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THE DOCTRINE AND COVENANTS
SECTION 19

Revelation given through Joseph Smith, at Manchester, New York, March 1830. HC 1: 72—74. In his history the Prophet introduced it as “a commandment of God and not of man, to Martin Harris, given by him who is Eternal.”

[ With recent research on the Joseph Smith papers it appears that section 19 was given in the summer of 1829. This would have put this revelation right on the heels of section 18. They are at a point where it is time to print the Book Of Mormon and Joseph and Oliver offer to work in the press for free. However the owner of the press Egbert B. Grandin,(E.B. for short) the manager and principal owner of the Wayne Sentinel, a newspaper printed in Palmyra, was going to print the manuscript, and he was not going to work for free. This is where the problem arises. E.B. wants guarantees that I'll be paid for this - $3,000 for 5,000 copies of the Book of Mormon. However, the citizens of Palmyra have agreed to boycott The Book of Mormon and they are not going to buy the thing, they've even warned and kind of almost threatened E.B. So E.B. is getting nervous about getting paid. Once it's printed, and if it sells then fine they can just use that money and and E.B Grandin is happy, and Martin Harris is fine. However; what if it doesn't sell then Martin has to come up with a $3,000? What is means to Martin is that he would be loosing the farm literally. He would need to sell 150 acres at the going rate of $20 an acre to raise the $3,000 because he has promised his farm as collateral. So the real test of how much he is committed is steering Martin right in the face, and I assume that his wife is not too happy about it either. So Martin is scared to death and he demands a revelation from God to him by the prophet that everything will be ok. He said to the prophet I want a commandment(after all at the time it was the book of commandments in which the revelations where placed in). After some period of time of Martin asking Joseph said ok I will get you one and section 19 is that commandment. Based on the timing of this revelation one of two things are possible. Joseph Knight senior's account that's where section 19 comes that after Martin had begged Joseph enough times Joseph finally said okay I'll get you one and then receives section 19 to let him know that what what he needs to do. However; if we trust all this research that's been done since then and are willing to excuse father Knight in a senior moment due to the passage of time and a slightly faulty memory that this Revelation was really given in the summer of 1829. Right at the time the manuscript was first given to the printers to begin publication of the Book of Mormon with a need for money as collateral to do it based on the concerns of E.B. Grandin. So if the revelation was given much later in March of 1830, when Martin kept asking Joseph for a revelation a commandment according to Joseph Knight senior Joseph Smith said to him "fulfill what you've got in other words you already got got your commandment you've received your Revelation rely on it take that to the bank and quit worrying about what you took out of the bank to be able to back". If that's the case then section 19 is already in place in Martin's mind and Joseph is simply reminding him I'm not going to get you another Revelation see to me that seems a little bit more true to two men that have been chewed out by the Lord to just keep asking too many times for something that God didn't want to give them remember the last 116 pages I have a hard time imagining Martin Harris just begging and begging to give me something different. Instead I can picture Joseph Smith saying I'm not playing that game again Martin you've received the Commandment live it fulfill what you've got and to Martin's Eternal credit he did. And what does it end up costing Martin Harris? He did sell have to sell over half of his farm, a 151 Acres at $20 an acre to come up with the $3,000 to be able to publish The Book of Mormon as commanded in fact to be as specific as Martin wanted God to be this could have been a two verse Revelation because if the question is simply how are we going to pay for the Book of Mormon fine go to section 19:34 and 35 and this is all that Martin needed verse 34 impart a portion of thy property yea even part of thy lands and all save the support of thy family and why to verse 35 pay the debt thou hast contracted with the printer release thyself from bondage now that would have been a short Revelation but a really powerful one notice it was just in part a portion and part of thy lands you're not going to give up the whole thing Martin you do have a family to support I get that and so hold on to what is sufficient to be able to support that family but the the rest the portion the part give it to pay the debt that you've contracted with the printer release thyself from bondage. A revelation aimed toward Martin Harris, who had pledged to pay for the publication of the Book of Mormon. Then late in the printing process and prior to its completion, he was hesitant about his pledge when prospective sales number did not look good. Here the Lord commands him in no uncertain terms to keep his word. The section is unique in its content, rhetoric, and tone. The reason for this is probably that the Lord intended to both motivate Harris to keep his pledge as well as prove the revelation was of Himself and not a product of Smith’s desires (hence the emphatic self-declarative statements in v. 1-3 and 13- 24, and the threat of punishment for failure to heed His commands in v. 6-12). As such, the Lord would have addressed matters that had been on Harris’ mind which were unknown to Smith and present it in such a way that unmistakable, the content of hence v. 25- 31. See the historical material below for additional context.

