The section header for the celestial & plural marriage revelation (D&C 132) has been modified again:
- 1981 edition: “… Although the revelation was recorded in 1843, it is evident from the historical records that the doctrines and principles involved in this revelation had been known by the Prophet since 1831.”
- 2013 edition: “… Although the revelation was recorded in 1843, evidence indicates that some of the principles involved in this revelation were known by the Prophet as early as 1831.”
- Online edition since Oct 22, 2025: “… Although the revelation was recorded in 1843, evidence indicates that some of the principles involved in this revelation were known by the Prophet earlier.”
Why the changes? What happened in 1831 that led the LDS church
earlier to specify that date. And why did they later remove focus from that
date?
I wrote about the historical background of plural marriage ideology of 1831 in a chapter in about plural marriage revelations last year (2024).[1] Quoted below is a section from my chapter about the primary rationale for dating JS’s knowledge of plural marriage to 1831. I’ve added underline to the portions that interpret the question of whether this could constitute a plural marriage revelation. Note that my chapter includes additional discussions about other potential 1831 evidence for revelation on plural marriage such as JS’s 1831 bible translation, and recollections by plural wives of JS and others.
