The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints made several updates to its scriptures in 2025. Roughly half of the changes approved by the Scriptures Committee provide additional historical context, while the other half make minor factual adjustments to details like dates and places. This includes updates to “Study Helps” such as Doctrine and Covenants section headers and Book of Mormon chapter introductions. In this interview, scholar Matthew Godfrey introduces the scripture updates and illustrates how many of them were made possible by the Joseph Smith Papers Project.
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Minor Updates to Latter-day Saint Scripture Study Helps (2025)
The Church recently announced several minor scripture updates. Could you explain what happened?
Minor changes were made to several sections of the Doctrine and Covenants and to two Book of Mormon chapter introductions in 3 Nephi.
The changes to the Doctrine and Covenants section headings were made to correct minor dating or location errors and to provide additional historical context to the revelations.
How did the Joseph Smith Papers inform these changes?
The changes that were made to the 25 section headings in the Doctrine and Covenants were based on findings in the Joseph Smith Papers Project (JSP).
JSP historians who had worked extensively on these revelations as part of their work on volumes in the Documents series made recommendations for the adjustments.
Did the Joseph Smith Papers play a similar role in the 2013 edition of the scriptures?
Yes. As the Church prepared a new edition of the scriptures to be published in 2013, members of the Church’s Scriptures Committee approached Elder Marlin K. Jensen, the Church Historian at the time, and Richard E. Turley Jr., the assistant Church Historian, to solicit their input.
The two informed the committee that the JSP had information that could correct dates and places of revelations in the Doctrine and Covenants headings, as well as provide new or revised context for the revelations.
Matthew J. Grow, who was then the director of the Church History Department’s Publications Division, received the assignment to coordinate with JSP historians and prepare a set of recommendations.
Under Grow’s direction, adjustments were made to the headings of 78 sections of the Doctrine and Covenants, and introductions were added to Official Declarations 1 and 2.
Who decides when to update scriptures—whether it’s a Study Help or verse text?
As I understand it, the Church’s Scriptures Committee—a standing committee chaired by a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles—decides when to update the scriptures.
Those changes are subject to the approval of the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.
Will the latest changes be incorporated into the printed scriptures?
Yes. The changes are already available in electronic copies. The plan is to have printed copies reflect the changes in the upcoming months.
Updates to Study Helps in Restoration Scripture
What are “Study Helps”?
“Study Helps” include the headings, footnotes, topical guide, Bible Dictionary, and other tools we have in our scriptures to aid our understanding.
For example, the section headings to the Doctrine and Covenants are study helps, as are the verse summaries. Study Helps do not include the actual scriptural texts.
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How do Study Helps shape how we read the scriptures?
In the case of headings to the Doctrine and Covenants, Study Helps provide the historical context behind the sections, as well as dates and places of reception.
Knowing these facts can help readers better understand the text of the revelations, leading to a deeper comprehension that can aid in feeling the Holy Ghost testify of truthfulness.
Nearly all of the scriptural updates in 2013 and 2025 were focused on Study Helps. What does this suggest?
I think it shows that we want to be as accurate as possible in the information we convey to Church members about the scriptures. If there are errors in section headings, we want to correct them.
As Elder Kyle S. McKay said, these minor changes are intended to reflect “the careful attention with which we believe this remarkable legacy of divine revelation ought to be treated.”
He also explained that these scripture updates can help church members “better understand why and how the Lord communicated with the Church through His Prophet.”
So, if there is additional context that might help church members better understand a revelation, we want to provide it.
How can Latter-day Saints view the scripture updates in the same way Joseph Smith understood his revelations?
In 1831, Joseph Smith described the revelations he had received as “the riches of Eternity to the church.”
We regard the scriptures in the same way, which is why we want to ensure that the study helps are accurate and useful.
Scriptural Updates in the Doctrine and Covenants
How would you categorize the 2025 changes to the Doctrine and Covenants?
The updates reflect both minor factual corrections and contextual clarity.
Factual corrections to the Doctrine and Covenants
For example, roughly half of the recent scripture updates include minor corrections to details like dates and places in these sections of the Doctrine and Covenants:
- Section 2
- Section 98
- Section 103
- Section 105
- Section 107
- Section 108
- Section 116
- Section 121
- Section 122
- Section 123
- Section 128
Additional Context in D&C Headers
The other half of the updates enhances our understanding by providing additional details about the historical context revelations in the Doctrine and Covenants. For example, the phrase “on Easter Sunday” was inserted after “a Sabbath day meeting” in the heading for D&C 110, reflecting new research findings.
