Commenting on Joseph Smith’s own use of the JST, Julie M. Smith wrote the following:
[I]t is instructive to see how Joseph Smith used the JST in his own ministry: in many instances, he would refer to the KJV, not his new translation [1], and sometimes he would offer alterations to the KJV that were not included in the JST; Thomas E. Sherry and W. Jeffrey Marsh find that Joseph Smith’s “sermons from 1833 to 1844 are filled with numerous interpretations about the Bible verses not found in the JST” [2]. This practice, combined with the fact that Joseph Smith later studied Hebrew and Greek, implies that he never regarded the JST as a perfected or final text and still found an important role in the original languages of the Bible, the KJV, and continuing revelation.
So in both process and product, Joseph Smith regarded the JST as subject to revision and rerevision.
Notes
[1] For example, JST John 1:6 and 2:1 changes “sons” of God to “children of God,” but Joseph Smith, on at least two occasions, referred to Job’s account and mentioned the “sons of God.” See “Try the Spirits,” Times and Seasons 3 (April 1, 1842): 745; and “Sons of God,” Times and Seasons 4 (January 16, 1843): 75. Credit for this observation belongs to Rico Martinez.
[2] Thomas E. Sherry and W. Jeffrey Marsh, “Precious Truths Restored: Joseph Smith Translation Changes Not Included in Our Bible,” Religious Educator 5, no. (2004): 64-65. For example, Joseph Smith later taught that priesthood keys were given to Peter, James, and John on the Mount of Transfiguration, but there is no JST reflecting this.
Additionally, Robert L. Millet explains: “The second verse of the King James Bible describes the state of things in the morning of the creation: ‘And the earth was without form, and void’ (Genesis 1:2). The JST of this verse is exactly the same as the KJV. In a sermon delivered on 5 January 1841 in Nauvoo, however, Joseph Smith taught that the words ‘without form and void’ should be translated ‘empty and desolate.’” See Robert L. Millet, “Joseph Smith’s Translation of the Bible: A Historical Overview,” in The Joseph Smith Translation: The Restoration of Plain and Precious Things, ed. Monte S. Nyman and Robert L. Millet (Provo, Utah: Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University, 1985), 33.
A third example: Grant Understood explains: “Twice in the Book of Mormon, Nephi says the Holy Ghost descended upon Christ ‘in the form of a dove’ (1 Nephi 11:27; 2 Nephi 31:8; emphasis added), and D&C 93:15 reports that ‘the Holy Ghost descended upon him in the form of a dove, and sat upon him’ (emphasis added). Subsequently, Joseph elaborated, ‘The dove which sat upon Christ’s shoulder was a sure testimony that he was of God . . . Any spirit or body that is attended by a dove you may know to be a pure spirit.’ This insight was given more detailed formulation two years later. ‘The Holy Ghost cannot be transformed into a Dove,’ Joseph reportedly explained, ‘but the sign of a Dove was given to John to signify the Truth of the Deed as the Dove was an emblem or Token of Truth.’” See Grant Underwood, “Joseph Smith and the King James Bible,” in The King James Bible and the Restoration, ed. Kent P. Jackson (Provo, Utah: Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University, 2011), 217-18; italics in original.
And, finally, as Robert L. Millet explains: “Just five months before his death the Prophet clarified another biblical passage which had received no alternation in the JST. ‘The question is frequently asked, “Can we not be saved without going through all those ordinances?” I would answer, No, not the fulness of salvation. Jesus said, There are many mansions in my Father’s house, and I will go and prepare a place for you. House here named should have been translated kingdom; and any person who is exalted to the highest mansion has to abide a celestial law, and the whole law too.” Millet, “Joseph Smith’s Translation,” 33-34; italics in original.
Julie M. Smith, The Gospel of Mark (Brigham Young University New Testament Commentary; Provo, Utah: Brigham Young University Studies, 2018), 914-15
