“Lamanites Buried Their Dead and Also the Dead of the Nephites”

Brant Gardner

Moroni makes a slight change by burying all of the dead whereas, at the Manti battle, he had ordered the Lamanite dead cast into the Sidon, which I argue was a sign of disdain (Alma 3:3, 44:22). Now he requires the Lamanites to bury both their own and the Nephite dead. On the previous occasions, he had allowed the Lamanites who gave their parole to leave, while now he keeps them prisoner. Had Moroni denied the privilege of burial to the Lamanites, that insult might have made the Lamanite prisoners more difficult to manage. In this case, Moroni allows them to pay proper respect to their fallen comrades (and enemies), and perhaps Moroni earns respect in the process.

Second Witness: Analytical & Contextual Commentary on the Book of Mormon, Vol. 4

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