FAIR Topical Guide

Guide Home > Scripture and Influential Writings > Bible > Joseph Smith Translation

Additional Topics

The following are additional topic areas related to Joseph Smith Translation. If there is a bracket number after the topic, that number indicates how many actual articles there are related to that subject. If the link for the topic is not live, it simply means the topic is a 'planned area' for future growth.

FAIR Resources

These links are either to Web pages hosted on the FAIR Website, or to FAIR Papers. FAIR Papers are short articles about specific topics or questions, written by members of FAIR. These articles can be downloaded and read in PDF format and are intended to be distributed by e-mail or print for the general use of our patrons. (To read FAIR Papers you will need to have Adobe Acrobat Reader. It can be downloaded free from the Adobe Web site.) Click on a title below to visit a FAIR Web page or to read the latest version of a FAIR Paper.

"Joseph Smith Translation as the Church's official Bible," FAIR Wiki (City Unknown: FAIR) This FAIR Wiki article is a response to the following question: "I am wondering why we don't use the Joseph Smith Translation of the Bible as 'our' Bible. We use, of course, the Authorized ('King James') Version. We are not bashful about proclaiming Joseph Smith as the translator of the golden plates into The Book of Mormon, but it seems that we are less forward about his translation of the Bible."

Encyclopedia of Mormonism

The resources listed below are articles available in the Encyclopedia of Mormonism. These links are to information not located on the FAIR Web site.

Robert J. Matthews, "Joseph Smith Translation of the Bible (JST)," Encyclopedia of Mormonism, Edited by Daniel H. Ludlow (New York: Macmillan Publishing, 1992), 763-769

Ensign Articles

These articles cited below provide information on the topic of this page. The Ensign is one of the official publications of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. When you click on one of the article links below, you are whisked to the article found in the archives of the Church's Web site.

Robert J. Matthews, "Is it proper to refer to Joseph Smith's revision of the Bible as a 'translation'? I have never read that he actually translated the Bible from any other language to English, only that under inspiration he revised many sections of the Bible.," Ensign, March 1974, 22.

Robert J. Matthews, "Joseph Smith's Efforts to Publish His Bible 'Translation'," Ensign, January 1983, 57-58.

Robert J. Matthews, "Joseph Smith's Inspired Translation of the Bible," Ensign, December 1972, 61.

Robert J. Matthews, "Plain and Precious Things Restored," Ensign, July 1982, 15. Explains some aspects of the importance of Joseph Smith's Translation of the Bible.

Robert J. Matthews, "Some passages such as Matthew 6:13 and Hebrews 11:40 in Joseph Smith's translation of the Bible read quite differently from the comparable passages in the Book of Mormon and/or other statements by the Prophet Joseph Smith. Why is this so, and how could we," Ensign, September 1981.

Robert J. Matthews, "Why does the LDS edition of the Bible not contain all of the corrections and additions made by Joseph Smith?," Ensign, June 1992.

David Rolph Seely, "The Joseph Smith Translation: 'Plain and Precious Things' Restored," Ensign, August 1997, 9. Through the Prophet Joseph Smith's inspired revisions of the King James Version of the Bible, we receive truths essential to a full understanding of the gospel.

Other Resources

The resources listed below are related items available on the Web that should be of interest. These links are to information not located on the FAIR Web site.

Kent P. Jackson, "Joseph Smith's Cooperstown Bible: The Historical Context of the Bible Used in the Joseph Smith Translation," BYU Studies (2001), 41-70 In October 1829, Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery obtained the Bible that was later used in the preparation of Joseph Smiths new translation of the Holy Scriptures. It was a quarto-size King James translation published in 1828 by the H. and E. Phinney company of Cooperstown, New York. In this article we will examine Joseph Smith’s Phinney Bible, the history of the Bible in the English language and in America, the roots from which the Phinney Bible descended, and the way it was used in the creation of the Joseph Smith Translation.

Robert J. Matthews, "The "New Translation" of the Bible: 1830-1833: Doctrinal Development During the Kirtland Era," BYU Studies (1971), 1-19 Matthews looks at the doctrinal developments in the early Restored Church and how they were influenced by Joseph's "translation" of the Bible.

W. John Walsh, Why Didn't Joseph Correct KJV Bible Errors When Translating the JST?.

FAIR is not owned, controlled by or affiliated with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. All research and opinions provided on this site are the sole responsibility of FAIR, and should not be interpreted as official statements of LDS doctrine, belief or practice.

If you like what FAIR does and you agree with our mission, we invite you to support FAIR in any way you are able. You can make a donation, or visit our Membership page for additional support ideas. FAIR only succeeds through the efforts of our gracious volunteers.

Welcome | Topical Guide | FAIR Publications | Join & Support FAIR | Message Boards
FAIR LDS Bookstore | News | FAIR Links | Contact FAIR | Home

Last Updated September 28, 2008
Copyright © 2009 by The Foundation for Apologetic Information and Research. All Rights Reserved.
No portion of this site may be reproduced on any other Web site or in any other print publication
without the express written consent of FAIR. You may freely link to this information, however, or you
may print out copies to give to others, provided this copyright notice is included in your printout.

You can send comments/suggestions using our contact page.