The king issues a proclamation, presumably authorizing Aaron and his brethren to preach, but Mormon gets so involved in describing Lamanite geography that he omits the content of the proclamation itself. Like Lamoni, the over-king apparently did not require that his people change their religion. Indeed, that would have been a political, if not a religious, mistake. Certainly for religious reasons, the people must change because they desire to change, not because they are forced to.
Redaction: The remainder of this chapter provides significant geographical information. But why? Probably he thinks it important to describe the larger realm over which Lamoni’s father rules. The proclamation presumably would open missionary doors throughout all these lands. While many of them must have been under the direct influence of the over-king, some might be more loosely allied.
Verse 28 describes the location of “the more idle part” of the Lamanites. By this phrase, Mormon may mean that these people have not built cities and are therefore less likely to be participants in full Lamanite culture and political structure (v. 29), or Mormon may mean that they are even more “Lamanite” in attitude and, hence, less likely candidates for conversion. In this second case, Mormon is using a pejorative Nephite stereotype, not making an accurate depiction.
Geography: The political dividing line between Lamanite- and Nephite-dominated territory runs west to east with the Nephites generally “in the north.” Mormon describes this dividing line as buffered by a “narrow strip of wilderness.” In context, “wilderness” refers to uninhabited areas and rough terrain, not barren land. The wilderness area has barred easy communication and passage between the Nephite and Lamanite realms, keeping Lamanite raids to a minimum.