Although the epistle to Captain Moroni from Helaman was written in the thirteenth year of the judges, it is describing the twenty-sixth year. The fathers of these young men had made a covenant to bury their weapons of war (see Alma 24), but the new generation did not feel bound by their fathers’ covenant (see Alma 53:16–17). The first assignment of these sons was to defend the city of Judea (Alma 56:9). The consolation proposed by Helaman that the slain Nephites were happy (v. 11) was stated again by him regarding a later battle. After the second battle, he gave the reason for their supposed happiness as their probability of having entered into the rest of their God (see Alma 57:36). The rest of the Lord “is the fullness of his glory” (D&C 84:24). Even later, Captain Moroni declares without equivocation that the righteous who were slain did enter into the rest of the Lord (Alma 60:13). The same condition of righteousness would apply to Helaman’s suppositions. The Lamanites slaying of all but the chief captains (Alma 56:12) may have been because with the trading of prisoners they felt chief captains would be more valuable to trade with the Nephites.