Scribe 2 of 𝓟 started to write “behold I say unto you”. But after writing the unto, he realized that 𝓞 actually read “behold I say”—that is, without the expected “unto you”. Scribe 2 therefore crossed out the extra unto and continued inline with the question “is there one among you who is not stripped of envy”. Later on, in verse 43, he once more incorrectly wrote the expected “I say unto you” (in this instance, the correct text read “I would that …”):
Chapter 5 of Alma has numerous examples of “I say unto you” (35 of them), but only one example of “I say” without “unto you” (namely, here at the beginning of Alma 5:29). The high frequency of “I say unto you” led scribe 2 of 𝓟 to twice extend this phraseology in this chapter (but only momentarily). Of course, it is possible that the reading “I say” without “unto you” here in Alma 5:29 was an error in 𝓞, that the scribe who took down Joseph Smith’s dictation here (probably Oliver Cowdery) accidentally omitted the “unto you”. Although the phrase “I say” otherwise occurs with “unto you” in Alma 5, the shorter phraseology is possible. Consider, for instance, Alma’s words to his son Helaman in Alma 36–37. In five cases, Alma says “I say unto you” to Helaman; but in one case (the last one listed below, in Alma 37:45), he simply says “I say” even though he could have said “I say unto you”:
Similarly, in king Benjamin’s discourse in Mosiah 2–5, he usually says “I say unto you” (21 times), but there are also two occurrences of the shorter “I say” (in Mosiah 2:21 and Mosiah 4:7). Thus variation is possible, although overwhelmingly the text uses “unto you” after “I say” in discourses. The critical text will therefore retain the use of “I say” without “unto you” in Alma 5:29, even though this could be a scribal error.
Summary: Maintain in Alma 5:29 the unique instance in this chapter of “I say” without “unto you”; such usage is occasionally found elsewhere in the text.