This revelation came after a night of discussion over the contention developing among the elders. The journeys to and from Missouri were a test for the elders, strengthening the faith of some and weakening the faith of others. The difficulty was less about the circumstances they traveled in and more about their response to the adversity they faced. The Lord allowed the elders to choose the manner in which they traveled home to Kirtland (D&C 60:5). But here He expressed concern that the elders focused on returning home in the quickest way possible rather than seeing their journey as an opportunity to preach the gospel. The Lord had commanded the elders to travel “not in haste” (D&C 60:7–8), but once the journey commenced, they neglected His counsel. As a result, contention erupted among the elders when their journey was delayed, even when Joseph Smith instructed them to leave the river for their own safety.

However, after the elders spent an evening counseling together and confessing their wrongs, the Lord provided reassurance that their mistakes could be forgiven as long as they recognized and confessed their sins.

After the harrowing experience of the previous day, the Lord warned the elders about the dangers of traveling on the waters. He also promised to protect them as they traveled. While the Lord will explain in Doctrine and Covenants 61:13–18 what He decreed generally upon the waters in the latter days, here He speaks of “these waters,” meaning the Missouri River.

At the time, the Missouri River was considered one of the most hazardous waterways in all of North America. It was thought to be navigable only three months out of the year and was referred to as “mad water” in an 1837 atlas published in Missouri. This atlas also noted “the ever-varying channel of the river.” The river was so dangerous that pilot wages and insurance were higher for those traveling the Missouri. In the heading of the revelation, John Whitmer gave the Missouri the name “the River Destruction” because of the hazards the elders faced (“Historical Introduction,” Revelation, 12 August 1831, JSP).

Doctrine and Covenants 61:13–22 is among the most misunderstood and misquoted passages of scripture. A number of folklore traditions have grown up surrounding it, including beliefs like “Satan controls the waters” or even the prohibitions on missionaries going swimming. To connect any of these traditions back to this revelation is to twist or misunderstand the Lord’s words to Joseph Smith.

According to scriptural accounts of the creation, the Lord blessed the waters to bring forth life in abundance (Moses 2:20). At some point, a servant of the Lord named John was directed to curse the waters. We do not know the context of this incident or even which John the Lord is speaking about. It is possible that this cursing is linked to the author of the book of Revelation, who witnessed a vision that “a great mountain burning with fire was cast into the sea: and the third part of the sea became blood; and a third part of the creatures which were in the sea, and had life, died; and the third part of the ships were destroyed” (Revelation 8:8–9). The John of the book of Revelation also saw a vision in which a star called Wormwood fell from the heavens and poisoned a “third part of the waters” (Revelation 8:11). While many interpretations of John’s visions have been offered over the years, it is best to approach these passages with caution, since we have not been given an interpretation of what the visions mean. The Prophet Joseph Smith counseled, “I make this broad declaration, that where God ever gives a vision of an image, or beast or figure of any kind he always holds himself responsible to give a revelation or interpretation of the meaning thereof, otherwise we are not responsible or accountable for our belief in it. Don’t be afraid of being damned for not knowing the meaning of a vision or figure where God has not given a revelation or interpretation on the subject” (Discourse, 8 April 1843, as Reported by William Clayton–B, 3–4, JSP).

There are a number of ways the revelation given to Joseph Smith may find fulfillment. In the nineteenth century, a large number of deaths could be traced to waterborne diseases such as cholera. In 1834, when Joseph Smith led a group to Zion’s Camp to assist the Saints in Missouri, an outbreak of cholera led to fifteen deaths. Cholera outbreaks throughout the nineteenth century led to millions of deaths worldwide, and such outbreaks continue to do so in our time. Other dramatic examples such as tsunamis, hurricanes, and other destructive weather patterns have led to great loss of life and property. But to assign too specific an interpretation to this passage while the Lord has not chosen to do so may be unwise.

The Lord’s cursing of the land is most likely a reference to the words pronounced to Adam and Eve when they were expelled from the Garden of Eden. The Lord told Adam that “cursed shall be the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life. Thorns also, and thistles shall it bring forth to thee, and thou shalt eat the herb of the field. By the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, until thou return unto the ground” (Moses 4:23–25).

Here the Lord tells the elders that in the last days, He has blessed the land, echoing earlier prophecies of Isaiah that the “desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose” (Isaiah 35:1) and that “instead of the thorn shall come up the fir tree” (Isaiah 55:13). In a later revelation to Joseph Smith, the Lord promised to “make solitary places to bud and to blossom, and to bring forth in abundance” (D&C 117:7). Both the waters and the land will find revitalization when “the earth will be renewed and receive its paradisiacal glory” (Articles of Faith 1:10).

In his official history, Joseph Smith recorded that William W. Phelps “in an open vision, by daylight, saw the Destroyer, in his most horrible power, ride upon the face of the waters.” He also noted that “others heard the noise, but saw not the vision” (Joseph Smith—History, vol. A-1, 142). We do not know the significance of the vision. Two other members of the group who wrote accounts of the journey, Ezra Booth and Reynolds Cahoon, make no mention of the vision in their description of the incident. The vision was likely included in Joseph Smith’s history because Phelps assisted him in preparing it (“Historical Introduction,” Revelation, 12 August 1831 [D&C 61], fn. 4, JSP).

