Book of Mormon Evidence: Divine Power Required to Translate

Joseph Smith’s associates didn’t just blindly accept his prophetic calling. Rather, their trust in him was largely based on their personal experiences with his prophetic gifts. Some of these experiences, which will be fleshed out in detail below, involved the peculiar physical and spiritual requirements necessary for Joseph Smith to translate.

Martin Harris Swapping Out Joseph’s Seer Stone

Martin Harris, who for a time acted as Joseph Smith’s scribe, is known to have relayed a story which gives some insight into the Prophet’s dependence upon his translation instruments. As reported by Edward Stevenson in 1886, 

When [Joseph Smith and Martin Harris] became weary, as it was confining work to translate from the plates of gold, they would go down to the river and throw stones into the water for exercise. Martin on one occasion picked up a stone resembling the one with which they were translating, and on resuming their work Martin placed the false stone in the hat. He said that the Prophet looked quietly for a long time, when he raised his head and said: “Martin, what on earth is the matter, all is dark as Egypt.”¹ Martin smiled and the seer discovered that the wrong stone was placed in the hat. When he asked Martin why he had done so he replied, to stop the mouths of fools who had declared that the Prophet knew by heart all that he told him to write, and did not see by the seer stone; when the true stone was placed in the hat, the translation was resumed, as usual.²

Stevenson gave a similar account in a pamphlet he self-published in 1893,³ and another comparable account was reported by Andrew Jenson in 1887.⁴ This story is noteworthy because it shows that Martin wasn’t simply a gullible follower. His actions were not only intended to satisfy his own skepticism about Joseph’s abilities, but also to “stop the mouths of fools” who were apparently fueling his concerns. According to Richard Lloyd Anderson, “Martin’s answer shows how constantly the secretary was on guard against deception.”⁵ 

More to the point, Stevenson’s account, as described by Daniel C. Peterson, argues “against the translation process being either the simple dictation of a memorized text or the mechanical reading of an ordinary manuscript being surreptitiously smuggled into the room.”⁶ Rather, it seems that Joseph’s ability to translate was at least partially dependent upon the translation instruments themselves. If he were only pretending to utilize them, Martin’s test would have detected his fraud.⁷

Joseph’s Need for Spiritual Worthiness

A different story illustrates a similar point. In an interview with William H. Kelley and G. A. Blakeslee, David Whitmer once related the following experience: 

He [Joseph Smith] had to trust in God. He could not translate unless he was humble and possessed the right feelings towards every one. To illustrate, so you can see. One morning when he was getting ready to continue the translation, something went wrong about the house and he was put out about it. Something that Emma, his wife, had done. Oliver and I went up stairs, and Joseph came up soon after to continue the translation, but he could not do anything. He could not translate a single syllable. He went down stairs, out into the orchard and made supplication to the Lord; was gone about an hour—came back to the house, asked Emma’s forgiveness and then came up stairs where we were and the translation went on all right. He could do nothing save he was humble and faithful.⁸

A related but more detailed report comes from David Whitmer’s interview with the Omaha Herald.⁹ Although absent the story of the quarrel, another account—this one directly from Whitmer himself—repeats the sentiment about Joseph’s need for righteousness and humility:

At times when Brother Joseph would attempt to translate, he would look into the hat in which the stone was placed, he found he was spiritually blind and could not translate. He told us that his mind dwelt too much on earthly things, and various causes would make him incapable of proceeding with the translation. When in this condition he would go out and pray, and when he became sufficiently humble before God, he could then proceed with the translation. Now we see how very strict the Lord is; and how he requires the heart of man to be just right in His sight, before he can receive revelation from him.¹⁰

It appears from David’s statements that Joseph’s quarrel with Emma was only one of several occasions where the translation instruments would not function due to a temporary lack of worthiness on Joseph’s part. Thus, another primary witness to the Book of Mormon’s translation had good reason to believe that Joseph Smith wasn’t producing its contents through his own power and abilities.

Scriptural Support

In several ways, these accounts are consistent with the text of the Book of Mormon itself. Some of its passages mention that revelatory devices, like the Nephite interpreters and even the Liahona, needed to be “prepared” by the Lord for their spiritual power to be activated.¹¹ This helps explain why Joseph Smith couldn’t translate when Martin Harris swapped out his seer stone with a similar rock. Apparently, not just any old stone would do. It had to be a stone that was prepared and authorized by the Lord for a spiritually significant purpose.

In addition, several passages indicate that the Nephite interpreters could only be used for righteous purposes.¹² Concerning the Liahona, Alma reported that when travelers were “slothful, and forgot to exercise their faith and diligence” the miraculous power of the Liahona “ceased, and they did not progress in their journey” (Alma 37:41). In a similar way, when Joseph Smith treated his wife with a lack of respect, or when, as Whitmer reported, “his mind dwelt too much on earthly things,” the Prophet had to repent and humble himself before the divinely prepared translation device would regain its revelatory power.

Conclusion

The historical accounts presented in this evidence summary offer a glimpse into some of the reasons that Joseph Smith’s associates trusted in his prophetic calling. Not only did David Whitmer observe the miraculous translation unfold day after day, but he also saw Joseph’s human weakness. Ironically, that very weakness offered evidence that the Prophet’s extraordinary ability was indeed a gift from God; it could be taken away when he wasn’t worthy of it, just as the Book of Mormon warns. 

Similarly, when Martin Harris discreetly swapped out Joseph’s seer stone for an average rock of similar appearance, Joseph saw only darkness—just as Martin expected and just as the Book of Mormon predicted. From his own experience, Martin came to believe that something really was special about Joseph Smith’s revelatory instruments. In some miraculous way, they had been prepared by the Lord for a marvelous purpose.

Some might assume that Joseph Smith was simply pretending to lose his gift to translate on certain occasions, perhaps because he experienced something like writer’s block from time to time. Or it might be speculated that Joseph detected Martin swapping out his seer stone and therefore only pretended to lose a gift he never really possessed.

While such speculations can never be historically disproven, that hardly means they are on solid ground. It is a big leap to assume without any evidence that Joseph noticed Martin Harris swapping out his seer stone. Unlike today’s theorists, Martin was actually there, and he felt his covert action went undetected. Along similar lines, it seems doubtful that Joseph would engage in something as elaborate as a quarrel with his wife, or engage in other repeated acts of negligence and repentance, just to provide an excuse to not translate.¹³ Once again, David Whitmer was personally with Joseph day after day during a significant portion of the translation. He could assess, firsthand, the consistency and authenticity of the Prophet’s personality, mood, mannerisms, and disposition. No one living today has that advantage.

Whatever people may choose to believe nearly 200 years after the fact, it is clear that for David Whitmer and Martin Harris these episodes further solidified their faith (and in Martin’s case appeased any skepticism) in Joseph Smith’s prophetic gift to translate. It should also be remembered that these two men later claimed to behold an angel, who presented the plates of the Book of Mormon to their view, and they also heard a voice from heaven declaring its translation to be true.¹⁴ The interesting accounts presented in this evidence summary are therefore just several of many experiences which convinced Joseph Smith’s associates that he translated the Book of Mormon by the gift and power of God.