The Lord attempts yet again to save the people. Ether is sent to Coriantumr to offer the salvation of his kingdom, and to promise the destruction of it should he not heed the warning of the Lord. Of course we know that Coriantumr does not listen to the Lord, so the most important part of this verse is the detail given of the future destruction.
[they should be destroyed, and all his household save it were himself]: This statement is important because it signals the ending of a dynasty. In the world of kings, continuation of the dynasty comes through the family. It might come through the sons, and in Mesoamerica (and the Book of Mormon) there is also inheritance of rule or rights by a brother. In all cases, however, the continuation of the rule comes through family. With the complete destruction of the family, the dynasty is ended. It is in this light that we must see the related phrase:
[every soul should be destroyed save it were Coriantumr]: This phrase has been used to support the idea that every single Jaredite was destroyed in some frenzy of murderous destruction. While terrible destructions have occurred in the history of mankind, the most final are those where a superior force destroys some lesser force (and sadly, some undefended peoples). The typical picture of every single Jaredite fighting to the death is an exaggeration of the intent of this phrase. The prophesy should be seen in the light of the destruction of the ruling lineage, not the destruction of every person who lived under the rule of the destructive leaders. Archaeological work in the area of the Olmec in which the Jaredites would have lived shows that there is a continuation of people, even when there was a clear discontinuation of polities.
This destruction of polities is the type of thing that defines the decline of the archaeological Olmec. The official Olmec culture is gone three to four hundred years prior to this ending of the Jaredite polities. Nevertheless, just as the ending of the Olmec was followed by the continued presence of the post-Olmec peoples (including the Jaredites), so too was the end of the Jaredites followed by other peoples in the area.
[he should only live to see the fulfilling of the prophecies which had been spoken concerning another people receiving the land for their inheritance; and Coriantumr should receive a burial by them]: This is the prophecy of Coriantumr’s travel to Zarahemla and his time with them. The idea that this would be a people that would inherit the land is an interesting prophecy. The Zarahemlaites were Mulekites and more recent entrants into the New World, and therefore could be seen as a new people who would inherit the land. However, they had also been part of the Olmec world. This suggests that while the Mulekites had been among the Olmec polities, they had not been among the Jaredite polities. If they had been a splinter group from the Jaredite polities, we would expect Coriantumr to have considered them a part of his people, and not a representative of some new people who would inherit the land.