Editing Zeniff (section)

=== Perception of Lamanites ===
In a commentary, Brant Gardner states that the scrubbed initial plan to retake the land of Nephi by force is one of the Nephites' "rare overtly offensive actions"; elsewhere in the Book of Mormon, Nephites are generally on the defensive in violent interactions with Lamanites.{{sfn|Gardner|2007|p=227}} Gardner also presents a possible explanation for Zeniff's declaration that he had seen "much good" in the Lamanites. He argues that Zeniff would have needed sufficient evidence of his claim to convince a majority of the Nephite army to fight with him. Gardner proposes that Zeniff may have believed the "foundational promise of the Nephites"—in which God promised prosperity in return for those who keep his commandments—to be equally true in application to the Lamanites. With this belief, Gardner argues Zeniff may have considered the Lamanites' wealth and power to constitute evidence of virtue.{{sfn|Gardner|2007|p=228}}

In ''Understanding the Book of Mormon: A Reader's Guide'', [[Grant Hardy]] points out Zeniff’s desire to negotiate a treaty of peace with the Lamanites, as opposed to fighting them for their land. Hardy contrasts Zeniff’s good opinion of the Lamanites with [[Enos (biblical figure)|Enos]] and [[Jarom]]'s, who "found nothing of value in Lamanite culture."{{sfn|Hardy|2010|p=125}} Hardy also addresses Zeniff's inclusion of the exact death count of the first war (3,043), which included the Lamanites. Hardy suggests that Zeniff's “careful counting” shows his "concern for his enemies as individuals."{{sfn|Hardy|2010|p=128}} He then posits that Zeniff's shift in opinion of the Lamanite people from "good" to "lazy" and "idolatrous" suggests that "the man of peace has become a man of war",{{sfn|Hardy|2010|p=128}} evidenced further by Zeniff's neglect to count the dead after the second war.{{sfn|Hardy|2010|p=130}} In ''The Annotated Book of Mormon'', Hardy reasons that Zeniff is humanizing the Lamanites when he explains their beliefs and motives before the battle.{{sfn|Hardy|2023|p=254}}