“3043 Dead - 279 Dead”

Alan C. Miner

According to Hugh Nibley, the commentary on the population in Mosiah 9:18-19 is very interesting: 3043 Lamanite dead against 279 Nephite dead. If ten percent of the Lamanites were killed, that would mean there were only 30,000 Lamanites that the king was able to put into battle. It may have been three percent, which is considered the minimum [which correlates to 100,000 males]. . . . but it was probably 30,000 or even 15,000. . . . There are all sorts of calculations here that you can use. In my division in World War II, we had to make these calculations, and it was figured that in the average operation three percent would be lost. But this was a disaster; the Lamanites got beaten. [Hugh W. Nibley, Teachings of the Book of Mormon, Semester 2, p. 41]

Step by Step Through the Book of Mormon: A Cultural Commentary

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