Joseph Smith Sr. greets his wife and children after they are reunited in Palmyra, New York. The Book of Mormon prophesies that the latter-day seer, Joseph Smith, would be named after his father. Intellectual Reserve, Inc.

ABSTRACT: While translating the Book of Mormon, Joseph Smith encountered prophecies concerning a latter-day seer who would bring about the restoration of the gospel. Through this experience, he came to understand in a deeply personal way that God’s words—and the words of his servants—are fulfilled. Over time, this process broadened his understanding of his own divine mission.

KEYWORDS: Joseph Smith, Book of Mormon, prophets, Urim and Thummim

One subject quietly interspersed through the Book of Mormon is the prophetic calling of Joseph Smith. Many ancient prophets within the Nephite record foresaw his latter-day work. The Lord’s orchestration of these ancient prophets’ words and works with Joseph Smith is remarkable. Their teachings and prophecies set the foundation for the Lord to establish his covenant once again in the last days and gather Israel.[1]

What did Joseph Smith observe as he began translating the Book of Mormon into English? Did he or Oliver Cowdery (or other scribes) initially understand verses referencing Joseph Smith? What did Joseph think when he discovered that the resurrected Savior told the surviving Nephites in the land Bountiful about him? Did he comprehend what Lehi, Alma, Jesus Christ, Mormon, and Isaiah said about a latter-day seer named Joseph?

We don’t know how these endorsements from past prophets influenced Joseph Smith’s comprehension of his divine role in restoring God’s covenant, but one thing is certain: Joseph Smith had no other gifts granted to him until he completed the translation of the plates (Doctrine and Covenants 5:4). He was first and foremost a translator. Other gifts and responsibilities would come after the coming forth of the Book of Mormon. He had to learn and work through the translation process. At this time, God “gave [Joseph] power from on high, by the means which were before prepared, to translate the Book of Mormon.” The translation of the Book of Mormon “prov[es] to the world that the holy scriptures are true, and that God does inspire men and call them to his holy work . . . ; showing that he is the same God yesterday, today, and forever” (Doctrine and Covenants 20:8, 11–12).

Joseph saw firsthand that the scriptures are true, that God can and does inspire individuals to do his holy work. Joseph learned in a unique and personal way that God’s words and the words of his servants will come to pass. And some words of past generations called attention specifically to him.

As we familiarize ourselves with the Book of Mormon, we recognize significant references in the text that sustain the divine mission of the Prophet Joseph Smith. As we consider the references and the way they are interwoven into ancient prophecies, we sense that they are not egotistical insertions but rather parts of ancient prophecy. In no way could Joseph Smith, given his lack of formal education and inexperience in his new role as prophet, perfectly understand these concepts and his personal ministry. With that lack of understanding he would have failed miserably had he tried to insert prophecies about himself into a record of ancient origin.

I propose that at the time he translated the Book of Mormon, Joseph Smith did not entirely understand his role and work as a dispensational seer. He was learning as he was doing, and the Lord extended experiences to him “line upon line” (2 Nephi 28:30).[2] The translation of the Book of Mormon solidified Joseph Smith’s assurance that he had been called by Jesus Christ. It prepared him to fulfill other roles like prophet, seer, and revelator.[3]

The following references represent the order Joseph Smith (and his scribes in the translation process) would have first seen and heard prophecies specifically about him. The book of Lehi was translated first and may have contained references to Joseph Smith. Any obscure references in Lehi’s account would have been known to only Joseph and perhaps a few scribes.[4] When translation resumed after Martin Harris lost the manuscript, Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery began at what is now Mosiah 1. Excluding what may have been in Lehi’s account, the earliest reference in the ancient record that Joseph may have seen himself in was Alma 37. The translation was completed through the end of Moroni, and Joseph “then translated the Title Page, and finally translated the small plates of Nephi (1 Nephi–Omni) and the Words of Mormon.”[5]

Alma 37:23. “I Will Prepare unto My Servant Gazelem, a Stone.”

Joseph Smith had obtained a divine instrument, the Urim and Thummim, to assist him in translating the ancient record. This ancient instrument had two stones.[6] Joseph Smith also obtained at least one other seer stone at the time of the translation.[7] When he translated Alma 37, he and Oliver Cowdery may have paused to reflect on the following words:

And the Lord said: I will prepare unto my servant Gazelem, a stone, which shall shine forth in darkness unto light, that I may discover unto my people who serve me, that I may discover unto them the works of their brethren, yea, their secret works, their works of darkness, and their wickedness and abominations. (Alma 37:23, emphasis added)

This concept of a stone being an instrument of revelation was not entirely foreign. “For millennia, many people throughout the world have accepted the idea that physical objects can be used for sacred purposes. The Bible affirms that God worked through objects such as the rod of Aaron, a brass serpent, and the ark of the covenant. Jesus later healed a blind man by applying spittle [mixed in clay] to the man’s eyes. . . . Joseph Smith and his family accepted these beliefs.”[8] The Lord always has his ways to confound the wise as his purposes unfold (Alma 37:6‒7). It is important to note that objects of faith for sacred purposes are used today. To name a few, things like scriptures, patriarchal blessings, and temples aid us in revelation. Physical items like the sacrament or temple garments connect us to God.

