Mosiah 9:14-19

14 For, in the ^*thirteenth year of my reign in the land of Nephi, away on the south of the land of Shilom, when my people were watering and feeding their flocks, and tilling their lands, a numerous host of Lamanites came upon them and began to slay them, and to take off their flocks, and the corn of their fields.

15 Yea, and it came to pass that they fled, all that were not overtaken, even into the city of Nephi, and did call upon me for protection.

16 And it came to pass that I did arm them with bows, and with arrows, with swords, and with cimeters, and with clubs, and with slings, and with all manner of weapons which we could invent, and I and my people did go forth against the Lamanites to battle.

17 Yea, in the strength of the Lord did we go forth to battle against the Lamanites; for I and my people did cry mightily to the Lord that he would deliver us out of the hands of our enemies, for we were awakened to a remembrance of the deliverance of our fathers.

18 And God did hear our cries and did answer our prayers; and we did go forth in his might; yea, we did go forth against the Lamanites, and in one day and a night we did slay three thousand and forty–three; we did slay them even until we had driven them out of our land.

19 And I, myself, with mine own hands, did help to bury their dead.  And behold, to our great sorrow and lamentation, two hundred and seventy–nine of our brethren were slain.

Mosiah 9:14-19

King Laman’s plan to place the people of Zeniff into bondage begins.  After thirteen years in the land of Nephi, they Lamanites attack.  While the Nephites were tending their flocks and working the land, the Lamanites attack.  They kill the people and take the flocks and corn in the fields.

The fundamental economic activity was farming: “They did raise grain in abundance, both in the north and in the south; and they did flourish exceedingly” (Helaman 6:12). Specific crops mentioned, at one point in time and in the land of Nephi, were “corn,” “barley,” “wheat,” “neas,” and “sheum,” and “all manner of seeds” as well as fruits (Mosiah 9:9). “Corn” is intimated to have been the preferred grain (see Mosiah 7:22 and 9:9, where it is first in the list of grains, and Mosiah 9:14, according to which Lamanites stole it specifically).[1] 

Those that were not killed by the Lamanites fled to the city for protection.

Zeniff stepped up in his responsibilities as king.  He armed his people.  “Zeniff's band possessed a similarly impressive array of weapons, including bows, arrows, swords, cimeters, clubs, slings, and ‘all manner of weapons which [the Nephites] could invent’ (Mosiah 9:16).”^[2]  Being king, Zeniff led his people in their fight with the Lamanites. “In the Book of Mormon, the duty to fight evidently fell upon all able-bodied men. Thus Zeniff reports, ‘I and my people did go forth against the Lamanites to battle…’”^[3]

The pattern followed by the Nephites (and by the Lamanites when they became sedentary) was evidently brought from the Old World. In ancient Israel, the cities were places of refuge for farmers in surrounding villages. In time of war, the peasants could flee to the protection of the city walls, where arms were stored for defense. This is precisely what we find described in Mosiah 9:14–16.[4]

The army gathered, and before they left for battle, they cried to the Lord that they would be delivered from the Lamanites.  “We do not know what ‘cry[ing] mightily to the Lord’ meant, but it occurs so often in this context that we must understand it to be some kind of prebattle ritual.”^[5]  Because we read Zeniff had his army crying to the Lord, there is an inference he was a righteous man; however, Clark Johnson, observes, “the only thing that we learn about Zeniff from the Book of Mormon is that he was righteous in times of war…”^[6]

Zeniff tells us “God heard our cries … and in one day and a night … we [did drive] them out of our land.”  The Lord heard their prayers and they were delivered from the Lamanites.  The words of David are appropriate to this situation.  “HEAR me when I call, O God of my righteousness: thou hast enlarged me when I was in distress; have mercy upon me, and hear my prayer.” (Psalms 4:1).

In the end, over 3,000 Lamanites died during the battle and near 300 Nephites were killed.  Zeniff and his people buried the dead on both sides.

The Book of Mormon war records go out of their way to report the burial of war dead, particularly those of the enemy King Zeniff, for example, reports, "I, myself, with mine own hands, did help to bury their dead" (Mosiah 9:19) … [This shows] considerable concern for burial and respect for the bodies of the victims of battle, including those of one's enemies. High regard for burying the dead was common in early and late antiquity.[7]

---

[1] The Environment of the Nephites and How They Exploited It, Maxwell Institute, accessed September 7, 2014.

[2] Ancient Aspects of Nephite Kingship in the Book of Mormon, Todd R. Kerr, Maxwell Institute, September 7, 2014.

[3] Law and War in the Book of Mormon, John W. Welch, Maxwell Institute, accessed September 7, 2014.

[4] Cities and Lands in the Book of Mormon, Maxwell Institute, accessed September 7, 2014.

[5] The Book of Mosiah: Thoughts about Its Structure, Purposes, Themes, and Authorship, Gary L. Sturgess, Maxwell Institute, accessed September 7, 2014.

[6] Fathers and Sons in the Book of Mormon, Reviewed by Clark V. Johnson, Maxwell Institute, accessed September 7, 2014.

[7] Law and War in the Book of Mormon, John W. Welch, Maxwell Institute, accessed September 7, 2014.