“They Did Tread the People of the Nephites Under Their Feet”

Brant Gardner

In the next year, the Lamanite army attacks in “great” numbers, suggesting that, as they have moved through Nephite territory, they picked up many adherents who could clearly see that the Lamanites would be victors. Such opportunism was not necessarily disloyalty or “apostasy,” but a matter of sheer survival for many. The army, even larger than the one that could not be numbered (Morm. 4:17), bears down on the Nephites, not only in this battle but in permanently eliminating Nephite fighting men who cannot be replaced.

Second Witness: Analytical & Contextual Commentary on the Book of Mormon, Vol. 6

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