Moroni quotes the ritual prayer for conferring the priesthood, the same basic form used today. The speaker invokes the name of Jesus Christ as the power that makes the ordinance effective and as confirmation of the authority by which he performs the action. The administrator then declares the specific office to which the recipient is ordained. The Nephite record does not here differentiate between the Aaronic and the Melchizedek priesthoods. Office, rather than priesthood, is emphasized. Receiving the calling to act in a certain way included the authority (priesthood) to perform it.
The officiator then admonishes the recipient with instructions concerning that calling. In modern practice, it takes the form of a unique, personalized blessing. In Moroni, the calling is more generic: “to preach repentance and remission of sins through Jesus Christ, by the endurance of faith on his name to the end.” Doctrine and Covenants 39:6 defines the gospel as “repentance and baptism by water, and then cometh the baptism of fire and the Holy Ghost, even the Comforter, which showeth all things, and teacheth the peaceable things of the kingdom.” Thus, this instruction in Moroni is simply an admonition to preach the gospel—not as a missionary but rather to be in a particular relationship to church members.
The verbal ordination concludes with “Amen.” This term is so well attested in the Bible that it was certainly part of Joseph’s understanding. Even though it has Hebrew antecedents (Num. 5:22; Deut 27:15–26; 1 Kgs 1:36; 1 Chr. 16:36; Matt. 6:13, 28:20; etc.), we have no way of knowing which exact word the Nephites may have used.