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This page allows you to see in one place all the commentary pages for the reading assignment for this Doctrine & Covenants Gospel Doctrine lesson. Click on the heading to go to a specific page. Click the edit links below to edit text on any page.


D&C 85:6-12

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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 84
  • Next section in chronological order: D&C 86

This revelation is extracted from a letter the Prophet wrote to William W. Phelps during the large migration of saints to Jackson County, Missouri. The saints had been instructed, both by direct revelation and by wise instruction from the leaders in Zion, that they were not to go up to Zion unless they were willing to obey the law of consecration (section 42). Unfortunately, many of the saints went up to Zion without any kind of commitment to the law, and hence Edward Partridge (the bishop in Zion) was soon overwhelmed with the situation. Joseph's letter was written precisely to address this issue: what should be done with regard to the saints who would go up to Zion but would reject the law upon which Zion is to be built? The letter Joseph wrote makes this quite clear from the very beginning. Joseph writes that William must have been praying (he said he had been shown William in vision) along these lines: "my God great and mighty art thou therefore shew unto thy servant what shall becom of all these who are assaying to come up unto Zion in order to keep the commandments of God and yet recive not there inhertance by consecration by order or deed from the bishop the man that God has appointed in a legal way agreeable to the law given to organize and regulate the church and all the affairs of the same" (as in original). Joseph wrote, then, "I will procede to unfold to you some of the feelings of my heart and procede to answer the questions." What follows immediately upon this sentence is this revelation.

Curiously, the letter has, in the middle of the revelation, a great deal of material crossed out, most of which is written back into the letter later on. By looking carefully at the crossed out writings, one can get a sense that Joseph was going to truncate things greatly. If the crossed out material had been retained, the revelation would have skipped from verse 2 to the last phrase of verse 11. The revelation, had it only consisted of verses 1-2 and 11b-12 would have remarkably cool in tone: the clerk keeps a record of the righteous and of the wicked, and the wicked are to have their names removed so that they will be punished as can be found in Ezra, etc. Though such a revelation would undeniably have been negative in character, it also would have been quite removed from "the feelings of [Joseph's] heart," though it might have "answer[ed] the questions." In a sense, one might suggest that verses 3-11a are where Joseph's feelings penetrate the revelation, enriching and enlarging it. At the very least, one can get a sense for the fact that Joseph had some say in how a revelation was worded, in how much of it was communicated to the saints.

Discussion[edit]

