“Great Mourning and Lamentation Heard Throughout All the Land”

Brant Gardner

Culture: As we might expect, adult men (husbands) and older unmarried sons (v. 5) comprised the army. The emphasis on those whose deaths were mourned tells us a little about the composition of the army and also suggests that, while there were intense battles, the fighting remained outside the cities. Otherwise women and children would also have been among the casualties for whom the survivors mourned. Apparently this important battle was fought at a distance from the most heavily occupied land.

Second Witness: Analytical & Contextual Commentary on the Book of Mormon, Vol. 4

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