Ether 5 is short but significant. Moroni explains that Joseph needed the plates to translate (i.e., he didn't use SITH--the stone-in-the-hat) and explains the Three Witnesses would testify about the abridged plates.
Original in blue, my comments in red.
Chapter 5
1 And now I, Moroni, have written the words which were commanded me, according to my memory; and I have told you the things which I have sealed up;
In the previous chapter, Moroni explained that he sealed up his record and the interpreters. When he visited Joseph Smith the first time, he stated that the record was "written and deposited not far from" Joseph's home near Palmyra. Moroni explained in the Title Page that the plates he deposited consisted of abridgments of the record of the Nephites and the record of the people of Jared.
therefore touch them not in order that ye may translate; for that thing is forbidden you, except by and by it shall be wisdom in God.
Here Moroni warned Joseph against translating the sealed plates. The warning would be superfluous if Joseph wasn't touching the plates as he translated them; i.e., if Joseph was merely reading words off a stone in a hat, there was no need for Moroni to warn him against touching the sealed plates to translate them.
2 And behold, ye may be privileged that ye may show the plates unto those who shall assist to bring forth this work;
Several people assisted "to bring forth this work" who were not witnesses of the plates. In the next sentence, Moroni clarifies that he was referring to the future Three Witnesses, including David Whitmer, who was not a scribe but who did "assist to bring forth this work" by bringing Joseph and Oliver to Fayette from Harmony and by accommodating them at the Whitmer home.
3 And unto three shall they be shown by the power of God; wherefore they shall know of a surety that these things are true.
The Three Witnesses would be shown the plates "by the power of God," which distinguishes them from the Eight Witnesses who saw and handled a set of plates in a natural manner; i.e., Joseph just handed a set of plates to the Eight Witnesses. They handled and hefted the plates but did not say there was any sealed portion. That suggests they handled the original plates of Nephi, not the abridged plates from Moroni's stone box.
The Three Witnesses said they saw the engravings on the plates as part of their testimony. The 1834 book Mormonism Unvailed made the obvious point that if Joseph produced the text by reading the words off the stone-in-the-hat without referring to the plates themselves, the testimony of the witnesses about the plates was pointless because Joseph supposedly didn't use them anyway.
Furthermore, the Three Witnesses were not shown the "seer stone" or "peep stone" that the SITH sayers claim Joseph used.
4 And in the mouth of three witnesses shall these things be established;
The Title Page explains the record in Moroni's stone box was an abridgment of those records. The testimony of the Three Witnesses parallels the Title Page. They claimed they "have seen the plates which contain this record, which is a record of the people of Nephi, and also of the Lamanites, their brethren, and also of the people of Jared." This corroborates the idea that the Three Witnesses saw the abridged plates.
and the testimony of three, and this work, in the which shall be shown forth the power of God and also his word, of which the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost bear record—and all this shall stand as a testimony against the world at the last day.
5 And if it so be that they repent and come unto the Father in the name of Jesus, they shall be received into the kingdom of God.
6 And now, if I have no authority for these things, judge ye; for ye shall know that I have authority when ye shall see me, and we shall stand before God at the last day. Amen.
(Ether 5–5:6)
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It's interesting that Nephi, too, spoke about Three Witnesses.
12 Wherefore, at that day when the book shall be delivered unto the man of whom I have spoken, the book shall be hid from the eyes of the world, that the eyes of none shall behold it save it be that three witnesses shall behold it, by the power of God, besides him to whom the book shall be delivered; and they shall testify to the truth of the book and the things therein. (2 Nephi 27:12)
Nephi explained that three witnesses would behold "the book." He did not write "this book." Yet Nephi's record is in the current Book of Mormon. How does that work?
The simple explanation is that the "original Book of Mormon," as Joseph Smith referred to it, included only the abridged plates. That was "the book" Nephi referred to. Nephi's prophecy about "the book" does accommodate the two separate sets of plates that Joseph translated, however.
The Title Page makes it clear that the plates that Moroni put in the stone box consisted of the two abridged records, plus Moroni's personal writings that he included to "seal" the record. The Title Page says nothing about any original plates, apart from Moroni's writings.
