1 Nephi 13:6 Textual Variants

In his editing for the 1837 edition, Joseph Smith emended the agentive founder to the specific noun foundation in four passages. Besides this one in 1 Nephi 13:6, we have the following three cases:

• Nephi 14:17
  • and when the day cometh that the wrath of God is poured out upon the mother of harlots which is the great and abominable church of all the earth whose [ founder >js foundation 1|founder AT|
  • foundation BCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRS] is the devil then at that day the work of the Father shall commence
• Nephi 26:22
  • and there are also secret combinations even as in times of old according to the combinations of the devil for he is the [ founder >js founderation 1|founder AT| foundation BCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRS] of all these things
• 2 Nephi 26:22
  • yea the [ founder >js founderation 1|founder AT| foundation BCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRS] of murder and works of darkness

For the initial example (in 1 Nephi 13:6), Joseph was probably influenced by Oliver Cowdery’s two uses of the word foundation just before in 1 Nephi 13:4–5 (see the previous discussion under 1 Nephi 13:4, 5). Besides these four examples of Joseph’s replacement of founder with foundation, there is a fifth example that was introduced into the text by the 1830 typesetter:

• 1 Nephi 14:9
  • look and behold that great and abominable church which is the mother of abominations whose [ founder 1PST|foundation ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOQR] is the devil

The 1981 LDS edition correctly restored the original noun founder in all five of these cases. The RLDS text has restored founder in only one case (1 Nephi 14:9). Beginning with the 1908 edition, the RLDS text has typically followed the printer’s manuscript. In 1 Nephi 14:9, Joseph Smith did not mark the change from founder to foundation in 𝓟 because the change had already been made in the 1830 edition; thus the 1908 RLDS edition restored founder only there.

There is one example that uses the verb found (not the agentive noun founder) to refer to the devil as the one who founded the great and abominable church:

• 1 Nephi 14:3
  • and that great pit which hath been digged for them by that great and abominable church which was founded by the devil and his children

Here, of course, it would be difficult to emend the verb form founded to the noun foundation (or the agentive founder) without significantly rewriting the text.

In addition to these examples involving the devil as founder of the great and abominable church, there are a couple of references to Alma as the founder of the church among the Nephites:

• Mosiah 23:16
  • and now Alma was their high priest he being the founder of their church
• Mosiah 29:47
  • and thus ended the days of Alma who was the founder of their church