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  • D&C 85:1. This first verse seems, at first glance, to be quite straightforward, in fact relatively temporal: the clerk is to keep a history and general record of Zion, including events as well as monetary transactions. But the point can hardly be temporal: the record is precisely related to Zion and not to the Church broadly. That is, this "history, and a general church record" is specifically for writing up "all things that transpire in Zion" (which at this point in the history of the Church would never have been understood as a broad reference to the Church, but would have been understood geographically). More importantly, it is to carry a record of consecration and inheritances. In short, what is called for in this verse is something ultimately quite holy (and not something merely practical): there is to be a book of Zion, a book that records the names of the faithful consecrated, and attaches to them the specific inheritances of land they have been given by the Lord through the bishop (cf. D&C 58:17). The (eternal!) importance of this record should not be missed: it is the established record that connects a person with a piece of the earth, one that has been inherited and is apparently assigned that person in Zion for eternity. Like a "land of our inheritance" in the Old World, this would secure one's place in the holy land, and apparently have something to do with the celestial kingdom (on earth, centered in Zion).
  • D&C 85:2. The record is also to describe the "manner of life," the "faith, and works" of the faithful consecrated. Already there seems to be some affinity between the book being described and the book described in Rev 20:12, especially as Joseph Smith described it in D&C 128:7: it is one of the "books spoken of ... which contained the record of their works, and refer to the records which are kept on the earth." These books, are at the judgment and through the power of the priesthood (the sealing power, apparently) to be copied over into the "book of life" (that is, the "book of life" is to receive into it a description of the "manner of life" of the faithful consecrated).
Perhaps more serious in some ways is the latter half of this verse, however: the book is also to have a record of "the apostates who apostatize after receiving their inheritances." It would appear from this verse that the clerk is to keep a record of their wickedness, though it may be that they are simply struck from the record. Perhaps it amounts to the same thing either way: the wicked are either written into the book with a description of their apostasy, or they are written into the book and crossed out, and either way they are in the book with a rather unfortunate mark attached to their names.
  • D&C 85:3. The broad point of this verse is quite straightforward, though the language is complex (mostly, it would seem, to link up the assertion with a number of other revelations): the unconsecrated are not to have their names enrolled in the book with the consecrated faithful. Combining this point with the two points of the previous two verses, it is clear that there are three kinds of people under consideration: the consecrated faithful, the once-consecrated apostates, and the unconsecrated. The first two kinds of people are to be written into the book, the one for good and the other for bad. The third kind of people, however, are simply not to be written into the book at all.
  • D&C 85:4. Understanding the distinctions between the three groups helps to make quite clear that it is only the unconsecrated that are under discussion in verses 4-5, but this does not mean that these two verses teach nothing about the consecrated and the apostates. As it turns out, there are important implications here for all three groups. The thrust of the verse is rather simple: the unconsecrated are not only not to be written into the record, but "their genealogy" is not "to be kept," apparently "on any of the records or history of the church." An important implication of this is that the genealogies of the faithful consecrated are kept in the records, as, apparently are/were the genealogies of the apostates. This has interesting ramifications. For example, having the apostates' genealogies on the record may well have something to do with the rather common promise that the Lord will recompense the wicked in judgment to the third and fourth generation. On the positive side, this revelation seems here to be laying the foundation of what will become the sealing ordinances of the Church. Curiously, sealing is here connected with keeping the law of consecration: one must covenant to keep the law of consecration before one's genealogy is written into the book of life, before one can be sealed. At the very least, the connection between the book described here and the books described in D&C 128 is growing quite a bit clearer.
  • D&C 85:5. The single word "genealogy" is here expanded to "the names of the father" and "the names of the children." This draws, importantly, on the language of Mal 4:5-6 (thereby suggesting another connection with section 128), again hinting at the ordinances of sealing still to be clarified by further revelation. Perhaps more importantly still, the record is at last given a name: "the book of the law of God." As must be clear by this point in the revelation, "the law of God" must mean the law of consecration, and its book is the book in which the names of the consecrated faithful (and their fathers and children) are written. But all of this only sets the stage for the far more important content of the next few verses.
  • D&C 85:6. If the former verses are relatively clear and almost self-explanatory (though they certainly interweave themselves with a number of other texts), this verse and the few that follow it make up one of the most disputed and misunderstood passages in the Doctrine and Covenants. Taking them up requires careful attention.
Not only are the previous five verses quite necessary for the interpretation of verses 7-8, but verse 6 is most important for making sense of the prophecy. It is, unlike most of the sections found in the D&C from this time period, given more or less in Joseph's language, rather than as the direct word of the Lord. This verse marks that in a peculiar manner: the words given are those spoken to Joseph by the "still small voice." But from the very beginning, it must be clear that this does not mean simply that Joseph feels a kind of thrill, a warm sensation, or even a kind of excitement. Rather, he himself describes the experience in the most frightening terms: the "still small voice" is what "whispereth through and pierceth all things," and, Joseph adds, "often times it maketh my bones to quake while it maketh manifest." These frightening images all connect Joseph's experience up with the textual source for the phrase "still small voice": 1 Kgs 19:12. There, in a rather well known story, Elijah, having fled to Mount Horeb (Sinai), stands on the mountain at the command of the Lord to see a storming wind, an earthquake, and a great fire all pass by in succession. After they pass—in all their majesty—Elijah experiences the most frightening thing of all: "a still small voice," or, as it might be more literally translated, "the voice of sheer silence." More frightened at this than the other experiences, Elijah returns to his cave in fear and trembling, wrapping his mantle about his head. The shocking, even alarming thing was precisely that God was not in the great physical shows, but spoke with pure silence. The scene might be connected up with the vision of Isaiah in Isa 6:1ff. There the prophet sees God sitting upon a throne in perfect silence, though the angels all about Him are chattering in praise. When a glowing stone from the altar of incense is brought to him and place on his lips, Isaiah learns the angelic tongue and understands at last how to interpret the silence of God: it becomes a voice to which he can respond.
If all of these Old Testament precedents are brought to bear on the present verse, one might recognize in this revelation something still more profound than Joseph's usual revelations, something more shocking, something to be approached in greater fear and more disquieting trembling: this revelation is something spoken by the silence of God, and Joseph dares to interpret that silence ("saying..."). The message Joseph here delivers is not a passing word, but the most important, the most revealing, and yet the hardest to interpret.
  • D&C 85:7: Bowels shall be a fountain. Cf. John 7:38. See the NET notes for interesting discussion and cross-references to this passage in John (which is often taken as a quotation of Isa 58:11).
  • D&C 85:7: And it shall come to pass. The word of the "still small voice" begins with "And." The point is curious, and yet vital: the silence of God is only suddenly interpretable, but it has been speaking, is in the middle of speaking when it is finally interpreted. Whatever else that "And" points to, whatever it is that has been said in pure silence must be inferred (and that in much more fear and trembling than ever) or ignored (and that is still more fear and trembling!).
The word speaks of the future, of something still to happen: "it shall come to pass." The phrase is almost always narrative in the scriptures, and it draws heavily on the open-ended "And" with which the verse begins: the event about to be described is part of a much larger story, is something following from other things ("And") and leading to still other things ("pass"). In short, what is about to be spoken is really only a clue, a hint at a single moment in a much grander picture of things. The event to be described is hardly a random happening that will occur obscurely or without fitting into a far broader context. The words of the prophecy itself will have to spell out that broader context.
  • D&C 85:7: I, the Lord God. The event, it should be noted, is to be performed by "the Lord God," who speaks in the sheer silence with the pronoun "I." While most of the verse will focus on the work of the one who is sent, it is from the very start the Lord God who does the sending: the event is a part of salvation history, of a greater unfolding of the work of God specifically. No self-appointment is possible here, and the figure to be discussed will quite specifically be "sent," and not simply "called" or "inspired." The title the Lord uses here for Himself is interesting: "the Lord God." The title is more familiar to the Old Testament idiom than to the New Testament idiom: the event here is to be seen as another event in the Old Testament style, a work of the Lord on behalf of a covenant people. In other words, the figure to be sent will be sent in the Old Testament style, as an angel or a prophet whose whole work is to fulfill the covenants given to the fathers by visiting the children.
  • D&C 85:7: Will send. And the word "send" itself deserves careful scrutiny. Not only does the word point to the action of the Lord God, rather than the action of whoever is sent, but it also draws on the rich theology of both the Old and New Testaments. Perhaps a key verse in the Old Testament for making sense of the word is Isa 6:8, where Isaiah, finally having been purified and brought into the council of God, responds to the divine query with the words "Here am I; send me." The words of course echo the words of the Savior in the same council, according to both Moses 4:1 and Abr 3:27. This kind of language becomes technical in the New Testament with the title "apostle," from the Greek apostolos, "one who is sent" (the Septuagint or Greek translation of the Old Testament uses this very word in Isa 6:8). Though the present verse is not likely drawing on the word in any technical sense, it is worth noting that it follows a rather rich tradition in which "sending" means, at least in theologically rich contexts, being sent specifically from the council/presence of God to accomplish a particularly difficult mission.
  • D&C 85:7: One mighty and strong. All that said, the key phrase of the verse might be discussed: "one mighty and strong." The only precedent for the phrase is found in a most curious location: Isa 28:2, a verse profoundly connected with the passage cited above in Isa 6 (both chapters 6 and 28 of Isaiah are taken up with Isaiah's mission to confuse and to confound, the very mission upon which he is sent). The context in Isa 28 is ultimately quite complex, and the "mighty and strong one" introduced in verse 2 only appears in that verse and then essentially disappears. Nonetheless, there are some hints in Isa 28 that may well provide a clearer understanding of this verse. For one, it is specifically Ephraim that the one mighty and strong deals with in Isaiah. Also, there is a specific spirit of judgment about the prophecy in Isa 28, which might be connected up with the tenor of this verse in a few important ways. Moreover, a possible retranslation of Isa 28:2 suggests that the "mighty and strong one" Isaiah mentions will, rather than "cast down" to the earth with a strong hand, settle (the people) on the earth with a strong hand, not at all unlike the distribution of inheritences (on the land) that is mentioned here. At the very least, there is here reason to take Isa 28 into careful consideration while thinking the nature of the present revelation.
Of course, the most common approach to this revelation is to take up the question of identity: who is the "one mighty and strong"? The verse is, in fact, rather notorious, since it has been used by many self-proclaimed prophets who desire to call the Church into question. Less radically, the prophecy is often cited in darkly apocalyptic readings of the revelations, where it is cited as part of a systematic prediction about how things on earth will wrap up. Still others have connected the prophecy up with obscure sayings by the Prophet Joseph, trying to identify whom he might have had in mind. Perhaps the safest approach that has been taken is to identify the "one mighty and strong" as a somewhat veiled reference to a righteous bishop in Zion (whether this is specified as Edward Partridge, or whether this is left as an empty category until further revelation or fulfillment clarifies the point). In the end, however, none of these approaches ultimately takes quite seriously all of what is said in the course of this verse. It is worth taking up each phrase in turn.
First, of course, the figure is said to be mighty and strong. If this is taken less as a title (and perhaps even less as a reference to Isa 28) than as a description, it might afford some help. There certainly seems to be a focus on the heavenly rather than on the earthly. This might be read into the grammar: "I ... will send one mighty and strong" might be read as "I will send someone in such a way that he is mighty and strong; that is, the manner of my sending will be what renders him mighty and strong." Such a reading would take the emphasis off of the "one mighty and strong" himself to lay it again on the Lord God. But all over again, one is thrust back on the precedent of Isaiah 28, and any further interpretation would probably have to look to that source.
  • D&C 85:7: Attributes of the mighty and strong one. The prophecy then lists a whole series of attributes (all of which might again be read as facets of the Lord's sending, but might just as well be read as attributes already inherent in the one sent). Each of these is rich enough to deserve careful attention.
  • D&C 85:7: Scepter of power. This is the only passage in the canon where one can find the phrase "scepter of power," but other scriptures use similar phrases: "a right sceptre" (Ps 45:6; cf. Heb 1:8, where this verse is quoted and the phrase is rendered "a sceptre of righteousness"), "a scepter of righteousness and truth" (D&C 121:46), and "the scepter of justice and judgment" (Fac. no. 3, fig. 1, in the Book of Abraham). Of these several related phrases, it is perhaps the last that is most instructive, because it, like the phrase in the present verse, is qualified by the definite article: "the scepter of power." In fact, the whole phrase is remarkably parallel to the explanation in Facsimile no. 3. Here: "holding the scepter of power in his hand." There: "with the scepter of justice and judgment in his hand." The parallel in construction suggests that further work might be done with reference to the facsimile. It is certainly curious that in that facsimile, Abraham is the one holding the scepter, though it is clear that he only holds it "by the politeness of the king" and inasmuch as he is "emblematical of the grand Presidency in Heaven." Indeed, the very idea behind a scepter is that it bears the authority the king ultimately borrows: the scepter at once marks the power of the king and marks his arbitrary position as place-holder. All of this would seem to cast the burden back on the Lord God in this verse. In the end, it is perhaps only in this way that one can make sense of the definite article: this "mighty and strong" one does not hold a scepter (marking thereby his own power), but the scepter, one that inevitably is not his own, something he can only hold in the meanwhile. But even so, it certainly marks him as an important royal figure (vassal).
