Alma 28

Alma 28:1 The Armies of the Nephites Were Set Round about the Land of Jershon, Yea, In All the Borders Round about the Land of Zarahemla:

In Alma 28:1 we find that “the armies of the Nephites were set round about the land of Jershon, yea, in all the borders round about the land of Zarahemla.” Apparently the threat of “Lamanite” invasion was a factor from more than one direction. The question that might be posed here is the following: Was there a difference between “Lamanite” occupied land and Lamanite land actually controlled by the king of the land of Nephi? If we can give the term “Lamanite” to anybody who wasn’t a Nephite (Jacob 1:13-14), and the spread of the “idle” Lamanites reached “on the east” (of the land of Zarahemla – Alma 22:28); could these Lamanites have been independent tribes with political allegiance somewhat independent from the local land of Nephi? ¹

Alma 28:2 There Was a Tremendous Battle, Such As One As Never Had Been Known:

Why, among the stories of so many other battles, was this “tremendous battle such as one as never had been known” (Alma 28:2) not described with any detail? How could the Lamanites be so dumb (or be so well prepared) to think that they could be successful against the Nephites when just 3 years previous they had “been driven and slain” (Alma 25:3) and had come home when they “saw that they could not overpower the Nephites”? Why were the Lamanites so furious with the departure of the Anti-Nephi-Lehies when they wanted them dead (out of the way) to begin with? ²

Alma 28:2 Tens of Thousands of the Lamanites Were Slain and Scattered Abroad:

Alma 28:2 states that in a tremendous battle, “tens of thousands of the Lamanites were slain and scattered abroad.” One might wonder, Were all these Lamanites coming from the land of Nephi? If they all came from the land of Nephi, where were these Lamanites scattered to? If they were “scattered abroad,” did all these Lamanites return to the land of Nephi? ³

Alma 28:8 And This Is the Account of Ammon and His Brethren:

According to John Tvedtnes, although chapter 29 of Alma is usually understood to comprise Alma’s words in first person, it is likely that Mormon actually began quoting from Alma’s record in Alma 28:8-9, where we have a prefacelike colophon (both verses begin with the words “and this is the account”). The reader should note the present tense of the verbs. For example, “from the first year to the fifteenth has brought to pass” (Alma 28:10), “many thousands are mourning for the loss of their kindred” (Alma 28:11), and “they rejoice and exult in the hope” (Alma 28:12). ⁴