Mosiah 12:1 Textual Variants

and it came to pass that after the space of two years that Abinadi came among them in disguise that they knew him not and began [again 1APS| BCDEFGHIJKLMNOQRT] to prophesy among them saying …

The 1837 edition dropped the word again. Joseph Smith did not mark this change in the printer’s manuscript. This change appears to be a simple typo, especially since this is not the first time that Abinadi has prophesied to the people of Noah:

Mosiah 11:20
- and it came to pass that there was a man among them whose name was Abinadi and he went forth among them and began to prophesy saying …

Thus there is nothing inappropriate about referring to Abinadi beginning to prophesy a second time. Moreover, there are 14 other examples of “began again” in the Book of Mormon text, including one more that refers to speaking: “therefore he began again to speak unto them” (Helaman 8:10).

Summary: Restore the again in Mosiah 12:1, the earliest extant reading (“Abinadi … began again to prophesy among them”).

Analysis of Textual Variants of the Book of Mormon, Part. 2

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