Doctrine and Covenants 109
Historical Context
The dedication of the house of the Lord was the culmination of years of effort on the part of the men and women in the Kirtland community of Saints. When the Church was less than a year old, the Lord commanded the Saints to gather to Ohio, promising that they would “be endowed with power from on high” (D&C 38:32). In the years following, the Lord identified the location of the city of Zion and commanded the Saints to construct a temple there (D&C 57:2–3; 84:3). Just a short time later, the Lord commanded the Saints in Kirtland to also begin work on a temple that would serve as a school, a place for solemn assemblies, and a venue for receiving holy ordinances (D&C 88:70, 119, 127, 138–141). When the Lord reproved the Kirtland Saints six months later for not working on the temple, he provided further guidance on the size and nature of its structure (D&C 95). The First Presidency was even granted a vision in which they saw the building before it was built (see commentary for D&C 95:11–17).
Every member of the Church in Kirtland contributed to the construction of the temple. Joseph Smith recorded in his own history, “I continued to preside over the church in Kirtland, and in forwarding the building of the house of the Lord. I acted as foreman in the temple stone quarry, and when other duties would permit[,] labored with my own hands.” Eliza R. Snow recalled, “At the time . . . the Saints were few in number, and most of them very poor; and, had it not been for the assurance that God had spoken, and had commanded that a house should be built to his name, of which he not only revealed the form, but also designated the dimensions, an attempt toward building that Temple, under the then existing circumstances, would have been, by all concerned, pronounced preposterous.”
Doctrine and Covenants 109 is the dedicatory prayer for the Kirtland Temple. On March 26, the day before the temple was dedicated, Joseph Smith, Oliver Cowdery, Sidney Rigdon, and two of Joseph Smith’s scribes, Warren A. Cowdery and Warren Parrish, met in the Prophet’s office on the attic floor of the temple. Oliver wrote in his journal that during this meeting he “assisted in writing a prayer for the dedication of the house.” The text of the prayer was read by Joseph Smith at the dedication the following day, set in type soon after, and printed as a broadside.
At the dedicatory service held on Sunday morning, March 27, 1836, approximately one thousand people filled every corner of the building. At nine o’clock, Sidney Rigdon offered an opening prayer and the service commenced. After a hymn, Sidney rose again and gave a two-and-a-half-hour sermon, drawing his text from Matthew 8:18–20, which reads in part, “The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head” (Matthew 8:20). After his sermon, Sidney presented Joseph Smith to the Church as a prophet and seer, and asked those in attendance to acknowledge him as a prophet by standing up. Everyone in the congregation rose in response. Later in the meeting, Joseph rose and presented “the several Presidents of the church, then present, to the several quorums respectively, and then to the church as being equal with himself, acknowledging them to be Prophets and Seers.”
After several more hymns, there was a fifteen-minute intermission, during which—the history carefully notes— “none left their seats except a few females, who from having left their infants with their friends, were compelled to do so to take care of them.” When the dedication reconvened, Joseph Smith addressed the congregation. After one more hymn, Joseph read the dedicatory prayer, and then a choir sang a hymn composed specifically for the dedication, “The Spirit of God Like a Fire Is Burning” by W. W. Phelps. The sacrament was administered, and several more brethren, including Oliver Cowdery, Frederick G. Williams, Hyrum Smith, and Sidney Rigdon, shared their testimonies. Then the Hosanna Shout was performed for the first time in this dispensation. Following the Hosanna Shout, Brigham Young spoke in tongues. He was interpreted by Elder David W. Patten, who then also spoke in tongues. Joseph Smith pronounced a blessing on the congregation, and the service concluded at 4:00 p.m.
See “Historical Introduction,” Minutes and Prayer of Dedication, 27 March 1836 [D&C 109].
Verse-by-Verse Commentary
D&C 109:1–5
1 Thanks be to thy name, O Lord God of Israel, who keepest covenant and showest mercy unto thy servants who walk uprightly before thee, with all their hearts—
2 Thou who hast commanded thy servants to build a house to thy name in this place [Kirtland].
3 And now thou beholdest, O Lord, that thy servants have done according to thy commandment.
4 And now we ask thee, Holy Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, the Son of thy bosom, in whose name alone salvation can be administered to the children of men, we ask thee, O Lord, to accept of this house, the workmanship of the hands of us, thy servants, which thou didst command us to build.