As Joseph Knight recalls Martin demanded Joseph Smith to get a revelation for him from the Lord - and this is the result of that demand. ]

1—3, Christ has all power; 4—5, All men must repent or suffer; 6—12, Eternal punishment is God’s punishment; 13—20, Christ suffered for all, that they might not suffer if they would repent; 21—28, Preach the gospel of repentance; 29—41, Declare glad tidings.
1 I AM Alpha and Omega, [ In ancient cultures it was such that nothing really existed until it has been given a name because giving it a name brings it into existence. Naming things was very important and was the first priesthood responsibility of Adam - before Eve. A name identifies it into existence. Note the usage of the emphatic pronoun “I am”, which in this usage indicates divinity, cp. Exod. 3:14, John 8:58. The alpha and omega are the first and last letters on the Greek alphabet (see comments on D&C 17:1 “Urim and Thummim”) implying the first and last, which is made explicit later in the verse. That Jesus is the “first and last” has many applications, such as that from Matt. 23:11, or that He is the Creator/ 19.2 Initiator and the Redeemer/Consummation. The first and last also form a merism, a statement of comprehensive all-inclusivity. “The Hebrew, Ehyeh, signifying I Am, is related in meaning and through derivation with the term Yahveh or Jehovah. The central fact connoted by this name, I Am, or Jehovah, the two having essentially the same meaning, is that of existence or duration that shall have no end, and which, judged by all human standards of reckoning, could have had no beginning; the name is related to such other titles as Alpha and Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.” James E. Talmage. “Jesus the Christ ” ] Christ the Lord; yea, even I am he, the beginning and the end, the Redeemer of the world.
2  I, [ Jesus Christ. ] having accomplished and finished the will [ We are getting to the very fundamentals here. That is if something exists at all then someone had to have first willed it to be so. ] of him whose I am, even the Father, concerning me—having done this that I might subdue all things unto myself— [ Christ was subdued to the will of the Father, and acting under the direction of the Father has subdued the world to himself. ]
3 Retaining all power, even to the destroying of Satan and his works at the end of the world, [ Satan is allowed to use his power and dominion on the earth for a period - Satan is granted the power to bruise his heal, but in the end the Savior has power to crush Satan's head.(Gen 3:16) ] and the last great day of judgment, which I shall pass upon the inhabitants thereof, [ Not only will there be a time of reckoning, but there will be a crossing of a barrier; the state of passage from one state of being into another. Suggesting that the universe as we currently see it is not the real one, for to see the real universe we would need to reach beyond and around the obstacles of this life. ] judging every man according to his works and the deeds which he hath done. [ This is another statement of the Book Of Mormon principle that this life is a state of probation, a testing, everything that we do here is to have a preparatory experience, where nothing is final except the final grade. ]
4 And surely every man [ There are no exceptions. ] must repent or suffer, for I, God, am endless. [ "Endless" is his name, it is part of what defines him. Because God will continue throughout eternity the judgement rendered must carry forward through out eternity or God would be a changing God, and therefore would cease to be God. His suffering is “eternal” not in that it is without end, but because He is eternal and therefore His punishment is eternal, or has eternal consequences - It is for keeps. ]