  • D&C 85:7: Clothed with light. This figure is then said to be "clothed with light for a covering." The only obvious reference is Ps 104:2: the psalmist describes the LORD as Thou "Who coverest thyself with light as with a garment." But even as this is cited, the distance between the present verse and the psalm is evident: the Lord covers Himself with light as with a garment, whereas the "one mighty and strong" is, strictly speaking, "clothed." Again there seems to be an emphasis on the Sender rather than on the sent: the light is put upon the one sent. Moreover, there may be reason to tie this description to the Garden of Eden, due to the fact that there are many ancient traditions claiming that Adam and Eve were first clothed with light in the Garden before they fell and were thus clothed with skin (there is a play on words in this tradition: "light" and "skin" are pronounced basically identically in Hebrew, though there is a consonant change between the two words). This might be strengthened by the use of the word "covering": this garment of light is a covering to cover nakedness. A number of gnostic texts and a few works from the pseudepigrapha also describe the rites of ascension into the heavens to reclaim one's "garment of light." At the very least, then, one could suggest that the phrase here suggests a heavenly figure, one invested by another with the powers of heaven. Hence it seems quite clear that no earthly (natural?) figure is in question here.
  • D&C 85:7: Eternal words and bowels. All of this is followed by a rather curious phrase: "whose mouth shall utter words, eternal words." There seems to be no real precedent for this phrase (the phrase "eternal words" never appears elsewhere in scripture, nor does anything like "whose mouth shall utter words"). What should made of this statement, then? From the very start, it should be made clear that it is set in parallel to the following phrase: "while his bowels shall be a fountain of truth." That is, "mouth" is set in parallel to "bowels." This is also unprecedented in scripture (though cf. Job 20:12-15). How might all of this be interpreted? Certainly, one could tease out the difference between "mouth" and "bowels" (this latter has reference, in the scriptures, to one's insides minus, perhaps, the heart): the former opens onto the world, while the latter is closed up from the world. And yet the closedness of the bowels seems to be in question in the wording of this verse: "his bowels shall be a fountain [an unending source] of truth." Something like this might be at work if one ties together two restoration scriptures: D&C 84:101 and Moses 7:62. The former says (in the course of a poem) that "truth is established in her [the earth's] bowels," while the latter adds a prophecy that "righteousness will I send down out of heaven; and truth will I send forth out of the earth." If these two are drawn together—which may or may not be a legitimate locution—one may suggest that the truth, established in the bowels of the earth, is to issue forth out of those bowels precisely. This would appear to draw on the frequent parallelism in the Old Testament between "bowels" and "womb" (cf. Gen 25:23; Isa 49:1; etc.): the "one mighty and strong" is pictured (somewhat androgynously) as pregnant with truth. This complex reading of the question of bowels suggests a more strictly balanced parallelism at work in these two phrases than might at first appear: both bowels and mouth issue forth in some kind of edification, the one in words ("eternal words"), the other simply in "truth."
At the very least, of course, these two phrases provide the picture of a kind of teaching figure: speaking eternal words and being a constant source of truth. Following the above motif, these two phrases might well describe (all over again) the source of the mighty and strong one's power. Were the figure merely to utter words, it would be one thing; but to utter "eternal words" suggests that he speaks words that are not his own (cf. D&C 19:6-12). And were he simply to be true or able to speak truth, it would be one thing; but to have his bowels be "a fountain of truth" suggests that he has been impregnated with such truth by an other (and will be delivered by another?). At any rate, like his strength, power, and garment of light, it would appear that these last two attributes of the figure deflect attention from him himself to the Lord God who sends him.
  • D&C 85:7: Set in order the house of God. All of these attributes merely get the figure out and on the table, but the remainder of the verse at last begins to discuss what he is to do. And this is where things get really interesting.
First, he is "to set in order the house of God." It is ultimately difficult to know what "the house of God" might have meant to Joseph at the time. Only one reference to "the house of God" precedes this one in the Doctrine and Covenants, to be found in D&C 45:18. It has reference to the temple in Jerusalem, but it is a quotation of Jesus' words to the ancient apostles, and hardly has any kind of modern referent. The phrase appears later in the Doctrine and Covenants, always referring to the Kirtland House of the Lord (basically always with reference to the School of the Prophets), but the setting makes it clear that Kirtland is hardly in view here. The phrase never appears in the Book of Mormon, nor in the Book of Moses. This lack of help thrusts one back on the verse itself in its immediate context to look for a meaning. That there had already been issued a command to build a temple in Jackson County is suggestive. And the general sanctity of Zion may well suggest that the phrase simply has reference to all those in Zion. Of these two, perhaps the former is the better interpretation, especially in light of the themes of verses 1-5: there are here questions of the law of consecration, of sealing and genealogy, etc. But in the end, the phrase requires a leap of interpretation.
What, though, does the whole clause mean: "to set in order the house of God"? Perhaps something like 2 Chr 29:35 is in mind: "So the service of the house of the LORD was set in order." But there are some obvious differences. What can be said about this phrase? At the very least, one can recognize in the phrase the implication that "the house of God" is, before the coming of the mighty and strong one, out of order, that something is improper or undone. Perhaps one is tempted here—and especially in light of other connections—to link this up with the Book of Malachi, where the prophet specifically condemns the temple priesthood. This in turn reminds one of the New Testament stories of Jesus cleansing the temple by casting out the money changers, etc. But it is likely the picture in Malachi that is most important (Mal 3:8ff deals, of course, with the finances—tithing—of the temple, not unlike this revelation and others like it). In fact, Malachi's announcement of the sudden visitation of the Lord to the temple is paired with his announcement of someone coming first (one mighty and strong?) to set everything in order, to get the books squared up, etc. (Elijah in Mal 4:5-6, but an unnamed "messenger" in Mal 3:1; "Malachi" is just the Hebrew word, actually, for "my messenger"). But one must be careful here: there seems to be little merit in reading this revelation as a kind of veiled reference to the eventual coming of Elijah to the Kirtland temple, since though he might have set the house of God in order in some sense, it is not at all clear how one can say that he arranged the inheritances of the saints. If anything, Elijah prepares the way precisely for this visitor.
But to say this suggests that Malachi's picture needs fleshing out: Elijah comes to prepare the way for another, who in turn prepares the way for the coming of the Christ (the LORD, at any rate). Three visitors come in train, the second specifically to set everything in order and to arrange the inheritances—land inheritances—of the saints. And perhaps just in casually introducing this question of land and inheritance here and again, one can recognize a strong reason to recognize the temple to be the referent of "the house of God": the temple in Zion was to sit at the center of the lots for inheritances, and the setting in order of the house might well be the establishment of the temple at the heart of things, from which center the lots might be arranged as inheritances for the saints. In other words, one might take the arrangement of inheritances as a clue that centers the meaning of the house of God. Whatever it means to have that house "set in order," it is clear that it must be associated with (perhaps must precede) the establishment of the land.
  • D&C 85:7: Arrange by lot the inheritances of the saints. Paired, then, with the reordering of the house of God is the distribution of land. One should note from the very beginning how foreign this very idea has perhaps become, but the emphasis on it in the Doctrine and Covenants is unmistakable: one is to inherit a specific place in Zion, where the celestial kingdom will be centered. And this theme quite obviously echoes the Old Testament: to inherit a specific plot of land in Israel was to be tied to the promised land. There, in that land, the blessings would be poured out: abundance in produce, rain in season, the devourer rebuked, etc. And these inheritances were to radiate out from the temple. Since the saints were still in Jackson county when this revelation was received, it must be carefully interpreted. The question, it is clear, that grounded this revelation regarded what should be done about the many people who were coming to Zion and taking up land but not living the law of consecration (which was a contradiction: the land was to be inherited specifically by those willing to live that law). And now the weight of this revelation is becoming quite clear: this mighty and strong one is sent specifically to get the temple set in order and then to arrange the inheritances specifically for those living the law of consecration. That is, a heavenly figure is to get this all arranged, because the consequences are to be rather drastic, if not downright violent: it would appear that those who are not living the law will have to be removed (hopefully peacefully). In light of this, the rest of this verse is interpretable.
  • D&C 85:7: Of the saints whose names are found ... enrolled in the book of the law of God. In light of the above, it is clear what is in reference here: the book of the law of God is the book of the law of consecration. And it is those specifically who are written into that book (this must be the book from the first verses of this revelation) who are to be given inheritance in the land of Zion when the mighty and strong one is sent to set things in order at last. This title of the book is, then, quite clear: in the Doctrine and Covenants, the law is apparently always the law of consecration, since it is the law of God. And that book is a book written up specifically for the mighty and strong one to use when he comes to set everything in order. That is, it is a book that is to be given to the mighty and strong one so that he can effect a kind of judgment, setting in order the temple and arranging the inheritances of those written in this book (of life?). And, with that much said, it is perhaps quite clear who this figure is, or at least who Joseph probably understood it to be: Adam, at the event we call Adam-ondi-Ahman. All the themes, both in the scriptures, and in Joseph's public discourses, that surround this event are present here: a heavenly figure will be sent to set things in order for the second coming of the Christ, and to prepare the saints for Zion, all of this by arranging them for inheritance according to the divine law of the heavens. Several other themes will make this still more obvious.
  • D&C 85:7: And the names of their fathers, and of their children. Here again the identity of Adam is suggested: the task of the mighty and strong one is not only to draw on the names of the living in the book (of life?), but to save their fathers and their children as well, through the keys (one would assume) of sealing up the whole human family. The law of consecration, that is, is a kind of precursor to (a last step before) the ordinances of sealing: those written in the book by their obedience to that law are to be sealed up to their families precisely as they receive an inheritance in the land of Zion and thus in the celestial kingdom. And Adam will come to effect all of this at Adam-ondi-Ahman.
  • D&C 85:8. Starting with "while," verse 8 contrasts "that man" with the figure sent from God in verse 7. It might seem surprising that verse eight mentions that this man is "called of God" and "appointed." The point seems to be that these qualities only make one more in need of warning (just as in D&C 121:36). This suggests reading the verse as saying "While that man, although he be called of God and appointed, if he put for this hand to steady the ark of God, he shall fall..."
The contrast with verse 7 gives us an interpretation of "steadying the ark." The warning here is against taking on the work of setting in order the house of God and arranging by lot the inheritances of the saints.
  • D&C 85:9. Perhaps what is most important in this verse is the mention of the "book of remembrance." Here is another clue to unraveling the meaning of the revelation. The phrase is relatively uncommon in the scriptures and deserves some sustained attention. Certainly worth mentioning is Mal 3:16, the only biblical instance of the phrase. There, the apostate temple priesthood begins (or at least a part of it begins) to repent and to call on the name of the Lord. As soon as they do so, they are given to write up a "book of remembrance" among them. It is significant, then, that immediately thereafter the coming Day of the Lord is announced with its destruction of the wicked and the proud. But, the reader is assured, before that Day, Elijah will be sent to turn the hearts of the children to the fathers, and of the fathers to the children, so that not everyone will be destroyed. On one reading at least, the "book of remembrance" must be connected with this turning of hearts, since it is that book that appears to make all the difference. Also important is Moses 6:5 (cf. verse 46 as well), where the first "book of remembrance" is written by Adam after he first learns to call upon the Lord (in a presidency of sorts). The ability to write in the book is described as a priesthood that will be restored at the end of the world. And Adam writes into the book his genealogy, or the genealogy of the sons of God. At the very least, it is clear that the "book of remembrance" is a book that can only be written under the "spirit of inspiration," and it is a book that contains the names (of fathers and children in a family line) of the redeemed ("sons of God"). Here the phrase clearly articulates further the "book of the law of God," the book in which the names of the consecrated are written. This verse clarifies even as it draws on the others.
That said, the thrust of the verse is rather clear: those not found in that day in the book will be cut off and have no place in the land. The language is different from, but perhaps parallel to, the wording in Malachi.
  • D&C 85:10. To make sense of this verse, it is important to recognize that it is found in a letter, not a dictated revelation. Joseph is here asserting that the Lord's word is spoken here, rather than his own. And the promise is clear: He will fulfill it.
  • D&C 85:11. This reference to the "High Priesthood" seems again to draw on the phrase "sons of God," but it must be read in its historical context as well: a first version of the "endowment" had recently been given, which was understood as the bestowal of the "High Priesthood" (the "order of Melchizedek") on certain faithful brethren. The verse apparently has reference explicitly to them (though the "lesser priesthood" is added as well): if their names are not found written in the book, or if they have been crossed out, they will not have an inheritance. The point seems to be this: the law of consecration is what gets one into the kingdom, not the priesthood.
  • D&C 85:12. Very specific consequences are then pronounced for these priesthood holders (the "endowed") who have not lived the law of consecration: they are "the children of the priest" described in Ezra 2:61-62. The verses read: "And of the children of the priests: the children of Habaiah, the children of Koz, the children of Barzillai; which took a wife of the daughters of Barzillai the Gileadite, and was called after their name: These sought their register among those that were reckoned by genealogy, but they were not found: therefore were they, as polluted, put from the priesthood." This clarifies the last verse: it is precisely priesthood ("endowment") that will allow one into Zion, but the priesthood ("endowment") is predicated upon obedience to the law of consecration (cf. D&C 130:20-21; D&C 121:34-46). Those who will not keep the law are going to be dropped from the priesthood, though they are children of the priests.