5 For thou knowest that we have done this work through great tribulation; and out of our poverty we have given of our substance to build a house to thy name, that the Son of Man might have a place to manifest himself to his people.
The dedicatory prayer for the Kirtland Temple is one of only two temple dedicatory prayers in the current scriptural canon. The other is the dedicatory prayer for the temple of Solomon (1 Kings 8:23–61). The dedicatory prayer for the Kirtland temple mirrors the opening of the dedicatory prayer for Solomon’s temple, which reads, “Lord God of Israel, there is no God like thee, in heaven above, or on earth beneath, who keepest covenant and mercy with thy servants that walk before thee with all their heart” (1 Kings 8:23).
After this opening, the prayer for the Kirtland temple acknowledges the poverty and tribulation of the Saints in Kirtland, who had sacrificed to build the temple. When the Lord commanded the Saints to build the Kirtland temple in 1832 (D&C 88:119), there were only around 150 Saints living in the area, and of those Saints, only ten Church members owned enough property to be taxed by the city. Only a few members of the community had any experience in construction, and none possessed the knowledge necessary to construct a temple according to the specifications given by revelation. Brigham Young later remembered that the Saints were “too few in numbers, too weak in faith, and too poor in purse, to attempt such a mighty enterprise.” But he also recalled “the great Prophet Joseph, in the stone quarry, quarrying rock with his own hands; and the few then in the Church, following his example of obedience and diligence wherever most needed; with laborers on the walls, holding the sword in one hand to protect themselves from the mob, while they placed the stone and moved the trowel with the other.”
When the temple was finally completed, the cost of its construction was estimated to be between $40,000 to $60,000, a tremendous sum at the time. One historian observed that given the meager resources of the time, it was probably the most expensive temple ever built by the Church.
D&C 109:6–21
6 And as thou hast said in a revelation, given to us, calling us thy friends, saying—Call your solemn assembly, as I have commanded you;
7 And as all have not faith, seek ye diligently and teach one another words of wisdom; yea, seek ye out of the best books words of wisdom, seek learning even by study and also by faith;
8 Organize yourselves; prepare every needful thing, and establish a house, even a house of prayer, a house of fasting, a house of faith, a house of learning, a house of glory, a house of order, a house of God;
9 That your incomings may be in the name of the Lord, that your outgoings may be in the name of the Lord, that all your salutations may be in the name of the Lord, with uplifted hands unto the Most High—
10 And now, Holy Father, we ask thee to assist us, thy people, with thy grace, in calling our solemn assembly, that it may be done to thine honor and to thy divine acceptance;
11 And in a manner that we may be found worthy, in thy sight, to secure a fulfilment of the promises which thou hast made unto us, thy people, in the revelations given unto us;
12 That thy glory may rest down upon thy people, and upon this thy house, which we now dedicate to thee, that it may be sanctified and consecrated to be holy, and that thy holy presence may be continually in this house;
13 And that all people who shall enter upon the threshold of the Lord’s house may feel thy power, and feel constrained to acknowledge that thou hast sanctified it, and that it is thy house, a place of thy holiness.
14 And do thou grant, Holy Father, that all those who shall worship in this house may be taught words of wisdom out of the best books, and that they may seek learning even by study, and also by faith, as thou hast said;
15 And that they may grow up in thee, and receive a fulness of the Holy Ghost, and be organized according to thy laws, and be prepared to obtain every needful thing;
16 And that this house may be a house of prayer, a house of fasting, a house of faith, a house of glory and of God, even thy house;
17 That all the incomings of thy people, into this house, may be in the name of the Lord;
18 That all their outgoings from this house may be in the name of the Lord;
19 And that all their salutations may be in the name of the Lord, with holy hands, uplifted to the Most High;
20 And that no unclean thing shall be permitted to come into thy house to pollute it;
21 And when thy people transgress, any of them, they may speedily repent and return unto thee, and find favor in thy sight, and be restored to the blessings which thou hast ordained to be poured out upon those who shall reverence thee in thy house.
