A study of the sections in the Doctrine
and Covenants which were given during the three-year period of revising
labors revealed that the labors revealed that the following sections were a
direct outgrowth of those labors:
1.
Section 45: The finest commentary available on the
twenty-fourth chapter of Matthew. This is the section also which gave commandment
to the revisers to turn to the New Testament.
2.
Section 74: While in the Revision, this explanation of a
verse in I Corinthians was given.
3.
Section 76: One of the greatest revelations in the Church
known as the “Vision” was given while Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon were doing
the Revision.
4.
Section 77: This section is a “key” to the
interpretation of the Book of Revelation, especially the first eleven chapters.
It too was given during the Revision.
5.
Section 91: This section came while the Revision was in
progress as a direct answer to the inquiry concerning the Apocrypha books.
The eight chapters of what is now
referred to as the Book of Moses must also be included as materials which came
to the Church in connection with the Revision.
If all the facts were known, parts of
many more sections of the Doctrine and Covenants may have been directly
related to the Revision. The following list may contain passages in this
category:
1.
Section
27:5-11: References are made to the “Stick of
Ephraim” found in Ezekiel, and to many of the Old Testament Patriarchs.
2.
Section
29:21; 31-32; 36-45: Further
references are made to Ezekiel, to the concept of a spiritual and temporal creation,
a concept of which was clearly revealed in the Moses material, to Adam and Eve,
the Devil, and the fall of man, all of which seem directly or indirectly
related to Revision materials.
3.
Section 38:4: The Zion of Enoch which the Lord took into
his “own bosom” bears an unmistakable relationship with the vision of Enoch
found in the Revision.
4.
Section 86: An interpretation of the “Wheat and Tares”
parable is given in this section.
5.
Section
88:3-13, 14-32, 87-116, 139-141:
Many parallels from John’s writings, namely, the other comforter, the light of
truth, the resurrection, the washing of feet, and the angels and their trumpets
signaling destructive and preparatory events prior to the coming of the Lord,
seem to show relationship with the Revision.
6.
Section 93: Contains more of the record of John.
7.
Section
98:23-48: Contains an explanation of the law
of war and retaliation given to all the Old Testament Patriarchs.
It is possible that many more passages
contained in different sections have direct or indirect relationship with the
Revision labors. (Reed C. Durham, “A History of Joseph Smith’s Revision of the
Bible” [PhD Thesis; BYU, August 1965], 66-68)
