Alma 18:37 Textual Variants

As discussed under 2 Nephi 29:4, the correct interpretation for the spelling travel in this passage is the word travail. One further question here in Alma 18:37 is whether the singular form travail might be a mistake for the plural travails. Elsewhere in the text, the number for travail(s) in conjoined constructions always agrees with the number for the conjoined nouns:

• 2 Nephi 29:4 (all plural)
  • the travails and the labors and the pains of the Jews
• Mosiah 27:33 (all singular)
  • with long-suffering and much travail
• Mosiah 29:33 (all plural)
  • all the trials and troubles of a righteous king yea all the travails of soul for their people and also all the murmurings of the people to their king

Here in Alma 18:37, travail is conjoined with two plural nouns, journeyings and sufferings, which suggests that travails may be the correct reading. Perhaps the singular travail entered the text because of the two immediately preceding singular nouns, hunger and thirst (“and all their sufferings with hunger and thirst”). It seems very reasonable that given the immediately preceding singulars hunger and thirst, the plural s could have been accidentally dropped in writing the text for either 𝓞 or 𝓟.

On the other hand, the singular travail will work. Besides the example of the singular travail in Mosiah 27:33 (listed above), we have travail in Mosiah 14:11, which quotes Isaiah 53:11: “he shall see of the travail of his soul”. Although travail in Alma 18:37 may be an error for travails, the critical text will follow the singular travail since there is nothing inherently wrong with it.