Chapter 49
The invading Lamanites
are unable to take the fortified cities of Ammonihah and Noah—Amalickiah curses
God and swears to drink the blood of Moroni—Helaman and his brethren continue
to strengthen the Church. About 72 B.C.
1 AND now it came to pass in the eleventh month of
the nineteenth year, on the tenth day of the month [72 B.C.], the armies of the
Lamanites were seen approaching towards the land of Ammonihah. 2 And behold, the
city had been rebuilt, and Moroni had stationed an army by the borders of the
city, and they had cast up dirt round about to shield them from the arrows and
the stones of the Lamanites; for behold, they fought with stones and
with arrows. 3 Behold, I
said that the city of Ammonihah 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 them.
4 But behold, how great was their disappointment;
for behold, the Nephites had dug up a ridge 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 entrance.
Alma 49:1-4 (Emphasis mine)
The Lamanite armies were marching towards the city of
Ammonihah in the land of Ammonihah.
Remember, the city had been destroyed earlier by the Lamanites. “[T]he armies of the Lamanites had come in
upon the wilderness side, into the borders of the land, even into the city of Ammonihah,
and began to slay the people and destroy the city … before the Nephites could
raise a sufficient army to drive them out of the land, they had destroyed the
people who were in the city of Ammonihah, and also some around the borders of
Noah, and taken others captive into the wilderness” (Alma 16:2-3).
The city had been rebuilt in the time since. There were laws that governed a land and city
that had been destroyed. “[T]he law
stated that the ruins ‘shall not be built again.’ In the case of Ammonihah: ‘the
people did not go in to possess the land of Ammonihah for many years. . . . And
their lands remained desolate’ (Alma 16:11). These lands were deemed
untouchable for just over seven years, a ritual cleansing period (there are
eight years, nine months, and five days between Alma 16:1 and Alma 49:1).
Apparently, the prohibition against reinhabitation could expire or be revoked. “[1]
Moroni(1) then stationed an army and fortified the city against
Lamanite attacks. We read earlier that
they fought with “only their swords and their cimeters, their bows and their
arrows, their stones and their slings” (Alma 43:20). The city had been shielded from “the arrows
and the stones of the Lamanites.”
It had been easily destroyed the first time, so that was
their expectation. “They supposed it
would again become an easy prey for them.”
But the “ridge of earth … was so high that the Lamanites could not cast
their stones and their arrows at them.”
5 Now at this time the chief captains of the
Lamanites were astonished exceedingly, because of the wisdom of the Nephites in
preparing their places of security. 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 breastplates; and they had also prepared themselves with
garments of skins, yea, very thick garments to cover their nakedness.
7 And being thus prepared they supposed that they should
easily overpower and subject 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 prepared 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. 9 And it came
to pass that the Lamanites, or the Amalickiahites, were exceedingly astonished at
their manner of preparation for war.
Alma 49:5-9 (Emphasis mine)
Imagine you’re part of the Lamanite army. You outnumber your enemy. The last time you attacked this city, you
destroyed it. You’ve got experience
leaders in the Zoramites. You are
prepared with shields and breastplates.
You are ready to go and conquer the Nephites.
Then you run into this new fortification. You are not
prepared for this.
Moroni(1) knew the “intention of the Lamanites, that it was
their intention to destroy their brethren, or to subject them and bring them
into bondage that they might establish a kingdom unto themselves over all the
land” (Alma 43:29). This was not going
to happen.
“We learn that Amalickiah appointed Zoramites as chief
captains because they were ‘the most acquainted with the strength of the
Nephites, and their places of resort, and the weakest parts of their cities’
(Alma 48:5). When they led the Lamanite armies against Nephite cities fortified by
Moroni, they ‘were astonished exceedingly’ because of the changes (Alma
49:5). In the same account, we learn that it was the Zoramite chief captains
who had introduced shields, breastplates, and armor (thick clothing) to the
Lamanites. These implements had aided the Nephites during previous battles
against the Lamanites (e.g., Alma 43:19-21).”[2]
(Emphasis mine)
Hugh Nibley discussed the mistakes made by Amalickiah and
the other military leaders.
“Turn to Alma 49:6. There's no better known maxim than that generals
always plan the next war in terms of the last war. They always fight the last
war because that's where their experience is … Notice this neat touch
here in the verse 6: ‘. . . 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 breastplates [they were getting ready for the
other war, the war that they had hitherto been victorious in]; and they
had also prepared themselves with garments of skins, yea, very thick garments
to cover their nakedness.’ Notice, they had matched the Nephites'
armor. All the things they had hitherto done they were doing now, but that
wasn't enough because Moroni was ahead of them. Moroni was a real military
genius.”[3]
(Emphasis mine)
[1] The
Destruction of Ammonihah and the Law of Apostate Cities, John W. Welch, Provo,
Utah: Maxwell Institute, accessed April 10, 2012.
[2] Book
of Mormon Tribal Affiliation and Military Castes, John A. Tvedtnes, Provo,
Utah: Maxwell Institute, accessed April 10, 2012.
[3] Lecture
68: Alma 49-50, Hugh W. Nibley, Provo, Utah: Maxwell Institute,
accessed April 10, 2012.
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