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]

This section is for prompts that invite us to think about a passage more deeply or in a new way. These are not necessarily questions that beg for answers, but rather prompts along the lines of "Have you ever thought about ..." Prompts are most helpful when they are developed individually, thoughtfully, and with enough background information to clearly indicate a particular direction for further study or thought. Click the link above and to the right to edit or add content to this heading. →

  • How might this revelation be historically situated? How might it outstrip its historical setting?
  • D&C 85:7. This prophecy remains, it would appear, completely unfulfilled. How should this prophecy be understood? Does it begin to help Latter-day Saints in the last days to think about what prophecy must have been like to the ancients?
  • D&C 85:7.What does it mean for his bowels (the bowels of the one might and strong) to be a fountain of truth?
  • D&C 85:7.What is it that "to set in order the house of God" refers back to. Is it the phrase previous to it? If so, it is the bowels what are a fountain of truth. This interpretation is consistent with the current punctuation. Or, does this phrase refer back to the "one mighty and strong"? In that case the intervening semicolon is out of place.

Resources[edit]

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Previous editions.

  • The oldest surviving copy of D&C 85 is __.
  • D&C 85 was first published in __.
  • D&C 85 was first included in the Doctrine & Covenants in the 18__ edition.
  • Changes to the text of D&C 85:

Related passages that interpret or shed light on D&C 85.

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.



Previous section: D&C 84                         Next section: D&C 86

D&C 128:6-10

Home > Doctrine & Covenants > Section 128 > Verses 128:6-18
Previous page: Verses 128:1-5                      Next page: Verses 128:19-25


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Summary[edit]

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Relationship to Section 128. The relationship of Verses 128:6-18 to the rest of Section 128 is discussed at D&C 128.

Story.

Message. Themes, symbols, and doctrinal points emphasized in Verses 128:6-18 include:

Discussion[edit]

This section is for detailed discussion such as the meaning of a symbol, how a doctrinal point is developed throughout a passage, or insights that can be further developed in the future. Contributions may range from polished paragraphs down to a single bullet point. The focus, however, should always be on understanding the scriptural text consistent with LDS doctrine. Click the link above and to the right to edit or add content to this heading. →

