What eyewitnesses actually said about how the Book of Mormon was translated
Introduction
For much of the Church’s history, Latter-day Saints were taught that Joseph Smith translated the Book of Mormon by studying the gold plates directly, using sacred instruments prepared by God.
However, multiple firsthand eyewitnesses—including his wife and closest associates—described a very different translation method.
What follows is not interpretation or speculation, but a plain presentation of eyewitness testimony, early LDS records, and biblical background.
Joseph Smith’s seer stone: origins and prior use
Before the Book of Mormon translation began, Joseph Smith was already known to possess a seer stone.
Early use
- Joseph acknowledged using a stone to locate lost objects and buried treasure
- This practice was common in early 19th-century New England folk culture
- His use of the stone was discussed openly by family members and neighbors
This background matters because the same stone later appears in eyewitness accounts of the translation process.
How the Book of Mormon was translated (eyewitness testimony)
Emma Smith (wife, scribe, constant presence)
Emma Smith gave one of the clearest firsthand descriptions of the translation process:
“In writing for your father I frequently wrote day after day, often sitting at the table close by him, he sitting with his face buried in his hat, with the stone in it, and dictating hour after hour with nothing between us.”
— Emma Smith Bidamon, interview with Edmund C. Briggs, 1879
She further clarified:
“He had neither manuscript nor book to read from… If he had had anything of the kind, he could not have concealed it from me.”
Emma also stated that the plates were often not present or were covered during dictation.
David Whitmer (one of the Three Witnesses)
David Whitmer repeatedly described the same method:
“Joseph Smith would put the seer stone into a hat, and put his face in the hat, drawing it closely around his face to exclude the light; and in the darkness the spiritual light would shine.”
— David Whitmer, interviewed by the Chicago Tribune, 1885
Whitmer was explicit that the plates themselves were not used directly:
“The plates were not before Joseph while he translated.”
Martin Harris (early scribe and financier)
Martin Harris confirmed the same process:
“The Prophet possessed a seer stone, by which he was enabled to translate as well as from the Urim and Thummim.”
— Martin Harris, quoted in Edward Stevenson letter, 1881
He also explained why the hat was used:
“By aid of the seer stone, sentences would appear and were read by the Prophet and written by Martin.”
The white (or light-colored) hat
The hat appears consistently across independent accounts:
- It blocked ambient light
- It allowed words to be seen clearly on or through the stone
- It was a practical tool, not symbolic
No eyewitness described Joseph reading from the plates as part of the translation process.
The “Urim and Thummim” given by the angel
Joseph stated that an angel delivered:
- The gold plates
- A device later called the Urim and Thummim
Early descriptions say it consisted of:
- Two stones
- Set in a frame or bow
- Sometimes described as “spectacles”
Important eyewitness detail
After the loss of the 116 manuscript pages, multiple sources indicate that:
- The interpreters were taken away
- Joseph then relied primarily on his personal seer stone
No contemporary explanation was recorded for why the angel-provided instrument was set aside.
What the biblical Urim and Thummim actually were
In the Hebrew Scriptures, the Urim and Thummim:
- Were carried by the High Priest of Israel
- Were kept in the breastplate (ḥoshen)
- Were used for yes/no divine inquiry, not text translation
- Were never used to produce scripture
They were not spectacles, not stones used in isolation, and not associated with folk divination.
Joseph Smith’s use of the term reflects a borrowed biblical name, not continuity with biblical practice.
Later reinterpretation of terms
Early LDS leaders later applied the term “Urim and Thummim” broadly:
- To the Nephite interpreters
- To Joseph’s personal seer stone
- To other revelatory instruments
This retrospective labeling blurred distinctions that eyewitnesses themselves made clearly.
Summary (for readers seeking clarity)
- Joseph Smith primarily dictated the Book of Mormon while looking into a seer stone placed in a hat
- This method is described independently by Emma Smith, David Whitmer, and Martin Harris
- The plates were often not used directly and sometimes not present
- The biblical Urim and Thummim were fundamentally different objects, used for different purposes
- These details were known early, but were rarely taught plainly in later LDS instruction
The question is not whether these events occurred, but why generations of members were shown a different story than the one recorded by the people who were actually there.