5 Wherefore, I revoke not the judgments which I shall pass, [ Think about it. We must repent because we cannot enter into an eternal state in a condition where we are unsettled, undecided, guilty, hesitant, and uncommitted state of mind into an Eternal , endless, non-terminating contract or enterprise. Such a state would not be one with any degree of tolerability. ] but woes shall go forth, [ Until you have repented what faces you ahead in view of the past, the charges that you face, the penalties you have accumulated in this life is a prospect of utter misery. ] weeping, wailing and gnashing of teeth, yea, to those who are found on my left hand. [ If the power is in his right hand then it is only frustration of what could have been in the left hand. At this point in time Martin Harris is focused on temporal things; he has put up the money for the Book Of Mormon which is not selling well and he is losing his farm. Here the message is pretty clear that what he should really be afraid of is not man but God, while man will die and then be judged that judgement is forever; life is but for a short time. The torment described is a temporary condition (cf. D&C 76:40-43) with eternal consequences. ]
6 Nevertheless, it is not written that there shall be no end to this torment, [ Endless and Eternal are part of his name. So What he is saying here is that judgement given will be an eternal judgement. It does not imply torture eternally, but rather that the judgement passed will be the same for eternity, not to change. ] but it is written endless torment. [ Not that God has to continue to beat them; but - The endless torment is knowing what we could have had and being in the state of knowing that will be a torment forever - endless in nature - both on your mind all the time and throughout time. Given that this revelation is give with specifics for Martin Harris as well there is a tone that while Martin is focused on temporal things - getting his money back the Lord chooses to speak on the eternal nature of things. ]
7 Again, it is written eternal damnation; [Are endless tormant and eternal damnation the same thing or different? Torment and damnation do not mean the same things, they are different in the sense that one of the effects of damnation would be torment in hell, the word also has additional legalistic connotations of judgement and condemnation over and above any suffering. Even if their torment should cease, they will not be delivered from their damnation, (this is the eternal part - the other is just endless) the eternal part comes from the fact that they will be closed off from the presence of the Father and son, which presence those in the Celestial kingdom enjoy, and the permanency of damnation remains in effect eternally, cf. D&C 76:81-112. Any who fail to participate in celestial marriage and obtain the Celestial kingdom are damned forever, cf. D&C 132:4-6. The text was not italicized in the 1833 Book of Commandments or 1835 Doctrine and Covenants editions, and first appears in the 1921 edition D&C and remains thereafter.] wherefore it is more express than other scriptures, that it might work upon the hearts of the children of men, altogether for my name’s glory.
8 Wherefore, I will explain unto you this mystery, [ Mystery in Greek is "Musterion" which means: The counsels of God once hidden but now revealed, in the gospel or some fact thereof; the Christian revelation generally; particular truths or details of the Christian revelation. When we say "mystery" we might as well say ordinances. This is from Greek Mysterion (usually in plural mysteria) "secret right or doctrine (known and practiced by certain initiated persons only) consisting of purifications, sacrificial offerings, processions, songs, etc." from mystes "one who has been initiated," Myein "to close shut" (see nute(adj.)); perhaps referring to the lips (in secrecy) or to the eyes (only initiates were allowed to see the sacred rites). (Online Etymology Dictionary) So mystery as we know it today has been perverted to resemble something in a mystery novel when it came from the ancients to mean sacred rights, and initiations. So as we find in the scriptures that the word mystery is always tied to some form of Salvation and or sacred rights. ] , for it is meet unto you to know even as mine apostles.
9 I speak unto you that are chosen in this thing, even as one, that you may enter into my rest.
10 For, behold, the mystery of godliness, how great is it! [ To live with him, to become like him, to understand him. ] For, behold, I am endless, and the punishment which is given from my hand is endless punishment, for Endless is my name. Wherefore— [ The Lord is giving a description of His punishment that will have an end. Because his name is Endless, it is called Endless punishment, but there will be an end of suffering at the time of our resurrection. The sons of perditions will not be resurrected; thus their suffering does not end. ]
