Rhetoric: Note that Benjamin here addresses “those that have fallen into transgression” without actually accusing any specific portion of his congregation. Adding this mild reprimand to the contentions that have already been noted, we have a new perspective on his vocative “O, all ye old men.” Benjamin uses a sequence of descriptions for those he is accusing. He begins by addressing “all ye old men.” To the old men he adds the young men, and ends with “you little children who can understand.” This rhetorical technique artfully includes everyone in the congregation but allows Benjamin to emphasize the “old men” as the first and most important category. Adding the other age groups softens the effect of the direct accusation.
Why would Benjamin have a particular interest in the “old men”? If my hypothesis is correct that the contentions had centered between the “old religion” of Zarahemla and the “new religion” of a true knowledge of Yahweh, then that old religion would have been the natal faith of the oldest men. No doubt, they were more likely to continue in it than the younger men. Thus, Benjamin is continuing to attack the roots of the religious contention, declaring those who would support the old religion to be enemies to Yahweh and subject to the penalties he has just described—penalties coming from their own choices, and therefore avoidable by their own choices.
Nevertheless, as I read this passage, Benjamin does not want to be accusatory in singling out a part of his people. He thus manages to be both direct and indirect, both specific and generally cautionary.