and it came to pass that there was not one soul except it were little children but [what 1ABCDEFGHIJKLOPS|what > who M| N|who QRT] had entered into the
covenant and had taken upon them the name of Christ
For the third printing of the 1905 LDS missionary edition (in 1907), the relative pronoun what in this verse was changed to who. This reading has been maintained in subsequent
LDS editions. On the other hand, the earlier 1906 LDS large-print edition simply deleted the what (giving “there was not one soul … but had entered into the covenant”). Despite this
editing in Mosiah 6:2, a similar passage that uses but what in the same way has been left unedited:
- Mosiah 2:34
- I say unto you that there are not one among you
—except it be your little children that have not been taught concerning these things—
but what knoweth that ye are eternally indebted to your Heavenly Father
The original use of what in both Mosiah 2:34 and Mosiah 6:2 is clearly intended and will therefore be maintained in the critical text.
A related use of but what occurs quite often as the head of a sentential complement in negative and nonassertive predicates, ones for which the verb is almost always know:
- Mosiah 29:7 and who knoweth but what my son … should turn to be angry
- Alma 24:26 therefore we have no reason to doubt but what they are saved
- Alma 37:10 and who knoweth but what they will be the means of …
- Alma 46:27 and now who knoweth but what the remnant of the seed of Joseph …
- Alma 58:35 behold we do not know but what ye are unsuccessful
- Alma 60:18 for we know not but what ye yourselves are a seeking for authority
- Alma 60:18 we know not but what ye are also traitors to your country
- 3 Nephi 18:32 for ye know not but what they will return and repent
There is also one case of but that:
- Alma 54:21 we know not but that he hath made us as well as you
And there are also several cases where but occurs without what or that:
- 1 Nephi 17:43 and I know not but they are at this day about to be destroyed
- Alma 56:43 behold we know not but they have halted for the purpose that …
- Ether 1:38 and who knoweth but the Lord will carry us forth into a land …
For discussion regarding this last type, see under 1 Nephi 17:43.
