Alma 44
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Alma 44 opens with a battle stopped in the middle. Zerahemnah's army is surrounded, terrified, and at Moroni's mercy. Moroni pulls his men back and speaks: we do not desire to be men of blood. Ye know that ye are in our hands, yet we do not desire to slay you (v. 1).
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Alma 44:1-7We Do Not Desire to Be Men of Blood
1And it came to pass that they did stop and withdrew a pace from them. And Moroni said unto Zerahemnah: Behold, Zerahemnah, that we do not desire to be men of blood. Ye know that ye are in our hands, yet we do not desire to slay you. 2Behold, we have not come out to battle against you that we might shed your blood for power; neither do we desire to bring any one to the yoke of bondage. But this is the very cause for which ye have come against us; yea, and ye are angry with us because of our religion.
Moroni has won. He stops the battle and tells Zerahemnah plainly: we do not desire to be men of blood. The Nephites want neither power nor slaves. They want to be left alone to worship.
3But now, ye behold that the Lord is with us; and ye behold that he has delivered you into our hands. And now I would that ye should understand that this is done unto us because of our religion and our faith in Christ. And now ye see that ye cannot destroy this our faith. 4Now ye see that this is the true faith of God; yea, ye see that God will support, and keep, and preserve us, so long as we are faithful unto him, and unto our faith, and our religion; and never will the Lord suffer that we shall be destroyed except we should fall into transgression and deny our faith.
Moroni repeats the promise his people lived by: the Lord would never let them be destroyed unless they fell into transgression and denied their faith.
5And now, Zerahemnah, I command you, in the name of that all-powerful God, who has strengthened our arms that we have gained power over you, by our faith, by our religion, and by our rites of worship, and by our church, and by the sacred support which we owe to our wives and our children, by that liberty which binds us to our lands and our country; yea, and also by the maintenance of the sacred word of God, to which we owe all our happiness; and by all that is most dear unto us— 6Yea, and this is not all; I command you by all the desires which ye have for life, that ye deliver up your weapons of war unto us, and we will seek not your blood, but we will spare your lives, if ye will go your way and come not again to war against us. 7And now, if ye do not this, behold, ye are in our hands, and I will command my men that they shall fall upon you, and inflict the wounds of death in your bodies, that ye may become extinct; and then we will see who shall have power over this people; yea, we will see who shall be brought into bondage.
Moroni lists what the Nephites hold sacred: God, their faith and church, their families, their liberty, and the sacred word of God, to which we owe all our happiness.
Moroni's terms are simple: give up your weapons, promise not to come back to war, and you may go. He also tells them plainly what will happen if they refuse.
Alma 44:8-15An Oath Which We Know That We Shall Break
8And now it came to pass that when Zerahemnah had heard these sayings he came forth and delivered up his sword and his cimeter, and his bow into the hands of Moroni, and said unto him: Behold, here are our weapons of war; we will deliver them up unto you, but we will not suffer ourselves to take an oath unto you, which we know that we shall break, and also our children; but take our weapons of war, and suffer that we may depart into the wilderness; otherwise we will retain our swords, and we will perish or conquer. 9Behold, we are not of your faith; we do not believe that it is God that has delivered us into your hands; but we believe that it is your cunning that has preserved you from our swords. Behold, it is your breastplates and your shields that have preserved you.
Zerahemnah will hand over his weapons, but he will not swear peace, because he knows he would break the oath. He is honest about his dishonesty.
Zerahemnah credits the Nephites' cunning and armor and denies that God delivered his army to them. He sees only what can be seen.
10And now when Zerahemnah had made an end of speaking these words, Moroni returned the sword and the weapons of war, which he had received, unto Zerahemnah, saying: Behold, we will end the conflict. 11Now I cannot recall the words which I have spoken, therefore as the Lord liveth, ye shall not depart except ye depart with an oath that ye will not return again against us to war. Now as ye are in our hands we will spill your blood upon the ground, or ye shall submit to the conditions which I have proposed.
Moroni gives the weapons back. He had said the Lamanites could leave only with an oath of peace, and he will not take back his word.
