Culture: The detail that the Lamanites knew that Lehi was commanding the defense of Noah and that he had helped defeat them near Manti is telling. The Lamanite survivors had taken an oath not to engage in battle again and presumably kept their word. Still, they must have described Lehi to their Lamanite colleagues. The story obviously lost nothing in the retelling. In later Mesoamerican armies for which data are available, the commander would have been wearing a distinctive costume and/or have banners flying at his position. Thus, Lehi’s symbols would have marked him. All he had to do at the city of Noah was show himself in his distinctive battle dress. Those who could not see his face would nevertheless know him because they had been told about the visual markers that had identified him at Manti.
Obviously the fortifications and Lehi’s presence are two pieces of bad news, but their commander had committed them with “an oath” to the attack. The oath concerned the importance of the location, not any suicidal tendencies. As noted above, having by-passed Ammonihah, the military imperative was to take Noah or retreat back to Nephi. The Lamanites chose to attack, nerving themselves to make a supreme effort.