Geography: This verse is important in allowing calculations of the distance between Nephi and Zarahemla. Of course, the Almaites could not take a direct route to Zarahemla but were probably following valleys, both to avoid crossing mountains and to have access to water.
Literature: “Receive them with joy” may have been a set phrase. (See commentary accompanying Mosiah 22:14.)
Variant: In the printer’s manuscript, the 1830 and 1840 editions, verse 25 also began with “And it came to pass.” This phrase was removed from the corrected printer’s manuscript, the 1837 edition, and from all subsequent editions.
Text: There is no break here in the 1830 edition. In fact, this break occurs in the middle of a paragraph in the 1830 edition. Not only was this information not considered the end of a chapter, but it was not even seen as the end of an idea. The following verses deal with Mosiah’s reception of the Almaites. Verse 25 is already pointing towards Mosiah, and the earliest verses of chapter 25 pick up at that point.