The Curse of the Covenant: The Deuteronomic Curses in the Book of Mormon

Authors

T. J. Uriona

Keywords

Book of Mormon, Deuteronomic Curses, Covenants, Near East

Abstract

The ancient Near East had a rich and well-developed covenant tradition that helped to define the relationships between covenant parties. Much like modern contracts, which tend to follow a conventional construction, there is within the ancient Near East tradition a prominent covenant construction known as the suzerain-vassal treaty. Covenant treaties of this type stipulated the conditions of loyalty between a lord or suzerain to the vassal or subject. A major feature of this type of treaty was the promise of blessings as well as the threat of curses. The blessings and curses ensured covenant fidelity and maintained the social and political relationships between covenant parties. It is this covenant type that seems to underlie the covenant God made with Israel under Moses’s leadership (see Ex. 20–24). This is exemplified in the utterance, “I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life” (Deut. 30:19).

Recommended Citation

Uriona, T. J. (2024) "The Curse of the Covenant: The Deuteronomic Curses in the Book of Mormon," BYU Studies Quarterly: Vol. 63: Iss. 2, Article 2.
Available at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/byusq/vol63/iss2/2