If Church members toured the Kirtland temple today, they might be surprised to find that it did not have any baptismal fonts, endowment rooms, or sealing rooms, as are found in Latter-day Saint temples today. The Kirtland Temple was used for a number of different purposes, as explained in verses 6–21 of the dedicatory prayer. In many ways it was a chapel, school, temple, and Church office building, all rolled into one. The temple was used as a multipurpose facility and, in contrast to modern temples, it was open to all people. The first floor of the temple was commonly called the House of Worship, though worship services, including the sacrament ordinance, were held in all spaces of the temple. The second floor of the temple, called the House of Learning, was used primarily for educational purposes. Both the first and second floors had raised stands with four levels of elevated pews dedicated to the offices of the Melchizedek and Aaronic Priesthood.
An early form of the endowment was practiced in the Kirtland Temple. The ordinances that make up the endowment were performed by invitation and took place on the third floor of the temple, which consisted of a series of offices used by Church leaders. The Kirtland endowment was only given to priesthood holders. However, later the ordinances of the endowment were expanded and given to both men and women in Nauvoo. Many elders left records of receiving this early endowment in the Kirtland temple. Artemus Millet wrote, “I was then ordained an Elder, and got my Endowments in the Kirtland Temple and in 1836 went on a mission.” George A. Smith, a member of the Quorum of the Twelve, wrote, “I passed through the ordinances of endowments and received much instruction and many manifestations of the spirit.”
The year before the temple was completed, Joseph Smith counseled the elders of the Church to “tarry at Kirtland until you are endowed with power from on high. You need a fountain of wisdom, knowledge, and intelligence such as you never had. Relative to the endowment, I make a remark or two, that there be no mistake. The world cannot receive the things of God. He can endow you without worldly pomp or great parade. He can give you that wisdom, that intelligence and that power which characterized the ancient Saints.”
D&C 109:22–33
22 And we ask thee, Holy Father, that thy servants may go forth from this house armed with thy power, and that thy name may be upon them, and thy glory be round about them, and thine angels have charge over them;
23 And from this place they may bear exceedingly great and glorious tidings, in truth, unto the ends of the earth, that they may know that this is thy work, and that thou hast put forth thy hand, to fulfil that which thou hast spoken by the mouths of the prophets, concerning the last days.
24 We ask thee, Holy Father, to establish the people that shall worship, and honorably hold a name and standing in this thy house, to all generations and for eternity;
25 That no weapon formed against them shall prosper; that he who diggeth a pit for them shall fall into the same himself;
26 That no combination of wickedness shall have power to rise up and prevail over thy people upon whom thy name shall be put in this house;
27 And if any people shall rise against this people, that thine anger be kindled against them;
28 And if they shall smite this people thou wilt smite them; thou wilt fight for thy people as thou didst in the day of battle, that they may be delivered from the hands of all their enemies.
29 We ask thee, Holy Father, to confound, and astonish, and to bring to shame and confusion, all those who have spread lying reports abroad, over the world, against thy servant or servants, if they will not repent, when the everlasting gospel shall be proclaimed in their ears;
30 And that all their works may be brought to naught, and be swept away by the hail, and by the judgments which thou wilt send upon them in thine anger, that there may be an end to lyings and slanders against thy people.
31 For thou knowest, O Lord, that thy servants have been innocent before thee in bearing record of thy name, for which they have suffered these things.
32 Therefore we plead before thee for a full and complete deliverance from under this yoke;
33 Break it off, O Lord; break it off from the necks of thy servants, by thy power, that we may rise up in the midst of this generation and do thy work.