  • D&C 128:6. This verse builds on the ideas introduced in verse 5, and so some of the ambiguity of the previous verse is retained here. Is "this very subject" referring specifically to the salvation of those who "should die without a knowledge of the gospel" or more generally to the salvation of the dead and perhaps how this relates to "the book of life"?
The situation, apparently, in Rev 20 is the final judgment, after the wrapping up of the earthly events, at the time of a new heaven and a new earth, etc., etc. It is specifically the dead who stand before God while "books" are opened. At the same time, another "book" is opened, namely, the "book of life." There seems quite clearly to be here a reference to the one record versus the many records: the one book corresponding to the general book, while the books being opened--not the book of life, but these other books--correspond to the many books in which so many records are kept.
When John says that "the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books," it is not obvious whether books here should be read to include the book of life or not. On the one hand, it may be that the "the book of life" has no direct bearing on the judgment of the dead, but pertains only to the living. In other words, "the book of life" might be taken as a book for the living--at the time of the wrapping up of all things, while the books (many records) are the books that contain "the record of their works," the works of the dead. In short, at the judgment, there may be two separate kind of books for the judgment to be performed: there will be a "book of life" for the living, and so many "books" for the dead, and the judgment will proceed with them. On other hand, the gathering of the many books into the one book described above (cf. verse 4) suggests some sort of important relationship between the many books and the single book (the book of life in this case). Joseph elaborates on this in the subsequent verses.
  • D&C 128:7. Joseph points out explicitly that "the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books" rather than "the book of life," emphasized by the word "but." He explains matter-of-factly: "consequently, the books spoken of must be the books which contained the record of their works, and refer to the records which are kept on the earth. In other words, so many books are precisely earthly books, and the earthly books are tied to the dead. He goes on to explain that there is also "the book which was the book of life," and that it "is kept in heaven." The idea of the one book is that it is not an earthly record at all, but a record kept in heaven. And now there seems to be a clue given as to why Revelation has been quoted: so many books, with their records, must have their legitimate records transfered into the heavenly book, into the book of life, so that the dead might be saved from death. The contrast between the judgment of the dead with the book of life suggests that resurrection seems has something to do with what is written in the book of life. Once the records are transfered, there seems to be the implication that the dead will no longer be dead, no longer be without their names in the "book of life," or the "book of the living."
Joseph then goes on to point out that all of this agrees precisely with what he had written in section 127: "that in all your recordings it may be recorded in heaven." The particularity with which the ordinances must be performed and recorded has something to do with this ability to transfer the records from the books of the dead on earth into the book of the living in heaven, and all of this precisely for the resurrection of the dead. All of this seems to reflect back onto verse 5 a resolution of the ambiguities there: the ordinance prepared from the foundation of the world seems precisely to be the ordinance of recording on earth and so recording in heaven. But, again, this is still rather vague: that there is simply an ordinance of writing in two places or witnesses testifying that something has been performed does not seem to be such a shocking thing. If the dead are judged by the "records which are kept on earth," then the book in heaven might be taken as somewhat superfluous, at least without further explanation.
  • D&C 128:8. Joseph explains quite clearly that the nature of the ordinance is a question of the priesthood, or at least of its power--and that by the revelation of Jesus Christ. This power is "that whatsoever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven" and vice versa. Joseph then offers a different "translation," substituting "record" for "bind." It should be noted that Joseph does not offer a corrected translation here, but "a different view of the translation." That is, he suggests that "to bind" might just be "to record," or that the two are somehow intertwined or connected. This explicit connection between writing and priesthood at once simplifies and complicates things greatly. On the one hand, the question becomes far simpler: the possibility of transferring a record from the books to the book is a question of the priesthood, the binding power that allows for the books to be tied together with the book. On the other hand, it seems a strange thing to suggest that the power of the priesthood is itself confined to the act of writing, rather than to acting (since the ordinance is performed by the speaker, not by the one who takes down a record of the event).
This growing difficulty becomes still more difficult with the latter part of the verse. It seems simple enough that the dead are to be judged according to their works whether they have performed them or some other, but now when Joseph mentions "the ordinance which God has prepared for their salvation from before the foundation of the world," the reference does not seem to be the book/books business, but rather the ordinance of baptism for the dead. That is, since Joseph explicitly mentions the distinction between attending to ordinances on one's own and receiving them by proxy, it seems clear that the ordinance being referred to in the final phrase is the ordinance of baptism for the dead. But then it is not quite clear that that is what is referred to: any ordinance performed in proxy is going to require the same transfer or translation as does the tying together of the books and the book. That is, what seems to be at the root of both questions, whether of work for the dead or of transferring records, is the ability to transfer or translate. At this point, the apparent equivalence between "bind" and "record" becomes somewhat more curious: might the baptism of someone living as effected for someone dead be called a sort of translation or a transfer? The ordinance and preparation set up before the foundation of the world for the salvation of the dead seem to have been more directly tied with this business of translation or transfer, with this question of binding through recording or recording through binding that is at work in these verses. One must admit that the language is rather difficult to work through.
The relationship between the several books and the single book of life which began in verse 6 here begins to be fleshed out more carefully. In verse 7, the relationship was merely claimed, and by a reference to a rather vague phrase in the previous letter/section: "that in all your recordings it may be recorded in heaven." The "it may be recorded" of this earlier statement is now strengthened: "whatsoever you bind[/record] on earth shall be bound[/recorded] in heaven." The relationship, then, between the many books on earth and the single book in heaven seems, through the priesthood, to be absolute. Thus, although it might seem to be a bit unnecessary to have the book in heaven open if judgment is based on the books on earth, in fact it seems this relationship between heaven and earth is key to what Joseph is saying in this letter.
If the book of life is only written upon or altered by power of the priesthood, an implicit question to consider might be whether sins are recorded in the book of heaven. Ordinances are the only thing that seem to be discussed in terms of what is written in the book of life, so perhaps we are only justified in thinking about something like a list of names being written in the book of life of those who have received ordinances by the power of the priesthood. If this is the case, then perhaps the description of the book in heaven as the "book of life" is telling: it only records the names of those who will be granted life in heaven.
  • D&C 128:9. The next verse only complicates things more, since the priesthood becomes there a question of doing something "in authority, in the name of the Lord." In other words, it is to write (to be an author or to have author-ity), and to do it "in the name of the Lord," that is, apparently, as the Lord, or as a proxy for Him. There seems to be at work in every priesthood ordinance a sort of translation: the person performing the ordinance is transcribed as Christ, as the Lord, acting and speaking in His name, and hence, acting as if Him. What makes it a law (a lex, a written or read thing) is precisely this translation of oneself and the fact that there is "kept a proper and faithful record of the same." There seems to be a proliferation of writing references throughout this business, and it becomes more and more complex--even as it becomes simpler and simpler--with every word.
However, the point of verse 9 is not to explicate the priesthood further so much as it is to lessen the shock of the doctrine: this "may seem to some to be a very bold doctrine that we talk of," but it is the same thing ever given when the priesthood is given. And it is "according to the decrees of the great Jehovah." The language is quite clear that this is as shocking as can be, but it perhaps should not be. In other words, this all amounts to a complete rereading of the scriptures, and that is why it is as familiar as possible and yet the most shocking thing of all. Verse 10 will offer just such a rereading explicitly.
  • D&C 128:12. This verse seems to state that "the ordinance of baptism for the dead" existed before the "ordinance of baptism by water" for the living, which was then later "instituted to form a relationship" with the previously existing baptism for the dead. This adds even more detail to D&C 128:5, where we read that baptism for the dead was ordained before the foundations of the world. As baptism symbolizes death and rebirth, baptism for the dead is an ordinance created to both makes possible and forshadows the resurrection of those who die without hearing the gospel. According to the timeline given here, baptism for the living would have been instigated at a later date to allow the living to also receive this foreshadowing. Baptism for the living and the dead are not the only priesthood ordinances that serves as a physical foreshadowing of future events and blessings (cf. Alma 13:2).
  • D&C 128:15. This verse makes it clear that fathers and children cannot be saved without each other, and that this ordinance of baptism for the dead was instigated to allow children to save their fathers, and perhaps for fathers to also save their dead children. The themes outlined in this section clearly relate baptism for the dead to other patriarchal priesthood practices outlined in Moses 6:1-5.
  • D&C 128:17: Heart of the fathers. The earliest quotation of this scripture is in Malachi 4:6. There, as here, the word "heart" is singular. The scripture is also referred to in 3 Nephi 25:6, where "heart" is also singular: "the heart of the fathers." On the other hand, in Luke 1:17 and D&C 27:9, 98:16, and 110:15, the quotation is plural: "the hearts of the fathers."

Unanswered questions[edit]

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Prompts for life application[edit]

This section is for prompts that suggest ways in which a passage can influence a person's life. Prompts may be appropriate either for private self reflection or for a class discussion. Click the link above and to the right to edit or add content to this heading. →

Prompts for further study[edit]

This section is for prompts that invite us to think about a passage more deeply or in a new way. These are not necessarily questions that beg for answers, but rather prompts along the lines of "Have you ever thought about ..." Prompts are most helpful when they are developed individually, thoughtfully, and with enough background information to clearly indicate a particular direction for further study or thought. Click the link above and to the right to edit or add content to this heading. →

  • D&C 128:12: This ordinance? Two ordinances are mentioned at the beginning of this verse--baptism by water and resurrection (for more info on resurrection as a priesthood ordinance, see below). Which of these ordinances is the one that was "instituted to form a relationship with the ordinance of baptism for the dead?
  • Form a relationship? What might the Lord mean when he says that the ordinance of baptism by water (or resurrection?) was instituted to "form a relationship" with the ordinance of baptism for the dead? Does this indicate that baptism for the dead (or resurrection) existed before baptism for the living? Why might such a relationship have been desirable?
  • D&C 128:14: Key of knowledge. What does the phrase "key of knowledge" mean here? In what sense is knowledge related to the sealing power? How does this help us understand the nature of knowledge?
  • D&C 128:17. Is it significant that Malachi refers to the heart (singular) of the fathers rather than the hearts (plural) of the fathers? (See the lexical notes for this verse, below.)
  • D&C 128:18. There must be a welding link between the fathers and the children or the earth will be cursed. Given what the scriptures teach about binding, record, priesthood, etc., what might one say about the nature of that welding link?
  • D&C 128:18. If we understand the nature of that welding link, what might that say about our relations to our children and our parents? to our history? to our culture?

Resources[edit]

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  • Resurrection is a Priesthood Ordinance. This was taught by President Brigham Young (Journal of Discourses, 15:137-139) and then reaffirmed by President Spencer W. Kimball in an April 1977 General Conference Talk.

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.



Previous page: Verses 128:1-5                      Next page: Verses 128:19-25

Moses 6:1-5

Home > The Pearl of Great Price > Moses > Chapter 5 / Verses 5:1-6:4
Previous page: Chapters 3-4                      Next page: Chapters 6-8


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Summary[edit]

This section should be very brief. Click the link above and to the right to edit or add content to this heading. →

Relationship to Moses. The relationship of Chapter 5 to the rest of Moses is discussed at Moses.

Story.

Message. Themes, symbols, and doctrinal points emphasized in Chapter 5 include:

Moses 5 (Verses 5:1-6:4) is the Joseph Smith Translation of Genesis 4. This page is not intended, however, to address Genesis. It is intended only to address the Joseph Smith Translation of Genesis. It is therefore suggested that readers consult the page that does address Genesis 4 before viewing this page. Contributors are likewise asked to respect this distinction. The idea is that a reader should be able to find content about an original passage from Genesis on the wiki page addressing that passage.

Chapter 5 are the Joseph Smith Translation account of Cain and Lamech, the wicked non-birthright descendants of Adam and Eve. The relationship of this account to the rest of the book of Moses is discussed at Moses, and its relationship to the rest of Genesis is discussed at Genesis.

