Geography: The Amalickiahites had to pass from the north to the south, through Nephite-controlled territory. The path they didn’t take, for obvious reasons, was directly upriver through Zarahemla. Since Moroni attempts to cut them off in the wilderness, clearly the Amalickiahites went through the wilderness to avoid more settled locations. Two wildernesses are described for Nephite lands, one to the west and one to the east of Zarahemla. We do not know which one this verse meant.
Variant: The 1981 printing restored a phrase that had been lost from the original manuscript, beginning with the printer’s manuscript: “with his tents.”