The trek undertaken by early Mormons from Illinois to Utah is a well-studied and fascinating phenomenon. Studies have been done correlating the Mormon Trail with the Oregon Trail and other routes while looking at mortality, demographics, and socioeconomic statuses (statii? statae? states?); however, one topic that is often overlooked is the motivation behind this monumental movement.
Section 136 of the Doctrine and Covenants gives us several insights into it. The verbage used is extremely reminiscent of the Exodus books, so we expect the people and the leadership to see this journey as a religious pilgrimage. For example, the terms "covenant" and "statute" figure prominently. The direct commands from God are also very similar to Deuteronomy's style, not to mention how the first verse starts out with the "Word and Will of the Lord" to the "Camp of Israel." This is then followed with archaic constructions involving 'captains of <insert number here>' and the formation of 'companies.' It might have been just as effective to use military organizational jargon like 'platoons' and 'brigades,' but the specific terminology lends a more religiously impactful weight to the directions.
A few of the commandments are noteworthy in this vein. Particularly, verses 20-30 contain several 'cease' commands in addition to several 'thou shalt' constructions. It's hard to get closer to Exodus 20 in style. This comes with verse 22, where the Lord identifies Himself in one of His oldest ways: as the God of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob.
I also note, in abstract, that vv. 34-36 carry an old-school wickedness-punishment weight, while v. 39 points out a justice-balance issue.
Thus this short and scatterbrained blog post ends.
