As part of the terms of surrender, Moroni tells the forces of Zerahemnah that "ye shall not depart except ye depart with an oath" (Alma 44:11). According to Thomas Valletta, the term "oath" appears twelve times in the Captain Moroni chapters, while it doesn't appear at all elsewhere in the book of Alma. The closest match is in the book of Mosiah, where it appears nine times. Clearly, realizing Moroni's fundamental grounding in and adherence to covenants is necessary to understand him. Indeed, his words and his actions can only be understood in the light of ancient covenant theology. [Thomas R. Valletta, "The Captain and the Covenant," in The Book of Mormon: Alma, The Testimony of the Word, p. 230]