Mosiah 12:2 Textual Variants

Usage elsewhere in the Book of Mormon text suggests that the singular cheek in this passage may be an error for cheeks. Note, first of all, the plural usage later on in a passage that refers to this prophecy of Abinadi’s:

• Mosiah 21:3–4
  • but they would smite them on their cheeks and exercise authority over them and began to put heavy burdens upon their backs and drive them as they would a dumb ass yea all this was done that the word of the Lord might be fulfilled

Elsewhere the original Book of Mormon text generally has the plural cheeks with the verb smite:

• Alma 14:14 and he smote them with his hand upon their cheeks
• Alma 14:15 and the judge smote them again upon their cheeks
• Alma 14:20 and the judge also smote them again on their cheeks
• Alma 26:29 and we have been cast out … and smote upon our cheeks
• Helaman 4:12 and smiting their humble brethren upon the cheeks

In the last example, Oliver Cowdery initially wrote the singular cheek in 𝓟, then virtually immediately corrected it to the plural cheeks; despite this correction, the 1830 compositor ended up incorrectly setting the singular cheek:

• Helaman 4:12
  • yea it was because of their oppression to the poor withholding their food from the hungry withholding their clothing from the naked and smiting their humble brethren upon the [cheek > cheeks 1|cheek ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRST]

Thus one could argue that here in Mosiah 12:2 Oliver Cowdery miswrote cheeks as cheek when he copied from 𝓞 into 𝓟—or perhaps an error was made in 𝓞.

When we turn to biblical quotes in the Book of Mormon, we find one has the plural cheeks and the other the singular cheek:

• 2 Nephi 7:6 (quoting Isaiah 50:6)
  • I gave my back to the smiters and my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair
• 3 Nephi 12:39 (quoting Matthew 5:39)
  • but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek turn to him the other also

Of course, the singular is expected in the last example. But this familiar passage may have led the Book of Mormon scribes to sometimes write the singular cheek in “to smite someone on the cheek(s)”.

When we consider the remaining citations from the King James Bible of “to smite someone on the cheek(s)”, we find evidence for only the singular cheek (or equivalently, cheek bone) with the verb smite:

• 1 Kings 22:24 but Zedekiah … smote Micaiah on the cheek
• 2 Chronicles 18:23 then Zedekiah … smote Micaiah upon the cheek
• Job 16:10 they have smitten me upon the cheek reproachfully
• Psalm 3:7 for thou hast smitten all mine enemies upon the cheek bone
• Lamentations 3:30 he giveth his cheek to him that smiteth him
• Micah 5:1 they shall smite the judge of Israel with a rod upon the cheek
• Luke 6:29 and unto him that smiteth thee on the one cheek offer also the other

(As with Matthew 5:39, only the singular is possible in Luke 6:29.) All of these biblical examples show that the singular is possible, if not expected. Although the singular cheek in Mosiah 12:2 is unique for nonbiblical quotes in the Book of Mormon, it is still quite possible. The critical text will maintain the singular cheek in Mosiah 12:2, but with the realization that cheek could be an error for the plural cheeks.