Textual: Mormon is telling a very sad story with the dissentions from the Nephites and the wars of these years. In the midst of the stories of the wars and contentions, he still has the story of the gospel to tell, and it is important for him to make sure that the story of the gospel continues even though the emphasis is on conflict. As Mormon makes a transition from one set of events to the next, he interjects these verses to give us the parallel history of the gospel at that time.