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Revelation, 20 July 1831 [D&C 57]

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Revelation, 20 July 1831 [D&C 57]

Source Note

Revelation, , Jackson Co., MO, 20 July 1831. Featured version, titled “60 Commandment,” copied [ca. Sept. 1831] in Revelation Book 1, pp. 93–94; handwriting of ; CHL. Includes redactions. For more complete source information, see the source note for Revelation Book 1.

Historical Introduction

A 6 June 1831 revelation instructed JS, , and certain elders to travel to “the land of ,” which God would “consecrate” to his people. It further stated that if JS and Rigdon remained faithful, God would reveal to them the land of their inheritance. Leaving , Ohio, on 19 June 1831, JS reached , Jackson County, Missouri, on 14 July. After arriving in Independence, JS dictated this revelation on 20 July 1831 identifying “the land of Missorie” as the “land of promise.” recorded it in Revelation Book 1 as the “first Revelation given in Missorie.” In Independence, JS and his group—, , , and —met , , , and , who had reached Missouri by January 1831 to proselytize among the American Indians living just west of the Missouri state line. Some of the others assigned by the 6 June revelation to travel to Missouri arrived later in the month—apparently after the dictation of the 20 July revelation.
According to the history JS initiated in 1838, JS spent time upon his arrival in ruminating on the situation of the American Indians living in the “wilderness” across the border. Perhaps because an earlier revelation explained that the city of Zion was to be built “among the Lamanites,” these meditations prompted him to ask questions about when and where the city would be built: “When will the wilderness blossom as the rose; when will Zion be built up in her glory, and where will thy Temple stand unto which all nations shall come in the last days?” In another account, JS remembered “viewing the country” before “seeking diligently at the hand of God”; according to that account, God “manifested himself unto me, and designated to me and others, the very spot upon which he designed to commence the work of the gathering, and the upbuilding of an holy city, which should be called Zion.” The revelation designated as the “Land of Zion,” established as the place at which to build the , and designated the spot on which to build the . It also provided instruction to , who was appointed a in February 1831, and , who was designated in June 1831 as an agent to the church, on purchasing lands and distributing them to church members so that the members could gather in Missouri. It further assigned Gilbert to open a store and to establish a printing operation.
The original manuscript of this revelation is not extant. , who did not go to at this time, later copied it into Revelation Book 1, probably sometime after JS returned to from Missouri. In August 1831, wrote to his wife that “the commandments” given in Missouri would be “carr[ied] home” to Ohio by “our brethren.”

Footnotes

  1. [1]

    Revelation, 6 June 1831 [D&C 52:3, 5]. An earlier revelation indicated that land purchased for “an inheritance . . . shall be called the New Jerusalem.” The Book of Mormon contains references to God establishing the New Jerusalem, or the city of Zion, on the American continent. Nearly a year had passed since a September 1830 revelation had declared, “No man knoweth where the City shall be built But it shall be given hereafter Behold I say unto you that it shall be among the Lamanites.” (Revelation, ca. 7 Mar. 1831 [D&C 45:65–66]; Book of Mormon, 1830 ed., 497, 566 [3 Nephi 20:22; Ether 13:3–6]; Revelation, Sept. 1830–B [D&C 28:9].)

  2. [2]

    William W. Phelps, “Extract of a Letter from the Late Editor,” Ontario Phoenix (Canandaigua, NY), 7 Sept. 1831, [2]; JS History, vol. A-1, 126.

    Ontario Phoenix. Canandaigua, NY. 1828–1832.

  3. [3]

    Revelation Book 1, p. [208].

  4. [4]

    Revelation, 20 July 1831, in Gilbert, Notebook, [34]–[36] [D&C 57]; JS History, vol. A-1, 126; William W. Phelps, “Extract of a Letter from the Late Editor,” Ontario Phoenix (Canandaigua, NY), 7 Sept. 1831, [2].

    Gilbert, Algernon Sidney. Notebook of Revelations, 1831–ca. 1833. Revelations Collection, 1831–ca. 1844, 1847, 1861, ca. 1876. CHL. MS 4583, box 1, fd. 2.

    Ontario Phoenix. Canandaigua, NY. 1828–1832.

