Chronology: The chronology at this point is a little confusing. “In the twenty and sixth year, I, Helaman, did march at the head of these two thousand young men to the city of Judea” (Alma 56:9; the date is corroborated in 56:7). Nevertheless, verse 23 specifies: “Thus ended the twenty and eighth year of the reign of the judges.” The end of the twenty-eighth year would be approximately 66 B.C. Chapter 54 opens with another year-statement (twenty-ninth year). Apparently Mormon is recording the event’s end year, not the event’s timing. Helaman led the two thousand warriors into the field in the twenty-sixth year but Mormon does not break his chapter until the end of the twenty-eighth. He simply does not record any events for the rest of the twenty-sixth and all of the twenty-seventh year.
Text: A chapter ends here in the 1830 edition. Mormon began the story of the stripling warriors because it occurs in this year. While Mormon is not proceeding year by year, he is still using the year markers as chapter dividers. He will interrupt in the next chapter to explain other action, delaying further development of the story of Helaman and his young army. (Mormon picks up the story again in chapter 56.) Mormon is telling a story in which events occur simultaneously in different locales. He begins this one, then breaks it off (with the signal of a chapter break) to pursue his next narrative.