12And now when Moroni had said these words, Zerahemnah retained his sword, and he was angry with Moroni, and he rushed forward that he might slay Moroni; but as he raised his sword, behold, one of Moroni's soldiers smote it even to the earth, and it broke by the hilt; and he also smote Zerahemnah that he took off his scalp and it fell to the earth. And Zerahemnah withdrew from before them into the midst of his soldiers. 13And it came to pass that the soldier who stood by, who smote off the scalp of Zerahemnah, took up the scalp from off the ground by the hair, and laid it upon the point of his sword, and stretched it forth unto them, saying unto them with a loud voice: 14Even as this scalp has fallen to the earth, which is the scalp of your chief, so shall ye fall to the earth except ye will deliver up your weapons of war and depart with a covenant of peace. 15Now there were many, when they heard these words and saw the scalp which was upon the sword, that were struck with fear; and many came forth and threw down their weapons of war at the feet of Moroni, and entered into a covenant of peace. And as many as entered into a covenant they suffered to depart into the wilderness.
Zerahemnah attacks Moroni, and a Nephite soldier stops him and wounds him. The soldier warns the Lamanites to give up their weapons and covenant peace, and many of them do.
Alma 44:16-24The Work of Death Should Cease
16Now it came to pass that Zerahemnah was exceedingly wroth, and he did stir up the remainder of his soldiers to anger, to contend more powerfully against the Nephites. 17And now Moroni was angry, because of the stubbornness of the Lamanites; therefore he commanded his people that they should fall upon them and slay them. And it came to pass that they began to slay them; yea, and the Lamanites did contend with their swords and their might. 18But behold, their naked skins and their bare heads were exposed to the sharp swords of the Nephites; yea, behold they were pierced and smitten, yea, and did fall exceedingly fast before the swords of the Nephites; and they began to be swept down, even as the soldier of Moroni had prophesied.
Zerahemnah stirs up the rest of his men to fight again. The battle resumes, and the unprotected Lamanites fall quickly, as the soldier had warned.
19Now Zerahemnah, when he saw that they were all about to be destroyed, cried mightily unto Moroni, promising that he would covenant and also his people with them, if they would spare the remainder of their lives, that they never would come to war again against them. 20And it came to pass that Moroni caused that the work of death should cease again among the people. And he took the weapons of war from the Lamanites; and after they had entered into a covenant with him of peace they were suffered to depart into the wilderness.
When his army is about to be destroyed, Zerahemnah finally promises peace. Moroni stops the fighting again at once and lets them go.
21Now the number of their dead was not numbered because of the greatness of the number; yea, the number of their dead was exceedingly great, both on the Nephites and on the Lamanites. 22And it came to pass that they did cast their dead into the waters of Sidon, and they have gone forth and are buried in the depths of the sea. 23And the armies of the Nephites, or of Moroni, returned and came to their houses and their lands. 24And thus ended the eighteenth year of the reign of the judges over the people of Nephi. And thus ended the record of Alma, which was written upon the plates of Nephi.
The dead were too many to count, on both sides. Mormon records the cost honestly. Then the soldiers go home.
Research trail
Sources & further study
These references support the historical, linguistic, manuscript, and contextual notes in this chapter. Scripture remains the primary text; external sources are provided so readers can inspect the research directly.
- Moroni, CaptainA short summary of the Nephite chief captain who speaks most of this chapter.
- PeacemakerScriptures on making and keeping peace, the purpose behind Moroni's offer in verses 1-7.
- OathWhat an oath meant in scripture, and why Moroni would not let the Lamanites go without one (vv. 6, 11).
- WarThe Church's teaching on war and peace and on defending family and freedom.
Where this echoes in Scripture
We Do Not Desire to Be Men of Blood
- Alma 48:11Yea, a man that did not delight in bloodshed.
- 1 John 5:4This is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.
- 2 Nephi 1:20Inasmuch as ye shall keep my commandments ye shall prosper in the land.The promise behind Moroni's words in verse 4.
- Romans 12:18If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.
An Oath Which We Know That We Shall Break
- Alma 43:49-50In that selfsame hour that they cried unto the Lord for their freedom, the Lamanites began to flee before them.What Zerahemnah could not see.
- Numbers 30:2If a man vow a vow unto the LORD, or swear an oath to bind his soul with a bond; he shall not break his word.
- Psalm 15:1, 4LORD, who shall abide in thy tabernacle?... He that sweareth to his own hurt, and changeth not.
- 2 Kings 6:16-17They that be with us are more than they that be with them.Another account in which only eyes of faith could see the Lord's help.
The Work of Death Should Cease
- Alma 43:54He commanded his men that they should stop shedding their blood.The first time Moroni stopped the battle.
- Ephesians 4:26Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath.
- Matthew 5:9Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.
- Alma 37:1-2And now, my son Helaman, I command you that ye take the records which have been entrusted with me.Alma had already given the records to Helaman.
- Mormon 4:11It is impossible for the tongue to describe... the horrible scene of the blood and carnage.Mormon saw what war becomes when a people delight in bloodshed.