Noah Found Grace in the Eyes of the Lord

A Strange Thing in the Land: The Return of the Book of Enoch, Part 8

Hugh W. Nibley

Ensign 6, no. 12 (Dec. 1976)

Avoiding a Confounding of Languages to Grasp the Spiritual Lessons from the Flood: Reflections on Genesis 6–11 and Moses 8

Jamie L. Jensen

Old Testament Reflections (2026)

Book of Moses Insights

Jeffrey M. Bradshaw et al.

Pearl of Great Price Central (Invalid Date)

This resource contains sixty-one short essays, with MP3 audio versions, on the book of Moses, examining the text in more detail. Included are discussions on the presence of temple themes, literary aspects, and ancient parallels in the book of Moses.

The LDS Story of Enoch as the Culminating Episode of a Temple Text

Jeffrey M. Bradshaw

BYU Studies Quarterly 53, no. 1 (2014)

Moses 7 gives a detailed account of how and why Enoch and his people created a holy city. The general structure of the second half of the book of Moses follows a pattern exemplifying faithfulness and unfaithfulness to a specific sequence of covenants that is familiar to members of the Church who have received the temple endowment. The story of Enoch and his people in these latter chapters of the book of Moses provides a vivid demonstration of the final steps on the path that leads back to God and up to exaltation.

5 Answers to Difficult Questions about Noah and the Flood

Stephen O. Smoot

LDS Living (Jan. 2022)

Latter-day Saints benefit from additional information about the flood in the book of Moses, but there are still many questions. Smoot looks at whether the flood was local or global, whether it is appropriate to call the flood a baptism of the earth, and other questions.

Avoiding a Confounding of Languages to Grasp the Spiritual Lessons from the Flood: Reflections on Genesis 6–11 and Moses 8

Jamie L. Jensen

Old Testament Reflections (2026)

Chiastic Structuring of the Genesis Flood Story: The Art of Using Chiasm as an Effective Compositional Tool for Combining Earlier Chiastic Narratives

Steven R. Scott

“Chiasmus: The State of the Art,” BYU Studies Quarterly 59, supplement (2020)

This article outlines a basic chiasm in Genesis 6–9, with the covenant between God and Noah being the bookends and God remembering Noah (Genesis 8:1) as the center. Then the article examines evidence that suggests that the narrative was created from two earlier chiasms, pointing to use of chiastic structure by three different authors over a long period of history. Chiastic structure exists at the level of scenes, stanzas, and sentences.

Insights into the Book of Genesis

George A. Horton Jr.

The Joseph Smith Translation: The Restoration of Plain and Precious Truths (1985)

The Joseph Smith Translation teaches us that Noah’s family were saved because they hearkened unto the Lord.

Jesus Questioned about Resurrection (Mark 12:18–27)

Julie M. Smith

The Gospel according to Mark, BYU New Testament Commentary, excerpted on the BYU New Testament Commentary website (May. 2019)

“The point of the Sadducees’ (highly unlikely) scenario is to suggest that resurrection cannot be possible because if it were, a woman might end up with seven husbands in the next life. . . . This trap question is a testament of the strength of Jesus’ (and the Sadducees’) belief in marriage after death.”

Major Doctrinal Contributions of the JST

Robert J. Matthews

The Joseph Smith Translation: The Restoration of Plain and Precious Truths (1985)

The KJV mentions a covenant with Noah but does not say what the covenant was. In the Joseph Smith Translation, the statement is clarified to show that it is the same covenant that was given to Enoch, which was the same as had been given to Adam and other prophets.

The Flood and the Tower of Babel

Donald W. Parry

Ensign 28, no. 1 (Jan. 1998)

Many people discount the biblical narratives of Noah’s flood and the tower of Babel, but scriptural evidence and testimonies of God’s prophets give us reason to believe that these events happened, even though we may not understand how.

The Great Commandment: Principle or Platitude?

Howard A. Christy

Religious Educator 3, no. 1 (2002)

Jesus stated that the first and great commandment is to love God (Deuteronomy 6:5). The word in Hebrew is hesed, which means love, kindness, and mercy in steadfast and covenantal ways. Our relationship with God is founded on both law and mercy.

The Latter-day Saint Reimaging of “the Breath of Life” (Genesis 2:7)

Dana M. Pike

BYU Studies Quarterly 56, no. 2 (2017)

The creation accounts include the phrase “the breath of life.” This article explains how Latter-day Saints often use this phrase in a Restoration-oriented meaning about the embodiment of the first human’s premortal spirit and, by extension, the embodiment of all other people’s spirits.

