Gazelem is a name or title mentioned once in the Book of Mormon and is associated with a servant of God possessing a stone, through which the servant would translate ancient records. In his counsel to his son Helaman, Alma reveals the Lord’s intention to provide his servant Gazelem with a stone that would “shine forth in darkness unto light,” with the purpose of revealing to the Lord’s people “the works of their brethren,” specifically their “secret works,” “works of darkness,” and “wickedness and abominations” (Alma 37:23). This revelation indicates that Gazelem’s role involved bringing hidden truths to light, thus exposing the injustices of past civilizations and warning future generations. The interpreters given to Gazelem are mentioned as a means by which “the word of God might be fulfilled,” referencing a prophetic declaration about bringing secret acts and abominable deeds to light, and as a conditional pronouncement of the destruction of the wicked (Alma 37:24-25).
According to Wilford Woodruf, “Gazelam” referred to the stone itself, specifically the stone that Joseph Smith found 30 feet underground while digging a well. (Discourse 1893-02-22, p. 1, The Wilford Woodruff Papers)
In the first printings of the Doctrine and Covenants, “Gazelam” was used as code name for Joseph Smith (D&C 78:9; 82:11; 104:26, 43-46). Orson Pratt explained: “And when the Lord was about to have the Book of Covenants given to the world it was thought wisdom, in consequence of the persecutions of our enemies in Kirtland and some of the regions around, that some of the names should be changed, and Joseph was called Baurak Ale, which was a Hebrew word; meaning God bless you. He was also called Gazelam, being a person to whom the Lord had given the Urim and Thummim. He was also called Enoch.” (Journal of Discourses, 16:156)
While the singular reference to Gazelem in the Book of Mormon is brief, the implications of the divinely appointed mission related to the stone and/or the servant are significant in context of the narrative’s emphasis on revelation and the translation of sacred records.