Alma knew that the Word of God had a more powerful effect on the minds of the people. He decided to try the virtue of the Word of God.
Any idea what the phrase "try the virtue of" means? I think it is the scriptural equivalent of "give it a whirl". That seems a little casual, though.
The virtue of the word of God must mean the power it has to effect. Virtue can mean moral excellence, and it can also mean power. Consider when Jesus felt virtue flow out to Him as His garment was reached for and touched by the woman with the issue of blood. That sounds like virtue is an effect as much as it is a moral. So, something like 'try the effectiveness of the Word of God'.
Either way, the idear is to try something different.
When my children are arguing or misbehaving, there is a long list of solutions of which I have tried the virtue: yelling, pleading, bargaining, threatening, etc. But the hardest one to remember is to try the virtue of love, patience, and kindness.
