Alma 28:1-14

Chapter 28

The Lamanites are defeated in a tremendous battle—Tens of thousands are slain—The wicked are consigned to a state of endless woe; the righteous attain a never–ending happiness. About 77–76 B.C.

1 And now it came to pass that after the people of Ammon were established in the land of Jershon, and a church also established in the land of Jershon, and the armies of the Nephites were set round about the land of Jershon, yea, in all the borders round about the land of Zarahemla; behold the armies of the Lamanites had followed their brethren into the wilderness.

2 And thus there was a tremendous battle; yea, even such an one as never had been known among all the people in the land from the time Lehi left Jerusalem; yea, and tens of thousands of the Lamanites were slain and scattered abroad.

3 Yea, and also there was a tremendous slaughter among the people of Nephi; nevertheless, the Lamanites were driven and scattered, and the people of Nephi returned again to their land.

4 And now this was a time that there was a great mourning and lamentation heard throughout all the land, among all the people of Nephi—

5 Yea, the cry of widows mourning for their husbands, and also of fathers mourning for their sons, and the daughter for the brother, yea, the brother for the father; and thus the cry of mourning was heard among all of them, mourning for their kindred who had been slain.

6 And now surely this was a sorrowful day; yea, a time of solemnity, and a time of much fasting and prayer.

7 And thus endeth the fifteenth year of the reign of the judges over the people of Nephi;

8 And this is the account of Ammon and his brethren, their journeyings in the land of Nephi, their sufferings in the land, their sorrows, and their afflictions, and their incomprehensible joy, and the reception and safety of the brethren in the land of Jershon.  And now may the Lord, the Redeemer of all men, bless their souls forever.

9 And this is the account of the wars and contentions among the Nephites, and also the wars between the Nephites and the Lamanites; ^*and the fifteenth year of the reign of the judges is ended.

10 And from the first year to the fifteenth has brought to pass the destruction of many thousand lives; yea, it has brought to pass an awful scene of bloodshed.

11 And the bodies of many thousands are laid low in the earth, while the bodies of many thousands are moldering in heaps upon the face of the earth; yea, and many thousands are mourning for the loss of their kindred, because they have reason to fear, according to the promises of the Lord, that they are consigned to a state of endless wo.

12 While many thousands of others truly mourn for the loss of their kindred, yet they rejoice and exult in the hope, and even know, according to the promises of the Lord, that they are raised to dwell at the right hand of God, in a state of never–ending happiness.

13 And thus we see how great the inequality of man is because of sin and transgression, and the power of the devil, which comes by the cunning ^clans which he hath devised to ensnare the hearts of men.

14 And thus we see the great call of diligence of men to labor in the vineyards of the Lord; and thus we see the great reason of sorrow, and also of rejoicing—sorrow because of death and destruction among men, and joy because of the light of Christ unto life.

Alma 28:1-14

The Ammonites settled in the land of Jershon^[1] and a church was established as well.  The Nephites established armies to protect the Ammonites. This was a good thing as Lamanite armies had followed them.

This led to one of the worst armies in Nephite history.  Tens of thousands of Lamanites died.  There were also major casualties among the Nephites.

The Nephite army was eventually victorious. The Lamanites were driven and scattered.

There was mourning throughout the land for all who had died in the war.  The widows^[2] mourned their husbands, fathers mourned their sons, daughters for brothers, and brothers for fathers. It was a time of fasting and prayer. 

And here is where Mormon concludes his account Ammon and his brethren (IE the account covered in Alma, chapters 17–28).  

Mormon shifts to an account of wars and contentions both among the Nephites and between the Nephites and Lamanites.  The time is around 76 B.C.  This is the year that brought so much death and bloodshed to both Nephites and Lamanites.

Thousands of bodies were heaped in the wilderness.^[3]  Thousands who died, having rejected the word of God, were in a state of woe.^[4]  Thousands also mourned for the loss of their loved ones, but they rejoiced in their knowledge of the gospel.  Those who died would find themselves at the right hand of God, “in a state of never-ending happiness” (Alma 28:12).

“God does live and He does fulfill His promises, and to the many testimonies given, I wish to add mine. I know that even in times of affliction and tribulation, if we patiently endure in faith, blessings of comfort and hope will come into our lives, and we will be able to partake of that ‘incomprehensible joy’ of which Ammon and his brothers received. (See Alma 27:17–18; Alma 28:8).[5]

Alma reminds us, through the power of the devil there is great inequality among men because of sin and transgression.  “The Book of Mormon requirements for prosperity are generally universal in their application. Thus what Alma declared in his day applies to our day as well: ‘We see how great the inequality of man is because of sin and transgression, and the power of the devil, which comes by the cunning^[6] plans which he hath devised to ensnare the hearts of men’ (Alma 28:13).”^[7]

“And thus we see the great call of diligence of men to labor in the vineyards of the Lord; and thus we see the great reason of sorrow, and also of rejoicing—sorrow because of death and destruction among men, and joy because of the light of Christ unto life” (Alma 28:14).

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[1] “And it came to pass that the voice of the people came, saying: Behold, we will give up the land of Jershon, which is on the east by the sea, which joins the land Bountiful, which is on the south of the land Bountiful; and this land Jershon is the land which we will give unto our brethren for an inheritance” (Alma 27:22).

[2] “Learn to do well; seek judgment [HEB justice], relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless [IE give a just verdict to the fatherless], plead for the widow” (Isaiah 1:17).

[3] “Nevertheless, after many days their dead bodies were heaped up upon the face of the earth, and they were covered with a shallow covering.  And now so great was the scent thereof that the people did not go in to possess the land of Ammonihah for many years.  And it was called Desolation of Nehors; for they were of the profession of Nehor, who were slain; and their lands remained desolate” (Alma 16:11).

[4] “Now, they were sorry to take up arms against the Lamanites, because they did not delight in the shedding of blood; yea, and this was not all—they were sorry to be the means of sending so many of their brethren out of this world into an eternal world, unprepared to meet their God” (Alma 48:23).

[5] Patience in Affliction, Elder Angel Abrea, April 1992 General Conference, accessed June 28, 2015.

[6][6] “O that cunning plan of the evil one!  O the vainness, and the frailties, and the foolishness of men!  When they are learned they think they are wise, and they hearken not unto the counsel of God, for they set it aside, supposing they know of themselves, wherefore, their wisdom is foolishness and it profiteth them not.  And they shall perish” (2 Nephi 9:28).

[7] “No Poor Among Them,” Lindon J. Robison. Journal of Book of Mormon Studies. 14/1 (2005): 95, 130.