Keywords

Mormon, Word of Wisdom, Doctrine and Covenants 89, meat, punctuation, comma

Abstract

The 1921 edition of the Doctrine and Covenants included an additional comma, which was inserted after the word “used” in D&C 89:13: “And it is pleasing unto me that they should not be used, only in times of winter, or of cold, or famine.” Later authors have speculated that the addition of the comma was a mistake that fundamentally changed the meaning of the verse. This article examines this “errant comma theory” and demonstrates why this particular interpretation of D&C 89:13 is without merit.

Original Publication Citation

A. Jane Birch, “Questioning the Comma in Verse 13 of the Word of Wisdom,” Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship 10 (2014): 133-149. Original Source: https://journal.interpreterfoundation.org/questioning-the-comma-in-verse-13-of-the-word-of-wisdom/