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Doctrine & Covenants 89-92— Study Guide

Doctrine & Covenants 51 – Study Guide

The Word of Wisdom


Overview

  • Date of Revelation: February 27, 1833

  • Location: Kirtland, Ohio

  • Recipient(s): Joseph Smith for the benefit of the council of high priests assembled in Kirtland, the Church, and the saints in Zion

  • Section Summary: The Lord’s law of health given as “a principle with promise,” providing guidance on substances to avoid and foods to consume, with remarkable promises of physical health, wisdom, and divine protection for the obedient.


Key Principle(s)

  • Physical and spiritual health are inseparably connected

  • Obedience brings both temporal and spiritual blessings

  • The Lord warns of “evils and designs” of conspiring men

  • Moderation and gratitude sanctify physical consumption


Timeframe & Setting


Circumstances Among Recipients:

  • School of the Prophets meeting regularly in Whitney store

  • Elders using tobacco during meetings (common practice of the era)

  • Emma Smith complained about tobacco juice staining floors

  • Joseph pondered about tobacco and other substances


Circumstances Within the Church:

  • Church only 3 years old, still establishing practices

  • School of the Prophets recently organized (January 1833)

  • Saints learning to become a peculiar people

  • Emphasis on both temporal and spiritual preparation


Relevant Circumstances Locally:

  • Kirtland experiencing rapid growth

  • Temperance movement gaining momentum in Ohio

  • Common use of alcohol for medicinal purposes

  • Tobacco use nearly universal among men


Relevant Circumstances Globally:

  • 1830s temperance movement spreading across America

  • Industrial revolution changing food production

  • Growing awareness of alcohol’s social costs

  • Medical understanding of health very limited


Purpose of the Revelation


Short Term:

  • Answer Joseph’s inquiry about tobacco use in School of the Prophets

  • Address Emma’s concerns about cleanliness and tobacco stains

  • Provide immediate guidance for the elders’ conduct

  • Distinguish Saints from common practices of the day


Long Term:

  • Establish eternal law of health for all dispensations

  • Prepare Saints physically for trials ahead (Missouri, Nauvoo, Trek)

  • Create covenant people marked by health practices

  • Provide protection from latter-day deceptions and addictions

  • Enable greater spiritual receptivity through physical health


Significance


Short Term:

  • Elders immediately threw tobacco into fire (Saints 1:168)

  • Set Saints apart as peculiar people

  • Improved atmosphere in School of the Prophets

  • Began process of sanctifying physical bodies


Long Term:

  • Became temple recommend requirement (early 1900s)

  • Distinguishes LDS globally (health statistics)

  • Protects from modern addiction epidemics

  • Provides measurable blessings (health studies)

  • Creates unified covenant community identity


Cultural Insights


Ancient:

  • Parallels to Levitical dietary laws (Leviticus 11)

  • Nazarite vow similarities (Numbers 6)

  • Daniel’s dietary wisdom (Daniel 1:8-16)

  • Genesis original diet (Genesis 1:29)

  • Passover protection promise (Exodus 12)

  • Biblical “health in navel, marrow to bones” (Proverbs 3:8)


Modern:

  • Countercultural to 1830s common practices

  • Prophetic regarding tobacco (cancer link discovered 1950s)

  • Addresses modern conspiring men (Big Tobacco, alcohol industry)

  • Relevant to opioid crisis, marijuana legalization

  • Speaks to modern processed food challenges

  • Holistic health approach ahead of its time


Modern Application - How We Can Learn From This Section


Personal Application:

  • Evaluate our own “hidden” addictions and their consequences (sugar, caffeine, screen time, pornography…)

  • Practice gratitude before meals to sanctify consumption

  • Seek “hidden treasures of knowledge” through physical health

  • Make decisions in advance about substance use

  • Connect physical and spiritual wellness practices


Family Application:

  • Establish healthy family meal traditions

  • Teach children about “conspiring men” in advertising

  • Create family health goals together

  • Model Word of Wisdom living joyfully, not legalistically

  • Family prayers of gratitude for food and health


Church Application:

