10 But in this thing they were disappointed, for the
Nephites did not fear them; but they did fear their God and did
supplicate him for protection; therefore, when the armies of Giddianhi did rush
upon them they were prepared to meet them; yea, in the strength of the Lord
they did receive them.
11 And the battle commenced in this the sixth month;
and great and terrible was the battle thereof, yea, great and terrible was the slaughter
thereof, insomuch that there never was known so great a slaughter among all the
people of Lehi since he left Jerusalem.
12 And notwithstanding the threatenings and the
oaths which Giddianhi had made, behold, the Nephites did beat them, insomuch that
they did fall back from before them.
3 Nephi 4:10 – 12 (Emphasis mine)
The Robbers are delighted, at first, with the Nephite
response. They were convinced it was a
sign they feared them. They soon found
that they people were not afraid, they were praying, asking God to deliver them
from their enemy. Their prayers may have
resembled the words of Jeremiah:
Be
not a terror unto me: thou art my hope in the day of evil.
Let
them be confounded [HEB ashamed or disappointed] that persecute me, but let not
me be confounded: let them be dismayed, but let not me be dismayed: bring upon
them the day of evil, and destroy them with double destruction.
Jeremiah 17:17 - 18
The battle began, and it was a terrible battle. Mormon writes that “great and terrible was the slaughter thereof, insomuch that there
never was known so great a slaughter among all the people of Lehi since he left
Jerusalem” (v. 11). These are strong
words considering Mormon was writing them at the time the Nephite civilization
was on the verge of destruction.
This battle was even worse than one described over fifty
years earlier.
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 [76 B.C.].
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.
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.
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.
Alma 28:9 – 12
John Welch writes:
The robbers in the land of
Zarahemla were militant. They came as invading armies, in siege warfare (see 3
Nephi 4:16), with military power capable of defying "whole armies"
(Helaman 11:32; cf. 3 Nephi 2:11, 17; 4:1, 11). They suffered from shortages of
supplies, for they, like the Near Eastern robbers, lived off the land (see 3
Nephi 4:3, 19-20). Their military strength was terrifying— they were the most
feared of all Nephite enemies. Mormon identifies them as the primary cause of
the overthrow and almost the entire destruction of the Nephites (see Helaman
2:13). Their attacks were so "great and terrible" that "there
never was known so great a slaughter among all the people of Lehi since he left
Jerusalem" (3 Nephi 4:11).[1]
The Nephite successfully defeated the Robbers, causing them
to retreat.
13 And it came to pass that Gidgiddoni commanded that his
armies should pursue them as far as the borders of the wilderness, and that
they should not spare any that should fall into their hands by the way;
and thus they did pursue them and did slay them, to the borders of the
wilderness, even until they had fulfilled the commandment of Gidgiddoni. 14
And it came to pass that Giddianhi, who had stood and fought with boldness, was pursued as
he fled; and being weary because of his much fighting he was overtaken and
slain. And thus was the end of
Giddianhi the robber.
15 And it came to pass that the armies of the Nephites did
return again to their place of security. And it came to pass that this nineteenth year
did pass away, and the robbers did not come again to battle; neither did they
come again in the twentieth year.
3 Nephi 4:13 – 15 (Emphasis mine)
As the Robbers retreated, Gidgiddoni ordered his army as far
as the wilderness. If any should “fall into their hands by the way,” they
were to be slain.
John Welch continues:
Whenever they obtained reasonable advantage over their
enemies, they were quick to disarm their enemies and cease the work of
destruction (see Alma 43-44; 52:37-39) … As a rule, the Nephites never killed
an enemy who surrendered.
The only apparent exception to this rule was when Gidgiddoni
led the combined Nephite-Lamanite forces against the Gadianton robbers. He
commanded his men "that they should not spare any that should fall into
their hands by the way" (3 Nephi 4:13). This was undoubtedly because of
the nature of the war and the enemy: the Nephites were not attempting to push
another nation's troops out of Nephite territory but were battling against a
band of robbers whose parasitic existence would always threaten Nephite and Lamanite
security if they were not eliminated.[2]
During the pursuit,
they caught up with Giddianhi. This
arrogantly confident man, who threatened the destruction of the Nephites at the
hands of his Robbers, was slain. The
armies ended pursuit shortly after and returned “to their place of security.” The
Robbers did not return during the next two years.
[1] Law
and War in the Book of Mormon, John W. Welch, Provo, Utah:
Maxwell Institute, accessed October 21, 2012.