Gazelam (an alternate spelling) would eventually be one of the code names for Joseph Smith “in early printings of the Doctrine of Covenants.”[9] Indeed, at least one of Joseph Smith’s close associates believed Gazelem was not only the name of the seer stone he used, but Joseph Smith’s name in the pre-earth life.[10]

Joseph Smith used a seer stone not only to aid him in the translation process at times but also to discern the safety of the plates and his own safety.[11] This allowed Joseph to discover the “works of darkness” and the “wickedness and abominations” of those attempting to thwart the Lord’s purposes.[12] He saw that he had, as did the ancient seers, a gift and an instrument to discern light from darkness. He also had divine power to bring forth and help fulfill the word of God.

Later in the translation, Joseph would again get an assurance about “stones” magnifying “the eyes of men” when he read about how the record of the brother of Jared was brought forth to the Nephites (see Ether 3:24).[13] Joseph Smith is to be considered as at least one set of eyes in which the Lord had reference while speaking to the brother of Jared. King Mosiah₂ would have been another set of eyes in which this verse has reference (Mosiah 8:13).[14]

Alma 37:23 is a verse in the Book of Mormon where the ministry of Joseph Smith had an immediate connection. He was a translator at this time, first and foremost (Doctrine and Covenants 124:125), and he had instruments and the power of God.

3 Nephi 21:9‒11. “The Life of My Servant Shall Be in My Hand.”

Another prophecy that Joseph Smith came across during the translation process that might have resonated with him is in 3 Nephi 21. On the second day of the Savior’s personal ministry to the Nephites, he established “a sign” regarding the fulfillment of his covenant to gather Israel. The coming forth of the Book of Mormon would signal that “the work of the Father hath already commenced unto the fulfilling of the covenant which he hath made unto the people who are of the house of Israel” (3 Nephi 21:7).[15] Jesus Christ describes the prophet who would help restore the full gospel in the latter days: a man who will declare God’s work and bring the gospel to the Gentiles. More ominously, a man who will be “marred” by unbelievers but ultimately healed by God:

For in that day, for my sake shall the Father work a work, which shall be a great and a marvelous work among them; and there shall be among them those who will not believe it, although a man shall declare it unto them.

But behold, the life of my servant shall be in my hand; therefore they shall not hurt him, although he shall be marred because of them. Yet I will heal him, for I will show unto them that my wisdom is greater than the cunning of the devil.

Therefore it shall come to pass that whosoever will not believe in my words, who am Jesus Christ, which the Father shall cause him to bring forth unto the Gentiles, and shall give unto himpower that he shall bring them forth unto the Gentiles, (it shall be done even as Moses said) they shall be cut off from among my people who are of the covenant. (3 Nephi 21:9–11, emphasis added)[16]

How did these words resonate with Joseph Smith? To this point in his life and the translation process, he had been forced to relocate for his family’s safety and his own. Others had attempted to shoot him at least once.[17] He had been accosted and physically abused by individuals with evil intent.[18] He had suffered an excruciating infection with brutal surgeries as a young man. Before and throughout the translation process, there were times Joseph and his family lacked enough temporal resources to live.[19] And yet, a way was always provided.

The magnificence of the Lord’s promises to Joseph Smith—that he would receive power to accomplish God’s work in his life and ultimately be healed of all he had endured—would be amplified in Joseph’s life as the years unfolded. He suffered revilings, threats, false charges, and arrests. He shouldered imprisonment and physical fatigue because of his enemies. He was brutally beaten and further shot at. He was deprived of time with his family and with the Latter-day Saints. For twenty-four years he suffered all kinds of afflictions personally and with the body of Saints. Yet the Lord had promised that though Joseph’s enemies would mar him, they would not hurt him. The two words can be used synonymously, but to mar can also mean “to injure,” “to impair the strength or purity of,” “to diminish,” or “to interrupt.”[20]

The Savior blessed Joseph Smith with remarkable physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual stamina. Though Joseph had people constantly trying to interrupt his efforts, and abuse him verbally or physically, he succeeded at restoring the Lord’s church.

The Savior blessed Joseph Smith greatly—even when Joseph’s own mistakes stalled the translation. The Lord healed him when he was “weighed down with guilt and regret” for having given into Martin Harris’s pleadings to take the manuscript. It would take a few months, but Joseph was spiritually healed by the Lord and given the capacity to return to the work of translation.[21] The promise that “the life of my servant shall be in my hand” may have been assuring as well during the translation process, with all of the troubles with family and neighbors that Joseph had to navigate.[22]

Unfortunately, we don’t have a record of how these words in 3 Nephi 21 influenced Joseph Smith at the time of translation or later in his life. It is certain that he would not only suffer but would also eventually be murdered while trying to do the Lord’s will, yet he ultimately received his eternal reward. When Lucy Mack Smith looked on her sons’ bodies the day after they were assassinated, she saw “peaceful, smiling countenances” and wrote that she “seemed almost to hear them say,—‘Mother, weep not for us, we have overcome the world by love; we carried them the gospel, that their souls might be saved; they slew us for our testimony, and thus placed us beyond their power; their ascendancy is for a moment, ours is an eternal triumph.’”[23]

Joseph Smith is now beyond the enemy’s power and has been personally healed by the Lord. Just as the resurrected Lord taught the people of Nephi, the Book of Mormon has indeed come forth and his servant Joseph Smith was able to accomplish what was asked of him.