This account can be outlined as follows:

C. Non-birthright line: rejection of the gospel (Genesis 4 / Moses 5)
1. the atonement taught but rejected by many descendants (5:1-16a) (new content)
2. Cain and Abel born (5:16b-17)
3. Cain kills Abel and initiates secret combination (5:18-41)
a. Lord accepts Abel’s offering of sheep, but not Cain’s of produce (5:18-21)
c. Lord warns Cain not to sin (5:22-31) (5:24-31 new content)
d. Cain kills Abel (5:32-33)
c. where is Abel? Cain denies knowledge of his brother (5:34)
b. Cain cursed as a fugitive, ground cursed against him (5:35-37)
a. Cain driven from God and man, mark to prevent vengeance (5:38-41)
3. Lamech kills Irad to preserve secret combination (5:42-54)
• genealogical list of Lamech’s ancestors (5:42-43)
• genealogical list of Lamech’s descendants (5:44-46)
• Lamech kills and will be avenged even as Cain (5:47-54) (5:49-54 new content)
1. the atonement taught but rejected by most descendants (5:55-59) (new content)
2. Seth as a son in place of Abel, and Seth's son (6:1-4)

Discussion[edit]

This section is for detailed discussion such as the meaning of a symbol, how a doctrinal point is developed throughout a passage, or insights that can be further developed in the future. Contributions may range from polished paragraphs down to a single bullet point. The focus, however, should always be on understanding the scriptural text consistent with LDS doctrine. Click the link above and to the right to edit or add content to this heading. →

Moses 5:1-16a[edit]

  • Moses 5:1-16a. Verses 5:1-16a are new content added by the Joseph Smith Translation to the beginning of Genesis 4. This new material describes how the gospel of Christ was preached from the beginning of the world but was largely rejected. The relationship of this account to the rest of Moses is discussed at Moses, and it can also be helpful to consider where this material has been added to the account in Genesis.
  • Moses 5:5: The first commandment given to mortal man. The perennial temptation of humanity is to love and worship the world and the things of the world more than God. The first commandment given by God to mortal man protects humanity from that temptation. The commandment is to sacrifice the best of one's possessions to God. If we keep that commandment, the blessings of the world have their proper place. They bless us but are never our first priority. The things of the spirit and our connection to God remain our primary concern. If we refuse to make that sacrfice of the firstlings, our best, we will be separated from God by our love of the world. We will have to repent in order to be saved. And our ability to repent will depend on the willingness of another to make, contrary to his personal will (Mark 14:35-36; Luke 22:42; Matthew 26:39), of bearing the punishment for our sins. The sacrifice asked of humanity in this first mortal commandment symbolizes the sacrfice that ultimately provides the only path to salvation. This apt ritual signifies the truth that we must act to be saved by making the sacrifice but that it is not we but the lamb on the alter who most truly pays the price for our salvation.
  • Moses 5:7-9. The combination of verses 7-8 and verse 9 is very interesting. Adam learns about the Only Begotten, and then hears, “I am the Only Begotten…” First he learns that the sacrifice he has been making is in similitude to one that God’s Only Begotten will make, and that that means he should do all he does in the name of the Son and call upon God and repent. But it is only in the message of the Holy Ghost that he is told the Only Begotten becomes a redeemer – that His sacrifice somehow means Adam and all mankind may be redeemed! With these two messages combined, he has a “why” that could be given to an angel’s inquiry.
  • Moses 5:11. In verse 11 Eve tells us that were it not for her and Adam's transgression, they would never have had children, known good and evil or had eternal life. (See also 2 Ne 2:22-23.) One way to read this is that there was no way for Adam and Eve to have children, know good and evil and have eternal life, except by breaking a commandment given to them by God. Alternatively we could read Eve as saying that were it not for eating of the tree of life, which she did when God told her not to, Eve and Adam would not have received these blessings. That reading is consistent with the idea that were the same acts to happen under the direction of God, she would have received these blessings without transgressing God's commandments. Note that Moses 6:53 tells us that Adam had to be forgiven for this transgression. Presumably Eve did too. To some the fact that God forgave them suggests that they had done something God did not want them to do.
  • Moses 5:11: Transgression vs. sin. See RobertC's subpage on the fall for more links, discussion, and analysis of the distinction between a sin and transgression as it pertains to the fall.
  • Moses 5:10-11: Adam and Eve's words. Adam prophesies (v.10), then Eve hears and gladly proclaims (v.11). It is interesting how closely their words parallel:
Adam: “…for because of my transgression my eyes are opened
Eve: “Were it not for our transgression … we never should have known good and evil
Adam: in this life I shall have joy
Eve: and the joy of our redemption
Adam: and again in the flesh I shall see God.”
Eve: and the eternal life which God giveth unto all the obedient.”
The only real difference is that Eve mentions seed. They certainly were on the same page in their understanding of the gospel. Then they together bless God, and together teach their children.

Moses 5:16b-7[edit]

  • Moses 5:16b-17 is the Joseph Smith Translation of Gen 4:1-2. This page is not intended, however, to address Genesis. It is intended only to address the Joseph Smith Translation of Genesis. It is therefore suggested that readers consult the page that does address Gen 4:1-2 before viewing this page. Contributors are likewise asked to respect this distinction. The idea is that a reader should be able to find content about an original passage from Genesis on the wiki page addressing that passage.
  • Moses 5:16b-17. Verses 5:16b-17 relate the births of Abel, who will die physically, and Cain, who will die spiritually. These births are echoed at the end of the chapter in the births of Seth and his son.

Moses 5:18-41[edit]

  • Moses 5:18-41. Verses 5:18-41 are the Joseph Smith Translation account of Cain and Abel. The most notable feature of the Joseph Smith Translation, as with the account of Lamech that follows, is the new content in Verses 5:24-31 explaining how Cain's wickedness is related to secret combinations. The relationship of this account to the rest of the book of Moses is discussed at Moses, and its relationship to the rest of Genesis is discussed at Genesis.

Moses 5:42-54[edit]

  • Verses 5:42-54 are the Joseph Smith Translation of Gen 4:17-24. This page is not intended, however, to address Genesis. It is intended only to address the Joseph Smith Translation of Genesis. It is therefore suggested that readers consult the page that does address Gen 4:17-24 before viewing this page. Contributors are likewise asked to respect this distinction. The idea is that a reader should be able to find content about an original passage from Genesis on the wiki page addressing that passage.
  • Verses 5:42-54 are the Joseph Smith Translation account of Lamech, Cain's wicked descendant in Generation 7. The most notable feature of the Joseph Smith Translation, as with the account of Cain, is the new content in Verses 5:49-54 explaining how Lamech's wickedness is related to secret combinations. The relationship of this account to the rest of the book of Moses is discussed at Moses, and its relationship to the rest of Genesis is discussed at Genesis.

Moses 5:55-59[edit]

  • Verses 5:55-59 are new content add by the Joseph Smith Translation at almost the very end of Genesis 4. This new material describes how the gospel of Christ was preached from the beginning of the world but was largely rejected. The relationship of this account to the rest of Moses is discussed at Moses, and it can also be helpful to consider where this material has been added to the account in Genesis.
  • Verses 5:59. Based on the commentary at Moses 6:7, there may be reason to think this "holy ordinance" was Adam's being baptized for the dead on Abel's behalf. Adam's own baptism is not mentioned at all in this account of his life, but is only related later by Enoch in Moses 6:64. While it may sound odd, it is possible piece these two narratives together in a way that would indicate that Adam's vicarious baptism for his dead son preceded his own baptism. Two verses might lend support to this reading.
  • When Enoch begins the story of Adam's baptism, it begins with Adam questioning the necessity of his own baptism: "And our father Adam spake unto the Lord, and said: Why is it that man must repent and be baptized in water?" (Moses 6:53). Adam's question is odd: he is apparently familiar enough with baptism to be discussing it, though he has as yet not been baptized, a situation perhaps explainable if Adam had been baptized for Abel but not yet for himself. Perhaps Adam had previously understood baptism to be an ordinance only for the dead (tied, as it is, to the resurrection). As for the timing of Adam's baptism, the verses immediately preceding Adam's question seems to place the event quite late after the death of Abel.
  • D&C 128:12 may also support this reading, as it clearly states that baptism for the living was instituted to form a relationship with baptism for the dead, suggesting perhaps that baptism for the dead came first, and that baptism for repentance came later.

Another possibility is that the "holy ordinance" mentioned here is the same ordination referred to in Alma 13, in which Adam and his righteous children are ordained "in a manner that thereby the people might know in what manner to look forward to his Son for redemption" (Alma 13:2).

Moses 6:1-4[edit]

  • Verses 6:1-4 are the Joseph Smith Translation of Gen 4:25-26. This page is not intended, however, to address Genesis. It is intended only to address the Joseph Smith Translation of Genesis. It is therefore suggested that readers consult the page that does address Gen 4:25-26 before viewing this page. Contributors are likewise asked to respect this distinction. The idea is that a reader should be able to find content about an original passage from Genesis on the wiki page addressing that passage.
  • Verses 6:1-4 are the Joseph Smith Translation account of the births of Seth and his son in place of the two lost sons Abel, who died physically, and Cain, who died spiritually. The relationship of this account to the rest of the book of Moses is discussed at Moses, and its relationship to the rest of Genesis is discussed at Genesis.
  • Verses 6:2. Adam's language might be read to suggest that Abel had been an "appointed seed," through whom Adam was to have posterity alive at the Second Coming of Christ (see D&C 107:42). How this should be read in terms of Moses 5 is not entirely clear, however.
  • Verses 6:3. Seth's "acceptable sacrifice" is certainly interesting. On the one hand, the phrase clearly has reference to the difficulties between Cain and Abel: Seth, like Abel, offered sacrifice in the "acceptable" manner (the manner prescribed in Moses 5:5: blood sacrifice). This confirms the blessing of Adam in verse 2, as Seth takes up the place Abel had once occupied. On the other hand, one might read in the phrase a reference to Mal 3:1-3 or perhaps more especially to D&C 128:24: the "offering in righteousness" that the sons of Levi are eventually to make. If such a connection at first seems a little weak, it might be pointed out that D&C 128 reworks this phrase as referring to "a book containing the records of our dead, which shall be worthy of all acceptation." This is especially interesting in light of what is recorded here in verses 5-6: this acceptable sacrifice, accompanied by a truer order of prayer, results in the gift of writing, and of writing specifically "a book of remembrance." In fact, the connection is even stronger still, since the phrase "book of remembrance" appears in Mal 3:16.
  • Verses 6:4. It should be noted that it is only "then," that is, after three generations can stand together (Adam, Seth, and Enos) that these men "began ... to call upon the name of the Lord." Apparently what is being described here as calling upon the name of the Lord is some kind of truer order of prayer than any previous kind of praying in the Adam and Eve story. This seems to have important implications for how one should understand the "book of remembrance" in the next verse: it has something to do with this truer order of prayer. In fact, the next verse makes an explicit connection between calling upon God and being able to write in the book.

