The return of King Lamoni and Ammon to the land of Middoni is also a summary. The large plates of Nephi will certainly give more detail of their work. The emphasis upon freedom in this brief account is noteworthy of Jesus’ teaching that the truth will make you free (John 8:32). The Lord revealed to the Saints in 1831 that those who “hear my voice and follow me … shall be a free people” (D&C 38:22).
Why the king needed to be converted first by the Spirit is obvious from these verses. The Lord took advantage of the Lamanite culture that was built around the concept that the king could do no wrong, as mentioned in chapter 7. We assume that Lamoni provided the greatest potential of all of the kings of the various lands to get the gospel reformation started among the Lamanites. Religious freedom was established in the land of Ishmael (Alma 21:22). The people became free politically as well as spiritually (v. 21). Ammon continued to be a major force in the work of the church (v. 23) that he had established before going to the land of Middoni to free his brethren (see Alma 19:35)