3 Nephi 22:16. “The Smith that Bloweth the Coals in the Fire.”

The Lord assured the Nephites that scattered Israel would be gathered. Having prophesied of his future servant, the Lord emphasized that in mercy and tenderness he would gather and protect the covenant people in the last days. He specifically quoted Isaiah to the Nephites:

Behold, I have created the smith that bloweth the coals in the fire, and that bringeth forth an instrument for his work; and I have created the waster to destroy. (3 Nephi 22:16, emphasis added; see Isaiah 54:16)

A smith is a worker in metal, one who hammers and forges metals with severe heat. In this verse, the smith the Lord refers to has a work to perform designated specifically to him. He also has an instrument given to him to accomplish the work. In the context of this chapter, the Lord is confirming that in the last days, Zion and her stakes would be established. This work would require a designated servant to lay the righteous foundation for this to happen.

Was Joseph Smith that smith (not because of his last name)? Was he the instrument to help Jesus Christ accomplish the work of gathering Israel and preparing the inhabitants of the earth for the Second Coming? Elder Gerald N. Lund discussed the servant and the instrument in these words: “Joseph was surely the smith who forged the instrument by which the Lord’s people continue to prepare individually and collectively for the Savior’s return—and that instrument is The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.”[24]

Two weeks after the Book of Mormon was published and available for purchase, The Church of Jesus Christ was officially organized. The book and the Church would be forever one.

Mormon 8:14‒16, 25. “Blessed Be He That Shall Bring This Thing to Light.”

Mormon was in a unique position. He had in his possession the records the Nephites were able to preserve. His son Moroni testified that his father made an abridged record and that he, Moroni, would write some additional words and hide it up in the earth. Moroni also promised that those who would receive the record his father compiled should have greater things shown unto them (Mormon 8:1, 4–5, 12). Mormon knew of the latter-day seer Joseph Smith. He may not have known exactly why he was including particular “prophesyings and revelations,” but he had the assurance of the Spirit of the Lord that it was for a “wise purpose” and according to the Lord’s will (Words of Mormon 1:6–7).[25]

Mormon and Moroni’s familiarity with Joseph Smith would have come to them as they studied the records, wrote their abridgments, and received revelations on the matter. It seems apparent that Mormon taught his son Moroni about the one who would bring their record forth in the last days.

And I [Moroni] am the same who hideth up this record unto the Lord; the plates thereof are of no worth, because of the commandment of the Lord. For he truly saith that no one shall have them to get gain; but the record thereof is of great worth; and whoso shall bring it to light, him will the Lord bless.

For none can have power to bring it to light save it be given him of God; for God wills that it shall be done with an eye single to his glory, or the welfare of the ancient and long dispersed covenant people of the Lord.

And blessed be he that shall bring this thing to light; for it shall be brought out of darkness unto light, according to the word of God; yea, it shall be brought out of the earth, and it shall shine forth out of darkness, and come unto the knowledge of the people; and it shall be done by the power of God. . . .

And behold, their prayers were also in behalf of him that the Lord should suffer to bring these things forth. (Mormon 8:14–16, 25, emphasis added)

Moroni states right up front that the plates themselves are of no earthly value and that no one should have them to get gain. It is not surprising then that Moroni, on his third early-morning visit to Joseph Smith in 1823, had to caution him that “Satan would try to tempt [him] . . . to get the plates for the purpose of getting rich.” Joseph was warned by this ancient visitor that his only object in obtaining the plates and translating them was to “glorify God” and to “[build] his kingdom” (Joseph Smith—History 1:46).

Moroni knew that someone was designated to bring the record to light and that the Lord would bless him. To what extent Moroni understood his own future role as a resurrected being acting as a messenger sent from God to Joseph, we don’t know. His stay in the world of spirits and his abode as a resurrected being perhaps prepared him for his future role. President Charles W. Penrose explained: “Angels are God’s messengers . . . , selected according to their capacities for the work required. . . . Angels high in authority have been clothed on special occasions with the right to represent Deity personally.”[26]

Moroni also declared that not only the prophets who had gone before but also the saints should have their prayers answered that the Lord would remember his covenant and extend his promises to those of the last days. Moroni emphasized that the prayers of righteous Nephites and Lamanites had moved mountains, shaken the earth, tumbled prisons, and withstood fiery furnaces and poisonous serpents. Strikingly, Moroni mentions that these great saints also prayed for Joseph Smith (Mormon 8:22–25). Perhaps one example is Enos. He prayed that the Lord would preserve his people’s records for future generations and received of the Lord a promise that it would be preserved. The Lord also told Enos that his fathers before him had requested this. This promise implied a seer would be called upon to translate their records (see Enos 1:15–18).

Given the irreligious environment in our society and the promise of additional scripture to come, Saints today should pray for the preservation and translation of scripture. The Lord promised more, but with conditions (Alma 37:3‒5; 3 Nephi 26:6–9; Ether 4:4‒8).

Ether 5:1‒2. “I Have Told You Things Which I Have Sealed Up.”

Who is Moroni speaking to in what now constitutes Ether 5:1‒2? Chapter 5 seems to be a personal note to Joseph Smith about the plates and who he could show them to by the wisdom of God:

And now I, Moroni, have written the words which were commanded me, according to my memory; and I have told you the things which I have sealed up; therefore touch them not in order that ye may translate; for that thing is forbidden you, except by and by it shall be wisdom in God.

And behold, ye may be privileged that ye may show the plates unto those who shall assist to bring forth this work. (Ether 5:1‒2, emphasis added)

Interestingly, Moroni says he is writing these words from memory. We don’t have the situation and time in which they were recorded, but he emphasizes they were words that he was commanded to write: First, that Joseph Smith not touch the sealed portion or he would forfeit the power to translate.[27] At or near the end of the translation of the Book of Mormon, the Lord confirmed that Joseph kept this charge: “He has translated the book, even that part which I have commanded him,” adding, “and as your Lord and your God liveth it is true” (Doctrine and Covenants 17:6).

