Alma 26:1 Textual Variants

Here in the original manuscript, Oliver Cowdery initially wrote “and now the words of Ammon”; later, with somewhat heavier ink flow, he supralinearly inserted these are, giving “and now these are the words of Ammon”. Oliver may have corrected the text here when he read it back to Joseph Smith. There are three other examples where the text uses “and now these are the words” to introduce an immediately following quotation:

• 2 Nephi 6:6
  • and now these are the words : thus saith the Lord God behold I will lift up mine hand to the Gentiles …
• Alma 57:30
  • and now these are the words which Gid said unto me : behold we did start to go down to the land of Zarahemla with our prisoners …
• 3 Nephi 11:24–25
  • and now behold these are the words which ye shall say calling them by name saying : having authority given me of Jesus Christ I baptize you …

Although there are two instances of “and now the words”, neither one introduces an immediately following quotation:

• 2 Nephi 6:5 and now the words which I shall read are they which Isaiah spake
• Alma 9:34 and now the words of Amulek are not all written

The use of these are in Alma 26:1 is undoubtedly correct.