Blessing for Oliver Cowdery, 2 October 1835

Blessed of the Lord is Brother Oliver [Oliver Cowdery]

3 Oct. 1806–3 Mar. 1850. Clerk, teacher, justice of the peace, lawyer, newspaper editor. Born at Wells, Rutland Co., Vermont. Son of William Cowdery and Rebecca Fuller. Raised Congregationalist. Moved to western New York and clerked at a store, ca. 1825–1828...

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for he shall be made like unto the bow which the Lord hath  set in the heavens: he shall be a sign unto the nations, and shall be an instrument in lifting up an  ensign unto them. Behold, he is blessed of the Lord for his constancy and steadfastness and <in the> work of the Lord:  wherefore, he shall be blessed in his generations, and they shall never be cut off; and he shall be helped out  of all his troubles because he shall keep the commandments

Generally, a divine mandate that church members were expected to obey; more specifically, a text dictated by JS in the first-person voice of deity that served to communicate knowledge and instruction to JS and his followers. Occasionally, other inspired texts...

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of the Lord and hearken unto all his counsels.  He shall be blessed with the blessings of the [ever]lasting hills: with blessings from above and with blessings that  couch beneath; even the hidden things of the ancient mountains: even the records that have been hid from  <the first ages from> generation to generation shall he be an instrument in the hands of his God, with his brother Joseph, of transla ting

To produce a new text through a revelatory, rather than scholarly, process by the “gift and power of God.” In the Book of Mormon, the ancient prophet Mosiah translated records into his own language using “interpreters,” or “two stones which was fastened into...

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and bringing forth to the house of Israel. And blessed upon the mountains shall his feet be, for he shall  publish peace and salvation among all the Gentile

Those who were not members of the House of Israel. More specifically, members of the church identified gentiles as those whose lineage was not of the Jews or Lamanites (understood to be the American Indians in JS’s day). Certain prophecies indicated that ...

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nations, and lo, lo, among the Jews, also, and his name shall be  had in remembrance among all nations, and it shall be said of him, This man is blessed of the Lord, for he  went out in search of the promised land, like Abraham of old, not knowing whither he went, and the  right hand of his God did protect him that he did not stop till his feet stood thereon: therefore, for  this he is blessed and his posterity after him; and when men bless in Israel they shall bless, saying, The Lord  bless thee as he did his servant Oliver

3 Oct. 1806–3 Mar. 1850. Clerk, teacher, justice of the peace, lawyer, newspaper editor. Born at Wells, Rutland Co., Vermont. Son of William Cowdery and Rebecca Fuller. Raised Congregationalist. Moved to western New York and clerked at a store, ca. 1825–1828...

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who sought diligently for the promised land, whereon the city  of Zion should stand: the Lord bring peace and blessings upon thy house as he has upon the house  of this man; for inasmuch as he has done like Abraham, in this thing, the blessings of his father Abraham  shall come upon him. Thus shall his name remain a blessing. And he shall yet do the work of an evangelist  in his day; and Zion shall rejoice for the multitudes that <shall> flow unto her because of him. And he shall be kept  under the shadow of the wing of the Almighty, and he made a polished shaft in his quiver, and lead forth by his migh ty hand. He shall sit in the council

A gathering of church leaders assembled “for consultation, deliberation and advice”; also a body responsible for governance or administration. As early as 9 February 1831, a revelation instructed that “the Elders & Bishop shall Council together & they shall...

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of the patriarchs

An office in the Melchizedek Priesthood with the authority and responsibility to give inspired blessings similar to those given by the Old Testament patriarchs. Joseph Smith Sr. was the first appointed patriarch, ordained in December 1834. According to the...

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, with his brother Joseph, and with him have part in  the keys

In the early church, the term keys referred to JS’s authority to unlock the “mysteries of the kingdom.” Early revelations declared that both JS and Oliver Cowdery held the keys to bring forth “those parts of my scriptures which have been hidden because of...

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of that ministry when the Ancient of Days shall come. Behold, there is no end to the blessings and  glories that shall come upon my brother Oliver

3 Oct. 1806–3 Mar. 1850. Clerk, teacher, justice of the peace, lawyer, newspaper editor. Born at Wells, Rutland Co., Vermont. Son of William Cowdery and Rebecca Fuller. Raised Congregationalist. Moved to western New York and clerked at a store, ca. 1825–1828...

