In Alma 46:22 we again find Moroni using the term "covenant." According to Thomas Valletta, critical to understanding Captain Moroni's actions is the Old Testament view that the formation of all social, political, and religious community is based upon the covenant. The central idea and foundational principle of ancient Israel was the covenant. . . . The covenant enabled "Israel to make sense--moral sense--of historical experience" (Levenson, 55). The word "covenant" or its derivatives appear 26 times in the Book of Alma chapters dealing with Moroni (Alma 43-62), while they appear only three other times in the rest of the book. "Covenant" appears seven times in Alma 46 and five times in Alma 44, a frequency surpassed only by the Lord's discourse in 3 Nephi 20, where the term or a derivative appears ten times. Additionally, 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. [Thomas R. Valletta, "The Captain and the Covenant," in The Book of Mormon: Alma, The Testimony of the Word, pp. 228, 230]
“Enter into a Covenant”
In Alma 46:20 the word "covenant" is used by Moroni. According to Thomas Valletta, a brief quantitative summary of the word "covenant" reveals that Captain Moroni was steeped in covenant theology. The word "covenant" or its derivatives appear 26 times in the book of Alma chapters dealing with Moroni (Alma 43-62), while they appear only three other times in the rest of the book. "Covenant" appears seven times in Alma 46 and five times in Alma 44, a frequency surpassed only by the Lord's discourse in 3 Nephi 20.
Although the etymology of the Hebrew word for "covenant," berith, is debatable, "the most plausible solution" seems to tie it to the Akkadian biritu, meaning to "clasp," "fetter" or "bind." The original meaning of the word was not "agreement or settlement between two parties," but as Weinfeld indicates:
berith implies first and foremost the notion of "imposition," "liability," or "obligation." Thus we find that berith is commanded (tsivvah beritho, "he has commanded his covenant,"--Psalms 111:9; Judges 2:20), which certainly cannot be said about a mutual agreement. . . . Berith is synonymous with law and commandment (eg Deuteronomy 4:13; 33:9; Isaiah 24:5; Psalms 50:16; 103:18), and the covenant at Sinai in Exodus 24 is in its essence an imposition of laws and obligations upon the people (vv 3-8). (Weinfeld, Theological Dictionary of the Old Testament, 2: 255)
According to the LDS Bible Dictionary:
covenant sometimes denotes an agreement between persons (1 Samuel 23:18) or nations (1 Samuel 11:1); more often between God and man; but in this latter case it is important to notice that the two parties to the agreement do not stand in the relation of independent and equal contractors. God in his good pleasure fixes the terms, which man accepts. (p. 651)
Like the Israelites before them, the Latter-day Saints are a covenant people conversant with the need and importance of covenant-making. Less familiar, yet critical to understanding Captain Moroni's actions is the Old Testament view that the formation of all social, political, and religious community is based upon the covenant. The central idea and foundational principle of ancient Israel was the covenant. The Interpreter's Dictionary of the Bible indicates: "the covenant is not merely a theological concept, but is rather the original form of social and religious organization. . . . Thus the covenant, though a religious rather than a political structure, was no more a mere theological concept than politics is purely a philosophical concept today (p. 719). In ancient Israel, all history was viewed through the lens of the covenant. Every man was expected to study the law and statutes of God (Deuteronomy 17:19; 31:11; Joshua 8:34; 2 Kings 22:8). The covenant enabled "Israel to make sense--moral sense--of historical experience" (Levenson, 55). [Thomas R. Valletta, "The Captain and the Covenant," in The Book of Mormon: Alma, The Testimony of the Word, pp. 225-230]