Mormon had extolled Chief Captain Moroni’s virtues in verses 12–13, then continued with the story of the defenses. However, that story included the Jehovah’s covenant, and that led Mormon to return to his admiration of Moroni as a man if firm faith. There are perhaps few better goals than to have it said of any of us that: “if all men had been, and were, and ever would be, like unto Moroni, behold, the very powers of hell would have been shaken forever; yea, the devil would never have power over the hearts of the children of men.” That is praise that Mormon reserved for Captain Moroni. Even with the importance of Alma the Elder and Alma the Younger to Nephite society, even with all of their faith, Mormon never said anything of the like about either of them.
He does use Alma the Younger and the sons of Mosiah as similar models of righteous men. He knows that Chief Captain Moroni was not the only righteous Nephite, but Mormon’s personal admiration for Moroni is obvious. Perhaps some of that admiration was due to his empathy of a man of God being caught up in the ungodlike business of war.