Mormon concludes the story of this people with the essential summary of their faith. It was so strong that not even threat of death could shake it. Verse 28 shows that this is Mormon’s summary, for it requires a more distant time perspective in that he notes that “they never could be prevailed upon to take up arms against their brethren; and they never did look upon death with any degree of terror….”
Again we must be reminded that this particular trait of not taking up arms was limited to a single generation. Their youngest children will take up arms, and there is no indication in the rest of the Book of Mormon of a people who must be defended because of this type of oath.
Textual: There is no chapter break here in the 1830 edition.