Mormon indicates that this is the greatest battle between the Lamanites and the Nephites up to that time. It marks increasing militarism from the Lamanites, which parallels the increasing emphasis on the cult of war seen among the Maya during this time period, an escalation that continues through the rest of the Book of Mormon period and beyond.
Culture: Verse 3 describes the victorious Nephites returning “to their land.” This does not mean that they followed the Lamanites into the land of Nephi and therefore had to return to the land of Zarahemla but rather that they literally returned to their farm lands. The Nephite army was created on demand. Other than a few guards, there was no standing army. A call to arms summoned farmers from their lands, to which they would return at the war’s end.