D&C 14:1-11
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Summary[edit]
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Historical setting[edit]
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- Received: June 1829 at Fayette, New York
- Prior section in chronological order: D&C 12
- Next section in chronological order: D&C 15
Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery spent April and May 1829 translating at Harmony, Pennsylvania. But as persecution there intensified, Oliver wrote to David Whitmer requesting that he take Joseph and Oliver to the house of David's father at Fayette, New York to finish the translation. David Whitmer did so about the first of June, and the translation was completed at Fayette about the end of June 1829.
- In the beginning of June, [David Whitmer], a son of Peter Whitmer [Sr.] of Fayette, Seneca, Co, NY, with whom I had formed an acquaintance shortly after commencing the translation, came to the place where we were living with a carriage to take us to his father's residence, there to remain until we should finish the work. He proposed to gratuitously give us our board and the assistance of one of his brothers to write, as well as his own when convenient. Having need of such timely aid, and being informed that the people of the neighborhood were anxious to enquire into these things, we accepted the invitation and accompanied him home [from Harmony to Fayette] where we remained until the translation was completed and [the] copyright secured.
- In the meantime, David, John, and Peter Whitmer Jr., sons of Peter, became our zealous friends and assistants in the work. And being very anxious to know the will of the Lord concerning them, after much solicitation I inquired of the Lord through the Urim and Thummin and received the following revelations [D&C 14-16]
(Manuscript History of the Church, Vol. A-1, p. 40-41).
For a brief overview of D&C 14-16 in historical relation to the rest of the Doctrine & Covenants, see Historical Overview of the Restoration Scriptures. For lengthier discussions of the historical setting, see Historical Context of the Doctrine & Covenants, chapter 3 or Church History in the Fulness of Times, chapter 5.
Discussion[edit]
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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 14 is _____.
- D&C 14 was first published in the 1833 Book of Commandments, the earliest edition of what we now call the Doctrine & Covenants.
- The text of D&C 14 in significant editions of the Doctrine & Covenants can be found at:
Related passages that interpret or shed light on D&C 14.
- D&C 14, D&C 15, and D&C 16 were all received under the same circumstances in June 1829 and were directed to the three Whitmer brothers who played the most prominent role in bringing forth the Book of Mormon: David, John and Peter Jr.
- D&C 30 contains a second set of three revelations to these same three brothers in late September 1830.
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.