  • Support members struggling with addiction without judgment

  • Share testimonies of Word of Wisdom blessings

  • Minister to those with health challenges compassionately

  • Temple worthiness through covenant keeping

  • Unite as peculiar people through shared practices


Community Application:

  • Be example of health without preaching

  • Contribute to addiction recovery programs

  • Professional integrity in health-related fields

  • Respectfully decline without detailed explanation

  • Show vitality of gospel living through health


Questions for Personal Study:

  1. What “conspiring men” influences do I need to recognize in my life?

  2. How can I eat “with prudence and thanksgiving” more consistently?

  3. What “hidden treasures of knowledge” have come through Word of Wisdom obedience?

  4. How can I help family members struggling with Word of Wisdom challenges?

  5. What aspects of the Word of Wisdom do I still need to better understand or live?


Key Doctrines Introduced or Clarified

  • Temporal commandments are also spiritual (v. 2)

  • Body is sacred and affects spiritual receptivity

  • Obedience to health laws brings revelation

  • Physical habits affect spiritual capacity


Historical Context

  • Emma Smith had complained about cleaning up tobacco spit and stains in the School of the Prophets

  • The men smoked and chewed tobacco during meetings, which stained the wood floors black

  • Joseph inquired of the Lord about tobacco and other substances

  • When first read, the elders “immediately tossed their pipes and plugs of chewing tobacco into the fire” (Saints 1:168)

  • Given as “not by commandment or constraint” initially - a principle with promise

  • Became a temple recommend requirement in the early 20th century


D&C 89 Word Studies & Cross-References


Highlighted Terms Analysis


1. “Words of Wisdom” (v. 1)

Hebrew Connection: חָכְמָה (chokmah) - wisdom, skill, shrewdness

Greek Connection: σοφία (sophia) - wisdom, intelligence, knowledge

Latin: sapientia - wisdom, discernment, taste

Etymology: wisdom - from Old English wīsdōm “knowledge, learning, experience”

Webster 1828: wisdom - “The right use or exercise of knowledge; the choice of laudable ends, and of the best means to accomplish them”

Cross-References:

Scholarly Insight:

“The word wisdom (chokmah, sophia) in the scriptures denotes not just abstract knowledge but practical skill—the ability to make things work, especially in the cosmic sense of organizing and creating.”— Hugh Nibley, Approaching Zion, p. 476


2. “Conspiring” (v. 4)

Etymology: From Latin conspirare - “to breathe together, plot”

  • Components: con- (together) + spirare (breathe)

Greek: συνωμοσία (synomosia) - conspiracy, plot

Hebrew: קֶשֶׁר (qesher) - conspiracy, treason, confederacy

Webster 1828: conspire - “To concert a crime; to plot; to hatch treason”

Modern Application:

Cross-References:


3. “Herbs” (v. 10-11)

Hebrew: עֵשֶׂב (eseb) - green plants, vegetation, herbs

Greek: βοτάνη (botane) - pasture, herbs, plants

Latin: herba - grass, herb, plant

Etymology: herb - via Old French from Latin herba

Webster 1828: herb - “A plant or vegetable with a soft or succulent stalk or stem”

Usage in Scripture:

  • Genesis 1:29 - “I have given you every herb bearing seed”

  • Psalm 104:14 - “He causeth the grass to grow for the cattle, and herb for the service of man”

  • Genesis 9:3 - “even as the green herb have I given you all things”

Connection to Kosher Laws: Similar to Genesis 1:29 original diet


4. “Prudence” (v. 11)

Latin: prudentia - foresight, sagacity, practical wisdom

Greek: φρόνησις (phronesis) - practical wisdom, prudence

Hebrew: עָרְמָה (ormah) - prudence, shrewdness, craftiness

Etymology: prudence - from Latin via Old French

Webster 1828: prudence - “Wisdom applied to practice”

Cross-References:


5. “Thanksgiving” (v. 11)

