True to the end, Mormon commands his son to finish the record (v. 1). We assume that the things Moroni was commanded to write were those items included in the two book of Mormon chapters being considered here. We will see that it is primarily concerning the record and it’s coming forth in the latter days. Those who escaped the final battle at Cumorah, but were hunted down and destroyed (v. 2), were apparently the twenty-three survivors plus Moroni mentioned by Mormon (see Mormon 6:11). Thus, he faces a precarious situation. The only one he could trust in was the Lord (Mormon 8:3).
Moroni seems to have had just a small space to write upon in his father’s plates, and no way of obtaining more plates. Although he must have been terribly lonely and discouraged, he had more concern for the plates than he did for himself. Again he trusted in the Lord, and put his life in his hand (vv. 4–5). How long he had been alone we do not know. It may have been fifteen years, or any part of those years, depending on how long that last great battle lasted. Those fifteen years had brought the downfall of the Nephites as a nation, and Moroni recognized the Lord’s hand in their great fall (see D&C 59:21). The Lord must have wept over Moroni’s situation, but certainly loved him for his dedication. However, the war did not end; the murders and bloodshed continued between the Lamanites themselves (Mormon 8:7–8). There was no end to it in Moroni’s sight.