“Behold, I Am in My Anger”

John W. Welch

This chief captain Moroni became angry: “Behold, I am in my anger, and also my people; ye have sought to murder us, and we have only sought to defend ourselves” (Alma 54:13). Whether it was anger in the sense we use it today, or whether it was great passion for what he believed and knew was right is debatable, but he did call Ammoron “a child of Hell,” and his tone was one that suggests this was real anger. Maybe we can suppose it was righteous anger. In Alma 59:13, we later read that Moroni was again angry, this time with the central government. The letter he sent to Pahoran was even more excoriating than the one he sent to Ammoron here. His anger would have been justified, but maybe he should have held his tongue. Although such insults may appear to project a strong negotiating posture, being insulting is usually not a good way to work out a peaceful settlement.

John W. Welch Notes

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