From Advice to Commandment: How the Word of Wisdom Evolved

LDS Perspective

The Word of Wisdom was initially received by the Prophet Joseph Smith on February 27, 1833, in response to concerns raised by Emma Smith regarding tobacco use in the School of the Prophets. The revelation, now canonized as Doctrine and Covenants 89, was originally given "not by commandment or constraint, but by revelation and the word of wisdom" (D&C 89:2). Rather than a strict prohibition enforced by ecclesiastical sanction, it was presented as "a principle with promise, adapted to the capacity of the weak and the weakest of all saints" (D&C 89:3). This initial presentation allowed early Latter-day Saints time to develop understanding and commitment to these health principles within the context of 1830s American reform movements regarding alcohol and tobacco. For approximately the first

Historical Perspective

The Word of Wisdom originated as a revelation received by Joseph Smith on February 27, 1833, recorded in Doctrine and Covenants Section 89. The original text explicitly stated it was sent as "a greeting; not by commandment or constraint, but by revelation and the word of wisdom" (D&C 89:2), positioning it initially as counsel rather than compulsory law. This revelation emerged during the 1830s American temperance movement, when health reformers debated alcohol and tobacco use, and addressed specific concerns about tobacco chewing in the School of the Prophets. Despite this non-mandatory framing, historical evidence indicates that adherence during the first decade was actually stricter than commonly assumed, with Paul Hoskisson's research documenting cases of excommunication for violations