It is unclear whether the “destroyer” as mentioned here is a servant of God, or of Satan. Most of the other mentions of a destroyer in scripture are associated with the power of God and not the power of Satan. For instance, an 1834 revelation given to Joseph Smith reads, “Behold, the destroyer I have sent forth to destroy and lay waste mine enemies; and not many years hence they shall not be left to pollute mine heritage, and to blaspheme my name upon the lands which I have consecrated for the gathering together of my saints” (D&C 105:15). However, in the Doctrine and Covenants there is one possible reference to Satan as the destroyer, specifically where the Lord tells a parable about the Saints in Zion. The Lord tells the Saints that if they had heeded his instructions, they might have “saved my vineyard from the hands of the destroyer” (D&C 101:54).

Joseph Smith’s history does not provide enough context for us to make a final determination on who the destroyer is in this context. However, given the circumstances, it is likely that the destroyer is a reference to death. In the book of Exodus, the Lord promised the Israelites that if they followed the instructions that He gave through Moses, He would “not suffer the destroyer to come in unto your houses to smite you” (Exodus 12:23). The Lord associating the waters with death appears to be consistent with the way the term “destroyer” was used in Protestant American in the 1830s (Revelation, 12 August 1831 [D&C 61], fn. 18, JSP).

Joseph Smith, Sidney Rigdon, and Oliver Cowdery—the presiding elders of the group—were commanded to travel by land rather than by water, with the exception of man-made waterways, such as canals. The presiding elders were also given assurance that the Lord can give His servants power to command the waters and that He can protect His servants from possible harm. The Savior Himself exercised this power over the waters in the New Testament (Matthew 8:23–27; Mark 4:35–41; Luke 8:22–25). The same power has been wielded by holders of the priesthood in the latter days.

Mary Ann Weston Maughan, who crossed the Atlantic in 1841, recalled one raging storm that was lulled by the Lord’s power. She later wrote:

When near the banks of Newfoundland we had a dreadful storm. Our main mast broke off deck and the jib boom also broke, and as it came around on deck struck a sailor on his head nearly killing him. . . . Soon after our mast [broke], a young man in our company took off his shoes and went on deck going to the fore part of the ship. He raised his right hand to heaven and in the name of Jesus Christ rebuked the wind and the waves and prophesied that the storm should abate and the good ship Harmony would carry her load of Saints in safety to their destination and this came true, for all landed safe in [Quebec].

On another occasion, in 1851, the ship Olympus was struck by a severe Atlantic storm. The captain, Horace A. Wilson, sent his second mate to speak with the leader of a company of Latter-day Saint emigrants, telling them “that if the God of the Mormons can do anything to save this ship and the people, they had better be calling on him to do so, for we are now sinking at the rate of a foot an hour; and if the storm continues we shall all be at the bottom of the ocean before daylight.” William Howell, the leader of the Saints on the voyage, sent back word that “Our God will protect us.” He then invited twelve men to join him in prayer. The pitching and rolling of the ship ceased, and the storm abated. Both the captain of the ship and the Saints attributed their salvation to God’s intervention. Fifty people were baptized during the remainder of the voyage (Fred E. Woods, “Seagoing Saints,” Ensign, September 2001).

While Sidney, Joseph, and Oliver were commanded to travel quickly to Cincinnati and preach there, the rest of the elders were commanded to continue their journey and to preach along the way. Sharing the gospel would help the elders to “rid their garments, and they shall be spotless” (D&C 61:34). Those with a responsibility to share the gospel also bear a burden for those whom they could have warned (Ezekiel 3:18). The Nephite prophet Jacob spoke in a similar manner of “taking upon us the responsibility, answering the sins of the people upon our own heads if we did not teach them the word of God with all diligence,” adding that “by laboring with our might their blood might not come upon our garments” (Jacob 1:19).

After the harrowing experiences of the day before, it must have come as a comfort for the elders to hear that the Savior had not forsaken them (D&C 61:36). They did, however, receive counsel to gird up their loins, be watchful, and be sober. The use of the word sober makes no reference to the Word of Wisdom, which was not yet revealed. Common use of the word at the time suggests being “habitually temperate” (Webster’s 1828 Dictionary). The Lord uses the word sober to emphasize the nearness of His coming and the need for the elders to stay focused on the work of salvation.

In a letter written to Moses Nickerson, a Canadian member of the Church, Joseph Smith spoke of this virtue:

When I contemplate the rapidity with which the great and glorious day of the coming of the Son of Man advances, when he shall come to receive his saints unto himself where they shall dwell in his presence and be crowned with glory & immortality; when I consider that soon the heavens are to be shaken, and the earth tremble and reel to and fro; and that the heavens are to be unfolded as a scroll when it is rolled up, that every mountain and island are to flee away I cry out in my heart, What manner of person ought I to be in all holy conversation and godliness! (Letter to Moses Nickerson, 19 November 1833, 64, JSP)