The Temple According to 1 Enoch

George W. E. Nickelsburg

BYU Studies Quarterly 53, no. 1 (2014)

During the Second Temple period (516 BC to 70 AD), most Jews in Jerusalem worshipped at the Jerusalem temple. But a separate community at Qumran decried the lack of ritual purity in the activity at the Second Temple and saw their community as an ersatz for the temple. Literature at Qumran included 1 Enoch, a collection of five tractates composed in the Aramaic language between the fourth century BC and the turn of the era and ascribed to the ancient patriarch Enoch, the head of the seventh generation after creation (Gen. 5:18–24). Some of the tractates are concerned about a dysfunctional Jerusalem cult and resolve the problem of how to worship by looking forward to the approaching eschaton. Other sections of 1 Enoch tell that the real action is already taking place in the true temple, which is the heavenly temple. There, variously, God is enthroned, and the Son of Man is being prepared to enact divine judgment so that God’s will may be done on earth as it is in heaven. He

5 Answers to Difficult Questions about Noah and the Flood

Stephen O. Smoot

LDS Living (Jan. 2022)

Latter-day Saints benefit from additional information about the flood in the book of Moses, but there are still many questions. Smoot looks at whether the flood was local or global, whether it is appropriate to call the flood a baptism of the earth, and other questions.

Avoiding a Confounding of Languages to Grasp the Spiritual Lessons from the Flood: Reflections on Genesis 6–11 and Moses 8

Jamie L. Jensen

Old Testament Reflections (2026)

Chiastic Structuring of the Genesis Flood Story: The Art of Using Chiasm as an Effective Compositional Tool for Combining Earlier Chiastic Narratives

Steven R. Scott

“Chiasmus: The State of the Art,” BYU Studies Quarterly 59, supplement (2020)

This article outlines a basic chiasm in Genesis 6–9, with the covenant between God and Noah being the bookends and God remembering Noah (Genesis 8:1) as the center. Then the article examines evidence that suggests that the narrative was created from two earlier chiasms, pointing to use of chiastic structure by three different authors over a long period of history. Chiastic structure exists at the level of scenes, stanzas, and sentences.

The Flood and the Tower of Babel

Donald W. Parry

Ensign 28, no. 1 (Jan. 1998)

Many people discount the biblical narratives of Noah’s flood and the tower of Babel, but scriptural evidence and testimonies of God’s prophets give us reason to believe that these events happened, even though we may not understand how.

The Latter-day Saint Reimaging of “the Breath of Life” (Genesis 2:7)

Dana M. Pike

BYU Studies Quarterly 56, no. 2 (2017)

The creation accounts include the phrase “the breath of life.” This article explains how Latter-day Saints often use this phrase in a Restoration-oriented meaning about the embodiment of the first human’s premortal spirit and, by extension, the embodiment of all other people’s spirits.

The Temple According to 1 Enoch

George W. E. Nickelsburg

BYU Studies Quarterly 53, no. 1 (2014)

During the Second Temple period (516 BC to 70 AD), most Jews in Jerusalem worshipped at the Jerusalem temple. But a separate community at Qumran decried the lack of ritual purity in the activity at the Second Temple and saw their community as an ersatz for the temple. Literature at Qumran included 1 Enoch, a collection of five tractates composed in the Aramaic language between the fourth century BC and the turn of the era and ascribed to the ancient patriarch Enoch, the head of the seventh generation after creation (Gen. 5:18–24). Some of the tractates are concerned about a dysfunctional Jerusalem cult and resolve the problem of how to worship by looking forward to the approaching eschaton. Other sections of 1 Enoch tell that the real action is already taking place in the true temple, which is the heavenly temple. There, variously, God is enthroned, and the Son of Man is being prepared to enact divine judgment so that God’s will may be done on earth as it is in heaven. He

5 Answers to Difficult Questions about Noah and the Flood

Stephen O. Smoot

LDS Living (Jan. 2022)

Latter-day Saints benefit from additional information about the flood in the book of Moses, but there are still many questions. Smoot looks at whether the flood was local or global, whether it is appropriate to call the flood a baptism of the earth, and other questions.

