D&C 136:1-42
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Summary[edit]
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Historical setting[edit]
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- Received:
- Prior section in chronological order: D&C 135
- Next section in chronological order: D&C 138
Discussion[edit]
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- D&C 136:37. This verse begins telling the people not to marvel that the ungodly have killed the prophets. Next the Lord gives the audience a reason not to marvel--because they are not pure. The next phrase "ye can not bear my glory" could be read as a consequence of not being pure, or it could be meant as support for the claim that the audience is not yet pure. In the second case the fact that the audience has not yet beheld the glory of the Lord is used as evidence that the people are not yet pure.
- D&C 136:40. See the Webster's 1828 definition of only. Note there seems to be a typo in the first definition given which presumably should read "Single; one alone; as, John was the only man present."
- D&C 136:40. Given the surrounding verses, it seems that the purpose of the rhetorical question in this verse is to a) support the previous verses where the Lord explains Joseph Smith's role and explains why Joseph Smith was allowed to die; and b) prepare for the next verses which say something like, "therefore, keep the commandments." One way to interpret this verse, which accomplishes these objectives looks like this:
- only mean something like "single" or "one alone."
- the question ends after the word enemies
- the "in that" in the next phrase refers back to the previous discussion about Joseph Smith's death.
- "witness of my name" refers to the death of Joseph Smith (and maybe Oliver?) when Joseph sealed his testimony with his name.
- Translating all of this, we get something like "You have marveled that Joseph died. It isn't because I didn't have power to save him. Haven't I always delivered you from your enemies? It is only in this case that I let Joseph die that I could have a witness of my name."
Complete outline and page map[edit]
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Unanswered questions[edit]
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Prompts for life application[edit]
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Prompts for further study[edit]
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Resources[edit]
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Previous editions.
- The oldest surviving copy of D&C 136 is __.
- D&C 136 was first published in __.
- D&C 136 was first included in the Doctrine & Covenants in the 18__ edition.
- The text of D&C 136 in significant editions of the Doctrine & Covenants can be found at: <NEED TO UPDATE REFERENCES>
- Changes to the text of D&C 136:
Related passages that interpret or shed light on D&C 136.
Doctrinal references cited on this page.
Historical references cited on this page.
Other resources.
Notes[edit]
Footnotes are not required but are encouraged for factual assertions that average readers cannot easily evaluate for themselves (such as the date of King Solomon’s death or the nuanced definition of a Greek word). In contrast, insights rarely benefit from footnoting, and the focus of this page should always remain on the scriptures themselves rather than what someone has said about them. Links are actively encouraged on all sections of this page, and links to authoritative sources (such as Strong's Bible Concordance or the Joseph Smith Papers) are preferable to footnotes.