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Prompts for further study[edit]

This section is for prompts that invite us to think about a passage more deeply or in a new way. These are not necessarily questions that beg for answers, but rather prompts along the lines of "Have you ever thought about ..." Prompts are most helpful when they are developed individually, thoughtfully, and with enough background information to clearly indicate a particular direction for further study or thought. Click the link above and to the right to edit or add content to this heading. →

  • Moses 5:11. Can transgression be good? If the fall brought about all the good things that Eve mentions here, why did God prohibit partaking of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil (cf. Moses 3:17)?
  • Moses 5:11. Transgression vs. sin. Eve refers to the fall as a transgression--is this the same as sin? If not, what is the difference?
  • Moses 6:2. What does it mean that Adam "glorified the name of God" (vs. 2)? Is this different from giving thanks to God?
  • Moses 6:4. What does it mean that "these men" began to call upon the name of the Lord after Enos was born (vs. 4)? Didn't Adam and Seth call upon the name of the Lord before that? What is different about their calling upon the name of the Lord here?
  • Moses 6:4. What does it mean to "call upon the name of the Lord"? Is this different from just praying?

Resources[edit]

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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.



Previous page: Chapters 3-4                      Next page: Chapters 6-8

Moses 6:6-10

Home > The Pearl of Great Price > Moses > Chapters 6-8 > Verses 6:5-25
Previous page: Chapters 6-8                      Next page: Verses 6:26-47


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Summary[edit]

This section should be very brief. Click the link above and to the right to edit or add content to this heading. →

Relationship to Chapters 6-8. The relationship of Verses 6:5-25 to the rest of Chapters 6-8 is discussed at Chapters 6-8.

Story.

Message. Themes, symbols, and doctrinal points emphasized in Verses 6:5-25 include:

Moses 6:5-25 is the Joseph Smith Translation of Gen 5:1-21. This page is not intended, however, to address Genesis. It is intended only to address the Joseph Smith Translation of Genesis. It is therefore suggested that readers consult the page that does address Gen 5:1-21 before viewing this page. Contributors are likewise asked to respect this distinction. The idea is that a reader should be able to find content about an original passage from Genesis on the wiki page addressing that passage.

Genesis 5 is a genealogical listing of ten generations from Adam and Eve down to Noah. The Joseph Smith Translation relates this data for Generations 1-7, but then interrupts it in Gen 5:22/Moses 6:26 to add over a hundred verses of narrative about Enoch. The Joseph Smith Translation then concludes the list of genealogical data for Generations 7-10 in Moses 8:1-12.

Discussion[edit]

This section is for detailed discussion such as the meaning of a symbol, how a doctrinal point is developed throughout a passage, or insights that can be further developed in the future. Contributions may range from polished paragraphs down to a single bullet point. The focus, however, should always be on understanding the scriptural text consistent with LDS doctrine. Click the link above and to the right to edit or add content to this heading. →

  • Moses 6:5. In light of the commentary on Moses 6:1-4, this verse should be read quite carefully. First of all, it is important to bring together the several references in scripture to the "book of remembrance." As it turns out, the phrase only appears five times in the scriptures. Besides this verse, it appears one other time in the book of Moses (Moses 6:46), where Enoch mentions the book while preaching. Two of the other references are connected with Malachi: Mal 3:16 and 3 Ne 24:16 (this latter being Jesus' quotation of Malachi to the Nephites). Finally, the phrase appears in the vital 85th section of the Doctrine and Covenants: "And all they who are not found written in the book of remembrance shall find none inheritance in that day, but they shall be cut asunder, and their portion shall be appointed them among unbelievers, where are wailing and gnashing of teeth" (D&C 85:9). Of the five references, this last provides the broadest and most interpretable context in which to think the nature of the book of remembrance: besides being called in that revelation by several other names/titles ("a history, and a general church record" in verse 1, "the book of the law of God" in verses 5 and 7, and "the book of the law" in verse 11), the contents and purpose of the book of remembrance are clarified. It is, apparently, a book that is associated primarily with what happens in Zion specifically, and contains records of inheritances of land according to (and apparently only according to) the law of consecration. Moreover, the genealogies (ancestry as well as descendency) of those who keep the law of consecration are kept in the book, since apparently one's "fathers" and one's "children" can be saved in and through the consecrated individual in Zion. This last point is vital, since it suggests that the book has something to do with the theme of sealing, and hence of priesthood and the temple (themes that are clearly at work in D&C 85: at Adam-Ondi-Ahman, "one mighty and strong" will come to "set in order the house of God," according to verse 7. This seems all the more important, since two of the references to the "book of remembrance" are to be found in Malachi and Jesus' quotation of Malachi (where it is clear that being written in the book has something to do with Elijah's return and the turning of the fathers to the children and the children to the fathers). Thus, if it is not inappropriate to bring all of this to bear on how one reads the present verse, the book of remembrance would probably best be understood as somehow connected with the temple/priesthood ordinances of sealing (something apparently only to be accomplished once there are three generations present).
All that said, it is certainly significant that a kind of truer order of prayer is at work here, and that it has something to do with receiving the ability—an endowment—"to write by the spirit of inspiration." (Curiously, Old Testament Manuscript 1 for the "New Translation" has "to write by the finger of inspiration," however that might be interpreted. At the very least, there seems to be a connection between "the finger of inspiration" in verse 5 here and the other Mosaic reference to the book of remembrance in Moses 6:46: "For a book of remembrance we have written among us, according to the pattern given by the finger of God." That Enoch goes on to add in the same verse, "and it is given in our own language," seems significant too, since this verse reports: "recorded, in the language of Adam.") But should this suddenly introduced gift be interpreted? It is perhaps commonly assumed that this gift amounts to two things: on the one hand, it is generally taken to have something to do with the "Adamic language" (whatever that means); on the other hand, the gift is commonly understood to be the ability to write scripture, the word of God. But is this all that is meant here?
  • Moses 6:6. This is a continuation of a series of thoughts beginning in verse 4 (note semicolons at the end of verses 4 and 5). As the chain of thoughts refers back to Seth and Enos, the pronouns here (them, their) also refer to Seth and Enos.
  • Moses 6:7-8: Adam's Prophecy. The form of this prophecy, as recorded here, is very similar to the form of the declaration given in Moses 5:59.
Considering that the priesthood is generally defined as being power given to man to act in God's name, we see in the run of thoughts (vv. 4-6) that are followed by verse 7 that Adam prophesied that an actual authority for men to act in the name of God, and specifically "to write by the spirit of inspiration" would never come to an end in the world. (Though clearly there have been intermittances.) As it has been the habit of men in all dispensations to refuse to accept the words of living prophets, claiming that the words of dead ones are final, and as even those within the church are not immune from this vain rationale, we must be on our guard to understand that the Lord can and will offer more, even up to the end of the world.
  • Moses 6:7: Priesthood Possibilities. The phrase "this same Priesthood" is curious here because it is not obvious what exactly is being referred to. A list of potential priesthood actions and themes described in this chapter include:
  • offering "an acceptable sacrifice" (v.3)
  • a "first presidency" of Adam, Seth, and Enos (vs.3-4)
  • calling upon the name of the Lord (v.4)
  • obtaining special blessings from the Lord (v.4)
  • the keeping of a "book of remembrance" (v. 5) also D&C 128:6-10
  • speaking "a language which was pure and undefiled" (v.6)
  • teaching "their children... to read and write" (v.6)
  • the power "to write by the spirit of inspiration" (v. 5)
  • the general patriarchal order
  • or possibly some special patriarchal order related to being an "appointed ... seed". Moses 6:1
Nowadays, in the restored Church, the Priesthood is frequently defined as the authority to act in the name of God. Based on this definition, it might be inappropriate to consider certain of the activities listed above as specifically pertaining to the Priesthood. For example, it seems that fathers who do not have the Priesthood are able to teach their children to read and write and everyone is given the right to "call upon the name of the Lord."
On the other hand, all of these actions may be viewed as the function of a father acting as a patriarch according to the patriarchal order of the priesthood. If so, then this list may provide an outline of patriarchal priesthood responsibilities which can only be fully performed by one given the authority to act in God's name. For example, while all can pray, calling upon the name of the Lord in the true order of prayer is only available through the priesthood. In this sense, familial relationship between father and son may be one type of priesthood relationship.
This verse also makes it clear that this patriarchal order of the priesthood that existed in Adam's family will be had again in the last days. We can see these same prieshood functions reflected in the themes outlined in D&C 128, where we read of
  • "an acceptable sacrifice" (cf. D&C 128:24)
  • the ability "to call upon the name of the Lord" (cf. D&C 128:11)
  • and an "appointed seed" (cf. D&C 128:15)
  • as well as the more obvious themes of records and remembrance (cf. D&C 128:8 especially).
Since D&C 128 is a treatise on baptism for the dead, these common themes suggests that there is indeed some profound connection between the patriarchal priesthood and "the subject of the baptism for the dead" revealed to Joseph Smith in D&C 128. The return of a priesthood, "which was in the beginning," at the very "end of the world also" seems to be the precise concern of that section of the Doctrine and Covenants.

