Alma 10:5 Textual Variants

nevertheless after all this I never have known much of the ways of the Lord and his mysteries and marvelous power I said I never had known much of these things but behold I mistake for I have seen much of his mysteries and his [myraculous 1|marvellous AEFILMNOQ|marvelous BCDGHJKRT|miraculous PS] power

In the last clause of this verse, the printer’s manuscript reads “his mysteries and his miraculous power”, but the 1830 typesetter changed miraculous to marvelous, probably because earlier in the verse the text refers to “his mysteries and marvelous power”. The 1908 RLDS text restored the word miraculous, in accord with the reading in 𝓟 (there miraculous was spelled myraculous by scribe 2).

Elsewhere in the original text there are two other occurrences of marvelous power (Mosiah 1:13 and Alma 57:26) and four of miraculous power (Alma 8:32, Alma 49:28, Alma 57:26, and Helaman 4:25). In one case of miraculous power, the text has changed from miraculous power to matchless power (Alma 49:28). Of particular relevance here, we note that in Alma 57:26 both miraculous power and marvelous power occur in the same passage (just like originally in Alma 10:5):

Alma 57:26
- and now their preservation was astonishing to our whole army yea that they should be spared while there was a thousand of our brethren which were slain and we do justly ascribe it to the miraculous power of God because of their exceeding faith in that which they had been taught to believe that there was a just God and whosoever did not doubt that they should be preserved by his marvelous power

Summary: Restore in Alma 10:5 the original reading miraculous power in place of marvelous power (“I have seen much of his mysteries and his miraculous power”), even though earlier in the verse the text reads “his mysteries and marvelous power”.

Analysis of Textual Variants of the Book of Mormon, Part. 3

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