  5. [5]

    See Covenant of Oliver Cowdery and Others, 17 Oct. 1830; Letter from Oliver Cowdery, 8 Apr. 1831; Knight, Reminiscences, 9; and Jennings, “First Mormon Mission to the Indians,” 288–299. A 29 January 1831 letter from Cowdery states that they had arrived “a few days since.” Peter Whitmer Jr.’s later account, however, says the group arrived on 13 December 1830. Accounting for the travel time to Independence in the winter, it is highly unlikely that the group, which left Kirtland by 22 November, could have arrived in mid-December, which suggests that Cowdery’s contemporary account is more accurate. (Oliver Cowdery, Independence, MO, to the Church in Ohio, 29 Jan. 1831, in Letter to Hyrum Smith, 3–4 Mar. 1831; Whitmer, Journal, Dec. 1831, [1]; Givens and Grow, Apostle Paul of Mormonism, 42; see also Ezra Booth, “Mormonism—No. VII,” Ohio Star [Ravenna], 24 Nov. 1831, [1].)

    Knight, Joseph, Sr. Reminiscences, no date. CHL. MS 3470.

    Jennings, Warren A. “The First Mormon Mission to the Indians,” Kansas Historical Quarterly 38 (Autumn 1971): 288–299.

    Whitmer, Peter, Jr. Journal, Dec. 1831. CHL. MS 5873.

    Givens, Terryl L., and Matthew J. Grow. Parley P. Pratt: The Apostle Paul of Mormonism. New York: Oxford University Press, 2011.

    Ohio Star. Ravenna. 1830–1854.

  6. [6]

    Rigdon and Sidney and Elizabeth Van Benthusen Gilbert, for example, had decided to go by water from St. Louis to Independence, rather than overland, which delayed their arrival. (JS History, vol. A-1, 126–127.)

  7. [7]

    Revelation, Sept. 1830–B [D&C 28:9]. Early church members sometimes referred to American Indians as “Lamanites.” The history of the people called the Lamanites is told in the Book of Mormon.

  8. [8]

    JS History, vol. A-1, 127.

  9. [9]

    JS, “To the Elders of the Church of Latter Day Saints,” LDS Messenger and Advocate, Sept. 1835, 1:179. The “others” noted by JS may have referred to Harris, Partridge, Coe, Phelps, Cowdery, Whitmer, Peterson, and Williams. Sidney Gilbert’s copy of the revelation bears the notation “1st Commandment recd at Missouri after the arrival of Joseph Smith Jnr=M. Harris Edwd. Partridge=Joseph Coe & W.W. Phelps”—without mentioning himself or any of the others, who may not yet have arrived in Missouri at this point. (Gilbert, Notebook, [34].)

    Latter Day Saints’ Messenger and Advocate. Kirtland, OH. Oct. 1834–Sept. 1837.

    Gilbert, Algernon Sidney. Notebook of Revelations, 1831–ca. 1833. Revelations Collection, 1831–ca. 1844, 1847, 1861, ca. 1876. CHL. MS 4583, box 1, fd. 2.

  10. [10]

    When embarking on his mission to preach to the Indians, Cowdery promised “to rear up a pillar as a witness where the Temple of God shall be built, in the glorious New-Jerusalem.” But it was this 20 July revelation that gave the first clear designation of the temple’s location. (Covenant of Oliver Cowdery and Others, 17 Oct. 1830.)

  11. [11]

    Revelation, 4 Feb. 1831 [D&C 41:9]; Revelation, 8 June 1831 [D&C 53:4].

  12. [12]

    See Historical Introduction to Revelation Book 1.

  13. [13]

    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.

Asterisk (*) denotes a "featured" version, which includes an introduction and annotation.
*Revelation, 20 July 1831 [D&C 57]
Revelation Book 1 Revelation, 20 July 1831, as Recorded in Gilbert, Notebook [D&C 57] Revelation Book 2 Doctrine and Covenants, 1835 History, 1838–1856, volume A-1 [23 December 1805–30 August 1834] Doctrine and Covenants, 1844 “History of Joseph Smith”

