Thoughts on the Title Page of the Book of Mormon
As any knowledgeable Latter-day Saint knows, the title page of the Book of Mormon is a translation of the last page of the unsealed portion of the golden plates, written by the hand of Moroni, presumably right before hiding up said plates unto the Lord. I’ve read it many times, but as with any good scripture reading, I noticed something new, last night.
In the first paragraph of Moroni’s inspired explanation, he states that the Book of Mormon is “To come forth by the gift and power of God unto the interpretation thereof,” which “interpretation thereof [comes] by the gift of God.” I’d like to focus, right now, on the word “interpretation” and what it means to us as Latter-day Saints. I suspect that this word was chosen very specifically, that this prophecy might have a dual fulfillment: not only in Joseph Smith Jr’s life, but also in the life of every person on this planet.
When we speak of the Book of Mormon, we often speak of it being “translated.” Indeed, even the title page of most editions states that it was “translated by Joseph Smith, Jun.,” and the following introduction speaks of “its destined translation into the English language.” When King Limhi brought the Jaredite records to Ammon, he asked if Ammon knew “of any one that can translate,” and Joseph Smith himself stated “that God had prepared [the Urim and Thummim] for the purpose of translating the book [of Mormon].” So why this use of the word “interpretation”? Shouldn’t it be “translation”?
I submit that the General vs. Specific principle (mentioned in my last post) applies here, as well. When Joseph Smith, Jr., was commanded to translate the Book of Mormon into the English language, he had to do more than just translate word for word; he had to interpret what was being said, which is exactly why the process was so difficult (and why Oliver Cowdery, despite his brief success in translating the book, ultimately failed to complete the process).
As with Joseph, we who read the Book of Mormon are likewise called to interpret the book “by the gift of God.” How many of us have read the scriptures using the bare minimum amount of effort, to simply (as my old Institute director used to say) “do no more than let the light bounce off the page and hit [our] eyes”? “By the gift of God” we have the opportunity—indeed, the responsibility—to interpret those words as He intended. And if we proceed without that gift, we’re no better off than those that don’t have the Book of Mormon at all.
In the first paragraph of Moroni’s inspired explanation, he states that the Book of Mormon is “To come forth by the gift and power of God unto the interpretation thereof,” which “interpretation thereof [comes] by the gift of God.” I’d like to focus, right now, on the word “interpretation” and what it means to us as Latter-day Saints. I suspect that this word was chosen very specifically, that this prophecy might have a dual fulfillment: not only in Joseph Smith Jr’s life, but also in the life of every person on this planet.
When we speak of the Book of Mormon, we often speak of it being “translated.” Indeed, even the title page of most editions states that it was “translated by Joseph Smith, Jun.,” and the following introduction speaks of “its destined translation into the English language.” When King Limhi brought the Jaredite records to Ammon, he asked if Ammon knew “of any one that can translate,” and Joseph Smith himself stated “that God had prepared [the Urim and Thummim] for the purpose of translating the book [of Mormon].” So why this use of the word “interpretation”? Shouldn’t it be “translation”?
I submit that the General vs. Specific principle (mentioned in my last post) applies here, as well. When Joseph Smith, Jr., was commanded to translate the Book of Mormon into the English language, he had to do more than just translate word for word; he had to interpret what was being said, which is exactly why the process was so difficult (and why Oliver Cowdery, despite his brief success in translating the book, ultimately failed to complete the process).
As with Joseph, we who read the Book of Mormon are likewise called to interpret the book “by the gift of God.” How many of us have read the scriptures using the bare minimum amount of effort, to simply (as my old Institute director used to say) “do no more than let the light bounce off the page and hit [our] eyes”? “By the gift of God” we have the opportunity—indeed, the responsibility—to interpret those words as He intended. And if we proceed without that gift, we’re no better off than those that don’t have the Book of Mormon at all.
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