According to Hugh Nibley, we find in Alma 46:17 some very interesting cultural ideas:
And it came to pass that when he [Moroni] had poured out his soul to god, he named all the land which was south of the land Desolation, yea, and in fine, all the land, both on the north and on the south [all the rest of the land, including some of the south lands]--A chosen land, and the land of liberty.
"Chosen land" should have been capitalized because that's exactly what the priest does here [in The Dead Sea Scrolls]. Before the battle the high priest goes out between the ranks of the army who are lined up. It describes how they should be lined in proper array in straight lines, holding their weapons. . . . When they are deployed and ready for battle, the high priest goes out in front of the army. He walks back and forth and pronounces a curse on the enemy land. That is the shema or sh mamah, or it can be horeb, or hormah, "land Desolation." Horeb is the Semitic word for war. Or desolation is hormah. But in the Dead Sea Scrolls it says, "It shall be called sh mamah, which means "nothingness or wiping out." That's what's going to happen. In the story of David after a certain king's land was cursed it was called sh mamah. But here is where they have this ritual thing. The other side is the land b rakhah. It's the land that is chosen. Here's a very interesting thing. In Hebrew barakh means "to bless" and bahar "to choose." The one means "the blessed land." The other means "the chosen land." . . . Here he calls it the "chosen land." This is a remarkable custom, but it's not in the Bible. You don't find this [in the Bible]. Before the war the high priest dedicates the land of the enemy and calls it "desolation." This is a doctrine of the chosen land, and it's very ancient. . . .
And again here it is [in the Battle Scroll of the Dead Sea Scrolls], "The high priest shall go forth from the middle in the interval [the space between the lines]. The priests, the sons of Aaron, clad in garments of white, shall curse the land desolation and bless the land bountiful." The other land is the land bountiful, the blessed land and the chosen land. [Hugh W. Nibley, Teachings of the Book of Mormon, Semester 3, pp. 55-57]
Geographical Theory Map: Alma 46:17 [A Chosen Land]--The Land of Liberty (19th Year)