“Go Forth and Bury Their Dead”

Brant Gardner

Moroni makes a slight change in the post-battle procedures. We have seen previous occasions when there was a specific disdain for the dead of the Lamanites, casting them into the Sidon (Alma 3:3; Alma 44:22). Now he allows the Lamanites to bury their own dead, requiring of them only that they also bury the Nephite dead.

One of the differences between the aftermath of this battle and the previous two where we have information about the non-burial of the Lamanites is that in this case the Lamanites are to remain prisoners. In the previous occasions they were released or had fled. Had Moroni denied the privilege of burial to the Lamanites, that inherent disrespect for the dead would have been known among the prisoners, and would have made them even more difficult to manage. In this case, Moroni allows them to pay proper respect, and perhaps earns respect in the process.

Multidimensional Commentary on the Book of Mormon

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