In this section of the prayer (D&C 109:22–33), the Prophet pleads that angels will protect the Saints against their persecutors. The construction of the temple took place in the midst of serious concerns over the physical safety of the leaders of the Church. Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon were badly beaten by a mob in March 1832, and during the construction of the temple, the Saints constantly feared that mob violence would reoccur. The Prophet was not the only one who prayed for safety from the enemies of the Church. Oliver Huntington, one of Joseph Smith’s bodyguards, remembered how the prayer of one child deeply affected the Prophet:
At a time when Joseph Smith was guarded day and night by his brethren from mob violence . . . he was in a log house at night. Several brethren were with him and were making arrangements as to who should stand guard that night. Joseph was listening to the prayer of a little boy in the room adjoining. The boy prayed for the Prophet, that he might be secure and safe from his enemies, the mob, that night. When the boy had done [sic] praying, Joseph turned to his brethren and told them all to go to bed and all sleep and rest themselves that night, for God had heard and would answer that boy’s prayer. They all went to bed and slept safely until morning undisturbed.
In addition to answered prayers, the Saints also received help from angelic ministers. In his history, Joseph Smith recorded that “Elder Roger Orton saw a mighty Angel riding upon a horse of fire with a flaming sword in his hand, followed by five others, encircle the house and protect the Saints, even the Lord’s anointed from the power of Satan, and a host of evil Spirits, which were striving to disturb the Saints.”
The Prophet and the temple were also protected by mortal defenders. Heber C. Kimball remembered, “We were persecuted and were under the necessity of laying upon the floor with our firelocks by our sides to sustain ourselves, as there were mobs gathering all around to destroy us and prevent us from building the temple. And when they were driven, every man that was in the church, arose, and we took our firelocks, to reinstate our brethren, and in the night we laid upon the floor; we laid upon Brother Joseph’s floor, and upon Sidney Rigdon’s floor, so as to be ready to keep our enemies at bay.”
D&C 109:34–42
34 O Jehovah, have mercy upon this people, and as all men sin, forgive the transgressions of thy people, and let them be blotted out forever.
35 Let the anointing of thy ministers be sealed upon them with power from on high.
36 Let it be fulfilled upon them, as upon those on the day of Pentecost; let the gift of tongues be poured out upon thy people, even cloven tongues as of fire, and the interpretation thereof.
37 And let thy house be filled, as with a rushing mighty wind, with thy glory.
38 Put upon thy servants the testimony of the covenant, that when they go out and proclaim thy word they may seal up the law, and prepare the hearts of thy saints for all those judgments thou art about to send, in thy wrath, upon the inhabitants of the earth, because of their transgressions, that thy people may not faint in the day of trouble.
39 And whatsoever city thy servants shall enter, and the people of that city receive their testimony, let thy peace and thy salvation be upon that city; that they may gather out of that city the righteous, that they may come forth to Zion, or to her stakes, the places of thine appointment, with songs of everlasting joy;
40 And until this be accomplished, let not thy judgments fall upon that city.
41 And whatsoever city thy servants shall enter, and the people of that city receive not the testimony of thy servants, and thy servants warn them to save themselves from this untoward generation, let it be upon that city according to that which thou hast spoken by the mouths of thy prophets.
42 But deliver thou, O Jehovah, we beseech thee, thy servants from their hands, and cleanse them from their blood.
The dedicatory prayer asks for a Pentecostal outpouring upon the Saints (D&C 109:36). This request was fulfilled, and the Saints received a spiritual outpouring never before or since seen in the history of the Church. Joseph Smith recorded in his journal, “The Savior made his appearance to some, while angels ministered unto others, and it was a pentecost and endowment indeed, long to be remembered[,] for the sound shall go forth from this place into all the world, and the occurrences of this day shall be handed down upon the pages of sacred history to all generations, as the day of Pentecost, so shall this day be numbered and celebrated as a year of Jubilee and time of rejoicing to the saints of the most high God.”
The outpouring of the Spirit during the dedicatory season of the Kirtland Temple extended to all ages and both genders among the Saints. Benjamin Brown and Eliza R. Snow both remembered a woman who attended the dedicatory services while holding her two-month-old child. This young mother was unable to find anyone to look after the baby while she attended the service. She pleaded with Joseph Smith Sr. to allow her to attend even though young children were not allowed in the meeting. Father Smith spoke to the doorkeepers, telling them, “Brethren we do not exercise faith[;] my faith is this child will not cry a word in the House today.” Benjamin Brown then observed, “On this the woman & child entered and the child did not cry a word from 8 till 4 in the afternoon. But when the Saints all shouted Hosanna the child was nursing but let go and shouted also. When the saints paused, it paused. When they shouted, it shouted, for three times when they shouted amen, it shouted also for three times then it resumed its nursing without any alarm.”
