The Nephites believed that oaths had enormous power and effect, and that if one’s oath were to be violated there would be severe consequences. For example, when Nephi was making an oath to Zoram, it was binding if they swore an oath on anything living. They truly believed in curses, oaths, vows, and solemn promises sworn with conditions that “if I break this oath, may very severe consequences follow.” They took these oaths seriously. Could this be a model for us?
There is continuity here between Alma 42, where we are taught that the essence of mercy is the granting of time to repent. Mormon may have preserved Alma’s teaching in Alma 42 knowing that in Alma 44 we would see an instance of its application. After all that Zerahemnah and his allies had done, Captain Moroni was still willing to say, “I will give you time. You can fix this. You can repent.”
It is a very practical application of the very doctrine that Alma the Younger was teaching—that God gives us time. That is his mercy to us, and we see Captain Moroni putting that into effect under a very difficult situation. It would have been easy for him to say, “You guys have killed a lot of my friends and soldiers. Let us just finish you off right now.” He is willing to extend the same kind of mercy that God would.