The original 1835 edition of the Doctrine and Covenants, a book of LDS scripture, used code names for certain people and places. These names appear only in a few of the book’s sections, mainly those dealing with the United Order. It is believed that their purpose was to avoid the use of these sections in lawsuits by opponents of the Church, since giving the real names might have provided evidence that the United Order was legally a company, with its members financially liable for each other and the whole Order.
The 1981 LDS edition replaced these with the real names. The Community of Christ edition still uses the code names.
Baurak Ale: Joseph Smith. This is a very clear Hebrew for barakh ‘el (ברך אל) “blessed [of] El,” i.e., God
The following quotations are taken from an edition of the Doctrine and Covenants published by the LDS Church in 1968.
Doctrine Covenants 103
21. Verily, verily I say unto
you, that my servant Baurak Ale
[Joseph Smith, Jim.] is the man
to whom I likened the servant to
whom the Lord of the vineyard
spake in the parable which I have
given unto you.
22. Therefore let my servant
Baurak Ale [Joseph Smith, Jun.]
say unto the strength of my
house, my young men and the
middle aged — Gather yourselves
together unto the land of Zion,
upon the land which I have
bought with money that has been
consecrated unto me.
Doctrine Covenants 105
16. Behold, I have commanded
my servant Baurak Ale [Joseph
Smith, Jun.] to say unto the
strength of my house, even my
warriors, my young men, and
middle-aged, to gather together
for the redemption of my people,
and throw down the towers of
mine enemies, and scatter their
watchmen;
– Tom Irvine
Hebrew Book of Mormon 