Amalickiah’s strategy, however, was not to strike up the Sidon Valley but to expand his control of the area around the river’s mouth. He concentrated on the seashore cities so he could operate without worrying about Nephites in his rear. Daniel H. Ludlow notes the curious contradiction that Amalickiah “decided not ‘to go against the city of Nephihah to battle,’ [but] in the next verse… that the Lamanites went on ‘taking possession of many cities, the city of Nephihah, and the city of Lehi… ,’ etc. Although it is not clear whether or not the historian intended to include the city of Nephihah in this list, it is evident that the city is captured later by the Lamanites (Alma 59:7–9).”
It seems likely that Amalickiah took the coastal towns and cities first. With those bases secured, Amalickiah was then ready to move up the Sidon Valley. Nephihah’s capture was simply delayed, not evaded.
Translation: The progression between verses 25 and 26 is problematic. In verse 25, Nephihah is a Nephite stronghold that Amalickiah avoided (see also v. 24). Nevertheless, Nephihah is first in the line of conquered cities. There are three possibilities. One is that Amalickiah changed his mind, which is not likely, as there would have been no reason for Mormon to mention that he originally skipped the city. The next two possibilities are errors, either by Mormon or by Joseph and/or his scribe. If it can be attributed to Joseph, it would be because Joseph and Oliver, not familiar with the city or with the story, probably were not envisioning the geography in any detail, and were dictating/transcribing rapidly. Thus, the city’s name could easily be repeated in the next verse, making it the first of the conquered cities. I conclude that the problem of Nephihah is best explained as a translation error. If it can be attributed to Mormon, I suggest that Mormon knew that Nephihah had indeed been captured, but mistakenly placed it in this list rather than the more time-appropriate context that he gives later (Alma 59:5–8). Either possibility is plausible.