Joseph Smith translated the abridged plates in Harmony, PA, in 1828 and 1829.
These abridged plates included the Book of Lehi that was among the 116 pages that Joseph translated in 1828 but that Martin Harris lost.
To replace the lost material, the Lord told Joseph "you shall translate the engravings which are on the plates of Nephi (Doctrine and Covenants 10:41). But at that point, while living in Harmony, PA, Joseph had only the abridged plates from Moroni's stone box. He didn't have the "engravings which are on the plates of Nephi." He did not get the original plates of Nephi until the messenger brought them from Cumorah to Fayette.
13 And there is none other which shall view it, save it be a few according to the will of God, to bear testimony of his word unto the children of men; for the Lord God hath said that the words of the faithful should speak as if it were from the dead.
This passage--"save it be a few"--is often thought to refer to the Eight Witnesses. Maybe so. But maybe not. It might instead refer to others who saw the abridged plates, such as Josiah Stowell, who testified he saw the plates when Joseph handed them through the window and part of the cloth slid off.
Nephi made a distinction between the "three witnesses" and the "few." The "three witnesses" would behold the book "by the power of God" and "testify to the truth of the book and the things therein."
In their testimony, the Three Witnesses began by explaining that they saw the plates "which contain this record, which is a record of the people of Nephi, and also of the Lamanites, their brethren, and also of the people of Jared." That language parallels the Title Page, although they didn't specifically distinguish between the abridged plates and the original plates of Nephi.
The Three Witnesses fulfilled Nephi's prophecy when they declared that "they have been shown unto us by the power of God, and not of man," and that "we also know that they have been translated by the gift and power of God, for his voice hath declared it unto us; wherefore we know of a surety that the work is true."
By contrast, the Eight Witnesses did not claim to behold the book "by the power of God," nor did they "testify to the truth of the book and the things therein." Instead, they simply claimed that Joseph Smith showed them the plates and they saw "the engravings thereon." Thus, they did not comply with Nephi's prophecy.
But that's not a problem when we distinguish between the two groups of witnesses.
The distinction between the Three and Eight Witnesses is clearer when we reconsider the punctuation of the passage.
As we know, there was no punctuation on the Original Manuscript (OM). The OM for 2 Nephi 27 is not extant, but we infer there was no original punctuation because the rest of the OM lacks punctuation.
If the reference to "a few" is punctuated as a parenthetical, it becomes apparent that the Three Witnesses would behold the book "by the power of God" and they would testify formally unto the children of men, but that "a few" would not have that responsibility to testify. This would include Josiah Stowell and perhaps others we don't have a record of.
the eyes of none shall behold it save it be that three witnesses shall behold it, by the power of God, besides him to whom the book shall be delivered; and they shall testify to the truth of the book and the things therein (And there is none other which shall view it, save it be a few according to the will of God) to bear testimony of his word unto the children of men;
This punctuation leaves open the status of the Eight Witnesses (and Mary Whitmer), who did not fulfill Nephi's prophecy. But that makes sense if they did not see the abridged plates that Nephi prophesied about, but instead saw the original plates of Nephi (the "small plates") which Joseph translated in Fayette (and not in Harmony, where he translated the abridged plates).
The testimony of the Eight Witnesses does fit within verse 14, in which Nephi offers a more loose or expansive accommodation of additional witnesses.
14 Wherefore, the Lord God will proceed to bring forth the words of the book; and in the mouth of as many witnesses as seemeth him good will he establish his word; and wo be unto him that rejecteth the word of God!
Although they did not fulfill Nephi's specific prophecy from verse 12-13, the Eight Witnesses did "establish his word" by verifying that Joseph did have plates with engravings "all of which has the appearance of ancient work, and of curious workmanship."
We can't tell whether Nephi saw in vision that Martin Harris would lose the translation of the Book of Lehi, and that his own writings would be added to the book as a replacement, pursuant to D&C 10. But we can see that in verse 14, Nephi recognized that God could provide as many witnesses as he wanted to "establish his word," even if they did not see the abridged plates "by the power of God."
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