Verse 7 noted that the capture of men, women, and children prisoners taken from Sherrizah. Here, Mormon notes the presence of “widows and their daughters” who remained in Sherrizah. The Lamanite army has killed or captured most of the men and had taken many prisoners, presumably for sacrificial rites. We should not read too much into the absence of “sons” from the description of “widows and their daughters.” Mormon’s account assumes that Moroni, like him, will feel a natural protectiveness for women in such circumstances. While the Lamanites may have captured or killed all male children, it seems more likely that these widows are also trying to care for young sons as well as daughters.
The Lamanite general is named Zenephi, a name that certainly contains “nephi” and which is therefore easy to see as a traditional Nephite name. It is very doubtful that the Lamanites ever have used “Nephi” as part of a name, given the traditional antagonism that traced to the original brothers.
However, during the previous five hundred years, the Lamanites have been a destination of choice for Nephite dissenters. Ironically, Zenephi may have been descended from one of these dissenters. Thus, one of the generals destroying the Nephites had lineage ties to the Nephite nation. This possibility is a sobering reminder of what the Nephite destruction really meant. Many former Nephites are now Lamanites; thus, their genetic material survived; but their society, culture, and nation were destroyed.
The description of localized famine as an aftermath of war is also an authentic indication of this type of warfare. The Lamanites have large armies marching through foreign lands. The Maya economy was not one that produced large surpluses of food. When an invading army came through, that army would need supplies; and the farther they were from their home, the more they relied on food available in the conquered lands. With so many extra people appropriating the stores of food, those left behind after they had passed through would have either much less food or simply not enough. Localized famine came as the invading army appropriated the local people’s food.