11 Eternal punishment is God’s punishment.
12  Endless punishment is God’s punishment. [ As it is on the other hand Endless and eternal redemption from that punishment if we will repent and come unto him who's name is endless and eternal. ]
13 Wherefore, I command you to repent, [ This command will be repeated 3 times in verses 13, 15, 20. ] and keep the commandments which you have received by the hand of my servant Joseph Smith, Jun., in my name;
14 And it is by my almighty power that you have received them;
15 Therefore I command you [ Greg. ] to repent—repent, lest I smite you by the rod of my mouth, [ Through his mouth he delivers his word. You cannot share this knowledge with impunity; eternal life is not cheaply bought. If you try to have your old way after you have glimpsed what might be you will be in great trouble. ] and by my wrath, and by my anger, [ Why would God ever feel wrath or anger? Because he loves us. Enoch saw him weep, and marveled (Mos 7:32). His capacity for feeling must be at least as great as his capacity for thought, and his capacity for suffering as great as that for joy and creation. So what other words would be more descriptive and appropriate. ] and your sufferings be sore—how sore you know not, [ This is the son of God saying this. I think I have known something of pain in my life, pain so bad that I wished that I could die, as I could not take it any more. Here God says it is worst than that…I do not want to find out. cp Mosiah 3:7 ] how exquisite [ Elaborate or perfected execution – so whatever the process is be certain that when you come out the other end YOU WILL BE CLEANSED. ] you know not, yea, how hard to bear you know not.
16 For behold, I, God, have suffered these things for all, that they might not suffer if [ They condition that makes it so we do not have to suffer. This shows us how much he really loves us. He does not want us to suffer. He does not want us to have eternal regret fo what we could have had, but in the end he has no choice as no unclean thing can dwell in his presence. ] they would repent; [ Or that we might treat our mortality with contempt, by turning our backs on the salvation that he offers us. After all, in the end is we do not choose to repent are we any different from Cain? Cain who conversed with both God and Satan face to face, and in the end he chose Satan. And still God did not punish Cain for that; God warned him as to what would become of him if he did not repent, but he left him to choose. In the end it was Cain who broke off the communication with God. And then when the crime fully caught up with him he exclaimed "My punishment is more than I can bear". Cain charged God with over-reacting to him with anger and cruelty! What do we need to do to repent? 1) Recognize that we have sinned, Feel genuine sorrow for the sin, Confess the sin (The Lord, and for serious sins the Bishop), are we done yet? No, Restitution for the sin were possible (some sins this is not possible - this makes their repentance process harder to achieve), Abandonment of Sin, Full obedience to the laws of God brings the complete power of the gospel into our lives. President Joseph Fielding Smith said this is what is in his scriptures - it is what is meant by if they would repent. "If they would have faith, repent, be baptised, receive the Holy Ghost". No man will repent without having faith in Jesus Christ. No one element of these will save us - it takes all of them to save us. (A Theodore Tuttle BYU Devotional). ]
17 But if they would not repent they must suffer even as I; [ So we are the ones that own it all, we put it on our own heads - the option is ours. To which God suffers right along with them. Why? Because in a way they put God to open shame in choosing not to accept him, and then they cry for justice according to their own rules. See Moses 7:56; Can you see that although Jesus was the greatest spirit to come to the earth, he also had greater trials than anyone in the earth? It is improper to suppose that Jesus was not tested and tempted equal to his great capacity. The fact that he was sinless and that he resisted every temptation does not make it any less a fact that he was subject to temptations. He knows how difficult temptations are, because he experienced bitter temptations; but he resisted them all. Read what King Benjamin taught in Mosiah 3:7. Jesus suffered temptations far beyond what men could endure; he confronted the powers of evil and won. But because he had to resist temptations, he understands the effort man must make to resist temptation. Again, as Paul said: “For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succour them that are tempted.” (Hebrews 2:18; 4:15.) Jesus was perfectly obedient, and because he was, “he received all power, both in heaven and on earth.” (D&C 93:17. Emphasis added.) But Jesus did not receive this great power and glory all at once. He received it piecemeal, step by step, degree by degree, “line upon line, precept upon precept” (D&C 128:21) until he received a fulness of the glory of the Father (see D&C 93:11–17). ]