Similar contextual updates were made in these sections:
- Section 78
- Section 89
- Section 94
- Section 96
- Section 97
- Section 98
- Section 101
- Section 105
- Section 109
- Section 110
- Section 111
- Section 112
- Section 115
- Section 119
- Section 121
- Section 122
- Section 126
- Section 132
Emma Smith’s involvement in the origins of the Word of Wisdom is now mentioned in the introduction to D&C 89. What does her role say about the process of revelation?
I think it illustrates a principle that President Russell M. Nelson taught in 2018: “Good inspiration is based upon good information.”
The Lord revealed things to Joseph Smith as he inquired about them. Sometimes these questions were prompted by discussions the Prophet had with Sidney Rigdon or other Church leaders over something in the scriptures.
And in other instances—as in the case of the Word of Wisdom—the questions were prompted by discussions Joseph had with other individuals, including Emma Smith.
How was the purpose of Zion’s Camp clarified in the revised introduction to D&C 105?
Contemporary documents regarding the Camp of Israel (Zion’s Camp) indicate that Joseph intended it primarily as a defensive force.
Conversely, church members often think of the camp as an army put together by the Prophet to forcibly retake the Saints’ land in Jackson County.
The Camp of Israel’s defensive purpose
Several changes to the heading of Section 105 address that common misunderstanding and clarify the defensive purpose of Zion’s Camp, such as:
- The camp would march to Missouri.
- Church leaders would request that Governor Daniel Dunklin call out the state militia.
- The state militia would guard the Saints back to their lands in Jackson County.
- When the militia had disbanded, the members of Zion’s Camp would remain in Jackson County to protect the Saints from being driven out again.
What clarifications were made in regards to the Kirtland Temple dedicatory prayer in D&C 109?
The major change to this heading was removing a reference to a written statement from Joseph Smith saying that the Kirtland Temple dedicatory prayer was received by revelation.
We believe the prayer in D&C 109 was received by revelation, but JSP historians have not been able to locate a specific written statement by Joseph on the matter.
Because we could not find the statement, we recommended deleting the reference to it in the section heading.
What source led to changing the date on which Section 116 was received?
The previous section heading to D&C 116 indicated that the revelation was received on May 19, 1838.
However, we do not know the specific day it was received, so the section heading was adjusted to indicate that Joseph Smith could have received it sometime in May or June 1838.
For more information about the update to Section 116’s header, see Documents, Volume 6, Introduction to Part 1: 15 February–28 June 1838, in the Joseph Smith Papers.
How does the revised introduction to D&C 119 correct misunderstandings about the Law of Consecration?
As it existed, the heading to Section 119 seemed to imply that the law of tithing had replaced the law of consecration and that the Saints no longer lived the law of consecration.
Though we may no longer live it in the same economic sense as the Saints did in the early 1830s, the law of consecration is still a law we covenant to keep today.
The heading avoids any misunderstanding that the law of consecration is no longer in force.
We adjusted the language in the section heading to avoid any misunderstanding that the law of consecration is no longer in force.
Historian Steven C. Harper has discussed these principles, most notably in:
- Revelations in Context: The Stories Behind the Sections of the Doctrine and Covenants (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 2016)
- Let’s Talk About the Law of Consecration (Deseret Book, 2022).
How do we know that D&C 121 and 122 aren’t in Joseph Smith’s handwriting?
We have the original letters that were sent from Liberty Jail.
Scholars at the Joseph Smith Papers Project were able to discover that the epistles are in the handwriting of Alexander McRae and Caleb Baldwin, indicating that McRae and Baldwin wrote them as Joseph Smith dictated:
- Letter to the Church and Edward Partridge (20 March 1839)
- Letter to Edward Partridge and the Church (Circa 22 March 1839)
How does the added context for D&C 126 help us to better understand the word of the Lord to Brigham Young after his mission to England?
Section 126 states that Brigham Young would not be required to leave his family as he had in the past. The heading was adjusted to show how long Brigham had been away from his family when the revelation was given.
Brigham and his family had sacrificed much so that he could preach the gospel, and I think the added context helps readers better understand the extent of his sacrifice and its impact on his family.
This can help us see why the Lord might tell Brigham he needed to focus on his family at that time.
How do the updates to the heading for D&C 132 influence ongoing understanding about the origins of polygamy?
As with any other historical topic, our understanding of plural marriage has changed as we have reexamined sources about the practice and asked new questions of them.
As historians have undertaken that process, we’ve seen that the earlier indications of 1831 as the year the principle of plural marriage was first revealed to Joseph Smith were based on much later second or third-hand reminiscences.
The historical record is not entirely clear about when plural marriage was revealed.