Hebrew: תּוֹדָה (todah) - thanksgiving, praise, confession

Greek: εὐχαριστία (eucharistia) - gratitude, thanksgiving

  • Source of "Eucharist"

Latin: gratiarum actio - giving of thanks

Etymology: thanksgiving - “the act of giving thanks”

Webster 1828: thanksgiving - “The act of rendering thanks or expressing gratitude”

Significance: Eating with gratitude sanctifies food

Cross-References:

Jewish Parallel: Bracha (blessing) before meals


6. “Beasts” and “Fowls” (v. 12-13)

"Beasts":


"Fowls":


Kosher Law Parallels:

Key Difference: D&C 89 emphasizes moderation, not prohibition


7. “Sparingly” (v. 12)

Etymology: spare + -ly - “in small quantities, with restraint”

Greek parallel: φειδομένως (pheidomenos) - sparingly, with restraint

Hebrew concept: מְעַט (me’at) - little, few, small amount

Latin: parce - sparingly, frugally

Webster 1828: sparingly - “Not abundantly; moderately; seldom; not freely”

Principle: Moderation in all things

Cross-Reference:


8. “Famine” (v. 13)

Hebrew: רָעָב (ra’ab) - hunger, famine, famished

Greek: λιμός (limos) - scarcity of food, famine

Latin: fames - hunger, famine

Etymology: famine - from Latin via Old French

Webster 1828: famine - “Scarcity of food; dearth; a general want of provisions”

Historical Context: Early Saints faced actual faminesSpiritual Application: Times of spiritual drought


9. “Used” (v. 14)

Repeated emphasis on proper use vs. abuse

Hebrew concept: שָׁמַר (shamar) - to keep, guard, observe

Greek: χράομαι (chraomai) - to use, make use of

Cross-Reference:

  • 1 Corinthians 6:12 - “All things are lawful… but I will not be brought under the power of any”


10. “All Wholesome” (v. 10)

Etymology: wholesome - “Whole” + “some” = conducive to health

  • Components: promoting wholeness/completeness

Hebrew parallel: שָׁלֵם (shalem) - complete, whole, safe, perfect

Greek: ὑγιής (hygies) - sound, healthy, wholesome

Latin: salubris - healthful, wholesome

Webster 1828: wholesome - “Tending to promote health; sound; contributing to the health of the mind”

Cross-Reference:


11. “Health in their Navel and Marrow to their Bones” (v. 18)

Hebrew Idiom Analysis:

"Navel":

"Marrow":

"Bones":

Parallel: 🔗 Proverbs 3:8 - “It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones”


12. “Treasures of Knowledge” (v. 19)

Hebrew: אוֹצָר (otsar) - treasury, storehouse, treasure

Greek: θησαυρός (thesauros) - treasure, storehouse

  • Source of English "thesaurus"

Latin: thesaurus - treasure, hoard

Etymology: treasure - via Old French from Latin

Connection:


13. “Run and Not Be Weary” (v. 20)

Direct Quote: Isaiah 40:31

Hebrew: יָרוּצוּ וְלֹא יִיגָעוּ (yarutsu v’lo yiga’u)

Greek parallel: τρέχω (trecho) - to run

Significance: Physical and spiritual endurance


14. “Walk and Not Faint” (v. 20)

Hebrew: יֵלְכוּ וְלֹא יִיעָפוּ (yelchu v’lo yi’afu)

Greek: περιπατέω (peripateo) - to walk

Isaiah 40:31 continuationApplication: Daily discipleship without exhaustion


15. “Destroying Angel” (v. 21)

Hebrew: מַשְׁחִית (mashchit) - destroyer, destroying

  • Root: שָׁחַת (shachat) - to destroy, corrupt

Greek: ὀλοθρευτής (olothreutes) - destroyer

Direct Reference: Exodus 12:23 - Passover

Significance: Protection through obedience, covenant parallel

Cross-References:


16. “Pass By” (v. 21)

Hebrew: פָּסַח (pasach) - to pass over, spring over, spare

  • Source of "Passover/Pesach"

