Text: The current separation of chapters at this point was done for the 1879 edition and therefore does not accurately reflect the chapters as they appeared on the plates. The plate text divisions reflected in the 1830 edition help us understand the relationships that Mormon saw between his narrative units. In this case, the separation of the chapters has broken a thread of thought in Samuel’s discourse.
For reference, here are the last two verses of the preceding chapter and verse 1 of this chapter:
And now remember, remember, my brethren, that whosoever perisheth, perisheth unto himself; and whosoever doeth iniquity, doeth it unto himself; for behold, ye are free; ye are permitted to act for yourselves; for behold, God hath given unto you a knowledge and he hath made you free.
He hath given unto you that ye might know good from evil, and he hath given unto you that ye might choose life or death; and ye can do good and be restored unto that which is good, or have that which is good restored unto you; or ye can do evil, and have that which is evil restored unto you.
And now, my beloved brethren, behold, I declare unto you that except ye shall repent your houses shall be left unto you desolate. (Hel. 14:30–31, 15:1)
“And now” is a transition that Mormon uses to signal that Samuel is moving on to a different point. Thus, the current chapter division is not completely unmotivated, but the context is temporarily lost. Samuel has been condemning the Nephites but only as part of a larger message of repentance. It is still possible to change, and Samuel is making the transition in themes right at this point.
Chapter 14 concludes with the information that man is accountable for his own actions—that he “perisheth unto himself” (Hel. 14:30). In verse 30, man’s improper use of agency will condemn him. Verse 31, the pivotal transition, again highlights choice but more hopefully, by stressing the possibility of repentance. In Helaman 15:1, Samuel now explicitly preaches repentance, a logical consequence of the dynamics set up in Chapter 14.