Revelation, “Zion” [, MO], 1 Aug. 1831. Featured version, titled “61 Commandment August 1st. 1831,” copied [ca. Sept. 1831] in Revelation Book 1, pp. 94–98; handwriting of ; CHL. Includes redactions. For more complete source information, see the source note for Revelation Book 1.
Historical Introduction
On 1 August 1831, JS dictated this revelation to the elders of the church who had joined him in western . Just a few days earlier, a revelation had designated , Missouri, as the location at which to build the “.” Upon arriving in Jackson County, however, some of the expressed disappointment with what they found. , , , and had been preaching to white settlers in and the vicinity since they were ejected from Indian Territory west of Missouri by February 1831. Despite their efforts, those arriving in Missouri in July found fewer than ten converts, whereas some had expected a burgeoning community of believers and perhaps a settlement that would soon be able to accommodate the migration of church members. Meanwhile, tension arose between and JS. The revelation of 20 July called Partridge to manage the properties of the church and “see to all things as it shall be appointed” by God’s “Laws,” with the assistance of , who had been appointed “an agent unto the church to buy lands.” According to one observer, Partridge argued with JS about the quality of the land selected for purchase. The disagreement apparently generated hard feelings on both sides. Partridge considered JS abusive, while accused Partridge of “having insulted the Lord’s prophet.”
In the wake of this incident and faced with the daunting prospect of actually building the , JS dictated this 1 August revelation, probably at . After addressing the “unbelief & blindness of heart” of and others, the revelation gave “further directions” for the establishment of , as had been promised in the 20 July revelation. The revelation instructed JS to return to , directed those appointed to build up Zion to take the initiative in moving their families to , and encouraged the elders to look beyond the land’s undeveloped condition and focus on its prophesied glory. The revelation also anticipated a major migration to and provided information about the key roles that the and the would play in regulating that migration by making known “from time to time” the “priveliges of the lands,” or the number of individuals that the church community could accommodate. Conferences of elders were to help control the migration as well, providing counsel on who should move.
The original manuscript of this revelation is not extant. later copied the version featured here into Revelation Book 1, the revelation book he was keeping in . Several copies were made in addition to Whitmer’s; , for example, indicated in a 5 August letter to his wife that copies of this and other Missouri revelations were to be carried to Ohio by “our brethren” returning from , and Elizabeth Van Benthusen Gilbert later showed a copy to after Hancock arrived in . also had a copy of the revelation, and it is likely that others made personal copies.
, editor of the Painesville Telegraph, denounced JS and the church in his 1834 book Mormonism Unvailed, which published a version of the revelation “as a specimen of the manner in which the Prophet governs and rebukes his dupes.” Howe’s copy differs somewhat from ’s copy in Revelation Book 1: several phrases included in Whitmer’s copy do not appear in Howe’s, suggesting that Howe’s copy may be derived from an earlier text. Howe also dated the revelation 3 August 1831, which differs from Whitmer’s date of 1 August. Whitmer’s copy, however, was inscribed much earlier than Howe’s copy was published, and it is not known when or from whom Howe obtained a copy of the revelation, nor is it known what textual changes may have been made to Howe’s copy, whether intentional or unintentional. Because Howe’s version may have been copied from an earlier text than the Whitmer version, significant differences between the versions are noted in the annotation that follows.
According to Ezra Booth, the arriving elders “expected to find a large Church, which Smith said, was revealed to him in a vision, Oliver had raised up there.” Instead, they found a congregation consisting of only “three or four females.” For Booth, who left the church in fall 1831, this disappointment was difficult to overcome. Apparently, seven people had actually been baptized in Jackson County by this time, including Joshua Lewis and other members of his family. (Ezra Booth, “Mormonism—No. V,” Ohio Star [Ravenna], 10 Nov. 1831, [3]; Knight, Reminiscences, 9; Whitmer, Journal, Dec. 1831, [1].)
Ohio Star. Ravenna. 1830–1854.
Knight, Joseph, Sr. Reminiscences, no date. CHL. MS 3470.
Whitmer, Peter, Jr. Journal, Dec. 1831. CHL. MS 5873.
Minute Book 2, 10 Mar. 1832; Ezra Booth, “Mormonism—No. VII,” Ohio Star (Ravenna), 24 Nov. 1831, [1]. In March 1832, Partridge admitted in a conference in Missouri that he had a disagreement with JS sometime prior to “a Conference held on this land at which our brs. Edward & Sidney were present face to face”—most likely the 4 August 1831 conference. “If Br. Joseph has not forgiven him he hopes he will,” the minutes of this meeting state, “as he is & has always been sorry.” (Minute Book 2, 10 Mar. 1832.)
The heading that precedes this revelation in Revelation Book 1 records that this revelation was “given to the elders who were assembeled on the land of Zion.”
Booth, who had become disaffected from the church, quoted a portion of the revelation pertaining to Partridge word for word in a 20 September 1831 letter to Partridge, which indicates that Booth possessed a copy. (Ezra Booth, “Mormonism—No. VII,” Ohio Star [Ravenna], 24 Nov. 1831, [1].)
Howe, Eber D. Mormonism Unvailed: Or, A Faithful Account of That Singular Imposition and Delusion, from Its Rise to the Present Time. With Sketches of the Characters of Its Propagators, and a Full Detail of the Manner in Which the Famous Golden Bible Was Brought before the World. To Which Are Added, Inquiries into the Probability That the Historical Part of the Said Bible Was Written by One Solomon Spalding, More Than Twenty Years Ago, and by Him Intended to Have Been Published as a Romance. Painesville, OH: By the author, 1834.