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yet in his days; for he shall have part with me in the keys of  the kingdom of the last days, and we shall judge this generation by our testimony: and the keys shall never be taken  from us, but shall rest with us for an everlasting briesthood

In the early 1830s, often referred to an “order of men set apart for sacred offices”; also referred more generally to power or authority from God. The priesthood was conferred through the laying on of hands to adult male members of the church in good standing...

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[priesthood], forever and ever. Behold, he shall be a choice lawyer in  Israel, both pertaining to the law of God and also the law of the land <man;> for he shall have understanding in these mat ters. He shall be equal in the councils of Israel, for he shall sit in the great assemblys of the house of the Jacob, and by his  understanding shall they be benefited. He shall also stand in the councils of nations and states, and his  voice shall be heard among <in the midst of> the most renowned among the statesmen of the world, and by his superior  intelligence and great wisdom convince them of their errors: thus shall he be reverenced; for he shall be had  in repute even by governors and kings, and stand in the legislatures of nations. And because of the  liberality of his soul shall the poor be benefitted, and their blessings shall rest upon his head. Though  his heart shall desire, above all things, to see the law of God fulfilled, yet because he is ever filled with  charity he shall be quick to forgive the transgressor, when he repents. He shall be blessed with an  abundance of the good things of this earth, even with houses and with lands, and in the fruit of the vine,  the fruit of the olive and the fruit of the field, and in the abundance of cattle, and of horses, and of  asses and of she asses, of sheep, and of goats, of camels, dromedaries, and all swift beasts, and of cha riots in abundance, <with gold and with silver, with diamonds and all precious stones, with brass and with iron, and with the choice platina [platinum];> and of blessings at home and abroad, and of blessings pertaining to right among  the nobles of the earth, in palaces of governors and kings, and in foreign nations, and in kingdoms afar  off unto the utmost parts of the earth, and they shall acknowledge his right and his authority. So shall the  blessings come upon my brother Oliver

3 Oct. 1806–3 Mar. 1850. Clerk, teacher, justice of the peace, lawyer, newspaper editor. Born at Wells, Rutland Co., Vermont. Son of William Cowdery and Rebecca Fuller. Raised Congregationalist. Moved to western New York and clerked at a store, ca. 1825–1828...

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and upon his seed after him, from generation to generation,  unto the latest posterity. These blessings shall come upon him according to the blessings of the prophecy of Jo seph, in ancient days, which he said should come upon the Seer

The Book of Mormon identified a seer as a “revelator, and a prophet also,” specifying, however, that a seer was “greater than a prophet.” A seer could “know of things which has past, and also of things which is to come.” The work of a seer included translation...

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of the last days and the Scribe that should  sit with him, and that should be ordained

The conferral of power and authority; to appoint, decree, or set apart. Church members, primarily adults, were ordained to ecclesiastical offices and other responsibilities by the laying on of hands by those with the proper authority. Ordinations to priesthood...

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with him, by the hand of the angel in the bush, unto  the lesser priesthood

The lower or lesser of two orders of priesthood in the church. Sometimes called the “Levitical Priesthood.” It is named for Aaron, the brother of Moses, “because it was conferred upon Aaron and his seed” in antiquity. This authority holds “the keys of the...

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and after receive the holy priesthood

The greater or higher of two orders of priesthood in the church. Also known as “the holy priesthood, after the order of the Son of God,” “the high priesthood,” and “the high and holy priesthood.” This priesthood held the “right of presidency,” the responsibility...

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under the hands of they <those> who had been  held in reserve for a long season, even those who received it under the hand of the Messiah, while he  should dwell in the flesh, upon the earth, and should receive the blessings with him, even the Seer of the  God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, saith he, even Joseph of old, by his hand, even God. And he shall inherit a  crown of eternal life, at the end; and while in the flesh shall stand up in Zion and assist to crown the  tribes of Jacob; even so. Amen.

Given December 18th, 1833, and recorded in this book October 2, 1835. [p. 12]