In another description of a meeting held in the temple, Oliver Cowdery wrote, “The spirit was poured out—I saw the glory of God, like a great cloud, come down and rest upon the house, and fill the same like a mighty rushing wind. I also saw cloven tongues, like as of fire[,] rest upon many, (for there were 316 present,) while they spake with other tongues and prophesied.” Levi Jackman compared the events of the dedication to the New Testament Pentecost, writing, “I believe that as [many] great things were heard and felt and seen as there was on the day of Pentecost with the apostles.” Spiritual manifestations also occurred on the exterior of the temple. Benjamin Brown, writing to his wife Sarah, recorded that on the evening of the dedication, “one saw a pillar or cloud rest down upon the house [as] bright as when the sun shines on a cloud like as gold.”
D&C 109:43–53
43 O Lord, we delight not in the destruction of our fellow men; their souls are precious before thee;
44 But thy word must be fulfilled. Help thy servants to say, with thy grace assisting them: Thy will be done, O Lord, and not ours.
45 We know that thou hast spoken by the mouth of thy prophets terrible things concerning the wicked, in the last days—that thou wilt pour out thy judgments, without measure;
46 Therefore, O Lord, deliver thy people from the calamity of the wicked; enable thy servants to seal up the law, and bind up the testimony, that they may be prepared against the day of burning.
47 We ask thee, Holy Father, to remember those who have been driven by the inhabitants of Jackson county, Missouri, from the lands of their inheritance, and break off, O Lord, this yoke of affliction that has been put upon them.
48 Thou knowest, O Lord, that they have been greatly oppressed and afflicted by wicked men; and our hearts flow out with sorrow because of their grievous burdens.
49 O Lord, how long wilt thou suffer this people to bear this affliction, and the cries of their innocent ones to ascend up in thine ears, and their blood come up in testimony before thee, and not make a display of thy testimony in their behalf?
50 Have mercy, O Lord, upon the wicked mob, who have driven thy people, that they may cease to spoil, that they may repent of their sins if repentance is to be found;
51 But if they will not, make bare thine arm, O Lord, and redeem that which thou didst appoint a Zion unto thy people.
52 And if it cannot be otherwise, that the cause of thy people may not fail before thee may thine anger be kindled, and thine indignation fall upon them, that they may be wasted away, both root and branch, from under heaven;
53 But inasmuch as they will repent, thou art gracious and merciful, and wilt turn away thy wrath when thou lookest upon the face of thine Anointed.
Joseph Smith and the other leaders of the Church were painfully aware that the first command for a temple to be built in this dispensation was given to the Saints in Missouri, not the Saints in Kirtland (D&C 57:1–3; 84:1–5). Intense persecution had driven the Saints in Missouri away from the chosen ground for their temple, and this section of the prayer (D&C 109:47–53) recognizes the suffering of the Saints in that region. Construction on the temple in Kirtland was delayed while Joseph Smith traveled with Zion’s Camp to assist the Saints in Missouri (see D&C 103). Many of the Saints who had suffered from the persecutions in Missouri in turn traveled to Kirtland to participate in the dedication and receive their blessings in the temple. David Whitmer, the president of the stake of the Church in Missouri, was anointed and blessed in the Kirtland Temple.
In the dedicatory prayer the Prophet prayed for the Saints in Missouri to be redeemed and restored to the place designated for the city of Zion (D&C 109:49–51). But the prayer also looks toward the establishment of stakes of Zion throughout the world (D&C 109:39, 59). The redemption of Zion will come in due time. In the meantime, the Saints throughout the world are counseled to gather to the stakes among them.
D&C 109:54–58
54 Have mercy, O Lord, upon all the nations of the earth; have mercy upon the rulers of our land; may those principles, which were so honorably and nobly defended, namely, the Constitution of our land, by our fathers, be established forever.
