Footnotes

1. [1]

   See Account of John, Apr. 1829–C [D&C 7].

2. [2]

   Revelation, Apr. 1829–A [D&C 6:26–27]; see also Revelation, Apr. 1829–B [D&C 8:1, 11].

3. [3]

   Book of Mormon, 1830 ed., 30–31 [1 Nephi 13:28, 32].

4. [4]

   Images and a transcript of the full “Old Testament Manuscript 1” may be viewed here. The copy of the King James Bible that JS used for his revision work, which began in summer or fall 1830, was purchased in early October 1829. A notation on the flyleaf, in the handwriting of JS, reads: “The Book of the Jews and the property of Joseph Smith junior and Oliver Cowdery Bought October the 8th 1829 at E. B. Grandins Book Store Palmyra Wayne County New York Price $3.75 H[o]liness to the L[ord].” This Bible, an 1828 stereotype edition printed by H. and E. Phinney of Cooperstown, New York, is now in possession of the Community of Christ Library-Archives, Independence, MO.

5. [5]

   The translation was not a Bible translation in the conventional sense; rather, it was seen as an inspired revision that included the restoration by revelation of missing texts. In some instances, grammatical or other linguistic changes were made, but in other places modifications elaborated or clarified doctrine. By the time JS stopped working on the translation manuscripts in July 1833, he had revised more than three thousand verses and added phrases, verses, and occasionally even whole chapters to the Bible. He made his most extensive textual changes to Genesis. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints included the revelation featured here as “Visions of Moses” in its Pearl of Great Price, which was canonized in 1880. (Letter to Church Leaders in Jackson County, Missouri, 2 July 1833; see also Matthews, Plainer Translation, chap. 3; Howard, Restoration Scriptures, chaps. 4–6; and Faulring et al., Joseph Smith’s New Translation of the Bible.)

   Matthews, Robert J. “A Plainer Translation”: Joseph Smith’s Translation of the Bible: A History and Commentary. Provo, UT: Brigham Young University Press, 1975.

   Howard, Richard P. Restoration Scriptures: A Study of Their Textual Development. 2nd ed. Independence, MO: Herald Publishing House, 1995.

   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.

6. [6]

   JS’s history, which attempted to place his revelations in chronological order, left this revelation out of the original draft of the history, but William W. Phelps inserted a copy of it after a lengthy description of JS’s arrest and acquittal in the first few days of July 1830. (JS History, vol. A-1, 48; see also JS History, vol. A-1, miscellaneous papers.)

   JS History / Smith, Joseph, et al. History, 1838–1856. Vols. A-1–F-1 (original), A-2–E-2 (fair copy). Historian’s Office, History of the Church, 1839–ca. 1882. CHL. CR 100 102, boxes 1–7. The history for the period after 5 Aug. 1838 was composed after the death of Joseph Smith.

7. [7]

   See Historical Introduction to Revelation, July 1830–A [D&C 24]. JS was in Fayette, New York, on 9 June 1830, at the first conference of the church. By the end of June he was in the Colesville, New York, area, at South Bainbridge, where he was tried on charges of being a disorderly person. (Minutes, 9 June 1830; Knight, Autobiographical Sketch, 2; “Mormonism,” Morning Star, 16 Nov. 1832, 114; JS History, vol. A-1, 44–47.)

   Knight, Joseph, Jr. Autobiographical Sketch, 1862. CHL. MS 286.

   Morning Star. Limerick, ME. 1826–1904.