Mosiah 5:2 Textual Variants

Here we have a second example of an obvious error in the printer’s manuscript that Oliver Cowdery corrected in pencil. On the previous page in 𝓟, he emended in pencil the word save to serve in the expression “serve the devil” (see the discussion under Mosiah 4:14). Oliver probably made both these changes while he was in the printer’s shop. Here in Mosiah 5:2, the original text undoubtedly read change. Oliver probably misread or simply miswrote change as chance as he was copying from 𝓞 into 𝓟, although it is also possible that the scribe in 𝓞 could have made the error. There is independent evidence that Oliver could miswrite change as chance:

• Jacob 5:59
  • and this I do that perhaps the roots thereof may take strength because of their goodness and because of the [chance > change 1|change ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRST] of the branches

In this instance, Oliver caught his copying error in 𝓟 and immediately corrected it by overwriting the c with a g (the level of ink flow is unchanged). On the other hand, the error here in Mosiah 5:2 was apparently caught only later in Grandin’s printing shop.

The term mighty change occurs three other times in the Book of Mormon text (all in Alma 5), and the language is very similar; all refer to a mighty change in one’s heart, and the first two use the archaic verb form wrought, just like in Mosiah 5:2:

• Alma 5:12 there was a mighty change wrought in his heart
• Alma 5:13 and a mighty change was also wrought in their hearts
• Alma 5:14 have ye experienced this mighty change in your hearts

Thus Oliver Cowdery’s emended reading in Mosiah 5:2 is undoubtedly correct. He was justified in making the change without consulting the original manuscript.