In the Book of Mormon, the only individuals exempted from active military duty were Ammon’s converts, who had repented of their previous shedding of blood and sworn an oath never to take up arms again. These righteous Lamanites, who joined the Saints in Zarahemla, were not subject to military service if they would help supply their Nephite protectors with provisions. In ancient times, every able-bodied man was obligated by law to defend his nation or tribe; this was the case in Nephite society as well. However, certain exceptions were allowed under the law of Moses. One provision of the law stated that the duty of military service applied only in fighting an enemy, not in fighting against one’s brethren. In the Nephite army, Ammon’s people would have been forced to slay their own brethren, the Lamanites. Another portion of the law offered humanitarian exemptions from the military for those who had recently married, built a new house, or planted a new vineyard, and those who felt “fearful and fainthearted” (see Deuteronomy 20:5–9; 24:5). Certainly the Ammonites were fearful and fainthearted at the thought of breaking an oath with God by taking up arms. Lastly, according to a provision of the Mosaic law, men remaining at home were required to continue to provide behind-the-lines support, which often meant—as it did in Alma 27:24—providing food and other supplies for the armies. (See Echoes, 357–361.)