Greek: παρέρχομαι (parerchomai) - to pass by, pass over

Direct Passover connectionModern Application: Protection from modern plagues



Modern Prophetic Insights on D&C 89 Principles


President Russell M. Nelson

“Our bodies are magnificent gifts from God. They are His temples. We must treat them with respect and love.”— “Your Body: A Magnificent Gift to Cherish”


“When we truly understand that our bodies are the temples of our spirits, we will not let anything enter our bodies that would defile them.”— “Decisions for Eternity”, October 2013 General Conference


Because the Father and the Son love us with infinite, perfect love and because They know we cannot see everything They see, They have given us laws that will guide and protect us. There is a strong connection between God’s love and His laws. I have come to see the significance of that connection and the power of divine law.— “# The Love and Laws of God”, September 17, 2019


President Boyd K. Packer

“I have come to know…that a fundamental purpose of the Word of Wisdom has to do with revelation… If someone ‘under the influence’ can hardly listen to plain talk, how can they respond to spiritual promptings that touch their most delicate feelings?”— “The Word of Wisdom: Prayers and Answers ”, April 1996 General Conference


“The Word of Wisdom does not promise you perfect health, but it teaches how to keep the body you were born with in the best condition and your mind alert to delicate spiritual promptings.”— “The Word of Wisdom: The Principle and the Promise,” October 1979


Elder D. Todd Christofferson

“With a disciplined body, [we gain] access to the prompt whisperings of the Holy Spirit… The soul consists of the spiritual body and the physical body, and therefore to become like God, we must care for both the spiritual and the physical.”— “Reflections on a Consecrated Life”, October 2010 General Conference


“When we gain any measure of control over the body through fasting and other forms of discipline, the mastery of the spirit over the body increases.”— “Moral Discipline”, October 2009


President Ezra Taft Benson

“To a great extent we are physically what we eat. Most of us are acquainted with some of the prohibitions of the Word of Wisdom… But what need additional emphasis are the positive aspects—the need for vegetables, fruits, and grain.”— “Do Not Despair”, October 1974 General Conference

“In this revelation [D&C 89] the Lord counsels us to use meat sparingly. I have often felt that the Lord is further counseling us in this revelation against indiscriminately killing animals.”— “A Principle with a Promise”, April 1983 General Conference


Elder Jörg Klebingat

“Take responsibility for your own physical well-being. Your soul consists of your body and spirit (see D&C 88:15). Feeding the spirit while neglecting the body, which is a temple, usually leads to spiritual dissonance and lowered self-esteem.”— “Approaching the Throne of God with Confidence”, October 2014 General Conference



Jewish Kosher Law Comparisons

Similarities to Kashrut (Jewish Dietary Laws):

  1. Divine Origin: Both given by revelation for covenant people

  2. Holiness Purpose: Both connect physical eating to spiritual state

  3. Gratitude Emphasis: Both require blessing/thanksgiving for food

  4. Distinction: Sets God’s people apart from the world


Key Differences:

Aspect

Kosher Laws

Word of Wisdom

Focus

Ritual purity, separation

Health and revelation

Meat

Specific animals forbidden

All meat allowed, used sparingly

Mixing

No milk with meat

No restrictions

Alcohol

Wine permitted for ritual

All alcohol forbidden

Purpose

Covenant identity

Temporal salvation


Rabbi Jonathan Sacks (Former Chief Rabbi of UK):

“Dietary laws transform the act of eating into a religious ritual… They are a way of sanctifying the everyday”— To Heal a Fractured World, p. 163

Application: Word of Wisdom similarly sanctifies daily consumption

Talmudic Principle:

(Pikuach Nefesh) פיקוח נפש - Preservation of life supersedes most religious laws

  • Source: Talmud Yoma 85b

  • Parallel: D&C 89 given for “temporal salvation of all saints”



Scholarly Insights


Hugh Nibley (BYU - Ancient Studies)

