According to critics such as Richard Packham, Joseph Smith gave the incorrect interpretation of the word “Sabaoth.” The term means “hosts,” yet in D&C 95:7 we read (emphasis added):
In the New Testament (Rom 9:29; Js 5:4) and in the Doctrine and Covenants (D&C 87:7; 88:2; 98:2), it usually denotes armies, whence it is rendered "hosts" in many Old Testament passages. Especially notable are the words of David to Goliath, "Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied" (1 Samuel 17:45). In this passage, the same Hebrew term is rendered "hosts" and "armies." If the word denotes armies, how could the Lord have told Joseph Smith that it meant creator? For an explanation, we must turn to the earliest occurrence of the Hebrew term in the Bible, in Gen 2:1, which sums up the creation by saying, "Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them." In this passage, the term is clearly connected to creation rather than warfare. In his commentary on Gen 2:1, E. A. Speiser noted that the term rendered "hosts" was an allusion to all that God had created, not to angelic armies as some had supposed (Genesis, vol. 1 of The Anchor Bible, p. 7).
The verbal root of the Hebrew noun means, "to gather, to assemble," which is what armies do in time of war. But it is also a process of creation and, in the context of Genesis 2:1, it might best be translated "assemblage," in reference to all of God's creation. When Isaiah wrote of the "Lord of hosts," he added, "thou hast made heaven and earth" (Isa 37:16). Understood in this way, one can better understand why the prophet Isaiah heard the heavenly beings surrounding the throne of God cry out, "Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of HOSTS: the whole earth is full of his glory" (Isaiah 6:3). All of God's creations reflect his glory, as we read in Psalm 19:1, "The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handiwork" (cf. Pss 57:5, 11; 89:6; 108:5; Hab 3:3). A third- or fourth-century A.D. Jewish copper amulet found near Kibbutz Evron, Israel, has a Greek inscription that speaks of "the One who made the heavens and founded earth and established seawho made everything, Iao Sabaoth" [Jehovah of Sabaoth], confirming the meaning. After describing the sun, moon, stars, and the earth, the Lord told Joseph Smith, "Behold, all these are kingdoms, and any man who hath seen any or the least of these hath seen God moving in his majesty and power" (D&C 88:47; cf. D&C 84:101). So, in fact, the passage in question is really great evidence for Joseph Smith's prophetic calling. Indeed, as one scholar put it:
…The Lord Sabaoth, which is by interpretation, the creator of the first day, the beginning and the end.
In the New Testament (Rom 9:29; Js 5:4) and in the Doctrine and Covenants (D&C 87:7; 88:2; 98:2), it usually denotes armies, whence it is rendered "hosts" in many Old Testament passages. Especially notable are the words of David to Goliath, "Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied" (1 Samuel 17:45). In this passage, the same Hebrew term is rendered "hosts" and "armies." If the word denotes armies, how could the Lord have told Joseph Smith that it meant creator? For an explanation, we must turn to the earliest occurrence of the Hebrew term in the Bible, in Gen 2:1, which sums up the creation by saying, "Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them." In this passage, the term is clearly connected to creation rather than warfare. In his commentary on Gen 2:1, E. A. Speiser noted that the term rendered "hosts" was an allusion to all that God had created, not to angelic armies as some had supposed (Genesis, vol. 1 of The Anchor Bible, p. 7).
The verbal root of the Hebrew noun means, "to gather, to assemble," which is what armies do in time of war. But it is also a process of creation and, in the context of Genesis 2:1, it might best be translated "assemblage," in reference to all of God's creation. When Isaiah wrote of the "Lord of hosts," he added, "thou hast made heaven and earth" (Isa 37:16). Understood in this way, one can better understand why the prophet Isaiah heard the heavenly beings surrounding the throne of God cry out, "Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of HOSTS: the whole earth is full of his glory" (Isaiah 6:3). All of God's creations reflect his glory, as we read in Psalm 19:1, "The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handiwork" (cf. Pss 57:5, 11; 89:6; 108:5; Hab 3:3). A third- or fourth-century A.D. Jewish copper amulet found near Kibbutz Evron, Israel, has a Greek inscription that speaks of "the One who made the heavens and founded earth and established sea
Most of Joseph Smith’s teachings could not be verified during his own lifetime, and it took great faith on the part of others to accept his message. Generally speaking, this is true even today. Yet there is a dimension that has been added in recent times. Many of Joseph Smith’s teachings are now known from ancient Jewish and Christian documents that were unavailable to him. (Joseph Smith and the Ancient World [copy of unpublished manuscript in my possession])
