Comparing the size of the armies of the Lamanites and the Amlicites to “the sands of the sea” (v. 27) has a biblical connection. The covenant made with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob promised them a posterity as numberless as “the sands which [are] upon the sand of the sea shore” (Genesis 22:17; 32:12).
Again Alma and his people are strengthened by the Lord and win the battle (Alma 2:28–33). Alma’s appeal to the Lord to preserve him that he might serve the people (v. 30) shows his priesthood commitment, seeking the welfare of Zion. The age of Alma is not given anywhere in the Book of Mormon, but his being strengthened by the Lord to enable him to slay Amlici implies he may have been older.
The battle on the west side of the river Sidon (vv. 34–38) leaves some unanswered questions. Were the dead bodies thrown into the river to dam it, making it more shallow and easier to cross? Were the bodies cleared away merely to make their exit from the river easier? The numerous dead enemies (v. 35) could fit either situation, but the latter seems more plausible. The wilderness of Hermounts, named here, becomes a prominent refuge for the Lamanites hereafter, referred to only as “the wilderness” (see Alma 8:3, 5)