55 Remember the kings, the princes, the nobles, and the great ones of the earth, and all people, and the churches, all the poor, the needy, and afflicted ones of the earth;
56 That their hearts may be softened when thy servants shall go out from thy house, O Jehovah, to bear testimony of thy name; that their prejudices may give way before the truth, and thy people may obtain favor in the sight of all;
57 That all the ends of the earth may know that we, thy servants, have heard thy voice, and that thou hast sent us;
58 That from among all these, thy servants, the sons of Jacob, may gather out the righteous to build a holy city to thy name, as thou hast commanded them.
The dedicatory prayer for the Kirtland temple also includes a plea for the Lord to bless the leaders of nations and those who are not members of the Church. The prayer is remarkable in that it takes into account those who persecuted the Saints. The Prophet pleaded that “their hearts might be softened” and that “their prejudices may give way before the truth” (D&C 109:56).
Joseph Smith had a fervent desire for others to tolerate the religion of the Saints and for the Saints to tolerate their neighbors of different faiths. In a meeting of the Council of Fifty held several years after the dedication of the Kirtland temple, Joseph Smith spoke at length on the importance of cooperation and tolerance among different religions, stating, “God cannot save or damn a man only on the principle that every man acts, chooses, and worships for himself.” The Prophet continued, “Hence the importance of thrusting from us every spirit of bigotry and intolerance towards a man’s religious sentiments, that spirit which has drenched the earth with blood—When a man feels the least temptation to such intolerance he ought to spurn it from him.”
D&C 109:59–67
59 We ask thee to appoint unto Zion other stakes besides this one which thou hast appointed, that the gathering of thy people may roll on in great power and majesty, that thy work may be cut short in righteousness.
60 Now these words, O Lord, we have spoken before thee, concerning the revelations and commandments which thou hast given unto us, who are identified with the Gentiles.
61 But thou knowest that thou hast a great love for the children of Jacob, who have been scattered upon the mountains for a long time, in a cloudy and dark day.
62 We therefore ask thee to have mercy upon the children of Jacob, that Jerusalem, from this hour, may begin to be redeemed;
63 And the yoke of bondage may begin to be broken off from the house of David;
64 And the children of Judah may begin to return to the lands which thou didst give to Abraham, their father.
65 And cause that the remnants of Jacob, who have been cursed and smitten because of their transgression, be converted from their wild and savage condition to the fulness of the everlasting gospel;
66 That they may lay down their weapons of bloodshed, and cease their rebellions.
67 And may all the scattered remnants of Israel, who have been driven to the ends of the earth, come to a knowledge of the truth, believe in the Messiah, and be redeemed from oppression, and rejoice before thee.
The prayer emphasizes the need to gather Israel, particularly the children of Judah, to their homelands (D&C 109:59–67). While members of the Church are Israelites, either by lineage or adoption (the Lord makes no distinction), the prayer also points out that most members of the Church “are identified with the Gentiles” (D&C 109:60). This wording distinguishes between Jew and Gentile in the same way the Book of Mormon does on its title page—a Jew is a Jewish national, while a Gentile is a person from a Gentile nation. Our joint Israelite and Gentile heritage is an important part of our identity as members of the Church. Every member of the Church can celebrate and find joy in the culture they were born into and the culture they inherit as part of the house of Israel.
Joseph Fielding Smith declared:
Let us also remember that we are of the Gentiles! By this I mean that the Latter-day Saints have come to their blessings through the Gentile nations. President Brigham Young . . . said that Joseph Smith was a pure Ephraimite. This is true; yet Joseph Smith came also of Gentile lineage. So do most all members of the Church. We may boast of our lineage, and rejoice in the fact that patriarchs have declared us to be of Ephraim, but at the same time let us not despise the Gentiles, for we are also of them. If it were not so the scriptures would not be fulfilled.
D&C 109:68–80
68 O Lord, remember thy servant, Joseph Smith, Jun., and all his afflictions and persecutions—how he has covenanted with Jehovah, and vowed to thee, O Mighty God of Jacob—and the commandments which thou hast given unto him, and that he hath sincerely striven to do thy will.