Second, that Joseph Smith would be joined by “three witnesses” (Ether 5:4) who would “assist to bring forth this work” (Ether 5:2).[28] Moroni was perhaps shown more about the coming forth of the Book of Mormon than we have in his writings. He knew from earlier records that Joseph of Egypt declared that this latter-day seer would be called after his name—Joseph (2 Nephi 3:14–15). But did he know the names of the Three Witnesses? Did he know of their faithfulness as witnesses or their estrangement from the Church? Though we don’t know what he knew, he does include that they would be “received into the kingdom of God” if they would repent and return to Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ (Ether 5:5).

If Joseph Smith had the plates from September 22, 1827, until about July 1, 1829, he shouldered the responsibility for their keeping for nearly twenty months.[29] He would later testify concerning his time being personally in charge of the plates, that even though “the most strenuous exertions were used to get them from me . . . , by the wisdom of God, they remained safe in my hands, until I had accomplished by them what was required at my hand” (Joseph Smith—History 1:60). He wasn’t privileged to show the plates to the Three Witnesses until sometime in June 1829. And when it happened, Moroni was directly involved, as was the voice of Jesus Christ.[30] Moroni was sure of his own role when he ended Ether 5 with “I have authority when ye shall see me, and we shall stand before God at the last day” (Ether 5:6).

Did these few verses in what is now Ether 5 reassure Joseph Smith that he would have help and further witnesses to what was unfolding?[31] What did he feel when they were translated? What did Oliver Cowdery think? From what we know about the translation timeline, Ether 5 was translated before Doctrine and Covenants 17, a revelation designating the Three Witnesses. Whatever was felt or discussed, when the Witnesses were granted “a view of the plates” [32] and other marvelous things, Joseph Smith was relieved. He did not have to stand alone, as Ether 5 had assured him.

Today, millions help relieve Joseph Smith (and the Three Witnesses) of that burden. They don’t stand alone. The Lord has numberless witnesses assisting in this work.

2 Nephi 3:6‒16, 24. “A Choice Seer . . . Bringing to Pass Much Restoration.”

It is helpful to study 2 Nephi 3 with the Joseph Smith Translation of Genesis 50:24‒38. The additional knowledge seems to confirm that Lehi had all, or excerpts, of Joseph of Egypt’s record on the plates of brass. We know that the brass plates contained Lehi’s genealogy, which showed that he was a descendant of Joseph of Egypt. Because of the knowledge the plates contained, Lehi was “filled with the Spirit, and began to prophesy concerning his seed” (1 Nephi 5:17). He and his son Nephi “searched them and found that they were desirable; yea, even of great worth” (1 Nephi 5:21).

Lehi was trying to teach his youngest son about Joseph Smith, who in the last days would help the Lord reestablish the gospel covenants and restore the promised blessings to all Heavenly Father’s children. Lehi was using another great seer’s writings and prophecies (Joseph of Egypt) to establish the truth and certainty of what he was teaching:

Yea, Joseph truly said: Thus saith the Lord unto me: A choice seer will I raise up out of the fruit of thy loins; and he shall be esteemed highly among the fruit of thy loins. And unto him will I give commandment that he shall do a work for the fruit of thy loins, his brethren, which shall be of great worth unto them, even to the bringing of them to the knowledge of the covenants which I have made with thy fathers.

And I will give unto him a commandment that he shall do none other work, save the work which I shall command him. And I will make him great in mine eyes; for he shall do my work.

And he shall be great like unto Moses, whom I have said I would raise up unto you, to deliver my people, O house of Israel.

And Moses will I raise up, to deliver thy people out of the land of Egypt.

But a seer will I raise up out of the fruit of thy loins; and unto him will I give power to bring forth my word unto the seed of thy loins—and not to the bringing forth my word only, saith the Lord, but to the convincing them of my word, which shall have already gone forth among them. . . .

And thus prophesied Joseph [of Egypt], saying: Behold, that seer will the Lord bless; and they that seek to destroy him shall be confounded; for this promise, which I have obtained of the Lord, of the fruit of my loins, shall be fulfilled. Behold, I am sure of the fulfilling of this promise;

And his name shall be called after me; and it shall be after the name of his father. And he shall be like unto me; for the thing, which the Lord shall bring forth by his hand, by the power of the Lord shall bring my people unto salvation.

Yea, thus prophesied Joseph: I am sure of this thing, even as I am sure of the promise of Moses; for the Lord hath said unto me, I will preserve thy seed forever. . . .

And there shall rise up one mighty among them, who shall do much good, both in word and in deed, being an instrument in the hands of God, with exceeding faith, to work mighty wonders, and do that thing which is great in the sight of God, unto the bringing to pass much restoration unto the house of Israel, and unto the seed of thy brethren. (2 Nephi 3:7–11, 14–16, 24, emphasis added)

Joseph of Egypt had been shown what would happen in the dispensation of the fulness of times, and Lehi believed his great ancestor’s words. Lehi’s own revelations confirm that he too understood that the Lord would remember his posterity. For this to happen, a great seer would need to be raised up—a seer like unto Moses, Joseph of Egypt, and Enoch.

