Doctrine and Covenants 73

Doctrine and Covenants 73

Historical Context

In a revelation received in December 1831 (D&C 71), the Lord commanded Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon to counter the work of disaffected members like Ezra Booth and Symonds Rider. Assisted by several elders of the Church, Joseph and Sidney were largely successful in dispelling the spread of such falsehoods. Booth and Rider had declined Sidney Rigdon’s invitation to, in a public meeting, defend their claims. After working to quell such opposition, Joseph and Sidney then received a revelation commanding them to return to their work of translating the Bible. Joseph Smith gave the following account of events in his 1838 history, writing,

Myself and Elder [Sidney] Rigdon continued to preach in Shalersville, Ravenna, and other places, setting forth the truth; vindicating the cause of our Redeemer; shewing that the day of vengeance was coming upon this generation like a thief in the night: that prejudice, blindness, and darkness, filled the minds of many, and caused them to persecute the true church, and reject the true light: by which means we did much towards allaying the excited feelings which were growing out of the scandalous letters then being published in the “Ohio Star,” at Ravenna, by the before mentioned apostate Ezra Booth. On the 10th of January I received the following [D&C 73].1

“Historical Introduction,” Revelation, 10 January 1832 [D&C 73]

Verse-by-Verse Commentary

D&C 73:1–6

1 For verily, thus saith the Lord, it is expedient in me that they should continue preaching the gospel, and in exhortation to the churches in the regions round about, until conference;

2 And then, behold, it shall be made known unto them, by the voice of the conference, their several missions.

3 Now, verily I say unto you my servants, Joseph Smith, Jun., and Sidney Rigdon, saith the Lord, it is expedient to translate again;

4 And, inasmuch as it is practicable, to preach in the regions round about until conference; and after that it is expedient to continue the work of translation until it be finished.

5 And let this be a pattern unto the elders until further knowledge, even as it is written.

6 Now I give no more unto you at this time. Gird up your loins and be sober. Even so. Amen.

After a month of preaching throughout the region, Joseph and Sidney had much success thwarting the work of Ezra Booth, Symonds Rider, and others seeking to injure the work of the Church. When Ezra Booth refused to publicly debate Sidney Rigdon, the Ohio Star ceased publishing his letters criticizing the Church. With their work accomplished, Joseph and Sidney were commanded to return to their translation of the Bible. A few weeks after returning to this task, Joseph and Sidney read John 5:29; doing so led to their vision of the three degrees of glory (D&C 76:15–19). The eighteen months following this revelation were filled with many revelations and other special events. During this time, twenty-three revelations were received (these revelations are now found in D&C 73–96). Among which are some of the most doctrinally important revelations given in this dispensation including D&C 76, 84, 88, and 93.

While answering their enemies was important for Joseph Smith and the other leaders of the Church, studying the scriptures brought the most fruitful moments of the Restoration. Translating the Bible helped the Prophet and his associates look deeply at every word and ponder the meanings. Such pondering opened the door to further revelation and instruction. Speaking of the Bible, Joseph Smith later said that we “can mark the power of Omnipotence inscribed upon the heavens, can also see His own hand-writing in the sacred volume; and he who reads it oftenest will like it best, and he who is acquainted with it, will know the hand wherever he can see it.”2

Joseph did not see the Bible as a dead collection of writings but as a portal to living revelation. One reminiscence records him saying, “You may hug up to yourselves the Bible, but, except through faith in it you get revelation for yourself, the Bible will profit you but little.”3

Footnotes

• 1. Joseph Smith— History, vol. A-1, p. 179, JSP
• 2. Letter to the Church, circa March 1834, p. 142, JSP.
• 3. David Osborn’s recollection of an 1837 statement, published in the Juvenile Instructor, 15 March 1892. See The Teachings of Joseph Smith, ed. Larry E. Dahl, and Donald Q. Cannon, 1997, p. 73.