It is certainly possible that the Lord revealed the principle that year, but it is not certain. What seems clear is that Joseph unfolded the doctrine over several years before acting on it.
Therefore, we recommended changing the heading from saying that the principles were known to the Prophet as early as 1831 to saying they were known “earlier.”
This is a more nuanced approach that reflects the historical record is not entirely clear about when the Lord revealed the doctrine of plural marriage to Joseph Smith.
Scripture Updates to the Book of Mormon in 2025
How many changes were made to the Book of Mormon?
Two chapter summaries in the Book of Mormon were adjusted in 3 Nephi, both addressing the name of the Church and the extent of Jesus Christ’s ministry to the Nephites.
The Church’s Detailed Summary of the 2025 updates breaks down the changes as follows:
- Preceding 3 Nephi 11—Changed “Comprising chapters 11 through 26” to “Beginning with chapter 11.” (This reflects the fact that Jesus continued to minister to the people of Nephi after 3 Nephi 26.)
- 3 Nephi 27 summary—Changed “Jesus commands them to call the Church in His name” to “Jesus commands that the Church be called in His name.” (This clarifies that the command applies to us in our day as well as to the people of Nephi.)
The Ongoing Legacy of the Joseph Smith Papers
How early did it become clear that the Joseph Smith Papers would yield real-world benefits for church members?
I think it was understood from the beginning that the project would have an impact on the Saints.
When the Joseph Smith Papers Project began, we knew that its primary audience was scholars. However, we also recognized that a strong secondary audience existed: a general Church membership interested in Church history and in Joseph Smith’s life.
When we adjusted many of the Doctrine and Covenants headings in the 2013 edition of the scriptures, the project was still in its infancy, especially in terms of publication.
By 2013, we had published 8 volumes (of an eventual 27) and only 2 in the Documents series (which would extend to 15 volumes). So there was still much work to be done in 2013.
Some Latter-day Saints might be worried when scriptures are changed. How would you address that concern as a Latter-day Saint historian?
As a church, we believe in continuing revelation, which means that God can reveal more to us or adjust what He has already revealed through His prophets.
Sometimes we believe that when a revelation comes from God, it shouldn’t change. But I don’t think that’s how Joseph Smith viewed his revelations.
Before the Book of Commandments (the first compilation of Joseph’s revelations) was published in 1833, a conference appointed Joseph Smith to go through the manuscript revelations and
correct those errors or mistakes which he may discover by the holy Spirit while reviewing the revelations & commandments.
Minutes, 8 November 1831
This indicates that early Church members did not view revelations as static.
They also understood that, because these translations were transmitted through humans (Joseph as the prophet and individuals such as Sidney Rigdon, Oliver Cowdery, and John Whitmer as scribes), there could be errors that needed correcting.
To me, that doesn’t devalue a revelation at all—it’s a further testimony that God works through human beings who sometimes make mistakes, but He is still able to do a great work through them.
How does it make you feel to see your work with the JSP reflected in something as important as Restoration scripture?
Working on the Joseph Smith Papers was definitely a privilege and one of the most rewarding experiences I’ve had as a historian.
It’s very gratifying and humbling to know that something you’ve been a part of has impacted how we understand the Doctrine and Covenants.
I am grateful to have been a small part of it and hope that it will help increase Church members’ testimonies of Jesus Christ and the Restored Gospel.
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About the Scholar
Matthew C. Godfrey is a senior managing historian in the Church History Department of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. From 2013-2021, he was the managing historian of the Joseph Smith Papers Project. He has served as a general editor on the Joseph Smith Papers since 2015.
Further Reading
Explore more From the Desk articles about scriptural themes from the 2025 minor updates to Restoration scripture:
- How Has Temple Worship Evolved Since Joseph Smith’s Time?
- What Is the Law of Consecration?
- Was Zion’s Camp a Failure?
- Why Don’t Polygamy Skeptics Think Joseph Smith Practiced Plural Marriage?
- What Are the “I AM” Statements of Jesus in the Book of Mormon?
Minor Updates to Latter-day Saint Scriptures in 2025
Learn more about the 2025 updates made to the online and print editions of the Doctrine and Covenants and Book of Mormon:
- Detailed Summary of Approved Adjustments to Select Study Helps of the Doctrine and Covenants and Book of Mormon [PDF] (Intellectual Reserve, Inc.)
- Minor Adjustments Made to Select Study Helps in Doctrine and Covenants, Book of Mormon (Church Newsroom)
- Historical Adjustments to the Scriptures (About the Scriptures)
- Explanations for the Doctrine and Covenants Section Headings (JSP)
- 25 Doctrine and Covenants Section Introductions Adjusted Following Joseph Smith Papers Findings (Church News)