The knowledge of Joseph Smith’s ministry in the last days was not a secret to prophets in past generations. Enoch was promised that in the last days, the Lord would send down righteousness out of heaven and truth from out of the earth, and that this truth from “out of the earth” would “bear testimony” of his “Only Begotten” and “his resurrection from the dead” (Moses 7:62). The Book of Mormon, brought forth and proclaimed by the Lord’s servants in the last days, is fulfilling this prophecy. Enoch would have known the necessity of seers and angels for this to occur.

Joseph of Egypt was visited of the Lord and given a promise concerning the restoration of the gospel in the last days (Joseph Smith Translation, Genesis 50:26–30). It could simply be stated, “A knowledge of Joseph Smith and his role as the great prophet of the Restoration was had by many of the ancient prophets, but to none was it known in greater detail than to his progenitor, Jacob’s son Joseph. Here the latter-day Joseph was referred to as a ‘choice seer’ unto the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh.”[33]

Contemporaries to Joseph Smith and those who followed him in the succession of priesthood keys knew the divine mission of Joseph Smith through scripture and by personal revelation. John Taylor said of Joseph Smith, “God called him to occupy the position that he did . . . thousands of years ago before this world was formed.”[34] The prophecies of Lehi, Joseph of Egypt, Enoch, and many others align with John Taylor’s statement.

Joseph and Oliver received divine assurances that what they were doing was aligning with ancient prophecy—namely, asking questions about baptism that were answered by a visitation of John the Baptist. Also they said that during the translation process and after having received baptism, their minds were “enlightened, [and] we began to have the scriptures laid open to our understandings, and the true meaning and intention of their more mysterious passages revealed unto us in a manner which we never could attain to previously, nor ever before had thought of” (Joseph Smith—History 1:74). Oliver Cowdery was in awe as he sat with the choice seer at this time. He left on record that “these were days never to be forgotten.”[35]

During his twelve years of estrangement from the Church, Oliver Cowdery never accused Joseph of fraud or deception during the translation of the Book of Mormon. He knew that Joseph was this choice seer. He knew that their early experiences together with the translation, the visitation of resurrected beings, and the voice of the Lord complemented what they had learned from the words of Lehi to his son Joseph. Joseph of Egypt saw the last days, saw a great seer in those days, and knew that the seer’s name would be Joseph. As Joseph Smith was translating this portion of the record, he (and Oliver Cowdery) likely would have recognized the fulfillment of the Lord’s promise to Joseph of Egypt; they were living it.

One other Joseph noted in 2 Nephi 3 is Joseph Smith Sr. We can only curiously wonder if Joseph Smith Jr. and Oliver Cowdery shared the following line about the choice seer in a private way with Joseph Smith Sr. before the Book of Mormon was published: “And his name shall be called after me; and it shall be after the name of his father” (2 Nephi 3:15). Regardless, we have another direct reference to Joseph Smith (and his father) in the Book of Mormon.

Asael Smith, Joseph Smith’s grandfather “predicted that there would be a prophet raised up in his family.” Joseph said that “after having received the Book of Mormon and read it nearly through, . . . [my grandfather] declared that I was the very prophet that he had long known, would come in his family.”[36] These verses, the prediction of his grandfather, and the translation process confirmed fulfillment.

2 Nephi 21:1. “There Shall Come Forth a Rod.”

The next reference that applies to Joseph Smith’s role as prophet comes from Isaiah, whom Nephi quotes quite extensively in his record. It should also be remembered that when quoting several verses to Joseph Smith in 1823, Moroni also quoted Isaiah 11, “saying that it was about to be fulfilled” (Joseph Smith—History 1:40). A portion of Isaiah reads: “And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots” (2 Nephi 21:1). With the help of Doctrine and Covenants 113, we can assume that the rod in Isaiah 11:1 (2 Nephi 21:1) is Joseph Smith.

Upon his arrival at Far West, Missouri, in March of 1838, Joseph Smith was approached by some inquisitive Latter-day Saints who asked him about some verses in Isaiah, chapters 11 and 52. Poverty-stricken Saints who had been driven from their homes in Ohio and other parts of Missouri were gathering in and around Far West. Undoubtedly this was a very difficult time for the Church. Everyone’s temporal resources were thin, and some of the early leaders of the Church were apostatizing. Some may have even thought that the Church was disintegrating. But not Joseph Smith and not a strong collective force of faithful Saints.[37]

The questions and answers revealed in the March 1838 revelation addressed Isaiah 11:1 (2 Nephi 21:1):

Who is the Stem of Jesse spoken of in the 1st, 2d, 3d, 4th, and 5th verses of the 11th chapter of Isaiah? Verily thus saith Lord: It is Christ. What is the rod spoken of in the first verse of the 11th chapter of Isaiah, that should come of the Stem of Jesse? Behold, thus saith the Lord: It is a servant in the hands of Christ, who is partly a descendant of Jesse as well as of Ephraim, or the house of Joseph, on whom there is laid much power. (Doctrine and Covenants 113:1–4, emphasis added)

If we echo back to 3 Nephi 21:10, we are reminded that Jesus Christ said, “The life of my servant shall be in my hand.” Isaiah saw that this rod, this servant, would have much power given to him. On the day the Church was organized, eight years before the Far West revelation, the Lord confirmed his feelings about Joseph Smith. He told the body of the Church that Joseph was “being inspired of the Holy Ghost,” adding, “Him have I inspired to move the cause of Zion in mighty power for good, and his diligence I know, and his prayers I have heard” (Doctrine and Covenants 21:2, 7). Contemporaries of Joseph Smith were eyewitnesses of power being granted to him.

