The Lamanite king, Tubaloth, is the nephew of that Nephite dissenter Amalickiah, who successfully founded a dynasty after usurping the throne by assassination and treachery (Alma 47:18–19). After Amalickiah’s death, his brother Ammoron succeeded him (Alma 52:3), to be followed by Ammoron’s son, Tubaloth (Hel. 1:16).
Tubaloth’s father and uncle have died at Nephite hands. As Nephite apostates and dissenters, they could not have had anything but strong hatred for the Nephites. It is no surprise that Tubaloth inherited their prejudices, perhaps intensified by the deaths of his father and uncle. Almost predictably, he wants war with the Nephites.
Variant: The original manuscript, the printer’s manuscript, and the 1830 edition all have an additional phrase in verse 16. The original read: “Therefore the king of the Lamanites whose name was Tubaloth, who was the son of Ammoron, now Tubaloth supposing that.… ” The italicized phrase was removed from the 1837 edition to make the sentence read more smoothly, but a better editing choice would have been removing “therefore.” The concept would have been clearer with a declarative sentence announcing Tubaloth’s position and genealogy, followed by the comment about his actions, rather than linking the entire phrase with the causal “therefore.” The phrase after “now Tubaloth” provides the meaning for “therefore.”