Alma 9:23 Textual Variants

Royal Skousen
I say unto you that if this be the case that if they should fall into [𝓒① transgressions > 𝓒⑑ transgression 1|transgression ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRST] that it would be far more tolerable for the Lamanites than for them

As discussed under Mosiah 27:13, scribe 2 of π“Ÿ tended to accidentally write the plural transgressions in place of the singular. Sometimes he immediately corrected his error (in Mosiah 27:13 and Alma 3:6 he erased the plural s). For this instance in Alma 9:23, Oliver Cowdery crossed out the plural s when he proofed π“Ÿ against π“ž.

As already discussed under Jarom 1:10, the original text prefers the singular transgression in the expression β€œto fall into transgression(s)”, 15 times in all. The critical text will therefore accept Oliver Cowdery’s corrected reading here in Alma 9:23.

Summary: Maintain the singular transgression in Alma 9:23, the corrected reading in π“Ÿ; usage elsewhere consistently supports the singular in the expression β€œto fall into transgression(s)”.

Analysis of Textual Variants of the Book of Mormon, Part. 3

References