Of all the verses identifying Joseph Smith in the Book of Mormon, I believe this one may have been least understood by Joseph and Oliver during the translation, unless Moroni specifically told Joseph in 1823 when he quoted this verse to him that he was the rod—the servant. What Joseph and Oliver would later experience in the Kirtland Temple on April 3, 1836, and the revelation Joseph received in March 1838, would have clarified 2 Nephi 21:1 (also Isaiah 11:1). It was in the Kirtland Temple and under the hands of Elijah that the “keys of this dispensation [were] committed into [Joseph’s] hands” (Doctrine and Covenants 110:16). This is one of the meanings of the phrase “on whom there is laid much power” (Doctrine and Covenants 113:4).

After eight years of presiding over the Church, why didn’t Joseph Smith clearly insert his name as the servant mentioned in Doctrine and Covenants 113? One Latter-day Saint scholar, Sidney B. Sperry, suggested that “out of modesty, [he] hesitated to name himself directly.”[38] But by 1838 Joseph Smith knew who he was and the station he occupied for the Lord. Before his exodus from Kirtland, Ohio, and a few months before the March 1838 revelation (Doctrine and Covenants 113), Joseph addressed a letter to John Corrill and the Church in Missouri from “Joseph Smith Jr.[,] Prest of the Church of Christ of Latter Day Saints in all the world.”[39] Joseph knew he was “a servant in the hands of Christ” (Doctrine and Covenants 113:4).

2 Nephi 27:6‒22. “The Book Should Be Delivered unto a Man.”

Nearing the end of the translation process, Joseph came across another reference in Nephi’s record that may have struck him with peculiar interest: 2 Nephi 27. At this point in the translation, Nephi’s and Isaiah’s prophetic utterances in many regards had been fulfilled; Joseph had received the words of a slumbering nation and was working on bringing them forth unto all the world. Martin Harris’s experience with Charles Anthon and others had already occurred.[40] It was shortly after these verses were translated that the Three Witnesses saw the gold plates and the angel Moroni, assuring the world of Isaiah’s description of the coming forth of the Book of Mormon. Nephi recorded:

And it shall come to pass that the Lord God shall bring forth unto you the words of a book, and they shall be the words of them which have slumbered. And behold the book shall be sealed; and in the book shall be a revelation from God, from the beginning of the world to the ending thereof.

Wherefore, because of the things which are sealed up, the things which are sealed shall not be delivered in the day of the wickedness and abominations of the people. Wherefore the book shall be kept from them. But the book shall be delivered unto a man, and he shall deliver the words of the book, which are the words of those who have slumbered in the dust, and he shall deliver these words unto another; But the words which are sealed he shall not deliver, neither shall he deliver the book. For the book shall be sealed by the power of God. . . .

Wherefore, at that day when the book shall be delivered unto the man of whom I have spoken, the book shall be hid from the eyes of the world, that the eyes of none shall behold it save it be that three witnesses shall behold it, by the power of God, besides him to whom the book shall be delivered; and they shall testify to the truth of the book and the things therein. And there is none other which shall view it, save it be a few according to the will of God, to bear testimony of his word unto the children of men; for the Lord God hath said that the words of the faithful should speak as if it were from the dead.

Wherefore, the Lord God will proceed to bring forth the words of the book; and in the mouth of as many witnesses as seemeth him good will he establish his word; and wo be unto him that rejecteth the word of God! But behold, it shall come to pass that the Lord God shall say unto him to whom he shall deliver the book: Take these words which are not sealed and deliver them to another, that he may show them unto the learned, saying: Read this, I pray thee. And the learned shall say: Bring hither the book, and I will read them.

And now, because of the glory of the world and to get gain will they say this, and not for the glory of God. And the man shall say: I cannot bring the book, for it is sealed. Then shall the learned say: I cannot read it. Wherefore it shall come to pass, that the Lord God will deliver again the book and the words thereof to him that is not learned; and the man that is not learned shall say: I am not learned.

Then shall the Lord God say unto him: The learned shall not read them, for they have rejected them, and I am able to do mine own work. (2 Nephi 27:6–10, 12–20, emphasis added)

Joseph knew some details of what transpired during Martin Harris’s trip to New York and his meeting with scholars, particularly Charles Anthon (see Joseph Smith—History 1:63–65). “For a variety of reasons, not the least of which was the resentment of his wife, Lucy, at his growing involvement, Harris persuaded Joseph to let him take a transcription to New York City, as historian B. H. Roberts wrote, ‘to submit them to men of learning for their inspection.’”[41]

These reasons aside, Martin Harris helped Joseph Smith move to Susquehanna, Pennsylvania, in December 1828. He had by this time become a believer in Joseph Smith’s First Vision. He had also provided Joseph and Emma with fifty dollars to help with their temporal needs. Early records show that “because of his faith and this rightheous deed the Lord appeared unto him in a vision and shewed unto him his marvilous work which he was about to do and he imediately came to Suquehannah and said the Lord had shown him that he must go to new York City with some of the characters.”[42] Martin Harris was an instrument for the Lord to fulfill prophecy.

Did Joseph Smith see that 2 Nephi 27 was partially and nearly fulfilled at this time of translation?

• The book was delivered to him.
• He gave some of the words of the book to Martin Harris.
• Charles Anthon was the learned man.
• Joseph Smith was he that was not learned (see 2 Nephi 27:9, 15–20).

