One of the basic tenets of Christianity is belief in the Holy Bible. In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, our 8th Article of Faith declares, “We believe the Bible to be the word of God as far as it is translated correctly.” The reason for the stipulation? The Book of Mormon teaches us, “there are many plain and precious things taken away from the [Bibe]” 1 Nephi 13:28 (26-29). In the words of Joseph Smith, “I believe the Bible as it read when it came from the pen of the original writers. Ignorant translators, careless transcribers, or designing and corrupt priests have committed many errors.” (DHC, vol. 6, p. 57.)
One of the branches of Joseph Smith’s prophetic call was to fix these errors and mistakes that had crept into the Bible. His work is referred to as the Joseph Smith Translation (JST) and sometimes as the Inspired Version (IV) of the Bible. During his lifetime, Joseph made over 3,400 changes from the King James Version text (1300 in the Old Testament, and 2100 in the New Testament). The purpose of this article is not to go over the history of the Joseph Smith Translation, including how we have less than 25% of the Joseph Smith Translations. I’ve written about that previously (Click here for that article)
What I want to do is to dive a bit into the 1300 Joseph Smith Translations for the Old Testament. Many Christians LOVE the New Testament but struggle with the Old Testament. The reason for their struggle is that there are many parts of the Old Testament that are simply broken! I want to give just five examples of Old Testament passages that are BROKEN and then show how the Joseph Smith Translation (JST) saves those Old Testament passages.
1st. Genesis 19: Lot offering his daughters to the men of Sodom.
According to Genesis alone, the story regarding Lot is horrific. Genesis 19 details that Lot came across holy men whom it refers to as angels and invited them into his house. While in his house, the men of Sodom came to his house and demanded that he turn over the holy men to them so they could ‘know them,’ aka rape them. To their demand, Lot replies in verses 7 and 8: “I pray you, brethren, do not so wickedly. Behold now, I have two daughters which have not known man; let me, I pray you, bring them out unto you, and do ye to them as is good in your eyes: only unto these men do nothing; for therefore came they under the shadow of my roof.”
THAT IS AWFUL! Lot is basically saying, “Don’t rape the holy men, rape my daughters instead!” Thankfully, there are EXTENSIVE Joseph Smith Translation edits for Chapter 19. The JST details that Lot goes out to the lustful men and says, “I pray you, brethren, do not so wickedly.” But then it details that the response of the men of Sodom was to get upset that Lot was judging them to be ‘wicked’, and then they tell him that they would not only rape the holy men but also his daughters! The Joseph Smith Translation then notes that this is after the wickedness of Sodom.
To the demand that Lot turn over his daughters, Lot tells the men that they are virgins and that the Lord would NOT justify his servant in doing this thing. This is 100% different from “here rape my daughters just leave holy men alone.” It shows that not only is that NOT what happened, but that the Lord would NOT justify Lot in doing that. How many women have suffered due to stories like this that degrade their virtue as something their father can give away!
2nd. Exodus 33:20: Men can not see God.
Gen. 32:30 details that Jacob saw God. In Ex. 24:11, it testifies that the Nobles of Israel saw God in Deut. 34:10, it teaches that Moses talked with God face to face. And in Isa. 6:5 Isaiah testified, “mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts.” And in Matt. 5:8 Jesus taught that the pure in heart will see God! Why do I bring up all these verses? Well, because the Bible clearly teaches that not only CAN man see God, but that God has revealed Himself throughout the ages to His children.
Yet in the Old Testament, we run across Exodus 33:20, “And he said, Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live.” This is very similar to what is taught in John 1:18 “No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.“
Both of these verses would put us into a perplexing situation: who is right? Did Jacob, Moses, Isaiah, and others see God? Or are John and Moses’ accounts correct that no one can see God? I ran into a LOT of people who believed that these accounts disprove the First Vision. When I would ask about the other verses testifying that they saw God, they were unable to answer.
Thankfully for us, there is Joseph Smith Translation clarification. The Bible does NOT disagree with itself. Rather than reading that no one sees God, Exodus reads: “And he said unto Moses, Thou canst not see my face at this time, lest mine anger be kindled against thee also, and I destroy thee, and thy people; for there shall no man among them see me at this time, and live, for they are exceeding sinful. And no sinful man hath at any time, neither shall there be any sinful man at any time, that shall see my face and live.” And John reads, “And no man hath seen God at any time, except he hath borne record of the Son; for except it is through him no man can be saved.“
These Joseph Smith Translations TOTALLY save the bible. They show that rather than saying no one can see God, they outline the requirements and conditions of seeing God!
3rd. Exodus 11:10: The Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart.
