Geographic: With Gid secured and fortified, Moroni turns his attention to Morianton. Morianton lay at an important crossroads that could guard both the path into Mulek and Bountiful, but also into Lehi and up the river valley into the heart of Nephite territory (see map 12, John L. Sorenson. An Ancient American Setting for the Book of Mormon. FARMS 1980, p. 241). Morianton is therefore a very strategically important city, and Moroni puts his efforts into improving the defenses of that city. The end of the twenty ninth year of the judges comes with no resolution in this long war. The Nephites have recovered some of their territory, but the war is far from over.
Textual: This is the end of a chapter in the 1830 edition. Mormon ends this chapter that has focused on Moroni’s efforts, and begins the next chapter where the focus changes to Helaman and his young warriors who were briefly introduced to us in chapter 53 of our current text, but within this same chapter according to the 1830 edition.