Timestamps:
00:26 â The children of Israel are placed in bondage by the Egyptians. Moses is born and saved through the efforts of heroic women like Jochebed, Shiprah, Puah, Miriam, and Pharaoh’s daughter.
08:58 – Moses flees from Egypt, meets Jethro, marries Zipporah, and speaks with God at the burning bush.
12:01 – The Lord knows our sorrows and suffering. Deliverance is a process.
18:40 – God helps us bear our burdens in the space between bondage and deliverance. Our bones thicken to match the weight they carry.
26:02 – Moses is called to deliver Israel from bondage and God gives him signs or tokens.
28:39 – Meanings of the divine name “I Am That I Am.”
35:07 – We are encouraged to act and not be acted upon.
37:35 – God tells Moses that he will lead Israel to a land flowing with milk and honey.
50:42 – Making time for rest and connecting with heaven is essential.
57:40 – Ways to interpret God making Pharaoh’s heart “heavy.”
Listen on Apple Podcasts
Listen on Google Podcasts
Listen on Audible
Listen on Facebook
Listen on Stitcher
Listen On Spotify
Listen on YouTube
Podcast: Download (Duration: 1:07:42 — 46.5MB)
Can you please help me understand your comment about Pharaoh’s heart being hardened by God, especially in regards to Joseph Smith not liking it so he changed it to Pharaoh hardening his own heart? I’m confused because I believe Joseph Smith made changes to the Bible based on heavenly guidance, not on what he liked and didn’t like. Thanks,
Travis
Travis, getting into this question will take some time. You may find Jared Ludlow’s article valuable for a broader analysis of the Joseph Smith Translation. Thinking that Joseph is producing an ur-text is, in my opinion, problematic. Especially in light of what he is doing with both the JST and the work in the Book of Mormon. Having everything “line up” in a fashion that makes complete orthodox alignment is challenging when the problem is critically examined. I like your term “heavenly guidance.” I would couple this idea with Joseph’s mind as translator also taking part in the process. Translation is a matter of aligning the mind. Now, when we speak of Joseph’s translation, we are dealing with another meaning of the word, as he stated that his translation was using the gift of heaven. But were his words, his ideas part of the process? I would say that they were. Not everyone agrees.
You may want to read Brant Gardner’s book The Gift and Power: Translating the Book of Mormon (2011). It gets into the idea of “tight” versus “loose” translation discussion and analysis, seeing Joseph’s mind and cultural mindset as part of the process, how the KJV Bible may have influenced his translation, among other things. I quote Gardner quite a bit in our Book of Mormon podcasts, for his work is helpful in working through the text. This brief post by FairMormon may help as well.
I briefly analyze the translation issue in the Book of Mormon with the use of the word “Christ” as it first appears in 2 Nephi 10.3 in this article. Enemies to the Church have accused Joseph of deceit by using this word in the Book of Mormon, as ΧĪΚĪĪáŊšĪ is a Greek word, certainly one that Nephi would not be using in his time. So to me, your question is an important one. The more we understand “translation” and “heavenly guidance,” the more we can see the dance of translation, the gold and clay as it were. This article may also be helpful. You may find these several articles and discussions useful in your search. Thanks for listening to the podcast!
-Mike