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Book of Mormon Commentary
3 Nephi Chapter 2
GIDDIANHI THREATENS THE NEPHITES, VER. 1-20
3 Ne 2:4 And it seemeth a pity unto me, most noble Lachoneus, that ye should be so foolish and vain as
to suppose that ye can stand against so many brave men, who are at my command, who do now at this
time stand in their arms, and do await, with great anxiety, for the word, Go down upon the Nephites and
destroy them.
The leader and governor of the Gadiantons, Giddianhi, wrote an epistle to the chief judge and
governor of the Nephites, Lachoneus. In it he used flattery, ridicule, promises, and threats in an
effort to win or scare Lachoneus to surrender. The robber chief alleged that if he should direct his
men were anxious to "go down upon the Nephites and destroy them" (4). "They would visit you
with utter destruction." He asked Lachoneus to "yield up unto this my people, your cities, your
lands, and your possessions” (7).
The Nephites were urged to "yield yourselves up unto us, and unite with us, and become
acquainted with our secret works, and become our brethren" (8). If this were not done, "I swear
unto you, with an oath, that on the morrow month, I will command that my armies shall come
down against you" (10). His ultimatum gave the Nephites one month to surrender or a fight to
extinction.
3 Ne 2:13 And now it came to pass when Lachoneus received this epistle, he was exceedingly
astonished, because of the boldness of Giddianhi, in demanding the possession of the land of the
Nephites,
Lachoneus "was a just man, and could not be frightened by the demands and the threatenings of a
robber” (15). Instead of panicking, he advised his people to "cry unto the Lord for strength" (16).
Then he sent a proclamation throughout the land that the people should gather their women,
children, flocks, herds, and "all their substance" unto one place (17).
Next he had them build strong fortifications and set guards to watch day and night (19). But he
warned his people, "Except ye repent of all your iniquities," they could not be delivered from the
hands of the robbers (20).
THE NEPHITES ALL GATHER IN ZARAHEMLA AND SOUTHWARD, VER. 21-45
3 Ne 2:21 And so great and marvelous were the words and prophecies of Lachoneus, that they did cause
fear to come upon all the people, and they did exert themselves in their might, to do according to the
words of Lachoneus.
He appointed "chief captains over all the armies." The custom was to group the soldiers by
number with a chief captain (A. 1:68). "The chiefest among all the chief captains" was
Gidgiddoni. These chief captains were men who "had the spirit of revelation," except in times of
wickedness. "Gidgiddoni was a great prophet among them, and also was the chief judge” (24). The
people urged him to go into the mountains and wilderness (see comment on I N. 1:26). He replied,
"The Lord forbid ... we will gather all our armies together, and we will not go against them, but we
will wait till they shall come against us" (III N. 2:26, 27). There is a moral responsibility on those
who initiate an attack, which righteous people should avoid. When an enemy comes against them,
the right of self-defense justifies a conflict (D. and C. 112:11 b). Under the conditions mentioned
by Gidgiddoni, the Lord would bless them, and "he will deliver them [Gadiantons] into our