18  Which suffering caused myself, [ Why? Because he took upon himself ALL wickedness, he was made perfectly aware of all sins and misery. And yet he had to balance agency and invitation to try to get us to return by making a provision for rescue, and inviting us to accept it as the way out, but it would require our exercise of agency. ] even God, the greatest of all, to tremble because of pain, [ 1) Tractor fire. ] and to bleed at every pore, [ 2) James Talmage in Jesus the Christ said “a mortal cannot handle this – we would black out”] and to suffer both body and spirit— [ Suffering was not just the flesh but the spirit as well. ] and would that I might not drink the bitter cup, [ Or this is another way of saying that all of this suffering, pain, torment, and anguish can be avoided for us, because he has taken it upon himself. That which is to be received or indured that which is allotted to one a portion; something unavoidable and unpleasant. this same cup is referred to in Matt 26:39 - where it Asks the Father if the cup can pass. It seems to be an allusion to a very ancient method of punishing criminals. A cup of poison was put into their hands, and they were obliged to drink it. socrates was killed thus, being obliged by the magistrates of Athens to drink a cup of the juice of hemlock. ] and shrink— [ To pull back – he was worried that he would be able to accomplish the atonement. It appears as if the Lord breaks off his sentence without completing it, shrinking even from the memory of the awful moment, as if remembering and reliving the pain were too great to bear even in A.D. 1830. One must comptemplate that this is the precise point where the central act of the At-onement occurs, where we are moved most fully to experience at-onement with Christ and rejoice with him as he then goes on to say, "Nevertheless, glory be to the Father, and I partook and finished my preparations unto the children of men" ]
19 Nevertheless, [ Deep divine determination, Jesus was perfect because he was determined to be perfect. Remember he asked the father if there was any other way and the father said there was no other way. ] glory be to the Father, and I partook and finished my preparations unto the children of men. [ Note the Lord's view of his mortality and how it was a portion of His existence. He views it as a period that enabled Him to complete and fulfill His mission. Symbolism for us here that we too should view our bodies and our earthly existence the same way. Compare D&C 49:5-6 where the Lord speaks in a possessive manner about His “Only Begotten son” and “son of Man”, i.e., He is possessively referring the mortal tabernacle He possessed in the same manner as we have here in v. 19. Also See 3 Ne. 27:13 ‘Isn’t it interesting that the Greatest Intelligence in the Universe abandoned His son at the most pivotal moment in His plan? Could it be that it was at this moment that the Greatest Intelligence of All bore witness to the universe that He had put His faith in Jesus? That He knew Jesus would choose Him no matter what? And could it be that when you think He has abandoned you that He is actually saying, ‘I have faith you will choose me even when I’m not there’?” ]
20 Wherefore, I command you again to repent, [ One more plea that there is no need for us to suffer, it is needless. Suggesting that we can settle our sin account now, or later at some greatly augmented rate, but in the end the account will be settled. ] lest I humble you with my almighty power; and that you confess your sins, lest you suffer these punishments of which I have spoken, [ Which are? immense pain, more than the physical body can bear, sufferring of the mind and body in spiritual anguish - In other words you cannot comprehend how bad it will be. ] of which in the smallest, yea, even in the least degree you have tasted at the time I withdrew my Spirit. [ Speaking specifically to Martin Harris here - So that Martin knew when this had happened. "It would seem that Martin Harris had come to Joseph Smith seeking further assurance in relation to his standing before the Lord, being sorely troubled in spirit because of his transgression. He had already been granted the privilege, on his earnest solicitation, of being one of the Three Witnesses, and that wonderful vision had been given. Perhaps out of this came much serious reflection and he sought further light. However, there is no indication in the History of the Church as to the reason why the revelation was given, and the exact day is unknown when it was given." (Church History and Modern Revelation, 1:85.) ]
