Mormon had identified believers and nonbelievers (v. 40) and here names a third category: those who think Nephi is a god. This does not mean that they accept Nephi as a prophet and leader of the true church. It means they do not understand the gospel. They are polytheists who have absorbed the larger religious view, not believers in the traditional Nephite gospel. Lamoni’s people similarly thought that Ammon might be a god—specifically the “great spirit” (Alma 18:3). Thus, although this group would respect and even venerate Nephi as supernatural, they have still rejected the gospel.
Text: There is no chapter break at this point in the 1830 edition. This artificial break separates this information about the three categories of Nephites from the immediate aftermath.