Unanswered questions[edit]

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Prompts for life application[edit]

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Prompts for further study[edit]

This section is for prompts that invite us to think about a passage more deeply or in a new way. These are not necessarily questions that beg for answers, but rather prompts along the lines of "Have you ever thought about ..." Prompts are most helpful when they are developed individually, thoughtfully, and with enough background information to clearly indicate a particular direction for further study or thought. Click the link above and to the right to edit or add content to this heading. →

  • Moses 6:5. What is "the which" recorded in the book of remembrance (vs. 5)? Would it be the blessings of the Lord mentioned in vs. 4?
  • Moses 6:5. What is the relationship between calling upon God and writing "by the spirit of inspiration"?
  • Moses 6:7. Of what importance would it be that the same priesthood that was exercised here by Seth and Enos would exist at the end of the world also?
  • Moses 6:7. Might this prophecy already be fulfilled?
  • Moses 6:9: Body. This verse says our bodies are created in God's image. Are the scriptures silent on the question of whether our spirits were created in his image?
  • Moses 6:9: Footstool. Why does this verse make reference to God's footstool, if that term appears nowhere in the Pentateuch, but surfaces and is defined only later in the Old Testament?

Resources[edit]

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  • See this subpage for Joseph Smith's "Before 8 August 1839" discourse, in which Joseph deals with many of the themes of the present passage.

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.



Previous page: Chapters 6-8                      Next page: Verses 6:26-47

Moses 6:46-50

Home > The Pearl of Great Price > Moses > Chapters 6-8 > Verses 6:26-47
Previous page: Verses 6:5-25                              Next Page: Verses 6:48-68


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Summary[edit]

This section should be very brief. Click the link above and to the right to edit or add content to this heading. →

Relationship to Chapters 6-8. The relationship of Verses 6:26-47 to the rest of Chapters 6-8 is discussed at Chapters 6-8.

Story.

Message. Themes, symbols, and doctrinal points emphasized in Verses 6:26-47 include:

Discussion[edit]

This section is for detailed discussion such as the meaning of a symbol, how a doctrinal point is developed throughout a passage, or insights that can be further developed in the future. Contributions may range from polished paragraphs down to a single bullet point. The focus, however, should always be on understanding the scriptural text consistent with LDS doctrine. Click the link above and to the right to edit or add content to this heading. →

Unanswered questions[edit]

This section is for questions along the lines of "I still don't understand ..." Please do not be shy. The point of these questions is to identify things that still need to be addressed on this page. Click the link above and to the right to edit or add content to this heading. →

Prompts for life application[edit]

This section is for prompts that suggest ways in which a passage can influence a person's life. Prompts may be appropriate either for private self reflection or for a class discussion. Click the link above and to the right to edit or add content to this heading. →

Prompts for further study[edit]

This section is for prompts that invite us to think about a passage more deeply or in a new way. These are not necessarily questions that beg for answers, but rather prompts along the lines of "Have you ever thought about ..." Prompts are most helpful when they are developed individually, thoughtfully, and with enough background information to clearly indicate a particular direction for further study or thought. Click the link above and to the right to edit or add content to this heading. →

Resources[edit]

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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.



Previous page: Verses 6:5-25                              Next Page: Verses 6:48-68

Abr 1:26-31

Home > The Pearl of Great Price > Abraham > Chapters 1-2 > Verses 1:28-31
Previous page: Verses 1:21-27                              Next Page: Verses 2:1-16


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Summary[edit]

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Relationship to Chapters 1-2. The relationship of Verses 1:28-31 to the rest of Chapters 1-2 is discussed at Chapters 1-2.

Story.

Message. Themes, symbols, and doctrinal points emphasized in Verses 1:28-31 include:

Discussion[edit]

This heading is for more detailed discussions of all or part of a passage. Discussion may include the meaning of a particular word, how a doctrinal point is developed throughout the passage, insights to be developed in the future, and other items. Contributions may range from polished paragraphs down to a single bullet point. The focus, however, should always be on understanding the scriptural text consistent with LDS doctrine. Click the link above and to the right to edit or add content to this heading. →

  • Abr 1:28: The records of the fathers. It is known from Moses 6:5 that records were kept from the time of Adam.
  • Abr 1:28: Records and revelation as source material. This verse, tied inextricably to verse 31, provides Abraham's "project" for the book he writes. These verses together suggest that Abraham plans to write a record that concerns the nature of the heavens and its connection with the story of man from the beginning to Abraham's own time. Perhaps this raises a difficulty, however: in Abr 3:15, Abraham reports having been told that all these things (precisely the same things: the nature of the heavens and its connection with the story of man from the beginning to Abraham's own time) came by immediate revelation, whereas in these two verses all of this knowledge is predicated upon the records of the fathers, as they have come into the hands of Abraham.
Since neither of these verses in any way denies that Abraham had such revelations personally, these verses essentially suggest that there were two elements that went into Abraham's recording the nature of the heavens and its connection with the story of man: Abraham drew on his personal revelatory experiences, and Abraham drew on the records of the fathers as he received them. The relation between these two sources (faith and knowledge, the two sources of the Book of Abraham within the limits of reason alone?) might be read in verses 28 and 31, then, in two ways. On the one hand, the records of the fathers might have been the primary source for the Book of Abraham, to which the prophet added his own revelatory insights. On the other hand, the revelatory experiences might have been the primary source for the Book of Abraham, to which the prophet added insights from the records of the fathers. This latter seems the better reading of these two on two accounts: in verse 31 here, Abraham claims he will "write some of these things upon" his record; moreover, the general flow of the Book of Abraham--as we now have it--certainly favors Abraham's own experience (see most especially Abr 2 and Abr 3).
However, there may be a third way of reading these verses that transcends these two. It might be that the records of the fathers contained explicit accounts of the things Abraham had revealed to him, but that he could not ultimately understand those records until he had had the revelatory experiences. In other words, it might not have been possible for the fathers to work the interpretive key into the texts they wrote and which fell into the hands of Abraham: the key to the texts might well have been the experience of revelation that builds like a crescendo from the experiences right in this first chapter of Abraham. If this is a justified reading, then it seems that the records of the fathers might well have been precisely what pressed Abraham on to seek revelation: certainly profound, but uninterpretable, Abraham saw in the records a sort of call to seek further light and understanding; he heard a call to "translate" (if that word may be used here) the records of the fathers. This interpretation reads a sort of dialectical relation between the records of the fathers and the revelatory experiences of Abraham: they fueled each other, led to each other, interpreted each other, etc. This certainly seems to account for Abraham's complete lack of documentation (so far as we have the Book of Abraham): apparently he did not separate the task of reading the records from the experience of revelation. (For another scriptural account that does not seem to draw this distinction, see Alma 36, where Alma's moment of conversion is also the culmination of his reading of the story recorded in 1 Ne 1.)

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Prompts for further study[edit]

This section is for prompts that invite us to think about a passage more deeply or in a new way. These are not necessarily questions that beg for answers, but rather prompts along the lines of "Have you ever thought about ..." Prompts are most helpful when they are developed individually, thoughtfully, and with enough background information to clearly indicate a particular direction for further study or thought. Click the link above and to the right to edit or add content to this heading. →

  • Abr 1:28-31: Records. Given that Abraham's father seemed to be a follower of other Gods (Abr 1:5-7), how might Abraham have come across these records?
  • Abr 1:31: The fathers, even the patriarchs. Who is this referring to? Melchezidek? Noah? Enoch? Adam? Others? Why does he refer to them as both fathers and patriarchs?
  • Abr 1:31: Therefore. What is the connection between these two items: 1) Abraham has the records of the fathers concerning the right of the Priesthood, 2) Abraham keeping a knowledge of the beginning of creation and of astronomy and writing those down for the benefit of his posterity? Why does Abraham join these two statements with therefore?

Resources[edit]

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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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