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60
Given in Missorie Jackson Co July 20th. 1831 giving directions <​to the & ​> how to preceed concerning purchuseing Lands &c. &c.
Hearken Oh ye of my , saith the Lord your God, Who have assembelled yourselves together, according to my commandment in this land which is the land of which is the Land which I, have appointed & consecrated for the . Wherefore, this is the land of promise & the place for the . yea thus saith the Lord your God, If ye will receive wisdom here is wisdom. Behold the place which is now called is the centre place, & the spot for the is lying westward upon a lot which is not far from the . Wherefore it is wisdom that the land should be purchased by the saints & also every tract lying westward even unto the line runing directly betwen Jew & And also every tract bordering by the Prairies in as much as my Deciples are enabled to buy lands. Behold this is wisdom that they may obtain it for an everlasting & let my Servent stand in the office which I have appointed to receive moneys to be an agent unto the church to buy lands in all the regions round about in as much as can be in righteousness, & as wisdom shall direct. And let my servent stand in the office which I have appointed him to [divide] unto the saints their inheritance even as I have commanded & also them whom he has appointed to assist him And again verily I say unto you let my servent plant himself in this place, & establish a that his he may sell goods without frauds that he may obtain money to buy lands for the goods of the Saints & that he may [p. 93]
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Document Information

Related Case Documents
Editorial Title
Revelation, 20 July 1831 [D&C 57]
ID #
6518
Total Pages
2
Print Volume Location
JSP, D2:5–12
Handwriting on This Page
  • John Whitmer

Footnotes

  1. [1]

    John Whitmer assigned this number to the revelation when recording it in Revelation Book 1.

  2. [2]

    This heading likely did not appear in the original manuscript; John Whitmer likely added it when he copied the revelation into Revelation Book 1. It is not included in other manuscript copies of the revelation. At some point, Whitmer added “Not to be printed at present” to the copy in Revelation Book 1, and the revelation was not printed until the 1835 edition of the Doctrine and Covenants. (Revelation Book 1, p. 93; Gilbert, Notebook, [34]; Revelation Book 2, p. 89 [D&C 57]; Doctrine and Covenants 27, 1835 ed.)

    Gilbert, Algernon Sidney. Notebook of Revelations, 1831–ca. 1833. Revelations Collection, 1831–ca. 1844, 1847, 1861, ca. 1876. CHL. MS 4583, box 1, fd. 2.

  3. [3]

    A September 1830 revelation announced that Jesus Christ would “gether his People even as a hen gethereth her Chickens under her wings.” It also appointed the elders “to bring to pass the gethering of mine Elect.” (Revelation, Sept. 1830–A [D&C 29:1–2, 7].)

  4. [4]

    See Hebrews 11:9; see also Book of Mormon, 1830 ed., 9 [1 Nephi 2:20]. A January 1831 revelation stated that God would lead church members to “a land of promise.” Later that month, Sidney Rigdon was reported to have proclaimed that the “land of promise” extended from Ohio to the Pacific Ocean. (Revelation, 2 Jan. 1831 [D&C 38:18]; Waterloo, NY, 26 Jan. [1831], Letter to the Editor, Reflector [Palmyra, NY], 1 Feb. 1831, 95; see also Howe, Mormonism Unvailed, 110–111.)

    Reflector. Palmyra, NY. 1821–1831.

    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.

  5. [5]

    This courthouse was an almost-completed brick structure built in the center of Independence’s public square. The public square, on which the town of Independence was centered, was situated on the highest point of the gentle-sloped bluffs on the southern side of the Missouri River between the Blue and Little Blue rivers. (Parkin, “Courthouse Mentioned in the Revelation on Zion,” 451–456; U.S. Department of the Interior, Geological Survey Topographic Map: Missouri, Independence, Quadrangle, 7.5 Minute Series, 1996.)

    Parkin, Max H. “The Courthouse Mentioned in the Revelation on Zion.” BYU Studies 14 (Summer 1974): 451–457.

    U.S. Department of the Interior. Geological Survey Topographic Maps. 7.5 Minute Series. 1996.

  6. [6]

    The spot for the temple was on a western promontory of the same bluff as the courthouse but outside the town’s boundaries. Ezra Booth, who arrived in Missouri shortly after JS, wrote that the temple spot was “one half of a mile out of the Town” on “a rise of ground, a short distance south of the road.” The spot was marked at this time during JS’s stay in Missouri, and by the end of the year Bishop Edward Partridge purchased a parcel of land including the spot. (Ezra Booth, “Mormonism—No. VI,” Ohio Star [Ravenna], 17 Nov. 1831, [3]; see also Richard P. Howard, “The Spot for the Temple,” Saints’ Herald, June 1987, 9–10; and Romig, Early Independence, Missouri, 15–18.)

