“Who can sense the depth of his pain, the poignant loneliness that constantly overshadowed him as he moved about, a fugitive relentlessly hunted by his enemies? For how long he actually was alone we do not know, but the record would indicate that it was for a considerable period. His conversation was prayer to the Lord. His companion was the Holy Spirit. There were occasions when the Three Nephites ministered to him. But with all of this, there is an element of terrible tragedy in the life of this man who became a lonely wanderer” (Hinckley, “Moroni,” 197).
What was the state of the inhabitants of the land following the Nephite defeat? (8:7–9) “The Lamanites … would not let what was left of the people of Nephi rest in the ignominy of defeat, but hunted them down wherever they might be, until all had been found and slain. … The Lamanites, not content with the defeat of the Nephites, began a war among themselves. Their bloodthirstiness, and the love they had for killing, were not gratified in the slaying of their enemies, but that measure of their want was in a way gratified only with them taking the lives of their neighbors” (Reynolds and Sjodahl, Commentary on the Book of Mormon, 7:289–90).