“The Word of Wisdom is not just a health code but an initiation into the holy order. It is the gateway to the temple, for it teaches us that the body is sacred.”— Temple and Cosmos, p. 543 (Deseret Book, 1992)Available at: Deseret Book


“In the Word of Wisdom we have a principle with promise that connects directly to ancient temple purification rites, particularly those found in Egyptian temples where participants had to abstain from certain foods and drinks before entering sacred space.”— Approaching Zion, p. 476 (Deseret Book, 1989)Available at: BYU Maxwell Institute


Terryl L. Givens (University of Richmond - Mormon Studies)

“The Word of Wisdom represents the radical physicality of Mormon theology. Unlike traditional Christianity which often sees the body as a prison of the soul, Mormonism teaches that the body is integral to eternal progression and exaltation.”— Wrestling the Angel: The Foundations of Mormon Thought, p. 234 (Oxford University Press, 2014)Available at: Oxford Academic


“Joseph Smith’s revelation on health came at a time when the body was often seen as corrupt. The Word of Wisdom dignifies the physical, making care of the body a spiritual obligation.”— The Pearl of Greatest Price, p. 89 (Oxford University Press, 2019)Available at: Oxford University Press

Steven C. Harper (BYU - Church History)


“The Word of Wisdom emerged from a specific historical moment—Emma Smith’s complaint about tobacco stains—but transcended its immediate context to become a defining marker of Latter-day Saint identity.”— Making Sense of the Doctrine and Covenants, p. 321 (Deseret Book, 2008)Available at: Deseret Book


“While the 1830s temperance movement focused primarily on alcohol, the Word of Wisdom was more comprehensive, addressing tobacco decades before medical science confirmed its dangers.”— “The Word of Wisdom”, Joseph Smith and the Doctrinal Restoration, pp. 142-143Available at: BYU Religious Studies Center


Grant Underwood (BYU - Restoration Scripture)

“The evolution from ‘not by commandment or constraint’ to temple recommend requirement illustrates a pattern in Mormon history: principles are often introduced gently before becoming binding commandments.”— The Millenarian World of Early Mormonism, p. 78 (University of Illinois Press, 1999)Available at: University of Illinois Press

“The Word of Wisdom functions as both a health code and a boundary marker, distinguishing Latter-day Saints from the broader culture while promoting physical and spiritual wellness.”— “The Word of Wisdom in Early Mormonism” BYU Studies 47, no. 3 (2008): 147Available at: BYU Studies


Lester E. Bush Jr. (Medical Historian)

“In 1833, mainstream medical opinion was divided on tobacco. Some physicians prescribed it for respiratory ailments. The Word of Wisdom’s prohibition was remarkably prescient, anticipating the medical consensus by over a century.”— “The Word of Wisdom in Early 19th-Century Perspective”, Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought 14, no. 3 (1981): 55Available at: Dialogue Journal (Open Access)


Thomas G. Alexander (Utah State University - History)

“The Word of Wisdom’s transformation from ‘principle with promise’ to commandment occurred gradually between 1833 and 1921, when President Heber J. Grant made adherence a requirement for temple attendance.”— “The Word of Wisdom: From Principle to Requirement”, BYU Studies 14, no. 1 (1974): 78-88Available at: BYU Studies (Open Access)


Paul H. Peterson (BYU - History)

“The temperance movement typically focused on alcohol alone. Joseph Smith’s revelation was unique in its comprehensive approach, addressing multiple substances and promoting positive dietary practices.”— “An Historical Analysis of the Word of Wisdom” (Master’s thesis, BYU, 1972), p. 23Available at: BYU ScholarsArchive


Jed Woodworth (Church Historian)

“Emma Smith’s practical concern about tobacco juice on the floor led Joseph to inquire of the Lord, resulting in a revelation that would shape Latter-day Saint culture for generations.”— “The Word of Wisdom”, Revelations in Context, p. 183See also: Joseph Smith Papers



Additional Trusted Sources

Historical Context:


Academic Articles:


Media Resources:

Why Did the Lord Reveal the Word of Wisdom? - Scripture Central


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