Question
Gramps,
I am wondering if you could explain Doctrine & Covenants 132:61-66 to me. What do these verses mean?
Erica
Answer
Erica,
If you have ever read Doctrine and Covenants 132:61–66 and wondered what in the world these verses mean, you are not alone! These passages can be difficult to understand, especially because they discuss plural marriage and contain language that may seem unfamiliar or troubling to modern readers.
To understand them, it helps to look at the historical setting, what the verses actually teach, and how they fit into Latter-day Saint beliefs about marriage and God’s commandments.
Doctrine and Covenants 132 was recorded in 1843, during the early years of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It addresses the new and everlasting covenant of marriage, eternal marriage, and the practice of plural marriage as understood and practiced by some early Church members. Joseph Smith taught that God had commanded plural marriage during that period of Church history.
The verses we are looking at are part of that larger discussion. They are not simply a general explanation of how every marriage should work. They address specific circumstances within the practice of plural marriage.
In verses 61 and 62, the revelation discusses a man who takes multiple wives under the conditions described therein. It explains that these marriages were to be governed by the rules and authority set out in the revelation. The language of a wife or wives being given to a man reflects the text’s patriarchal and plural-marriage framework.
It is important to recognize that these verses reflect the historical and cultural setting in which the revelation was given. They do not describe marriage in the same way that most Latter-day Saint families experience it today.
Verse 63 is particularly important because it explains one of the purposes given for plural marriage in the revelation. It speaks of multiplying and replenishing the earth and raising up seed unto God. In other words, the passage connects plural marriage with having children and establishing families under God’s covenant.
The verse also contains language about a wife being given to a man and becoming one flesh with him. In the context of the revelation, this refers to the marital relationship, including its sexual aspect. The language can sound harsh to modern readers because it discusses women within a system in which men could have multiple wives.
The passage also makes a distinction between the revelation’s understanding of plural marriage and sexual relationships outside the marriages it describes. It treats marital relationships authorized under the revelation differently from adultery and sexual immorality. However, the fact that a practice is described in scripture does not mean that every person in every period is commanded to practice it.
Verses 64 and 65 address the circumstances in which a wife might refuse to accept the commandment as presented in the revelation. These verses use strong language and describe consequences in terms of the covenant and the commandment. They are among the most difficult verses in this section because they can sound as though a woman has little say in a decision that profoundly affects her life.
It is worth reading them carefully rather than assuming they provide a universal rule that a husband can use to demand that his wife accept plural marriage. The passage belongs to a particular revelation concerning plural marriage in early Church history. It should not be treated as permission for a husband today to pressure, threaten, or coerce his wife into accepting another marriage.
Verse 66 concludes this section by indicating that the Lord would reveal more later. This helps us understand that the verses belong to a larger revelation rather than functioning as a complete set of instructions for every marriage situation.
So what does this mean for Latter-day Saints today?
The Church discontinued the practice of plural marriage in the late nineteenth century. In 1890, President Wilford Woodruff issued the Manifesto, which led the Church to stop authorizing new plural marriages. You can read the official declaration here:
For more background, the Church also provides an essay called “The Manifesto and the End of Plural Marriage,” which explains the historical developments that brought the practice to an end:
Today, the Church teaches that marriage between one man and one woman is God’s standard for marriage, as explained in its official proclamation on the family. The Church does not authorize its members to enter into plural marriages.
This distinction matters because reading a revelation about a commandment given in a particular historical setting is not the same as being commanded to practice it today. Latter-day Saint belief includes the idea that God can give commandments for particular circumstances and that living prophets receive direction for the Church in their own time.
It is also reasonable to acknowledge that these verses raise difficult questions, especially about women’s agency, fairness, and the way divine authority is described. Understanding the historical context helps explain what the text is saying, even if it does not remove every question a reader may have.
If these verses leave you confused or uncomfortable, you do not have to pretend otherwise. A careful reading can include both an effort to understand what early Latter-day Saints believed and an honest recognition that some parts of the revelation are difficult to reconcile with modern expectations about marriage and equal partnership.
The main point is that Doctrine and Covenants 132:61–66 discusses the conditions and rules associated with plural marriage in the early Church. It does not mean that Latter-day Saints today are expected to practice plural marriage, nor does it give a husband permission to force his wife into a relationship she does not want.
Understanding that distinction is a helpful starting point for making sense of these challenging verses.
Gramps
