1 Nephi 15:20 Textual Variants

The use of so many as a modifier in the Book of Mormon text is fairly common (with 18 occurrences counting this one). Oliver Cowdery seems to have accidentally missed the so when he copied the text from 𝓞 into 𝓟, perhaps because scribe 2 of 𝓞 had written so and many as one word (somany).

The phrase so many in 1 Nephi 15:20 is not negative in implication. Rather, so many implies that Nephi spoke a sufficient number of words in order to pacify his brothers. The so is helpful since it provides a connection to the following resultive that-clause (“that they were pacified”). Elsewhere in the text there are eight examples where so many is connected to a resultive that- clause, as in the following example which has two occurrences of so many and one of so much:

• 3 Nephi 2:11
  • for the Gaddianton robbers had become so numerous and did slay so many of the people and did lay waste so many cities and did spread so much death and carnage throughout the land that it became expedient that …

Thus the original usage in 1 Nephi 15:20 is perfectly acceptable.