Covenant
A binding agreement between two parties, particularly between God and man. The term covenant was often associated with “commandments,” referring to revelation texts. The gospel as preached by Joseph Smith—including the need for faith, repentance, baptism, and reception of the Holy Ghost—was sometimes referred to as the “everlasting” or “new & an everlasting” covenant. More specifically, the term denoted a foundational document of the church known as the “Articles and Covenants,” or “church Covenants,” which outlined administrative and procedural aspects of the church. The phrase “covenant people” was sometimes used to refer to church members or the House of Israel in general, denoting those who had entered into a covenant with the Lord. By 1843, a Joseph Smith revelation referred to the sealing of a husband and wife for eternity as an “everlasting Covenant” [Doctrine and Covenants 132:6-7].
Retrieved with permission from The Joseph Smith Papers.