The Lord was able to show forth his great wisdom and power in bringing forth the Book of Mormon under the hands, heart, and mind of a humble seer. He has, he is, and he will do his work and reveal his mysteries, by and to those who fear him and “serve [him] in righteousness and in truth” (Doctrine and Covenants 76:5).

Conclusion

The eight selections identified in this article represent Joseph Smith in the Book of Mormon. As the translation process proceeded, Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery would have discerned that Joseph Smith was known by ancient prophets and seers. They wrote of him. They taught of his ministry in the last days. They foresaw that an appointed and anointed servant would be called as the Lord once again established his covenant, set up his ensign, and sought to gather scattered Israel.

It should be no surprise that on September 21, 1823, when Moroni first visited a seventeen-year-old boy, he called him by name. Later in his life, Joseph Smith did matter-of-factly say, “I did translate the Book of Mormon by the gift and power of God, and it is before the world, and all the powers of earth and hell can never rob me of the honour of it.”[43] From the foregoing material, I propose that the translation of the Book of Mormon further prepared, sustained, and comforted Joseph Smith in his role as a great dispensational seer. He would shoulder the Restoration and his “appointment [to] restore all things” with great fortitude (Doctrine and Covenants 132:40).

Elder Neil L. Andersen confidently declared, “In our society beyond the veil of death, we will clearly understand the sacred calling and divine mission of the Prophet Joseph Smith.”[44] But appreciating and better understanding that sacred calling and divine mission doesn’t have to be delayed until then. Anyone with intellectual and spiritual eagerness can discover the distinctive ministry of Joseph Smith, and that distinctive ministry can be discovered in the Book of Mormon.

Notes

[1] Several verses in the Book of Mormon confirm that the coming forth of the Book of Mormon signaled the Restoration and the gathering of Israel. See 2 Nephi 27 and 3 Nephi 21 as examples. President Russell M. Nelson declared, “The coming forth of the Book of Mormon is a sign to the entire world that the Lord has commenced to gather Israel and fulfill the covenants He made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (see Genesis 12:2–3; 3 Nephi 21; 29). The Book of Mormon declares the doctrine of the gathering (see, for example, 1 Nephi 10:14). It causes people to learn about Jesus Christ, to believe His gospel, and to join His Church. In fact, if there were no Book of Mormon, the promised gathering of Israel would not occur” (“The Future of the Church: Preparing the World for the Savior’s Second Coming,” Ensign, April 2020, 15).

[2] These experiences included several angelic visitations. Moroni played a vital role in Joseph’s first gift as translator.

[3] Particularly his ordination to “go forth and deliver [the Lord’s] words unto the children of men” (Doctrine and Covenants 5:6).

[4] Although we don’t know if any direct statement concerning Joseph Smith was in the book of Lehi, Nephi quotes his father in his own book. Lehi taught about the prophecy made by Joseph of Egypt, that a latter-day seer named Joseph would succeed at “bringing to pass much restoration unto the house of Israel” (2 Nephi 3:24; see Joseph Smith Translation, Genesis 50:24–38).

[5] John W. Welch and Tim Rathbone, “Book of Mormon Translation by Joseph Smith,” in Encyclopedia of Mormonism, ed. Daniel H. Ludlow (Macmillan, 1992), 1:210–13.

[6] See Bible Dictionary, under “Urim and Thummim.”

[7] “Seer Stones,” Church History Topics, www.churchofjesuschrist.org; see Michael Hubbard MacKay and Nicholas J. Frederick, Joseph Smith’s Seer Stones (Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University; Deseret Book, 2016); and “Book of Mormon Translation,” Church History Topics, www.churchofjesuschrist.org.

[8] “Seer Stones,” www.churchofjesuschrist.org. An Old Testament example of another object related to prophecy was the silver cup that Joseph of Egypt divined (see Genesis 44:1‒5).

[9] Scott C. Esplin, “‘Millions Shall Know Brother Joseph Again’: Joseph Smith’s Place Among the Prophets,” in Joseph Smith and the Doctrinal Restoration: The 34th Annual Sidney B. Sperry Symposium, ed. W. Jeffrey Marsh (Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University, 2005); see Joseph Fielding McConkie and Robert L. Millet, Doctrinal Commentary on the Book of Mormon, 4 vols. (Deseret Book, 2007).

[10] William W. Phelps stated that Joseph Smith’s original name was Gazelem. “In 1855, when trying to write from memory the sermon that he had delivered at Joseph’s funeral, Phelps penned, ‘Joseph Smith, who was Gazelam in the spirit world, was, and is, and will be in the progress of Eternity:—The Prince of Light. ’Tis so; and who can dispute it?’” Mark Ashurst-McGee, “A Pathway to Prophethood: Joseph Smith Junior as Rodsman, Village Seer, and Judeo-Christian Prophet” (master’s thesis, Utah State University, 2000), 271. Elder Bruce R. McConkie was open to Alma 37:23 being one possible reference to the prophet Joseph Smith. Admittedly, he also observed that Gazelem could be a “title having to do with power to translate ancient records and that Alma’s reference was to some Nephite prophet who brought the book of Ether to light in the golden era of Nephite history.” Mormon Doctrine, 2nd ed. (Bookcraft, 1966), 307.

[11] See Lucy Mack Smith, History, 1844–1845, bk. 6, p. 1, www.josephsmithpapers.org.

[12] Mark Ashurst-McGee stated: “On a symbolic level, Joseph’s translation of the Book of Mormon brought into the light the dark and secret works of evil ancients” (“Pathway to Prophethood,” 273).

