1 Nephi 13:26 Textual Variants

and after that they go forth by the hand of the twelve apostles of the Lamb from the Jews unto the Gentiles [Behold 0|behold >js NULL 1|behold A| BCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRST] [after this 0A|after this >js NULL 1| BCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRST] thou seest the formation of that great and abominable church

In his editing for the 1837 edition, Joseph Smith deleted the redundant “after this”. He also deleted the word behold, although that was grammatically unnecessary. Elsewhere the text has 18 examples of behold inserted between a subordinate after-clause and its following independent clause, including this nearby example:

1 Nephi 13:35
- and after that thy seed shall be destroyed and dwindle in unbelief and also the seed of thy brethren behold these things shall be hid up

Nor is there anything unacceptable about the redundancy of “after this” following the extended after-clause. The “after this” lets the reader know that the long subordinate clause is finished. Another example of this kind of construction is found later in Nephi’s record:

2 Nephi 31:14
- after that ye have repented of your sins and witnessed unto the Father that ye are willing to keep my commandments by the baptism of water and have received the baptism of fire and of the Holy Ghost and can speak with a new tongue yea even with the tongue of angels and after this should deny me it would have been better for you that ye had not known me

This redundant usage helps the reader keep in mind that the preceding lengthy clause was a subordinate one involving after.

Summary: Restore the redundant “behold after this” in 1 Nephi 13:26; this repetition reminds the reader of the subordination used in the preceding clause and therefore clearly marks the end of a fairly long subordinate clause.

Analysis of Textual Variants of the Book of Mormon, Part. 1

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