Avoiding a Confounding of Languages to Grasp the Spiritual Lessons from the Flood: Reflections on Genesis 6–11 and Moses 8

Jamie L. Jensen

Old Testament Reflections (2026)

Chiastic Structuring of the Genesis Flood Story: The Art of Using Chiasm as an Effective Compositional Tool for Combining Earlier Chiastic Narratives

Steven R. Scott

“Chiasmus: The State of the Art,” BYU Studies Quarterly 59, supplement (2020)

This article outlines a basic chiasm in Genesis 6–9, with the covenant between God and Noah being the bookends and God remembering Noah (Genesis 8:1) as the center. Then the article examines evidence that suggests that the narrative was created from two earlier chiasms, pointing to use of chiastic structure by three different authors over a long period of history. Chiastic structure exists at the level of scenes, stanzas, and sentences.

Major Doctrinal Contributions of the JST

Robert J. Matthews

The Joseph Smith Translation: The Restoration of Plain and Precious Truths (1985)

The KJV mentions a covenant with Noah but does not say what the covenant was. In the Joseph Smith Translation, the statement is clarified to show that it is the same covenant that was given to Enoch, which was the same as had been given to Adam and other prophets.

The Book of Jonah: Foreshadowings of Jesus as the Christ

David R. Scott

BYU Studies Quarterly 53, no. 3 (2014)

This article explores the parallels between the experiences of Jonah and Jesus, particularly focusing on Jesus' reference to the “sign of Jonah” in Matthew 12:38–41. It discusses how Jonah’s story foreshadows many aspects of Jesus' mission.

The Flood and the Tower of Babel

Donald W. Parry

Ensign 28, no. 1 (Jan. 1998)

Many people discount the biblical narratives of Noah’s flood and the tower of Babel, but scriptural evidence and testimonies of God’s prophets give us reason to believe that these events happened, even though we may not understand how.

The Temple According to 1 Enoch

George W. E. Nickelsburg

BYU Studies Quarterly 53, no. 1 (2014)

During the Second Temple period (516 BC to 70 AD), most Jews in Jerusalem worshipped at the Jerusalem temple. But a separate community at Qumran decried the lack of ritual purity in the activity at the Second Temple and saw their community as an ersatz for the temple. Literature at Qumran included 1 Enoch, a collection of five tractates composed in the Aramaic language between the fourth century BC and the turn of the era and ascribed to the ancient patriarch Enoch, the head of the seventh generation after creation (Gen. 5:18–24). Some of the tractates are concerned about a dysfunctional Jerusalem cult and resolve the problem of how to worship by looking forward to the approaching eschaton. Other sections of 1 Enoch tell that the real action is already taking place in the true temple, which is the heavenly temple. There, variously, God is enthroned, and the Son of Man is being prepared to enact divine judgment so that God’s will may be done on earth as it is in heaven. He

Avoiding a Confounding of Languages to Grasp the Spiritual Lessons from the Flood: Reflections on Genesis 6–11 and Moses 8

Jamie L. Jensen

Old Testament Reflections (2026)

Major Doctrinal Contributions of the JST

Robert J. Matthews

The Joseph Smith Translation: The Restoration of Plain and Precious Truths (1985)

The KJV mentions a covenant with Noah but does not say what the covenant was. In the Joseph Smith Translation, the statement is clarified to show that it is the same covenant that was given to Enoch, which was the same as had been given to Adam and other prophets.

The Temple According to 1 Enoch

George W. E. Nickelsburg

BYU Studies Quarterly 53, no. 1 (2014)

During the Second Temple period (516 BC to 70 AD), most Jews in Jerusalem worshipped at the Jerusalem temple. But a separate community at Qumran decried the lack of ritual purity in the activity at the Second Temple and saw their community as an ersatz for the temple. Literature at Qumran included 1 Enoch, a collection of five tractates composed in the Aramaic language between the fourth century BC and the turn of the era and ascribed to the ancient patriarch Enoch, the head of the seventh generation after creation (Gen. 5:18–24). Some of the tractates are concerned about a dysfunctional Jerusalem cult and resolve the problem of how to worship by looking forward to the approaching eschaton. Other sections of 1 Enoch tell that the real action is already taking place in the true temple, which is the heavenly temple. There, variously, God is enthroned, and the Son of Man is being prepared to enact divine judgment so that God’s will may be done on earth as it is in heaven. He

“In the Land of the Chaldeans”: The Search for Abraham’s Homeland Revisited

Stephen O. Smoot

BYU Studies Quarterly 56, no. 3 (2017)

Stephen Smoot examines Genesis and the book of Abraham regarding Abraham’s journeys. Abraham’s homeland may have been in southern Iraq, but Syria or northern Mesopotamia should also be considered.

Avoiding a Confounding of Languages to Grasp the Spiritual Lessons from the Flood: Reflections on Genesis 6–11 and Moses 8

Jamie L. Jensen

Old Testament Reflections (2026)