Alma 1:1 Textual Variants

The committee for the 1920 LDS edition inserted had before established, thus changing the reading from the simple past to the past perfect. This change was made because the immediately preceding text states that Mosiah had died and thus the past perfect “had established” seemed more appropriate. The acknowledgment of the laws occurred when they were first established, yet the 1920 edition did not change “they were acknowledged” to “they had been acknowledged”. The 1920 reading is supported by the use of both the simple past and the past perfect in the last sentence of this verse: “therefore they were obliged to abide by the laws which he had made”.

We can find examples of past events being followed by either the simple past or the past perfect, as in the following instances:

• Mosiah 27:8 (simple past)
  • now the sons of Mosiah was numbered among the unbelievers and also one of the sons of Alma was numbered among them he being called Alma after his father nevertheless he became a very wicked and an idolatrous man
• Alma 50:37–38 (past perfect)
  • and it came to pass that in that same year that the people of Nephi had peace restored unto them that Nephihah the second chief judge died having filled the judgment seat with perfect uprightness before God nevertheless he had refused Alma to take possession of those records and those things …

Thus in Alma 1:1, either the simple past (“he established laws”) or the past perfect (“he had established laws”) is textually acceptable. The critical text will follow the original text (without the had ), even though modern English speakers probably prefer the past perfect in this context.