Zeniff later leads a group of Nephites back to Lehi-Nephi and establishes a peace treaty with the Lamanite king whose people inhabit the land.

[3] He is sent as a spy to gather information for the Nephite army to plan a military attack on the Lamanites who inhabit the land.

[10] Despite this disadvantage, Zeniff prepares his people, sending the women and children into the wilderness and arming all of his men, young and old, for battle.

[2] In his record, Zeniff explains the second war from the perspective of the Lamanites and claims they "have been deceived by the traditions of their fathers.

He argues that Zeniff would have needed sufficient evidence of his claim to convince a majority of the Nephite army to fight with him.

With this belief, Gardner argues Zeniff may have considered the Lamanites' wealth and power to constitute evidence of virtue.

[14] 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.

"[15] Hardy also addresses Zeniff's inclusion of the exact death count of the first war (3,043), which included the Lamanites.

[16] In The Annotated Book of Mormon, Hardy reasons that Zeniff is humanizing the Lamanites when he explains their beliefs and motives before the battle.