21 And I command you that you preach naught but repentance, and show not these things unto the world until it is wisdom in me. [ As was the case in the ancient church, the Gospel was rationed as were the gifts. Line upon line, to those men who accept some - then more is given(Verse 22). 1833 Book of Commandments: "And I command you, that you preach nought but repentance; and show not these things, neither speak these things unto the world," Whith the phrase "until it is wisdom in me" leads into verse 22. There was not a need to teach the complexities of the doctrine and so Martin Harris was instruct not to teach it or even speak of it at this time. See Heb 5:14. ]
22 For they cannot bear meat now, [ Here “meat” is based upon the KJV English of 1 Cor. 3:2 and Hebr. 5:12. Perhaps, a better wording might be “solid food” and not specifically the flesh of some animal. The “Meat” is not necessarily good doctrine that edifies. There is plenty of “meat” which does not edify, see Hebr. 5:12-14, Hebr. 9:9-11, Hebr. 13:9-10, and also cp. Isa. 28:7-9 which is the likely original source of the milk-meat analogy. As stated in Hebr. 5:14: The meat the Lord is rejecting in v. 22 is not the true doctrine of v. 1-20, but the complex doctrines which are only for those who are mature enough in the faith to be able to discern good from bad. The “meat” in v. 22 is the “tenets” of v. 31. ] but milk they must receive; wherefore, they must not know these things, lest they perish. [ With knowledge comes responsibility. People have to learn to live within the responsibility that they have for a time. This is a standard principle of line upon line. There is a point where some people are satisfied with gaining a little knowledge and that is enough for them - the children of Israel were perfectly fine with allow Moses to receive the information from God and then passing it down to them. They did not want the responsibility upon themsleves. With milk they can be sustained, with meat they can grow muscle. So it is when they are redy for more knowledge they will study, seek, ask and knock. But until then do not give it to them. ]
23 Learn of me, and listen to my words; walk in the meekness of my Spirit, [ This is the usual pitfall of the learned - they become proud and do not walk in meekness. How does one walk in the meekness of his spirit? humility; resignation; submission to the divine will, without murmuring or peevishness; opposed to pride. So in essence we need to submit to the direction of the spirit, without murmuring - that is it. ] and you shall have peace in me.

24 I am Jesus Christ; I came by the will of the Father, [ Pure and simple. He was asked to fulfill a mission. To be completely faithful in his duties, and he had the right attitude that made is so that he was able to do exactly that. Should our life be any different? Should we not be able to answer the question the same way, that in the end we are here to do what God wants us to do as well. If Jesus Christ is content with simply doing the will of the Father, well shouldn't that be good enough for us as well? ] and I do his will. [ Authority statement - I DO AS I HAVE BEEN COMMANDED. No wiggle room. ]

25 And again, [ Now in verses 25, 28 and 29-31 the Lord get's very specific by providing a list of things to which Martin needs to repent of. Further indication to him that this was not Joseph speaking but the Lord to Martin through Joseph Smith. And since you asked MArtin I will let you have it straight up - is the Lord's approach. ] I command thee that thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s wife; nor seek thy neighbor’s life. [ At first glance, the Lord appears to be address both adultery and murder. However, in the available historical material there is nothing that suggests that Martin Harris was adulterous or had murderous intents (maybe he had thought's as his relationship with this wife was strained). For example, in a letter Joseph Smith wrote to the Church while he was in Liberty Jail he explicitly accuses a number of apostates of adultery, and references Martin Harris explicitly, but not with those labeled as adulterous: We have been misrepresented and misunderstood, and belied...we have waded through an ocean of tribulation and mean abuse, practiced upon us by the ill bred and the ignorant, such as Hinkle, Corrill, Phelps, Avard, Reed Peck, Cleminson, and various others, who are so very ignorant that they cannot appear respectable in any decent and civilized society, and whose eyes are full of adultery, and cannot cease from sin. Such characters as McLellin, John Whitmer, David Whitmer, Oliver Cowdery, and Martin Harris, are too mean to mention; and we