If the plates existed, why can’t we see them? Here’s what Joseph Smith said happened, what the witnesses saw, and why God planned it this way.
The golden plates were returned to the angel Moroni. Joseph Smith wrote that when the translation was finished, “the messenger called for them, I delivered them up to him; and he has them in his charge until this day” (Joseph Smith—History 1:60). The Book of Mormon foretold that the plates would be hidden from the world except for a few witnesses (2 Nephi 27:12–13). Eleven men testified in writing that they saw them, eight said “we did handle [them] with our hands,” and Emma Smith felt them through a linen cloth.
The short versionJoseph Smith gave them back to Moroni
Joseph Smith explained what happened in his own history. The angel Moroni had told him to protect the plates “until he, the messenger, should call for them” (Joseph Smith—History 1:59). After the translation, “when, according to arrangements, the messenger called for them, I delivered them up to him; and he has them in his charge until this day” (Joseph Smith—History 1:60).
So the plates aren’t in a museum or a Church vault. Latter-day Saints believe they’re in the keeping of the angel who first buried them. That frustrates critics, but the Book of Mormon said from the beginning that the plates would be hidden from the world except for a few witnesses.
Book of MormonHidden from the world on purpose
Nephi prophesied that “the book shall be hid from the eyes of the world, that the eyes of none shall behold it save it be that three witnesses shall behold it, by the power of God, besides him to whom the book shall be delivered … And there is none other which shall view it, save it be a few according to the will of God” (2 Nephi 27:12–13). Moroni added: “unto three shall they be shown by the power of God … And in the mouth of three witnesses shall these things be established” (Ether 5:2–4).
Moroni also warned that “no one shall have them to get gain; but the record thereof is of great worth” (Mormon 8:14–16). The value was always the record, not the metal. The test God set was the witnesses, which follows the Bible’s rule: “at the mouth of two witnesses, or at the mouth of three witnesses, shall the matter be established” (Deuteronomy 19:15).
Were they real?Eleven witnesses and a scribe’s hands
In 1829 the Lord told Oliver Cowdery, David Whitmer and Martin Harris: “you shall have a view of the plates, and also of the breastplate, the sword of Laban, the Urim and Thummim … and after that you have obtained faith, and have seen them with your eyes, you shall testify of them” (D&C 17:1–3). They did: “an angel of God came down from heaven, and he brought and laid before our eyes, that we beheld and saw the plates, and the engravings thereon” (Testimony of Three Witnesses).
Eight more witnesses saw them without an angel: “as many of the leaves as the said Smith has translated we did handle with our hands; and we also saw the engravings thereon, all of which has the appearance of ancient work, and of curious workmanship … for we have seen and hefted” (Testimony of Eight Witnesses). None of the eleven ever denied it, even those who left the Church (see the witnesses never recanted).
Emma Smith described them in 1879: “The plates often lay on the table without any attempt at concealment, wrapped in a small linen table cloth … I once felt of the plates, as they thus lay on the table, tracing their outline and shape. They seemed to be pliable like thick paper, and would rustle with a metallic sound when the edges were moved by the thumb” (see Emma Smith’s Last Testimony). For whether ancient metal plates like these could work, see Could the Plates Work?.
The hillFrom Cumorah to Joseph Smith
Mormon, “knowing it to be the last struggle of my people,” hid the records in the hill Cumorah, except for the plates he gave his son Moroni (Mormon 6:6). Moroni finished the record and wrote, “I will write and hide up the records in the earth” (Mormon 8:4).
Fourteen centuries later, Joseph Smith found the plates on a hill near Manchester, New York, “under a stone of considerable size … deposited in a stone box.” He wrote, “I looked in, and there indeed did I behold the plates, the Urim and Thummim, and the breastplate, as stated by the messenger” (Joseph Smith—History 1:51–52). He received them on September 22, 1827 (1:59). People tried “every stratagem that could be invented” to steal them (1:60).
Burying important records for the future is a Bible practice too. Jeremiah was told to put deeds “in an earthen vessel, that they may continue many days” (Jeremiah 32:14).
