Gazelem
Encyclopedia
Gazelem is a person or stone mentioned in the Book of Mormon
.
Alma
37:23 reads, "And the Lord said: I will prepare unto my servant Gazelem, a stone, which shall shine forth in darkness unto light, that I may discover unto my people who serve me, that I may discover unto them the works of their brethren, yea, their secret works, their works of darkness, and their wickedness and abominations."
The punctuation seems to indicate that Gazelem is the name of the stone, not the servant, but this interpretation is not universal. The index to the current LDS edition of the Book of Mormon, for instance, defines Gazelem as "Name given to servant of God."
The identity of Gazelem is uncertain, but the most likely candidates are (the seer stones used by) Mosiah
and Joseph Smith. The Jaredite
s are the people whose secret works Gazelem is to bring to light, and both Mosiah and Joseph Smith are supposed to have used seer stones to translate the Jaredite record.
In early editions of the Doctrine and Covenants
, Gazelam (sic) is one of the code names used for Joseph Smith, suggesting that he may have identified himself with Gazelem of the Book of Mormon.
Possible meanings of the word Gazelem as found in The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ. Alma 37:23 "I will prepare unto my servant Gazelem, a stone, which shall shine forth in darkness unto light"
This reference to Gazelem is confusing. If he is a prophet, contemporary to the early Nephites, who was given a Urim and Thummim, then there must have been two sets of interpreters among them. The other set of interpreters were the ones given to the Brother of Jared. They were later buried with the plates and used to translate the Book of Mormon (See Ether 3:23; DC 17:1). Another possibility is that Gazelem is not a proper name but a title for a seer. Thirdly, the name may be a reference to Joseph Smith, who was referred to in the D&C as Gazelam when code names were used to conceal the identity of those referred to in the revelations. The following quotes are helpful.
“The word Gazelem appears to have its roots in Gaz - a stone and Aleim, a name of God as a revelator or interposer in the affairs of men. If this suggestion be correct, its roots admirably agree with its apparent meaning-a seer.” (George Reynolds, A Dictionary of the Book of Mormon, p. 92)
“This may well be a play on words. Is Gazelem the seer stone or the servant? It is difficult to tell from the passage and depends very much on the placement of a comma in the sentence. Perhaps it could refer to both. It is interesting to note that when Jesus called Simon Peter to the ministry he said: ‘Thou art Simon the son of Jona: thou shalt be called Cephas, which is, by interpretation, a seer, or a stone’ (JST, John 1:42). Though this name or title of Gazelem may be used in regard to any seer who utilizes seer stones, it seems in this instance to be a direct reference to Joseph Smith the Prophet.” (McConkie and Millet, Doctrinal Commentary on the Book of Mormon, vol. 3, p. 278)
Book of Mormon
The Book of Mormon is a sacred text of the Latter Day Saint movement that adherents believe contains writings of ancient prophets who lived on the American continent from approximately 2600 BC to AD 421. It was first published in March 1830 by Joseph Smith, Jr...
.
Alma
Book of Alma
The Book of Alma is one of the books that make up the Book of Mormon. The full title is The Book of Alma: The Son of Alma. The title refers to Alma the Younger, a prophet and "chief judge" of the Nephites.-Historical Outline:...
37:23 reads, "And the Lord said: I will prepare unto my servant Gazelem, a stone, which shall shine forth in darkness unto light, that I may discover unto my people who serve me, that I may discover unto them the works of their brethren, yea, their secret works, their works of darkness, and their wickedness and abominations."
The punctuation seems to indicate that Gazelem is the name of the stone, not the servant, but this interpretation is not universal. The index to the current LDS edition of the Book of Mormon, for instance, defines Gazelem as "Name given to servant of God."
The identity of Gazelem is uncertain, but the most likely candidates are (the seer stones used by) Mosiah
Mosiah
There are two individuals named Mosiah in The Book of Mormon. They were grandfather and grandson, respectively, and both served as king of the Nephites at Zarahemla.*Mosiah I*Mosiah IIMosiah may also refer to:*Book of Mosiah...
and Joseph Smith. The Jaredite
Jaredite
The Jaredites are a people written of in the Book of Mormon, principally in the Book of Ether. In the Book of Ether, the Jaredites are described as the descendants of Jared and his brother, at the time of the Tower of Babel. According to the Book of Mormon, the people fled across the Ocean via...
s are the people whose secret works Gazelem is to bring to light, and both Mosiah and Joseph Smith are supposed to have used seer stones to translate the Jaredite record.
In early editions of the Doctrine and Covenants
Doctrine and Covenants
The Doctrine and Covenants is a part of the open scriptural canon of several denominations of the Latter Day Saint movement...
, Gazelam (sic) is one of the code names used for Joseph Smith, suggesting that he may have identified himself with Gazelem of the Book of Mormon.
Possible meanings of the word Gazelem as found in The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ. Alma 37:23 "I will prepare unto my servant Gazelem, a stone, which shall shine forth in darkness unto light"
This reference to Gazelem is confusing. If he is a prophet, contemporary to the early Nephites, who was given a Urim and Thummim, then there must have been two sets of interpreters among them. The other set of interpreters were the ones given to the Brother of Jared. They were later buried with the plates and used to translate the Book of Mormon (See Ether 3:23; DC 17:1). Another possibility is that Gazelem is not a proper name but a title for a seer. Thirdly, the name may be a reference to Joseph Smith, who was referred to in the D&C as Gazelam when code names were used to conceal the identity of those referred to in the revelations. The following quotes are helpful.
“The word Gazelem appears to have its roots in Gaz - a stone and Aleim, a name of God as a revelator or interposer in the affairs of men. If this suggestion be correct, its roots admirably agree with its apparent meaning-a seer.” (George Reynolds, A Dictionary of the Book of Mormon, p. 92)
“This may well be a play on words. Is Gazelem the seer stone or the servant? It is difficult to tell from the passage and depends very much on the placement of a comma in the sentence. Perhaps it could refer to both. It is interesting to note that when Jesus called Simon Peter to the ministry he said: ‘Thou art Simon the son of Jona: thou shalt be called Cephas, which is, by interpretation, a seer, or a stone’ (JST, John 1:42). Though this name or title of Gazelem may be used in regard to any seer who utilizes seer stones, it seems in this instance to be a direct reference to Joseph Smith the Prophet.” (McConkie and Millet, Doctrinal Commentary on the Book of Mormon, vol. 3, p. 278)