. . the Law abruptly
shifts from discussion of the proper handling of surplus to Joseph Smith’s “New
Translation” of the Bible: “Thou shalt ask & my scriptures shall be given
as I have appointed & for thy salvation thou shalt hold thy peace
concerning them until ye have received them” (vv. 56-57). The subsequent
redaction of this passage provides a rare view of multiple layers of revision.
The first revision appears to have been made in November 1831 in conjunction
with the conference held to plan publication of the Book of Commandments. At a
meeting on November 8, the elders resolved that “Br Joseph Smith Jr correct
those errors or mistakes which he may discover by the holy Spirit.” [50] Among
the revisions made at this time was one involving this passage about the New
Testament. The unpunctuated original allows for a reading that connects “for
thy salvation” to “my scriptures shall be given” rather than to the subsequent
phrase “thou shalt hold thy peace concerning them.” Joseph, however, revised
the passage to make clear that the link was between salvation, understood
temporally, and holding their peace about the New Translation: “For thy safety
it is expedient that thou shalt hold thy peace concerning them.” [51]
Apparently not satisfied
with this rendition, the Prophet (or those working under his direction) again
revised the passage some three years later while preparing the revelation for publication
in the Doctrine and Covenants. The later version shifts emphasis from the
safety of the Saints to the safety of the scriptures. In the final form, the
full passage reads: “My scriptures shall be given as I have appointed, and they
shall be preserved in safety; and it is expedient that thou shouldst hold
thy peace concerning them, and not teach them until ye have received
them in full” (vv. 56-57; emphasis added).
Notes for the Above:
[50] Minutes,
8 November 1831, in JSP, D2:123.
[51] This revision
appears in the Whitmer, Coltrin, and Hyde manuscripts, all copied in early
1832, or before, as well as in the excerpt of the Law published later that year
in the Star and in the Book of Commandments the following year.
Grant Underwood, “’The
Laws of the Church of Christ’: A Textual and Historical Analysis,” in The
Voice of the Lord: Exploring the Doctrine and Covenants, ed. Alexander L.
Baugh (Provo, Utah: BYU Religious Studies Center; Salt Lake City: Deseret Book,
2024), 109-110
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