They travel to Zarahemla and are welcomed into Mosiah's protection, followed shortly later by the people of Alma who had also escaped from Lamanite control.
He also gives Alma authority to organize churches in the land, but members of the younger generation work to draw away the believers, including Mosiah's own sons.
Grant Hardy proposes that Mosiah's suggestion to use a system of judges stems not only from the danger of a bad king but also from concerns over who held the right to the throne.
[7] Michael Austin suggests the decision to switch to the system of judges shows fear of civil war on King Mosiah's part.
King Benjamin instructs Mosiah to gather the people of Zarahemla and the Nephites together which implies they live in two separate groups.
This concern carries through to the conflicts in the book of Alma and Helaman which, writes Austin, come from the forced distinction of Nephite culture over that of Zarahemla.