2 Nephi 25:9 Textual Variants

The 1907 LDS vest-pocket edition changed hath to have, perhaps because of some grammatical notion that the subject “any of them” is plural. However, Merriam Webster’s Dictionary of English Usage provides considerable evidence that in standard English any can be treated as either singular or plural (see the discussion there under any). And of course, the original text itself generally permits considerable variation with respect to subject-verb agreement (see, for instance, the extensive discussion under 1 Nephi 4:4). As far as the original Book of Mormon text is concerned, there are examples of both singular and plural any (although most examples take singular verb forms in the original text):

• Mosiah 28:10
  • for there was not any of his sons which would accept of the kingdom
• Mosiah 29:3
  • neither [was >js were 1|was A|were BCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRST] any of the sons of Mosiah willing to take upon them the kingdom
• Mosiah 29:32
  • yea even as long as any of our posterity [remaineth >js remains 1|remaineth A|remains BCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRST] upon the face of the land
• Alma 23:14
  • and the Amlicites were not converted save only one neither [was 01A|were BCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRST] any of the Amulonites
• Alma 30:33
  • I have never received so much as even one senine for my labor neither [hath 0A|hath >js has 1|has BCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRST] any of my brethren
• Alma 51:21
  • and thus Moroni put an end to those kingmen that there were not any known by the appellation of kingmen
• Ether 12:18
  • and neither at any time hath any wrought miracles until after their faith

Since variation is possible, the critical text will in each case follow the earliest textual sources in determining whether a singular or plural verb form should occur with the subject any.