Alma 1:33 Textual Variants

It would appear that the 1840 compositor mis-set the past-tense form became as become. The preceding text clearly indicates that this passage is in the past tense: “and it came to pass that by thus exercising the law upon them every man suffering according to that which he had done”. The incorrect present-tense form become has remained throughout the RLDS textual tradition, first being copied as such into the 1858 Wright edition and from there into the RLDS text proper. The present tense become has been retained because the following conjoined predicate reads “and durst not commit any wickedness if it were known”. The verb durst can be interpreted as either a pasttense modal or a present-tense conditional modal (and the were is clearly a conditional form rather than a past-tense use of the be verb). Most of the time, durst is a past-tense form in the Book of Mormon text (32 times), not only here in Alma 1:33 but also three times earlier in this chapter:

• Alma 1:16–18
  •   and they went forth preaching false doctrines
      and this they did for the sake of riches and honor
    → nevertheless they durst not lie—if it were known—for fear of the law
      for liars were punished
      therefore they pretended to preach according to their belief
      and now the law could have no power on any man for their belief
    → and they durst not steal for fear of the law
      for such were punished
    → neither durst they rob nor murder

But there are clear examples of durst being used as a conditional modal in a present-tense context:

• 1 Nephi 22:29
  •   and now I Nephi make an end
    → for I durst not speak further as yet concerning these things
• Alma 18:11
  •   now I surely know that this is the Great Spirit
      and I would desire him that he come in unto me
    → but I durst not
• Alma 30:27–28 (three times)
  •   and thus ye lead away this people
      after the foolish traditions of your fathers
      and according to your own desires
      and ye keep them down—even as it were—in bondage
      that ye may glut yourselves with the labors of their hands
    → that they durst not look up with boldness
    → and that they durst not enjoy their rights and privileges
    → yea they durst not make use of that which is their own
      lest they should offend their priests
      which do yoke them according to their desires
• Alma 61:7
  •   and they have come unto us
      insomuch that those which have rose up in rebellion against us
      are set at defiance yea insomuch that they do fear us
    → and durst not come out against us to battle

There is support for such usage in the history of the English language; see the discussion in the Oxford English Dictionary under inflections for the verb dare (section A5).

Amazingly, there is even one example in the earliest text where durst serves as the base form of the verb, as part of a double modal, “shall durst”:

• Alma 12:14
  • we shall not be found spotless and our thoughts will also condemn us and in this awful state we shall not [dearst >js dare 1|durst A|dare BCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRST] look up to our God

Not surprisingly, Joseph Smith edited this instance of durst to dare in his editing for the 1837 edition. See under Alma 12:14 for discussion of this interesting case of durst. Also see under modals in volume 3.