Apostolic blessing given to Orson Hyde in 1837

Around 1832, Joseph Smith pronounced a prophetic blessing upon Orson Hyde in Kirtland, Ohio. While no original manuscript of the blessing survives, Hyde recalled in 1840 that the event occurred 'something near eight years ago.' Hyde was serving missions in the eastern United States during 1832, suggesting the event took place in either January or late December of that year. In a letter written to Joseph Smith on June 15, 1841, from London, England, Hyde recounted that a 'young man'—referring to Joseph Smith, in whom 'dwelt much wisdom and knowledge—in whose bosom the Almighty had deposited many secrets'—laid his hands upon his head and pronounced that he would go to Jerusalem, the land of his fathers, to be a watchman unto the house of Israel. The blessing prophesied that by Hyde's hands, the Most High would perform a great work to prepare the way and facilitate the gathering of the Jewish people. This foundational promise significantly influenced Hyde’s subsequent apostolic callings and his 1840–1842 mission to dedicate the Holy Land.