Symbolism: Apparently the two days and two nights had a symbolic significance in Ishmaelite culture, since otherwise, given the climate, burial would have been required within a matter of hours or certainly by the next day. Alma had also lain unconscious for two days and two nights, or four time periods. (See commentary accompanying Mosiah 27:23.)
Culture: Maya burials in sepulchers have been confirmed, but only for royalty. Many Maya kings were buried in the hearts of stepped temples, the most famous being the tomb of Pacal who reigned in Palenque. Pacal was the first of the entombed kings discovered, but others have followed. Thus, this reference to Lamoni’s sepulcher suggests that, as king, he had constructed a temple containing his already-outfitted burial chamber. Such Mesoamerican details fit the limited information in this verse.