On 12 November 1831, JS dictated this revelation in which he and others were appointed over the revelations and of the church. JS may have dictated this revelation during or immediately after a held that same day, in which he petitioned the to compensate those who had assisted him in producing the “sacred writings” of the church. Although the 12 November minutes do not explicitly mention the revelation, the similar subject matter of both the conference and the revelation indicate that the two are closely related. A later history states that the revelation came “in answer to an enquiry” and suggests that JS dictated it after the conference approved a resolution stating that the revelations were “worth to the church, the riches of the whole earth, speaking temporally.” It is unclear what the original inquiry was, but the revelation’s designation of JS and five others as stewards over the publishing concerns of the church allowed them to claim compensation for their service in recording, preserving, and publishing the revelations.

According to the revelation, the stewards would have claim to any profits resulting from the publication of the revelations “for their necessities & their wants,” with any remainder to be transferred to the Lord’s . This mode of compensation through stewardships followed earlier instructions given to church members about property, whereby Saints were appointed stewards over an inheritance and then donated any surplus to the . Church members had also been told that the elders and their families would be “supported out of the property which is consecrated to the Lord either a stewardship or otherwise.” This revelation reemphasized these principles while also reiterating that no one—not even those in leadership positions—was exempt from “this law.” All were required to adhere to the principles embedded in the consecration commandments.

The original manuscript of this revelation is not extant. , who as clerk of the conference may have been the original scribe for the revelation, copied the revelation into Revelation Book 1, which he and were preparing to take to .