during this time.  They died firm in their faith, “believing that their souls were redeemed by the Lord Jesus Christ; thus they went out of the world rejoicing.”

Moroni would quote his father, emphasizing the importance of faith in Christ.  Speaking to the church, he told them “that are the peaceable followers of Christ, and that have obtained a sufficient hope by which ye can enter into the rest of the Lord, from this time henceforth until ye shall rest with him in heaven … And what is it that ye shall hope for?  Behold I say unto you that ye shall have hope through the atonement of Christ and the power of his resurrection, to be raised unto life eternal, and this because of your faith in him according to the promise” (Moroni 7:3, 41).

Jennifer Clark Lane writes about souls being redeemed by Christ.

“The person who carries this responsibility [redemption made out of family obligation or responsibility] is known as the go'el, the present participle of ga'al. The go'el was a person's closest relative who was ‘responsible for standing up for him and maintaining his rights.’ a responsibility based on feelings of tribal unity. Basic duties of the go'el were: (1) to buy back sold property; (2) to buy back a man who had sold himself to a foreigner as a slave; (3) to avenge blood and kill a relative's murderer; (4) to receive atonement money; and, figuratively, (5) to be a helper in a lawsuit…

“The texts that we have examined show this pattern of adoptive redemption. Abraham, Jacob, Lehi, Nephi, Jacob, and the peoples of King Benjamin and Alma all believed that Christ was their go'el or redeemer. They entered into adoptive covenants, received new names, and believed that this adoptive relationship would allow the Lord to act as their go'el and redeem them. These people experienced this redemption; they either saw Jesus in the flesh or ‘died, firmly believing that their souls were redeemed by the Lord Jesus Christ; thus they went out of the world rejoicing’ (Alma 46:39).”[1] (Emphasis mine)

Mormon gives us some insight to health care among the Nephites.  Some died of “fevers.”  This apparently was a seasonal occurrence, as Mormon wrote that these fevers were “at some seasons of the year … very frequent in the land.”  This is not unknown to us today.  For example, flu tends to be a seasonal disease, tied to winter.  We get our flu shots in the fall to protect us from current strain of flu virus that is expected to strike in the winter.

The Nephite doctors were able to save many patients “because of the excellent qualities of the many plants and roots which God had prepared to remove the cause of the diseases.”  There is a hint in the statement that God had helped move forward Nephite medical knowledge.

Many died of old age.  Those “who died in the faith of Christ are happy in him, as we must needs suppose.”  The Lord would reveal His word to John in Revelation:  “And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them” (Revelation 14:13).

Chapter 47

Amalickiah uses treachery, murder, and intrigue to become king of the Lamanites—The Nephite dissenters are more wicked and ferocious than the Lamanites. About 72 B.C.

¹ NOW we will return in our record to Amalickiah and those who had fled with him into the wilderness; for, behold, he had taken those who went with him, and went up in the land of Nephi among the Lamanites, and did stir up the Lamanites to anger against the people of Nephi, insomuch that the king of the Lamanites sent a proclamation throughout all his land, among all his people, that they should gather themselves together again to go to battle against the Nephites.  ² And it came to pass that when the proclamation had gone forth among them they were exceedingly afraid; yea, they feared to displease the king, and they also feared to go to battle against the Nephites lest they should lose their lives.  And it came to pass that they would not, or the more part of them would not, obey the commandments of the king.

³ And now it came to pass that the king was wroth because of their disobedience; therefore he gave Amalickiah the command of that part of his army which was obedient unto his commands, and commanded him that he should go forth and compel them to arms.  ⁴ Now behold, this was the desire of Amalickiah; for he being a very subtle man to do evil therefore he laid the plan in his heart to dethrone the king of the Lamanites.

Alma 47:1-4 (Emphasis mine)

The record now returns to Amalickiah.  During this time of peace, he was actively plotting while among the Lamanites.  He was “stir[ring] up the Lamanites to anger against the people of Nephi.”

The king “sent a proclamation throughout all his land … that [his people] should gather themselves together again to battle against the Nephites.”  Unfortunately, they remembered that results of the last war, that they had suffered a massive defeat.  Mormon records that “when [Moroni(1)] saw their terror, [he] commanded his men that they should stop shedding their blood” (Alma 43:54).  That fear was still there.

“The more part of them” refused to king’s order.  They would not arm for war. 

Amalickiah was nothing if not consistent in all that he did.  He was given command over the part of the army who obeyed the king’s command.  He took this army and forced those who disobeyed to take up arms.  His plan to dethrone the king of the Lamanites was working.  “When he was among the Nephites, he flattered many ‘that if they would support him and establish him to be their king that he would make them rulers over the people’ (Alma 46:5). In Lamanite society, Amalickiah ‘did stir up the Lamanites to anger against the people of Nephi, insomuch that the king of the Lamanites’ issued a call for war against the Nephites (Alma 47:1). He then resorted to tactics of deception and murder to gain initial control of the Lamanite troops and the favor of the Lamanite queen (see Alma 47). “[2]

---

[1] The Lord Will Redeem His People: Adoptive Covenant and Redemption in the Old Testament and Book of Mormon, Jennifer Clark Lane, Provo, Utah: Maxwell Institute, accessed March 31, 2012.

[2] The Impact of Shifting Cultural Assumptions on the Military Policies Directing Armed Conflict Reported in the Book of Alma, Matthew M. F. Hilton, and Neil J. Flinders
Provo, Utah: Maxwell Institute, accessed March 31, 2012.