When Lamoni attests that Ammon “canst do all things,” he is confirming that Ammon, with Yahweh’s “strength,” requires no assistance in freeing his brethren. Nevertheless, Lamoni wants to help Ammon. His new-found joy in the gospel has completely altered his attitude toward these hereditary enemies, and he wants to help Ammon.
Culture: By calling Antiomno of Middoni “a friend,” Lamoni is not just speaking of an associate who has cordial feelings toward him. They are both kings, and “friend” here means ally. City-states in Mesoamerica were frequently at war with other cities. Alliances were forged and broken. Allied kings, however, paid each other frequent inter-city visits with strong political overtones. Thus, Lamoni is indicating that Antiomno is an ally of whom he has some expectations, just as Antiomno would also have expectations of him.
Such formal state visits, during the Maya Classic period, would be recorded in stone. The “flattery” Lamoni proposes is not just a friendly conversation but a delicate political negotiation aimed at persuading a fellow king to reverse his decision.
Given this element of formality in the relations, Lamoni is naturally curious about how Ammon, a stranger in the land and a Nephite to boot, could have received information from a distant kingdom more quickly than he, the king, had.