The city and land of Noah were part of the Nephite region situated in the land of Zarahemla, specifically located to the west of the river Sidon and in close proximity to the city of Ammonihah. Characterized initially as the “weakest part of the land,” the city of Noah underwent a significant transformation under the strategic directive of Captain Moroni, the Nephite military leader. Anticipating a Lamanite assault, Moroni fortified the city to the extent that it became stronger than Ammonihah, one of the key Nephite strongholds (Alma 49:12-15).
The thorough preparation of the city’s defenses played a pivotal role in confounding the plans of the Lamanite army, which, having sworn an oath to attack Noah, expected it to be vulnerable. When the Lamanite forces, led by their determined chief captains, advanced upon the city, they met with unexpected resistance. Their efforts to overtake Noah resulted in a futile struggle, in which many Lamanite soldiers were slain by the defenders, and their bodies ironically filled the ditches surrounding the city, which had been part of its fortifications (Alma 49:20-25).
This engagement not only demonstrated the military acumen of Captain Moroni but also served as a testament to the Nephite’s capability to deter the Lamanites’ aggression without sustaining casualties among their own ranks. The defenses erected around the city of Noah, which had previously been considered a point of weakness, became a bulwark that protected the Nephite inhabitants and thwarted the Lamanite’s offensive, thereby preserving the strength and integrity of the Nephite lands in that region.