had liked to have forgotten them (Joseph Smith, History of the Church, Vol. 3, pages 232-233). The historical record's do indicate that Martin’s relationship with his wife Lucy were terribly strained. She was very envious of his connections to Jpseph Smith and ultimately turned against both Joseph and the Church and was apparently the one who plotted against Joseph in regard to discrediting him with the altered version of the Book of Lehi (cf. ch. 23, 25, and 28 of Lucy Mack Smith’s History of Joseph Smith by His Mother). In 1831 they legally separated and the portion of his farm which was not sold to cover the expense of publishing the Book of Mormon was deeded to her. In 1836, shortly after Lucy Harris’ death, Martin remarried. Given the evidence available, one would conclude this verse is commenting on the tensions of Martin’s marriage rather than any adulterous feelings on his part. ]
26 And again, I command thee that thou shalt not covet thine own property, [ Why? Because it all belongs to the Lord. It is mine and I shall do what I please with it - You are not free to dispose of it as you will. "But impart it freely" to the Lord's work. ] but impart it freely to the printing of the Book of Mormon, which contains the truth and the word of God— [ This is the reason why the Book Of Mormon has a priority as part of the Lord's work. ]
27 Which is my word to the Gentile, that soon [ (that through them) the Gentiles it may go to the Jews. ] it may go to the Jew, of whom the Lamanites are a remnant, that they may believe the gospel, and look not for a Messiah to come who has already come.
28 And again, I command thee that thou shalt pray vocally as well as in thy heart; yea, before the world as well as in secret, in public as well as in private.
29 And thou shalt declare glad tidings, yea, publish it upon the mountains, and upon every high place, and among every people that thou shalt be permitted to see.
30 And thou shalt do it with all humility, trusting in me, reviling not against revilers. [ See D&C 18:20. ]
31 And of tenets [ The doctrine of the Church, i.e., anything over and above the first principles and ordinance of the gospel, the “meat” of v. 22, which is potentially harmful to those new in the faith. ] thou shalt not talk, [ or Don't teach of your opinions, keep them to yourselves. "tenet" the OPINION of an individual or sect. For example many of the General authorities hold different tenets today - but they do not often discuss them over the pulpit because they are given direction to declare only 1) Repentance; 2) Faith on the Savior; 3) Remission of sins, by baptism and by the Holy Ghost. (Moses 6:60) ] but thou shalt declare repentance [ Repentance is an interesting thing in this verse as if to say - it you teach repentance and they are not willing to show humility and repenat then there is nothing else to teach them. If the what to dispute everything that you say then then have not taken the first step - repentance - and without that step nothing else will take hold and be able to be learned, as the rest will come as a result of having the spirit. The un-repentant will not have that spirit. ] and faith on the Savior, and remission of sins by baptism, [ Baptism is the covenant gateway ordinance. Through baptism we make the covenant to be obedient to God, it is through that subsequent obedience that we become sinless. When we look at baptism through the scriptures only we begin to see that Baptism is not a cleansing from sin but a commitment to be obedient to God. 2 Ne. 31:17 "then cometh a remission of sins by fire and by the Holy Ghost". (Moroni 6:4) ] and by fire, yea, even the Holy Ghost.
32 Behold, this is a great and the last commandment which I shall give unto you concerning this matter; [ We need to remember that this revelation came at the bequest of Martin Harris who had pledged his ground as collateral for the printing of the Book Of Mormon and the sales were not going very well. So Martin had in a way asked Joseph to get a revelation for him that everything was going to be okay of he sold 1/2 his farm. Are we ever like Martin Harris in the way that we want a revelation from God that everything will be ok if we move forward in what the lord has asked used to do? ] ] for this shall suffice for thy daily walk, even unto the end of thy life.
33  And misery thou shalt receive if thou wilt slight these counsels, [ This may be way the Lord doesn't give us too much information about anything before we are really ready for it. Because knowing too much can be dangerous as you are then required to live up to the new situtation in which you find yourself. You can't treat what the Lord gives you lightly, if you do you will find yourself in real trouble. ] yea, even the destruction of thyself and property.