    Ohio Star. Ravenna. 1830–1854.

    Saints’ Herald. Independence, MO. 1860–.

    Romig, Ronald E. Early Independence, Missouri: “Mormon” History Tour Guide. Independence, MO: Missouri Mormon Frontier Foundation, 1994.

  7. [7]

    This apparently refers to the border between Missouri and land to the west occupied by American Indians. An earlier revelation referred to this boundary as “the borders of the Lamanites.”a Both the Book of Mormon and JS’s revelations sometimes identified the “Lamanites” (the name by which JS and his followers referred to American Indians) as Jews.b The Book of Mormon also refers to those Europeans who would colonize the Americas as “gentiles,” as do some of JS’s revelations.c Prophecies in the Book of Mormon stated that, in the last days, those Gentiles who accepted the “fulness of the gospel” would be “numbered” with the “remnant of Jacob”—believed by the Saints at that time to be the American Indians—and would help them build the New Jerusalem. The Book of Mormon also taught that the New Jerusalem “should be built up upon this land, unto the remnant of the seed of Joseph.”d

    (aRevelation, 10 June 1831 [D&C 54:8]. bSee, for example, Book of Mormon, 1830 ed., 117 [2 Nephi 30:4]; and Revelation, ca. Summer 1829 [D&C 19:27]. cSee, for example, Book of Mormon, 1830 ed., 29 [1 Nephi 13:13–19]; and Revelation, June 1829–A [D&C 14:10]. dBook of Mormon, 1830 ed., 36, 501, 566 [1 Nephi 15:13; 3 Nephi 21:22–24; Ether 13:6].)
  8. [8]

    Likely a reference to the land west of Missouri. Early church member Elizabeth Godkin Marsh reported that those who went with JS to Missouri said that “a little beyond Jackson Co[unty] . . . there is one continued prairies to the rocky and shining Mountain.” Likewise, gazetteers portrayed the Indian lands—especially those bordering Missouri—as “fertile prairie land.” The commandment to purchase additional tracts “bordering by the Prairies” apparently meant to purchase not only a strip of land between the temple lot and the border between Jackson County and the Indian lands but additional land along the border. (Elizabeth Godkin Marsh, Kirtland Mills, OH, to Lewis Abbott and Ann Abbott, East Sudbury, MA, Sept. [1831], Abbott Family Collection, CHL; Baldwin and Thomas, New and Complete Gazetteer of the United States, 522; Goodrich, World as It Is, 125.)

    Abbott Family Collection, 1831–2000. CHL. MS 23457.

    Baldwin, Thomas, and J. Thomas. A New and Complete Gazetteer of the United States; Giving a Full and Comprehensive Review of the Present Condition, Industry, and Resources of the American Confederacy. . . . Philadelphia: Lippincott, Grambo and Co., 1854.

    Goodrich, S. G. The World as It Is, and as It Has Been; or, A Comprehensive Geography and History, Ancient and Modern. New York: J. H. Colton, 1855.

  9. [9]

    A June 1831 revelation appointed Gilbert as an agent to the church. (Revelation, 8 June 1831 [D&C 53:4].)

  10. [10]

    Missing text supplied from versions of this revelation in Gilbert, Notebook, [35]; and Revelation Book 2, p. 90. Whitmer also later added “divide” to the manuscript in Revelation Book 1. (Revelation Book 1, p. 93.)

    Gilbert, Algernon Sidney. Notebook of Revelations, 1831–ca. 1833. Revelations Collection, 1831–ca. 1844, 1847, 1861, ca. 1876. CHL. MS 4583, box 1, fd. 2.

  11. [11]

    See Revelation, 20 May 1831 [D&C 51:3]; see also Numbers 33:54. Those previously “appointed to assist” Partridge were Isaac Morley and John Corrill, who were “ordained assistants to the Bishop” in a June 1831 conference. (Minutes, ca. 3–4 June 1831.)

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