Selah Griffin was listed in a record of ordinations dated 6 June as one of those ordained to the office of elder. Newel Knight had been ordained an elder previously. (Note on Ordinations, ca. 16 June 1831; Minutes, ca. 3–4 June 1831.)

According to Levi Hancock, Heman Bassett had been one of the elders manifesting unusual spiritual gifts prior to Joseph Smith’s arrival in Ohio, including “receving Revilations seeing Angels falling down [and] frothing at the mouth.” Bassett claimed he “had a revelation that he had received in Kirtland from the hand of an Angel he would read it [and] show the Picture of a crown the Angel declared to be gods then would bare testmony of the truth of the work.” His testimony was apparently convincing, as Hancock added that he “beleived it all like a fool” even though Bassett behaved “like a Babbon [baboon].” Perhaps in consequence of the attempt to regulate such perceived excesses following JS’s arrival in Ohio, Bassett apparently became disaffected prior to the conference. On 24 May the Painesville Telegraph carried this notice: “One of the Mormon apostles, named Basset, a copy of whose commission we published some weeks since, which he pretended he obtained from the clouds, with the seal of God, has recently abandoned the Bible speculation, and declares it to be all a miserable hoax.” Notwithstanding this article, Bassett was apparently present at the 3 June conference, and JS rebuked him directly, saying, “Heamon Basset you sit still the Devil wants to sift you.” (Hancock, Autobiography, 79, 91; “Backing Out,” Painesville [OH] Telegraph, 24 May 1831, [2].)

Hancock, Levi. Autobiography, ca. 1854. Photocopy. CHL. MS 8174.

Painesville Telegraph. Painesville, OH. 1822–1986.

Jared Carter wrote, “While in Kirkland there was some conversation among some of the Elders as though I had ought to be ordained but I informed them not with standing I felt as though it was my indispensabl duty to preach the gospel that I was unwilling to be ordained unless it was by the consent of all the Elders or it should be made known by Revalation for I had heard that newel knights had said that it was not expediant that I should be ordained but it did appear by revelation that god required that I should be ordained.” (Carter, Journal, 19.)

Carter, Jared. Journal, 1831–1833. CHL. MS 1441.

John Whitmer apparently made an error when copying this revelation into Revelation Book 1. He later crossed out the preceding phrase “is not my deciple these things.”

The purpose for this recommend is uncertain. It is not likely that the usage here refers simply to a license to preach, since several of the elders called to preach by this revelation would also have needed such licenses but were not named for the recommend. Three of those named for the recommend—JS, Sidney Rigdon, and Oliver Cowdery—were arguably the most prominent leaders in the church at the time. The fourth, Edward Partridge, was the first bishop called in the church. It is possible the recommend mentioned here was designed to satisfy the demands of the federal Indian agent in the territory west of Missouri. In an 8 April 1831 letter, Oliver Cowdery, then in Missouri, explained that “the agent for The Lamanites is very strict with us and we think somewhat strenuous respecting our having liberty to visit our brethren the Lamanites but we trust that when our brother Parly [Parley P. Pratt] returns we shall have a permit from General [William] Clark who is the Superintendent of Indian affairs west of the Missi[ssi]ppi who must have a reccommend or security before he can give a permit for any stranger or foreigner to go among them to teach or preach.” (Letter from Oliver Cowdery, 8 Apr. 1831; see also License for Edward Partridge, [ca. 4 Aug. 1831–ca. 5 Jan. 1832].)

See Isaiah 60:22. Likely a reference to the New Jerusalem. (See Revelation, 9 Feb. 1831 [D&C 42:9, 35, 62, 67] ; Revelation, ca. 7 Mar. 1831 [D&C 45:66]; and Book of Mormon, 1830 ed., 501 [3 Nephi 21:23–24].)