2 Nephi 1:5 Textual Variants

This error, introduced by Oliver Cowdery as he copied from 𝓞 to 𝓟, probably resulted from the preceding occurrence of covenanted in the line above, especially since consecrated and covenanted are visually similar:

• 2 Nephi 1:5
  • a land which the Lord God hath covenanted with me should be a land for the inheritance of my seed

This correct example of covenanted shows that the Lord covenants with individuals. It turns out that the Book of Mormon text never says the Lord covenants lands: in every place where either covenant or consecrate could appear with land as the semantic object, only consecrate is actually found:

• 2 Nephi 1:7
  • wherefore this land is consecrated unto him whom he shall bring
• 2 Nephi 1:32
  • the Lord hath [covenanted > consecrated 1| consecrated ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRST] this land for the security of thy seed with the seed of my son

• 2 Nephi 3:2
  • and may the Lord consecrate also unto thee this land which is a most precious land for thine inheritance and the inheritance of thy seed with thy brethren
• 2 Nephi 10:19
  • wherefore I will consecrate this land unto thy seed and they which shall be numbered among thy seed

Although the original manuscript no longer exists for the example from 2 Nephi 1:32, the printer’s manuscript apparently shows Oliver Cowdery once more miscopying consecrated as covenanted, but this time Oliver immediately caught his error (the correction shows no change in the level of ink flow).