In the story of Moses and Pharaoh, the account in Exodus says, “And Moses and Aaron did all these wonders before Pharaoh: and the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart, so that he would not let the children of Israel go out of his land.” Not just one time, but repeatedly. Exodus 7:3, 13; 9:12; 10:1, 20, 27; 11:10. This concept has led to many false ideas about God. One, in particular, is that we don’t have our own agency, and that God will harden our hearts if we start to desire to do right. This idea is dangerous and false! Because if God were the reason we sinned, then it would be HIS fault, and His duty to fix our actions, not ours. Everything just falls apart with this idea that God can cause us to sin. Luckily, the JST for these sections renders the verses as “And Pharaoh hardened his heart” IE, Pharaoh was the one who refused to be humble; it was not God forcing him to sin.
4th. Exodus 32:14: The Lord repented.
The next issue we find is in Exodus 32:14, which reads: “And the Lord repented of the evil which he thought to do unto his people.” Like the verses about the Lord hardening Pharaoh’s heart, this has caused all sorts of theological issues within Christianity. How did God repent? Isn’t repenting to turn from the bad to the good? What could this verse mean? The JST saves this verse hardcore!
“And the Lord said unto Moses, If they will repent of the evil which they have done, I will spare them, and turn away my fierce wrath; but, behold, thou shalt execute judgment upon all that will not repent of this evil this day. Therefore, see thou do this thing that I have commanded thee, or I will execute all that which I had thought to do unto my people.”
This is completely different; it is NOT the Lord repenting because Moses argued with Him, but rather God saying if WE repent, then He will turn away His wrath and judgment.
5th. Song of Solomon (The Whole Book).
The Old Testament can be graphic in parts, but no book is more graphic than the Song of Solomon. It has often been called biblical pornography. In my opinion, it is pure trash. It talks about women’s bodies graphically and details lustful desires. The JST contains this note regarding the Song of Solomon: “The Songs of Solomon are not inspired writings.”
BONUS: The Book of Genesis and the Book of Moses.
It would be a tragedy not to point out that of the 1200 edits to the Old Testament, over 600 were to the Book of Genesis alone. Many members take the Book of Moses for granted and do not realize that it is the JST for the first few chapters of Genesis! JSTs happen in Genesis 4x more frequently than in the New Testament, and 21x more frequently than in the rest of the Old Testament!
In the September 1980 Ensign, Robert J. Matthews taught, “There are many passages in the JST that clarify the Old Testament, such as those dealing with the nature of God, the creation of the earth, the antiquity of the gospel, the fall of Satan, events in the lives of Cain and Abel, the origin of the law of Moses, and the ministries of Adam, Enoch, Noah, Melchizedek, and Abraham.”
Conclusion: Study the Old Testament with the Joseph Smith Translation!
In 2026, as a Church, we will embark on a study of the Old Testament. I encourage everyone to study the words of the Old Testament and to use the Joseph Smith Translations to help further enhance our studies and understanding. Back in the 1980s, when the Church started a study of the Old Testament, Marion G. Romney said the following:
“This year, as adult members of the Church, we will study the Old Testament. One approach that I have found helpful to an understanding of the Old Testament is to learn from other scriptures what the most righteous people who were on the scene had to say. Such men as Abraham, Moses, Lehi, and Nephi qualify as specialists on Old Testament matters. We are most fortunate to have some of the teachings of these men preserved for our use. I think we should study them and follow their counsel if we desire to understand and teach the message of the gospel from the Old Testament.
The writings of Abraham, Moses, and Enoch as recorded in the Pearl of Great Price and the writings of Lehi and Nephi as recorded in the Book of Mormon are a great asset in understanding the purpose and intent of the earliest Old Testament writings.”
“Records of Great Worth” By President Marion G. Romney
I want to testify that I know that the Old Testament is of great worth to us. And that as we use the Book of Mormon, the Pearl of Great Price, the JST, and the D&C to understand the Old Testament, our testimony of the restoration will be strengthened, and most importantly, our testimony of Christ will grow!
If you enjoyed this, I invite you to learn the history of the JST in “4 Things You Did NOT Know About The Joseph Smith Translation (JST)“
TJ
Thursday 12th of March 2026
Recall that the Hebrew writers had a fundamentally different worldview than we do today. The Bible isn't "saved" because we can now agree with the cultural attitudes it portrays. Quite often the JST simply edits things it finds uncomfortable, even if such things were normal in the time period.
I would recommend looking into the scholarship for difficult issues like the Lot Story. Although we don't think this way today, it is clear that the author of the story viewed the protection of strangers as a greater moral imperative than one's own family. Regardless, even though we agree that Lot would have been wrong to offer his daughters, the angels who actually represent God (not Lot) protect him and his family.
E. Dransfield
Monday 27th of December 2021
Another reason man cannot "see" God is because they cannot see with their natural eyes. Doctrine and Covenants 58:3
3 Ye cannot behold with your natural eyes, for the present time, the design of your God concerning those things which shall come hereafter, and the glory which shall follow after much tribulation." We must be changed, translated, to be able to endure God's presence.