Editing D&C 9:1-14

[[Home]] > [[Doctrine & Covenants]] > [[D&C 9:1-14 | Section 9]] <br>
''[[D&C 8 | Previous section: D&C 8]] &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; [[D&C 13 | Next section: D&C 13]]''


This page would ideally always be under construction. You are invited to contribute.


== Summary ==

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

D&C 9 is addressed to Oliver Cowdery

== Historical setting ==

''This heading should explain facts about the historical setting that will help a reader to understand the section. This may include issues that prompted the section, its subsequent implementation, and the extent of circulation through its first inclusion in the Doctrine & Covenants. Click the link above and to the right to edit or add content to this heading. →''

* Received: April 1829 at Harmony, Pennsylvania
* Prior section in chronological order: [[D&C 8]]
* Next section in chronological order: [[D&C 13]]

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

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

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

For a brief overview of D&C 9 in historical relation to the rest of the Doctrine & Covenants, see [[Historical Overview of the Restoration Scriptures]]. For lengthier discussions of the historical setting, see [http://www.kurtelieson.com/scriptures/hcdc1.pdf#page=80 Historical Context of the Doctrine & Covenants, chapter 3] or [http://institute.lds.org/manuals/latter-day-saint-history?lang=eng Church History in the Fulness of Times, chapter 5].

== Discussion ==

''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. →''

== Complete outline and page map ==

''This heading contains an outline for the entire section. Items in blue or purple text indicate hyperlinked pages that address specific portions of this section. Click the link above and to the right to edit or add content to this heading. →''

== Unanswered questions ==

''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 ==

''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 ==

''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. →''

=== Verse 8 ===

* In verses 8-9, was this really the method used in translating or was it the method Oliver was to use to know if it was the Lord's will that he translate?

=== Verse 10 ===

* Is Oliver being held responsible here for something that he did not know? Should he have known this?

== Resources ==

''This section is for listing links and print resources, including those that are also cited elsewhere on this page. A short comment about the particular strengths of a resource can be helpful. Click the link above and to the right to edit or add content to this heading. →''

'''Previous editions.'''

* The oldest surviving partial copy of D&C 9 is the one copied by John Whitmer into [http://josephsmithpapers.org/paperSummary/revelation-book-1#8 Revelation Book 1, p. 14] (incomplete), presumably during the summer of 1830. The oldest surviving complete copy is ________.

* D&C 9 was first published in the 1833 Book of Commandments, the earliest edition of what we now call the Doctrine & Covenants.

* The text of D&C 9 in [http://eom.byu.edu/index.php/Doctrine_and_Covenants_Editions significant editions of the Doctrine & Covenants] can be found at:

:* [http://josephsmithpapers.org/paperSummary/book-of-commandments-1833#24 1833 Book of Commandments, chap. 8, p. 20-21]
:* [http://josephsmithpapers.org/paperSummary/doctrine-and-covenants-1835#170 1835 Doctrine & Covenants, sec. 35, p. 162-63]
:* [http://josephsmithpapers.org/paperSummary/doctrine-and-covenants-1844#241 1844 Doctrine & Covenants, sec. 35, p. 239-40]
:* [http://books.google.com/books?id=dzJOAAAAYAAJ&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false 1876 Doctrine & Covenants], sec. 9, p. 89-90
:* [http://books.google.com/books?id=k3HA72ZZOm4C&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false 1921 Doctrine & Covenants], sec. 9, p. 13-14
:* [http://www.lds.org/scriptures/dc-testament/dc/9?lang=eng current 1981 Doctrine & Covenants, sec. 9, p. 15-16]

'''Related passages''' that interpret or shed light on D&C 9.

* [[D&C 6]], [[D&C 8]], and D&C 9 comprise a group of three revelations all directed to Olivery Cowdery during April 1829 regarding his participation in the Book of Mormon translation. In [[D&C 6]] Oliver was told that he had a gift to translate. In [[D&C 8]] he received permission to translate. After he tried to translate but was unable, D&C 9 explained why.

'''Doctrinal references cited on this page.'''

'''Historical references cited on this page.'''

'''Other resources.'''

== Notes ==

''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.''

<references/>

----

''[[D&C 8 | Previous section: D&C 8]] &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; [[D&C 13 | Next section: D&C 13]]''