MOSES 6:1–25
THE GENERATIONS OF ADAM
Moses 6:2 . Who Was Seth?
Abel had been chosen to carry the responsibilities of the priesthood to succeeding generations. But after he was murdered, Seth, who was born 130 years after the Fall of Adam and Eve, was selected as the chosen son to carry this sacred priesthood responsibility (see D&C 107:40–42 ). He was ordained when he was 69 years old and lived a total of 912 years. The scriptures refer to him as a “perfect man, and his likeness was the express likeness of his father” (see D&C 107:43 ).
Moses 6:5–6 . The Origin of Language and Writing
Elder Bruce R. McConkie stated:
“In the beginning God gave Adam a language that was pure, perfect, and undefiled. This Adamic language , now unknown, was far superior to any tongue which is presently extant. For instance, the name of God the Father, in this original language, is Man of Holiness , signifying that he is a Holy Man and not a vague spiritual essence. ( Moses 6:57 .)
“This first language spoken by mortals was either the celestial tongue of the Gods or such adaptation of it as was necessary to meet the limitations of mortality; and Adam and his posterity had power to speak, read, and write it” ( Mormon Doctrine, 19).
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Elder McConkie said the following about the book of remembrance mentioned in Moses 6:5 : “From the beginning, the Lord provided a language and gave men the power to read and write. . . . The thing which they first wrote, and which of all their writings was of the most worth unto them, was a Book of Remembrance, a book in which they recorded what the Lord had revealed about himself, about his coming, and about the plan of salvation, which plan would have force and validity because of his atonement. This was the beginning of the Holy Scriptures” ( The Promised Messiah, 86; see also Moses 6:46 ).
Moses 6:7 . How Long Has the Priesthood Been on Earth?
The priesthood “is without beginning of days or end of years” ( D&C 84:17 ). From the time of Adam and Eve, the priesthood, the gospel, and the ordinances were available as we have them today (see Moses 5:58–59 ; see also D&C 107:40–42 ). The Prophet Joseph Smith taught:
“The Priesthood was first given to Adam; he obtained the First Presidency, and held the keys of it from generation to generation. He obtained it in the Creation, before the world was formed. . . .
“The Priesthood is an everlasting principle, and existed with God from eternity, and will to eternity, without beginning of days or end of years. The keys have to be brought from heaven whenever the Gospel is sent. When they are revealed from heaven, it is by Adam’s authority” ( Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, 157).
Moses 6:8–25 . The Patriarchal Organization of the Priesthood
There were twenty generations of the priesthood from Adam to Abraham, being passed from father to son. Eight generations are listed in Moses 6:8–25 (from Adam to Methuselah); in Moses 8:5–12 , three more generations (Lamech, Noah, and Shem) are given, and Genesis 11:10–26 records the nine generations from Shem to Abram (Abraham). (See also D&C 107:40–52 .)
Moses 6:17 . “A Land of Promise”
This verse mentions the earliest righteous people (“the people of God”) who moved from a land filled with wickedness to a land of promise (see also Moses 6:40–41 ). This is a pattern that is repeated many times in scripture (for example, see 1 Nephi 1–18 ; Omni 1:12–19 ; Ether 1–4 ).