Helaman reported the activities of the young Ammonites in his letter to Moroni. He had marched at the head of his “sons” to the city of Judea where Antipus, who had been appointed the leader, and the citizens were fighting by day and reinforcing the city by night. They knew that Judea was next to be attacked. The people of Judea were “depressed in body as well as in spirit” there, but they took “great hopes and much joy” (v. 17) when Helaman arrived.
This is a rare occurrence of the term “depressed.” The people had suffered many afflictions, and they sensed the inevitability of this next city to be taken. They toiled even by night. Moroni had left the west coast to get up to Bountiful, so there was not much of an army left there to meet the Lamanites.