D&C 6:1-37

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Home > Doctrine & Covenants > Section 6
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Summary[edit]

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D&C 6 is addressed to Oliver Cowdery.

Historical setting[edit]

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  • Received: April 1829 at Harmony, Pennsylvania
  • Prior section in chronological order: D&C 5
  • Next section in chronological order: D&C 7

Oliver Cowdery taught school at Manchester, New York during the 1828-1829 school year. A portion of his compensation was received in the form of free lodging at the homes of his students. During his stay with the Joseph Smith Sr. family he obtained a testimony that Joseph had been called of God and that he (Oliver) had a role to play in assisting Joseph.

Once school let out for the spring planting season, Oliver traveled with Samuel Smith to Harmony, Pennsylvania. They arrived, and Oliver first met Joseph, on April 5. Two days later they began translating as a team on April 7. Almost all of what we have today as the Book of Mormon was translated by Joseph and Oliver during the months of April to June 1829.

During the first month of April 1829 Joseph received three revelations directed to Oliver Cowdery. In D&C 6 Oliver was told that he had a gift to translate. In D&C 8 he received permission to translate. After Oliver's attempt to translate ended in failure, D&C 9 explained why.

For a brief overview of D&C 6 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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  • D&C 6:2: Dividing Asunder. This phrase seems to come from Heb 4:12, where the word of God "is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart."

Outline and page map[edit]

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  • D&C 6 can be outlined as a chiasm:
a. the willing are called to labor in the vineyard, the Lord's word is powerful (1-4)
b. keep the commandments, preach repentance, and bring forth Zion (5-9)
c. Oliver's gift to find out mysteries, the greatest gift is salvation (10-13)
d. first witness of truth of the work: enlightenment (14-17)
e. exhortation to diligence and humility (18-21)
d. second witness of truth of the work: hidden knowledge (22-24)
c. Oliver's gift to assist in translating (25-28)
b. you are blessed whether your word is accepted or rejected (29-31)
a. fear not, for the wicked cannot prevail against the righteous (32-37)

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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  • D&C 6:2: What does it mean to say that the word of the Lord can divide asunder both joints and marrow?
  • D&C 6:3: Does this imply that anyone who wants to do the Lord's work is called? Or does "reaping" imply that one has to first be authorized to perform saving ordinances?

Resources[edit]

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Previous editions.

  • The oldest surviving copy of D&C 6 is ___________.
  • D&C 6 was first published in the 1833 Book of Commandments, the earliest edition of what we now call the Doctrine & Covenants.

Related passages that interpret or shed light on D&C 6.

  • Several sections addressed to Joseph Smith's early supporters share similar language beginning with "A great and marvelous work is about to come forth ..."
  • D&C 4 directed to Joseph Smith Sr. and D&C 11 to Hyrum Smith of Manchester-Palmyra, New York,
  • D&C 6 to Oliver Cowdery at Harmony, Pennsylvania,
  • D&C 12 to Joseph Knight Sr. of Colesville, New York, and
  • D&C 14 to David Whitmer of Fayette, New York.
This language is thus circulated to all four centers of activity in New York-Pennsylvania. Although D&C 4 was received first and is today the best known of these revelations, D&C 6:1-6 is repeated in the later sections almost word for word. And D&C 6 is placed closer to the front of the 1835 and 1844 editions of the Doctrine & Covenants than those other sections. It thus appears that D&C 6 was the most prominent of these sections in the early days of the Church.
  • D&C 6, D&C 8, and D&C 9 comprise a group of three revelations all directed to Olivery Cowdery during April 1829 regarding his participation in the Book of Mormon translation. In D&C 6 Oliver was told that he had a gift to translate. In D&C 8 he received permission to translate. After he tried to translate but was unable, D&C 9 explained why.

Doctrinal references cited on this page.

Historical references cited on this page.

Other resources.

  • D&C 6:36: Doubt Not. See "On the value of doubt" by Nate Oman at the T&S blog for a discussion of the role doubt has played in modern philosophy and the possible tension of this verse with the asking "if these things are not true" in Moro 10:4.

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.



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