Alma 51:2 Textual Variants

The problem here is that the grammatically plural were is the verb for the following singular a part, although a part is postmodified by the plural phrase “of the people” (which gives a plural sense to the complete noun phrase, “a part of the people”). Elsewhere in the text, we sometimes get the plural there were when a following singular noun phrase refers to a plural group of people (sometimes the plurality is not directly expressed):

• Mosiah 2:2
  • and there [were 1ABCDEFHIJKLMNOPQRST|was G] a great number even so many that they did not number them
• Mosiah 18:7
  • there were a goodly number gathered together to the place of Mormon to hear the words of Alma
• Helaman 11:24
  • there were a certain number of the dissenters from the people of Nephi which had some years before gone over unto the Lamanites
• 3 Nephi 11:1
  • there were a great multitude gathered together of the people of Nephi round about the temple which was in the land Bountiful

So the plural verb were in Alma 51:2 is perfectly acceptable. (For discussion of the noun number as delayed subject for either there were or there was, see under Mosiah 2:2.)