69 Have mercy, O Lord, upon his wife and children, that they may be exalted in thy presence, and preserved by thy fostering hand.
70 Have mercy upon all their immediate connections, that their prejudices may be broken up and swept away as with a flood; that they may be converted and redeemed with Israel, and know that thou art God.
71 Remember, O Lord, the presidents, even all the presidents of thy church, that thy right hand may exalt them, with all their families, and their immediate connections, that their names may be perpetuated and had in everlasting remembrance from generation to generation.
72 Remember all thy church, O Lord, with all their families, and all their immediate connections, with all their sick and afflicted ones, with all the poor and meek of the earth; that the kingdom, which thou hast set up without hands, may become a great mountain and fill the whole earth;
73 That thy church may come forth out of the wilderness of darkness, and shine forth fair as the moon, clear as the sun, and terrible as an army with banners;
74 And be adorned as a bride for that day when thou shalt unveil the heavens, and cause the mountains to flow down at thy presence, and the valleys to be exalted, the rough places made smooth; that thy glory may fill the earth;
75 That when the trump shall sound for the dead, we shall be caught up in the cloud to meet thee, that we may ever be with the Lord;
76 That our garments may be pure, that we may be clothed upon with robes of righteousness, with palms in our hands, and crowns of glory upon our heads, and reap eternal joy for all our sufferings.
77 O Lord God Almighty, hear us in these our petitions, and answer us from heaven, thy holy habitation, where thou sittest enthroned, with glory, honor, power, majesty, might, dominion, truth, justice, judgment, mercy, and an infinity of fulness, from everlasting to everlasting.
78 O hear, O hear, O hear us, O Lord! And answer these petitions, and accept the dedication of this house unto thee, the work of our hands, which we have built unto thy name;
79 And also this church, to put upon it thy name. And help us by the power of thy Spirit, that we may mingle our voices with those bright, shining seraphs around thy throne, with acclamations of praise, singing Hosanna to God and the Lamb!
80 And let these, thine anointed ones, be clothed with salvation, and thy saints shout aloud for joy. Amen, and Amen.
The dedication of the Kirtland Temple featured a number of firsts, including the first time the Hosanna Shout was performed in this dispensation. The word Hosanna is Hebrew for “save, we pray.” Hosanna appears several times in the King James Version of the Bible (Matthew 21:9; Mark 11:9–11; John 12:13). It also appears in the Book of Mormon, shouted by none other than the Holy Spirit. Nephi witnessed that “the Spirit cried with a loud voice, saying: Hosanna to the Lord, the most high God” (1 Nephi 11:6). The Nephites later shouted “Hosanna” after they were delivered from their enemies (3 Nephi 4:32).
After the dedication of the Kirtland Temple, shouting “Hosanna” was incorporated into the early form of the endowment practiced in the temple. In a meeting held in the temple on January 22, Edward Partridge recorded, “Prest. J[oseph] S[mith] Jun., request[ed] Prest. Sidney Rigdon to ask the Lord to accept the performances of the evening, and instructed us, when he was done[,] to shout Hosannah, Blessed be the name of the Most High God.” Bishop Partridge continued, “These things were performed; the shout and speaking in unknown tongues lasted 10 or 15 minutes. During the evening, more especially at the time of the shouting, a number saw visions as they disclosed unto us.”
Since it was first utilized at the Kirtland Temple, the Hosanna Shout has become a cherished tradition among Latter-day Saints at every temple dedication. It has also been used for other special occasions, such as the dedication of the Conference Center in 2000, and in recognition of the two hundredth anniversary of the First Vision in the April 2020 General Conference. It is typically paired with a performance of the “The Spirit of God” by W. W. Phelps, who wrote the hymn specifically for the dedication of the Kirtland Temple. When “The Spirit of God” was performed at the dedication of the Kirtland Temple, it carried an extra verse, not sung today, that connected the Kirtland endowment with the purposes of the temple. The additional verse reads:
We’ll wash, and be wash’d, and with oil be anointed
Withal not omitting the washing of feet:
For he that receiveth his penny appointed,
Must surely be clean at the harvest of wheat.
Footnotes
