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Book of Mormon Central / Archive / KnoWhy #417 - Were Joseph Smith’s Translation Instruments Like the Israelite Urim and Thummim? (Alma 37:24)

KnoWhy #417 - Were Joseph Smith’s Translation Instruments Like the Israelite Urim and Thummim? (Alma 37:24)

TitleKnoWhy #417 - Were Joseph Smith’s Translation Instruments Like the Israelite Urim and Thummim? (Alma 37:24)
Publication TypeKnoWhy
Year of Publication2018
Corporate AuthorsBook of Mormon Central Staff
PublisherBook of Mormon Central
Place PublishedSpringville, UT
KeywordsGold Plates; Nephite Interpreters; Prophet; Revelation; Smith, Joseph, Jr.; Translation; Urim and Thummim
Abstract

When Joseph Smith found the golden plates, he discovered that accompanying them were a set of Nephite interpreters and a breastplate. These items, along with Joseph Smith’s seer stone, have a number of meaningful parallels with the biblical Urim and Thummim. This helps explain why the early Latter-day Saints interchangeably referred to his translation instruments as the Urim and Thummim. It also shows how God often uses similar means of revelation to communicate to his prophets in different times and circumstances.
URLhttps://knowhy.bookofmormoncentral.org/content/were-joseph-smiths-translation-instruments-like-the-israelite-urim-and-thummim
Citation Key3857

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Scripture Reference

Alma 37:24