Servent this land is the land of his residence & those whom he has appointed for his & also the land of the residence of him whom I have appointed to keep my storehouse Wherefore let them bring their families to this land as they shall council between them & me for behold it is not meet that I should command in all things for he that is compelled in all things the same is a slothfull & not a wise Servent Wherefore he receiveth no reward verily I say men should be anxiously engaged in a good cause and do many things of their own free will, & bring to pass much righteousness for the power is in them wherein they are agents unto themselves & in-as-much as men are good they shall in no wise loose their reward but he that doeth not any thing untill he is commanded & receiveth a commandment with a doubtfull heart & keepeth it with slothfullness the same is damned Who am I that made man saith the Lord that will hold him guilty that obey not my commandments who am I saith the Lord that have promised & have not fulfilled I command & a man obeys not I revoke & they receive not the blessing then they say in their hearts this is not the work of the Lord for his promises are not fulfilled but wo unto such for their reward lurketh beneath & not from above & now I give unto you further directions concerning this Land it is wisdom in me that my servent should be an example unto the in laying his money before the of the Church & also this is a law unto every man that cometh unto the Land to receive an and he shall do with his moneys according as the law directs & it is wisdom also that it there should be lands purchased in for the place of the storehouse & also for the & other directions concerning my servent shall be given him of the spirit that he may receive his inheritance as seemeth him good & let him repent of his sins for he seeketh the praise of the world & also let my servent stand in the office which I have appointed him & receive his inheritance in the Land & also he hath need to repent for I the lord am not pleased with him for he seeketh to excell & he is not sufficiently humble meek in his heart behold he that hath repented of his sins the [p. 96]
When he began his journey to Missouri, Partridge apparently did not anticipate that he would be asked to stay there. In a letter to his wife, Partridge wrote, “When I left Painesville I told people I was coming back & bid none a farewell but for a short time.” (Edward Partridge, Independence, MO, to Lydia Clisbee Partridge, 5–7 Aug. 1831, Edward Partridge, Letters, 1831–1835, CHL.)
Partridge, Edward. Letters, 1831–1835. CHL. MS 23154.
Matthew 24:45 uses the phrase “wise servant,” and Matthew 25:26 uses “slothful servant.” Both passages were within the section that JS completed in his Bible revision before leaving Ohio for Missouri. On 5 August, Partridge wrote to his wife, Lydia, that he and the other men who were to settle in Missouri were “left to our own agreement how we will manage about getting our families here.” (Faulring et al., Joseph Smith’s New Translation of the Bible, 65; Edward Partridge, Independence, MO, to Lydia Clisbee Partridge, 5–7 Aug. 1831, Edward Partridge, Letters, 1831–1835, CHL.)
Faulring, Scott H., Kent P. Jackson, and Robert J. Matthews, eds. Joseph Smith’s New Translation of the Bible: Original Manuscripts. Provo, UT: Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University, 2004.
Partridge, Edward. Letters, 1831–1835. CHL. MS 23154.
JS’s revision of the book of Genesis, completed in early 1831, included God’s instruction to Adam that men are “agents unto themselves.” (Old Testament Revision 1, p. 14 [Moses 6:56]; Faulring et al., Joseph Smith’s New Translation of the Bible, 63–64.)
Faulring, Scott H., Kent P. Jackson, and Robert J. Matthews, eds. Joseph Smith’s New Translation of the Bible: Original Manuscripts. Provo, UT: Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University, 2004.
Harris’s son claimed in 1875 that Harris gave $1,200 to Partridge for land purchases in Missouri, but no extant contemporary sources corroborate that claim. Indeed, it is unclear what resources Harris had available in August 1831. He had earlier mortgaged his farm to help pay for the publication of the Book of Mormon, which apparently left him with no property to consecrate. However, according to a January 1830 agreement, Harris would have “equal privilege” to sell copies of the Book of Mormon until he was reimbursed for the $3,000 value of his farm. What money he gained from that is unclear, but Harris later recollected that he eventually received from JS “all that I advanced, and more too.” (Obituary for Martin Harris, Ogden Junction [Utah Territory], 16 July 1875, [2]; Martin Harris to Egbert B. Grandin, Indenture, Wayne Co., NY, 25 Aug. 1829, Wayne Co., NY, Mortgage Records, vol. 3, pp. 325–326, microfilm 479,556, U.S. and Canada Record Collection, FHL; Agreement with Martin Harris, 16 Jan. 1830; David B. Dille, “Additional Testimony of Martin Harris,” LDS Millennial Star, 20 Aug. 1859, 21:545–546.)
Ogden Junction. Ogden, Utah Territory. 1870–1881.Ohio Atlas and Lorain County Gazette. Elyria, OH. 1832–1833.
According to the 9 February 1831 revelation of the “Laws of the Church of Christ,” any consecrated “properties” remaining after one received back a stewardship for his or her needs would be used “for the purpose of purchaseing Land & building up of the New Jerusalem.” The revelation referred only to “properties” and did not specify a separate instruction for “moneys.” (Revelation, 9 Feb. 1831 [D&C 42:32–35].)
On 8 August 1831, Partridge paid $50 to purchase lot 76 in Independence from James Gray for the printing office. Lot 59 and the old courthouse were purchased for $371 on 20 February 1832 for the storehouse. (Jackson Co., MO, Deed Records, 1827–1909, vol. A, pp. 114–115, 8 Aug. 1831; vol. B, pp. 32–33, 20 Feb. 1832, microfilm 1,017,978, U. S. and Canada Record Collection, FHL.)
The 20 July 1831 revelation instructed Phelps to “be planted in this place & be established as a Printer unto the Church.” (Revelation, 20 July 1831 [D&C 57:11].)