Why no plates today?What God asks instead
If the plates were in a museum, people would argue about the metal instead of reading the book. God set up a different test: the witnesses, the text, and the Holy Ghost. Moroni wrote that the record “shall be brought out of the earth, and it shall shine forth out of darkness … and it shall be done by the power of God” (Mormon 8:16). The book is in your hands, and you can test it (Moroni 10:4–5).
Check the premiseThe presuppositions baked into the question
Before this question can be answered fairly, the person asking has to justify a few assumptions packed inside it:
- That the plates must be somewhere on earth if they were real. Joseph Smith said he gave them back to the angel, who “has them in his charge until this day” (Joseph Smith—History 1:60), just as the book said they would be hidden from the world (2 Nephi 27:12).
- That no one but Joseph saw the plates. Eleven men signed published testimonies, and eight of them handled the plates (Testimonies of the Three and Eight Witnesses). Emma felt them through a linen cloth.
- That the witnesses later took it back. None of the eleven ever denied his testimony, including those who left the Church.
- That the Church hides the plates. The Church doesn’t claim to have them. It points people to the book itself and to the witnesses.
FAQQuick answers
Where are the golden plates now?
Joseph Smith returned them to the angel Moroni, who, he wrote in 1838, “has them in his charge until this day” (Joseph Smith—History 1:60).
Were the golden plates real?
Eleven witnesses testified in writing that they saw the plates, and eight said they handled them. Emma Smith described feeling them through a linen cloth. None of the witnesses ever denied it.
Why didn’t Joseph Smith keep the plates?
The angel gave them to him on condition that he return them when the work was done (Joseph Smith—History 1:59–60). The Book of Mormon foretold that only a few witnesses would see them (2 Nephi 27:12–13; Ether 5:2–4).
Were the plates made of solid gold?
The Eight Witnesses said they had “the appearance of gold.” Emma described them as pliable like thick paper with a metallic rustle. Moroni said the metal was of no worth compared with the record (Mormon 8:14).
Where were the golden plates found?
In a stone box on a hill near Manchester, New York, under a large stone (Joseph Smith—History 1:51–52).
How much did the golden plates weigh?
Two people who lifted them gave estimates: Martin Harris said “forty or fifty pounds,” and Joseph’s brother William Smith said “about sixty pounds.”
How big were the golden plates?
Joseph Smith described each plate as about six inches wide and eight inches long, a little thinner than common tin, bound by three rings, with the whole stack about six inches thick (Wentworth letter, 1842).
Was part of the plates sealed?
Yes. Part of the record was sealed and was not translated. Nephi foresaw it: “the words which are sealed he shall not deliver,” for “the book shall be sealed by the power of God” until “the own due time of the Lord” (2 Nephi 27:10).
SummaryKey takeaways
- Joseph Smith returned the plates to Moroni after the translation (Joseph Smith—History 1:60).
- The Book of Mormon foretold that the plates would be shown only to witnesses (2 Nephi 27:12; Ether 5:3).
- Eleven witnesses testified, eight handled the plates, and none ever recanted.
- The value was the record, not the gold (Mormon 8:14), and you can read it today.
Read the testimonies of the Three and Eight Witnesses at the front of your Book of Mormon. For quick, sourced answers, open Galatians18, and follow me on X at @TraviXai.
Sources
- King James Bible (churchofjesuschrist.org): Deuteronomy 19:15 · Jeremiah 32:14
- Book of Mormon: Testimony of Three Witnesses · Testimony of Eight Witnesses · 2 Nephi 27:12–13 · Mormon 6:6 · Mormon 8:4 · Mormon 8:14–16 · Ether 5:2–4
- Doctrine and Covenants: D&C 17:1–3
- Pearl of Great Price: Joseph Smith—History 1:51–60
- Joseph Smith III, “Last Testimony of Sister Emma,” Saints’ Herald 26 (Oct. 1, 1879): 289–90
- Featured image and in-article graphic: original graphics by thebookofmormon.ai (painterly backgrounds; no photographs or likenesses of real people).
