Alma 43:8 Textual Variants

Royal Skousen
and this he done that he might usurp great power over them and also that he might gain power over the Nephites by bringing them into bondage [.&C. 0|.&c. >jg .&c. 1|&c. ABCDEFGHIKLMNOQ|etc. JPS| RT]

The etc. here at the end of this verse was removed from the LDS text in the 1920 LDS edition. Yet there is a purpose in the etc. here: it allows for other ways for Zerahemnah to gain power over the Nephites, as in the ways described by the following passage:

Another purpose of the etc. could be to specify the nature of the bondage, including hard labor, taxes, and physical abuse:

The critical text will restore the etc. here in Alma 43:8. For a complete discussion regarding the editing out of etc., see under etc. in volume 3.

Summary: Restore in Alma 43:8 the original etc.; its purpose here is to allow for various aspects of bondage or other forms of oppression.

Analysis of Textual Variants of the Book of Mormon, Part. 4

References