[13] A confounded language required Interpreters, or the Urim and Thummim, for translation; Nephite recordkeepers used these terms interchangeably.

[14] In Ether 4:5, Moroni is commanded to seal up the writings of the brother of Jared with the interpreters. Nephite recordkeepers preserved them for over five hundred years.

[15] For useful context, first read 3 Nephi 20:24–33, 46.

[16] Respectfully I note that gospel scholar Victor L. Ludlow suggests at least four possibilities who this servant might be: (1) It may “refer to Israel as a whole” (Isaiah—Prophet, Seer, and Poet [Deseret Book, 1982], 438); (2) Perhaps it could be “the same servant described throughout Isaiah 53. If so, these verses describe Christ, his great works, and the persecutions and suffering he endured” (p. 439); (3) It could refer to Joseph Smith, the Prophet of the Restoration: “As the Savior comments upon these verses later in 3 Nephi 21:7–11, it appears obvious that he is not talking about himself, but about his servant” (p. 439); (4) Maybe it refers to “another modern prophet” (p. 440). I hold that verse 11 emphasizes it is Joseph Smith. The context of the chapter is the coming forth of the Book of Mormon.

[17] See Lucy Mack Smith, History of Joseph Smith by His Mother (Covenant Communications, 2009) 67–68.

[18] Read accounts of when Joseph obtained the plates in September 1827. One example is Saints: The Story of the Church of Jesus Christ in the Latter Days, vol 1, The Standard of Truth, 1815–1846 (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 2018) 40–41.

[19] Josiah Stowell, Emma’s family, and others helped Joseph and Emma with temporal needs.

[20] Webster’s Dictionary 1828—Online, under “mar.,” https://webstersdictionary1828.com.

[21] See Saints, 1:54–55.

[22] See Saints, vol. 1, chap. 6.

[23] Lucy Mack Smith, History of Joseph Smith, 325.

[24] Gerald N. Lund, “A Prophet for the Fulness of Times,” Ensign, January 1997, 52.

[25] He testifies that he finished his record “according to the knowledge and the understanding which God [had given him]” (Words of Mormon 1:9).

[26] Charles W. Penrose, “Who and What Are the Angels?,” Improvement Era 15, no.10 (August 1912): 950. Moroni would need to be familiar with many ancient scriptures to fulfill his role as a messenger of God to Joseph Smith. Some of those scriptures he did not have in his possession in mortality. For example, Moroni quotes to Joseph Acts 3:22–23, a scriptural record he would not have been familiar with in mortality. He also quotes other passages of scripture and offers many explanations (see Joseph Smith—History 1:41).

[27] Joseph Smith said the plates where “near six inches in thickness, a part of which was sealed.” Church History, 1 March 1842, 707, www.josephsmithpapers.org.

[28] These witnesses were Martin Harris, Oliver Cowdery, and David Whitmer.

[29] Moroni did take the plates back for a short time in the summer of 1828.

[30] See The Testimony of Three Witnesses in the Book of Mormon.

[31] For example, Nephi writes, “By the words of three, God hath said, I will establish my word” (2 Nephi 11:3).

[32] See Lucy Mack Smith, History of Joseph Smith, 152. This account details Joseph Smith returning home after the Three Witnesses received a witness of the divinity of the Book of Mormon. He stated to his parents and others that “he was no longer entirely alone in the world.”

[33] McConkie and Millet, Doctrinal Commentary on the Book of Mormon, 1:205.

[34] John Taylor, “Great is the Work of God,” in Journal of Discourses, 26:106.

[35] See the postscript following Joseph Smith—History.

[36] History, 1838–1856, volume B-1 (1 September 1834–2 November 1838) (addenda), 5, www.josephsmithpapers.org.

[37] See Questions and Answers, between circa 16 and circa 29 March 1838–B (Doctrine and Covenants 113:7–10), 18, www.josephsmithpapers.org

[38] As quoted in Thomas R. Valletta, ed., The Book of Mormon Study Guide: From Start to Finish (Deseret Book, 2015), 169–170.

[39] Letter to John Corrill and the Church in Missouri, 4 September 1837, 18, www.josephsmithpapers.org, emphasis added; see also Appendix 2: Constitution of the Society of the Daughter of Zion, circa Late June 1838, 10, www.josephsmithpapers.org.

[40] The author highly recommends the reader review Richard E. Bennett, “Martin Harris and Three Wise Men,” Brigham Young University devotional, June 29, 2010, https://speeches.byu.edu.

[41] Bennett, “Martin Harris and Three Wise Men.”

[42] History, circa Summer 1832, 5, www.josephsmithpapers.org; spelling original.

[43] James Palmer, journal, 75, Church History Library, Salt Lake City, capitalization modernized.

[44] Neil L. Andersen, “Joseph Smith,” Ensign, November 2014, 31. Also consider these words by Elder Lawrence E. Corbridge: “There is no dispute about what Joseph Smith accomplished, only how he did what he did and why. And there are not many options. He was either pretender or prophet. Either he did what he did alone, or he had the help of heaven. Look at the evidence, but look at all of the evidence, the entire mosaic of his life, not any single piece. Most importantly, do as young Joseph and ‘ask . . . God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given [you].’ [James 1:5] This is not only how you may learn the truth about the Book of Mormon and Joseph Smith; it is also the pattern to know the truth of all things” (“The Prophet Joseph Smith,” Ensign, May 2014, 105).