34 Impart a portion of thy property, yea, even part of thy lands, [ Martin Harris will have to sell off almost 1/2 of his farm a total of 151 acres @20 an acre to raise the $3,000 required to pay off E.B. Grandin for the printing of the Book Of Mormon. ] and all save the support of thy family. [ The law of consecration provides for personal necessities. We are allowed funds and means "sufficient for our needs". ]
35 Pay the debt thou hast contracted with the printer. Release thyself from bondage. [ Debt is bondage. Think about this quite often we find people that want more, and more and in order to accomplish that the borrow(they become in bondage). Now contrast that with Satan who put Cain in bondage for what? "for the sake of getting gain". ]
36  Leave thy house and home, [ This was the test for Martin Harris. Leave your home, although you can visit. Similar to the tests of Abraham. ] except when thou shalt desire to see thy family;
37  And speak freely to all; [ Become an all in missionary Martin. Let yourself go for the sake of the gospel. ] yea, preach, exhort, declare the truth, even with a loud voice, with a sound of rejoicing, crying—Hosanna, hosanna, blessed be the name of the Lord God! [ Hebrew - Yahweh ( or Jehovah which means "to become" or "to exist") translated as Lord; Elohim translated as God ("the Gods") which together the words mean "He will cause Gods to be". ] !
38 Pray always, and I will pour out my Spirit upon you, and great shall be your blessing—yea, even more [ Why are the blessing of God greater than the treasures of the earth? Because the treasures of earth are corruptible and the blessing of God are eternal. ] than if you should obtain treasures of earth and corruptibleness to the extent thereof.
39 Behold, canst thou read this without rejoicing and lifting up thy heart for gladness?
40 Or canst thou run about longer as a blind guide? [ Martin Harris had once gone off as a blind guide, like a novice. And the Lord then gives the cure to this in the next verse. ]

41 Or canst thou be humble and meek, and conduct thyself wisely before me? [ Do as I have instructed thee, using your best efforts to follow the doctrines that God has established. ] Yea, come unto me thy Savior. Amen.

 

[ Historical Material Pertaining to Doctrine & Covenants 19
The little we known about this revelation comes from Joseph Knight, Sr. Smith included no comment whatsoever on this revelation when he recorded it in History of Church.
Excerpt from The Revelations of the Prophet Joseph Smith When the translation of the Book of Mormon was nearly completed, Joseph Smith, Oliver Cowdery, and Martin Harris solicited Egbert B. Grandin, manager and principal owner of the Wayne Sentinel, a newspaper printed in Palmyra, to print the manuscript. Grandin declined the request as did Thurlow Weed of Rochester when confronted with the proposition. The Prophet and his associates finally prevailed upon E.B. Grandin, and Martin Harris later signed a mortgage (25 August 1829) that bound Harris to pay Grandin $3,000 within eighteen months for the printing of 5,000 copies of the Book of Mormon or forfeit sufficient of his 240-acre Palmyra farm to pay the $3,000. In March 1830, prior to the completion of the printing of the Book of Mormon, a group of townspeople near Palmyra voted not to purchase the book if it were published. Fearful that he might lose his farm if the book did not sell, Harris approached the Prophet Joseph Smith regarding the matter, and requested a revelation. Joseph Knight, Sr., remembering the occasion, made the following remarks: [Martin Harris] Came to us and after Compliments he says, “The Books will not sell for no Body wants them. Joseph says, “I think they will sell well.” Says he, “I want a Commandment [revelation].” “Why,” says Joseph, “fulfill what you have got.” “But,” says he, “I must have a Commandment.” Joseph put him off. But he insisted three or four times he must have a Commandment. [The following day] he got up and said he must have a Commandment to Joseph and went home. And along in the after part of the Day Joseph and Oliver Received a Commandment which is in Book of Covenants [section 19]. [This quote also published in “Joseph Knight’s Recollection of Early Mormon History,” BYU Studies, Autumn 1976, p. 37] (Lyndon W. Cook, The Revelations of the Prophet Joseph Smith, pages 30-31)]