1 Nephi 3:16 Textual Variants

Here the unknown scribe 2 of 𝓞 wrote simply “because of the commandment”. Later, Oliver Cowdery emended the reading in 𝓞 by supralinearly inserting the postmodifying phrase “of the Lord”. The addition is highly expected. For instance, the entire phrase was used at the beginning of this verse (“let us be faithful in keeping the commandments of the Lord”). Still, the addition is not necessary, nor is there much evidence that scribe 2 of 𝓞 tended to accidentally delete whole phrases. When Oliver copied the text from 𝓞 into 𝓟, he also changed the singular commandment to the plural commandments, thus ending up with the current reading “because of the commandments of the Lord”.

Using the earliest textual sources, including the witness statements, we have these statistics for the type of modifier following the phrase “the commandment(s)”:

The occurrence in 1 Nephi 3:16 of the singular “the commandment” is unusual because there is no postmodifier. The only other example of “the commandment” without a postmodifier works because the actual commandment immediately follows:

• 3 Nephi 27:20
  • now this is the commandment:
    repent all ye ends of the earth and come unto me and be baptized

One possibility for 1 Nephi 3:16 is that the original text read in the plural (“the commandments”) but the unknown scribe 2 of 𝓞 mistakenly wrote down the singular “the commandment”. We actually have considerable evidence that this scribe frequently left off the plural s:

obvious errors by scribe 2 left uncorrected in 𝓞

• 1 Nephi 3:28 unto us their younger Brother
• 1 Nephi 13:29 acroßs the many water

initial errors corrected in 𝓞 by scribe 2

• 1 Nephi 13:29 the many plain & precious thing|s|
• 1 Nephi 13:30 above all other Nation|s|

probable errors by scribe 2 left uncorrected in 𝓞

• 1 Nephi 13:29 it goeth forth unto all the Nation of the gentiles
• 1 Nephi 14:12 & their dominion upon the face of the earth were small
• 1 Nephi 15:33 to be Judged of their work

This manuscript evidence clearly suggests that the original singular commandment in 1 Nephi 3:16 could be a scribal error for the plural commandments.

Yet given the context, Nephi could well be referring to the specific commandment that Lehi “should take his family and depart into the wilderness” (1 Nephi 2:2), the presumption being that the wealth was left behind because it would not be needed. The language in 1 Nephi 3:16 implies a specific commandment for Lehi to leave his wealth behind, or at least the implication that he should only take along necessities for staying alive in the wilderness. This interpretation is supported by the language in 1 Nephi 2:4 (“and he left his house … and took nothing with him save it were his family and provisions and tents”).

We also have examples of Oliver Cowdery’s tendency to accidentally add the plural s to legitimate occurrences of the singular commandment. See the examples discussed under 1 Nephi 4:34 and Jacob 3:5. Such a tendency seems to be responsible for the addition of the s in 𝓟 for 1 Nephi 3:16.