Alma 56:10-19

¹⁰ And I did join my two thousand sons, (for they are worthy to be called sons) to the army of Antipus, in which strength Antipus did rejoice exceedingly; for behold, his army had been reduced by the Lamanites because their forces had slain a vast number of our men, for which cause we have to mourn. ¹¹ Nevertheless, we may console ourselves in this point, that they have died in the cause of their country and of their God, yea, and they are happy. ¹² And the Lamanites had also retained many prisoners, all of whom are chief captains, for none other have they spared alive.  And we suppose that they are now at this time in the land of Nephi; it is so if they are not slain.

Alma 56:10 – 12 (Emphasis mine)

As we begin reading this set of scriptures, the first thing we learns in Helaman(2)’s love for his “two thousand sons (for they are worthy to be called sons).” 

The war is not going well.  Antipus’s army “had been reduced by the Lamanites.”  “Helaman's troops marched to join the army of Antipus, which through combat had been reduced to about six thousand soldiers.”[1]  This addition of 2,000 fresh troops was much needed. 

Helaman(2) said we mourn for the loss of our men; “[n]evertheless, we may console ourselves in this point, that they have died in the cause of their country and of their God, yea, and they are happy.” 

We learn about the brutality of the Lamanites.  The Lamanites took men, women, and children as prisoners.  They also had no problem with killing all prisoners except for the chief captains.  “Moroni was a pragmatist as well as a prophet, and he was more likely to take prisoners (as opposed to letting captured soldiers go free with a covenant of peace) if he needed bargaining power to regain captured Nephites (see Alma 52:8). Yet unlike the Lamanites, Moroni's troops never took women or children prisoner (see Alma 54:3), largely because the Nephite soldiers never fought in Lamanite territory. Helaman's epistle to Moroni indicates that when Lamanite provisions became short, the Lamanites kept alive only the most valuable prisoners, the chief captains (see Alma 56:12).”[2] (Emphasis mine)

Helaman(2) then lists cities that were taken by the Lamanites.

¹³ And now these are the cities of which the Lamanites have obtained possession by the shedding of the blood of so many of our valiant men; ¹⁴ The land of Manti, or the city of Manti, and the city of Zeezrom, and the city of Cumeni, and the city of Antiparah. ¹⁵ And these are the cities which they possessed when I arrived at the city of Judea; and I found Antipus and his men toiling with their might to fortify the city.

Alma 56:13 – 15

¹⁶ Yea, and they were depressed in body as well as in spirit, for they had fought valiantly by day and toiled by night to maintain their cities; and thus they had suffered great afflictions of every kind. ¹⁷ And now they were determined to conquer in this place or die; therefore you may well suppose that this little force which I brought with me, yea, those sons of mine, gave them great hopes and much joy. ¹⁸ And now it came to pass that when the Lamanites saw that Antipus had received a greater strength to his army, they were compelled by the orders of Ammoron to not come against the city of Judea, or against us, to battle. ¹⁹ And thus were we favored of the Lord; for had they come upon us in this our weakness they might have perhaps destroyed our little army; but thus were we preserved.

Alma 56:16 – 19 (Emphasis mine)

It’s not surprising that they found Anitpus’s army “depressed in body as well as spirit.” Even so, “they were determined to conquer in this place or die.” The arrival of 2,000 reinforcements “of the 2,000 proved a great morale-booster on the eastern front, where the exhausted Nephites had been working themselves to death fortifying by night and fighting by day with no sign of relief in sight (Alma 56:16—17). Their fresh and youthful vigor and the supplies they brought from home stiffened the Nephite position, but the result was a stalemate in which neither side dared move (Alma 56:23—26).”[3]

Ammoron was told about the arrival of the 2,000 stripling warriors and he ordered his army to stand down.  They were not to attempt to take the city of Judea nor were they to battle against the Nephites.

Helaman(2) was able to see a positive in all this.  “[T]hey come upon us in this our weakness they might have perhaps destroyed our little army; but thus were we preserved.”  Having been preserved under such poor conditions, they had survived and were getting ready to fight again, stronger than before.

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[1] Nephite Captains and Armies, A. Brent Merrill. Provo, Utah: Maxwell Institute, accessed May 6, 2012.

[2] Law and War in the Book of Mormon, John W. Welch, Provo, Utah: Maxwell Institute, accessed May 6, 2012.

[3] A Rigorous Test: Military History, Hugh Nibley, Provo, Utah: Maxwell Institute, accessed May 6, 2012.