D&C 73: Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon Resume Translating the Bible
I have a workbench in the garage that tells the truth about me. When I have a big project going, the bench is covered in shavings, clamps, and half-finished parts. When I am between projects, it is clean and empty. But the bench is never both at the same time. You cannot be in the middle of a dovetail and also be sweeping the floor. The work has a rhythm, and the rhythm demands that you do one thing at a time.
D&C 73 is a short chapter, only six verses, but it is about that rhythm. Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon had been pulled away from translating the Bible to spend a month preaching and defending the Church against hostile reports. The preaching worked and public opinion softened, but the translation was still sitting on the bench, waiting.
The Lord tells them to go back to it.
D&C 73 Meaning of Gird Up Your Loins
The chapter opens with a continuation of the previous section. The elders are told to keep preaching and exhorting the churches until the next conference. That is the outward work, the public-facing ministry. But then the Lord turns to Joseph and Sidney and gives them a different instruction.
For it is expedient that thou shouldst hold thy peace concerning the people of the Lamanites, and that thou shouldst preach again unto the people of the Nephites; for behold, they have been thrust out, and they are scattered abroad. -- D&C 73:3
The word expedient shows up here, and it is worth sitting with. It means something is necessary or advantageous for a specific purpose. The Lord is not saying the preaching was a waste of time. He is saying the season for it has passed, and the season for translation has returned. The work is not abandoned. It is just time to pivot.
Verse 6 is the one that sticks with me. The Lord says to gird up your loins and be sober. This is an old idiom from a time when men wore long robes. To gird up your loins meant to tuck the robe into your belt so you could move fast and work hard. It is a call to readiness, not anxiety. You are not supposed to be afraid but prepared.
I think about this when I am getting ready for a day in the shop. I put on my apron, check my tools, and make sure the lumber is acclimated. None of that is because I am worried. I do it because I know what is coming and I want to be ready when it arrives. Girding up your loins is the same thing. It is the quiet work of preparation that makes the real work possible.
Joseph Smith Translation of the Bible D&C 73
The translation project that Joseph and Sidney were working on is what we now call the Joseph Smith Translation of the Bible, or the JST. It was not a translation in the modern sense. Joseph was not fluent in Hebrew or Greek. He was receiving revelation that clarified and restored passages of scripture that had been corrupted or lost over time.
This was slow, painstaking work. It required focus and time and a kind of attention that is hard to maintain when you are also traveling and preaching and defending yourself against critics. The Lord acknowledges this tension in the chapter. He does not tell Joseph and Sidney to stop preaching entirely. He tells them to do what is practicable, and then return to the translation.
And again, thou shalt take thy journey and preach unto the people of the Nephites, inasmuch as it is practicable; and then return unto me according as I shall give unto thee. -- D&C 73:4
The phrase inasmuch as it is practicable is a gift. It acknowledges that you cannot do everything at once. There are limits to time and energy and attention. The Lord does not demand the impossible. He asks for what is possible in the current season, and then He asks you to return to the long work.
I wrote about a similar idea in my article on D&C 72 and stewardship. The same principle runs through both chapters. The Lord gives assignments that match the moment, and He expects us to be faithful in them. But He also expects us to know when the moment has passed and a new one has arrived.
How to Balance Spiritual Work and Service D&C 73
The pattern in this chapter is one I recognize from my own life. There are seasons when the outward work takes priority. The kids need something, the job demands extra hours, and the calling requires more time than usual. You do the outward work because it is what the moment requires.
But there are also seasons when the inward work must take priority. Personal study and the long project. The thing that will not produce immediate results but will matter in the long run. The translation of the Bible was that kind of work for Joseph and Sidney. It was not urgent in the way that defending the Church was urgent. But it was important in a way that would outlast them.
Knowing when to switch is the challenge, and the Lord addresses this directly in the chapter. He says the conference will determine the assignments. The voice of the conference becomes the mechanism for deciding who goes where and does what. In modern terms, trusting the structure of the Church helps you find your place and your season.
In my own life, I have a job that demands focus during the week, a family that needs attention in the evenings, and a shop that calls to me on weekends. I cannot do all of them at full intensity at the same time. But I can do what is practicable in each season, and I can trust that the Lord knows the difference between abandoning a project and setting it aside until the season returns.
What Does Expedient Mean in Doctrine and Covenants
The word expedient appears in verse 3, and it is one of those words that has shifted in meaning over time. In modern English, expedient can carry a negative connotation, like taking a shortcut or doing something for selfish reasons. But in the language of the scriptures, it means something closer to necessary or fitting for the purpose.
The Lord is saying that the translation is the necessary work for this moment. The preaching season has done its job and the hostility has been addressed. Now it is time to return to the long work of clarifying the scriptures. The translation will serve generations that have not been born yet. The preaching served the people who were alive right then. Both are necessary. The question is which one is expedient right now.
I think about this when I am deciding how to spend a Saturday. There is always a short-term task that needs doing and a long-term project I want to finish. The short-term task is visible and pressing while the long-term project is quiet and patient. The wisdom of this chapter is that both matter, but they matter at different times. Knowing which season you are in is the real trick.
Purpose of Elders Preaching in D&C 73
The chapter also gives instruction to the elders who are not involved in the translation. They are told to continue preaching and exhorting the churches. The work of the ministry does not stop just because the leaders are focused on something else. The body keeps moving even when some parts are doing different work.
This is a pattern that applies to the Church today. Not everyone is called to the same work at the same time. Some are called to preach, some to teach, and some to serve in quiet ways that no one notices. Each person has an assignment, and the assignments change with the seasons.
The elders are told to continue until the next conference. That gives them a clear endpoint. They are not expected to preach forever without direction. The conference will bring new assignments and new clarity. In the meantime, they do the work that is in front of them.
I think about this when I am in a season that feels like waiting. The work is not dramatic. It is just the steady work of showing up and doing what is in front of me. The conference will come and the next assignment will arrive. But until then, the work is to be faithful in the small things.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why did Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon need to balance preaching and translating?
They were responsible for producing the Joseph Smith Translation of the Bible, which required focused time and attention. But they also had to defend the early Church against misinformation and hostility through preaching. The Lord gave them a pattern for handling both responsibilities without abandoning either one.
What is the meaning of gird up your loins in D&C 73:6?
It is an ancient idiom meaning to prepare yourself for hard work. In the time of the scriptures, men wore long robes and would tuck them into their belts when they needed to move quickly or work hard. The Lord uses this phrase to call us to readiness, diligence, and focus.
How does the voice of the conference relate to modern church organization?
It refers to the process where leaders and members gather to receive direction and assignments. The conference is the mechanism for determining who serves where and in what capacity. It underscores the principle that individual callings are clarified through the collective order of the Church.
What does it mean that the translation should continue inasmuch as it is practicable?
It means the Lord acknowledges the limits of time and energy. He does not demand the impossible. He asks for what is possible in the current season, and then He asks us to return to the long work when the season changes. It is a principle of flexibility and prioritization.
I went out to the garage this morning and looked at my workbench. There is a half-finished rocking chair sitting on it, waiting for me to get back to the armrests. I have been busy with other things for a few weeks. The chair does not mind. It will still be there when the season shifts and I can give it the attention it deserves.
That is what D&C 73 says to me. The work does not disappear when you set it aside. It waits. And when the season returns, you pick up your tools and get back to it.
-- D.