Alma did not mention the judgment seat to the people of Zarahemla as he did to the people of Gideon (vv. 1–2). The reason he did not mention it in Zarahemla was probably because Zarahemla was the seat of government and the people there were very familiar with what had happened, but the people in Gideon were not. Alma wanted the people in Gideon to know that his mission had the approval of the Lord (v. 2).
Alma found, as he had hoped, that the people in Gideon were not as spiritually derelict as those in Zarahemla (v. 3). This conclusion is based on the message that he delivered and the way it was received (see v. 26). Alma’s joy over his success in Zarahemla was the joy of their repenting. This joy will be discussed more fully under Alma 29 in chapter 9 of this work. Again, the association of pride because of riches is made (v. 6), a continued association throughout the Book of Mormon. Alma may also be associating the worship of idols with the worshiping of their riches, but this is not certain. Most people worship material things without realizing they are doing so.