Sunday, October 1, 2023

Notes on D&C 133:26

  

And they who are in the north countries shall come in remembrance before the Lord; and their prophets shall hear his voice, and shall no longer stay themselves; and they shall smite the rocks, and the ice shall flow down at their presence. (D&C 133:26)

 

Some critics claim that this is a false prophecy; in response to one such critic, John Tvedtnes wrote that:

 

On page 10, Mr. Baer says that the Ten Tribes will not return from the north country. Several Biblical prophets said that they would! E.g., Isa. 49:12; Jer. 3:18; 23:7-8, 31:8. (Even in the New Testament, James addressed his epistle "to the twelve tribes, which are scattered abroad"1:1.) If Mr. Baer is right, then these, too, were false prophets. I believe that they were true prophets and that it is Mr. Baer who is mistaken. (John A. Tvedtnes, A Reply to Dick Baer)

 

George Reynolds, in his Are We of Israel? noted that:

 

It is very evident from [D&C 133] that Ephraim, or at least a large portion of that tribe, had at some period of his history, separated from the rest of the tribes of Israel, and at the time of this restitution was to dwell in a land far from the north country in which the residue were hidden. These tribes are to have the frozen barriers of the north melted, so that the ice shall flow down, then a highway is to be cast up for them, in the midst of the great deep, next they cross barren deserts and a thirsty land and eventually arrive with their rich treasures at the home of Ephraim, the first born of God of the house of Israel, to be crowned with glory at his hands. (George Reynolds, Are we of Israel and The Book of Abraham [5th ed.; Jackson County, Miss.: Zion's Printing and Publishing Company, 1931], 34, comments in square bracket added for clarification) 

 

George Reynolds and Janne M. Sjodahl, commenting on D&C 133:26, wrote that:

 

The whereabouts and identity of the so-called "lost tribes has often been discussed. As seen in this section of the Book of Mormon, they are in a place where Jesus could visit and minister to them at the time of His death; that is, they or at least part of them, were dwelling together. That place is called the "North Countries" in the Doctrine and Covenants (Section 133:26). That might refer to the northern parts of Europe, and also America, and even Asia. The traditions related by Esdras (2 Es. 13) is, that the Ten Tribes were carried over the waters (the Euphrates and the Tigris, perhaps), and so came into another land. But some of them decided to flee to another place, "where never mankind dwelt," and they "entered into the Euphrates by the narrow passages of the river, and from there they traveled a year and a half to a place called, Arsareth," where they were to dwell until the time of their restoration. If the events predicted in the Doctrine and Covenants, Section 133, are to take place consecutively, their complete restoration will not take place until immediately after the second advent of our Lord. The Icelandic sagas and myths, and the traditions of Aztecs and Mayas might profitably be studied in this connection. They, too, tell about wonderful journeys on land and sea. (George Reynolds and Janne M. Sjodahl, Commentary on the Book of Mormon, 7 vols. [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Company, 1976], 7:171)

 

Stephen E. Robinson and H. Dean Garrett, in volume 4 of A Commentary on the Doctrine and Covenants, offered the following commentary to the passage:

 

26–27. They who are in the north countries. This refers to the ten tribes who were taken north by the Assyrians and other Gentiles (see 2 Kings 17). The Lord has promised that these tribes of Israel will return and be reunited with the two remaining tribes in the latter days. Members of these tribes of Israel are even now "returning" from the "north countries" (from wherever they were scattered after being taken north from the Holy Land by the Assyrians). They are returning individually and as families as they hear the gospel and join the Church in a multitude of countries around the world. We know of no large, identifiable groups of Israelites under the direction of prophets who might literally fulfill the expectations given in verses 26–27. Perhaps an appeal to apocalyptic or symbolic interpretation may be helpful here. Are the prophets referred to true prophets with priesthood and keys, as we know prophets, or are they social or political leaders to whom people look for direction? Are the "ice" and "rocks" physical ice and rocks, or a representation of communication barriers which must be broken down to facilitate the understanding and acceptance of the gospel? Is the highway a literal road, or a highway designated by the prophet Isaiah as "the way of holiness," a path the "unclean shall not pass over" but on which "the ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come to Zion with songs of everlasting joy"? (Isaiah 35:8–10; 51:10–11). After the continents have been reassembled into one land mass (v. 23), what will "north" mean, the original north or the new north created by the rearrangement of the earth? On the other hand, because north was the direction associated symbolically with apostasy and evil in biblical times, the language here may be symbolic, describing the return of the tribes from being "scattered" among the Gentiles. This interpretation would seem to be supported by 1 Nephi 22:3–4, 12.14 But the truth is, we don't have enough reliable information currently to clarify the true meaning of all these verses. As we strive to understand these prophecies, we must remain open to receiving further light and knowledge that may come from the Lord through his authorized servants or from the unfolding of the events themselves.

 

D&C 133:26 is not an example of a “false prophecy,” but one that will be fulfilled in the future, like many prophecies and promises in the biblical texts.

 

Further Reading:

 

Resources on Joseph Smith’s Prophecies