Helaman 7:5 Textual Variants

Here in the printer’s manuscript, Oliver Cowdery initially wrote “that they might more easy commit adultery”. Somewhat later, perhaps when he proofed 𝓟 against 𝓞, Oliver supralinearly inserted the definite article the (the level of ink flow is somewhat heavier for the the). In modern English, speakers do not expect the definite article the before “more ”; thus it seems very unlikely that Oliver inserted the the as a result of conscious editing. Most likely, 𝓞 had the the, and Oliver made sure that he copied it into 𝓟. Although there are no other examples of this usage with the in the Book of Mormon text, we can find quite a few examples of “the more ” in the King James Bible:

• Mark 14:31 but he spake the more vehemently
• Mark 15:14 and they cried out the more exceedingly
• Acts 24:10 I do the more cheerfully answer for myself
• Romans 15:15 I have written the more boldly unto you
• 2 Corinthians 12:15 though the more abundantly I love you / the less I be loved
• Philippians 2:28 I sent him therefore the more carefully that …
• 1 Thessalonians 2:17 but we ... endeavored the more abundantly to see your face

(Note that in all these examples the adverb ends in -ly, unlike the case of “the more easy” originally here in Helaman 7:5.) There are also four examples of “the more ” in the King James text:

• 1 Samuel 18:29 and Saul was yet the more afraid of David
• Luke 23:5 and they were the more fierce
• John 19:8 when Pilate therefore heard that saying / he was the more afraid
• Hebrews 2:1 we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard

Elsewhere in the Book of Mormon text there are 25 instances of “more ”, and in each case there is no preceding the (this also holds for the many cases of “more ” in the Book of Mormon). The following sampling lists at least one example for each particular adverb:

• 1 Nephi 19:23 that I might more fully persuade them to believe in the Lord
• 2 Nephi 19:1 and afterwards did more grieviously afflict by the way of the Red Sea beyond Jordan in Galilee of the nations
• Jacob 2:13 some of you have obtained more abundantly than that of your brethren
• Alma 12:7 Zeezrom began to tremble more exceedingly
• Alma 13:19 therefore of him they have more particularly made mention
• Alma 44:16 to contend more powerfully against the Nephites
• Alma 55:13 therefore they took of it more freely
• Alma 60:10 yea and ye had ought to have stirred yourselves more diligently
• Helaman 4:25 the Lamanites were more exceeding numerous than they
• Helaman 16:10 and the lesser part walking more circumspectly before God
• Ether 9:19 all of which were useful unto man and more especially the elephants and cureloms and cumoms

In only one of these cases (Helaman 4:25) does the original text have a bare adverb, exceeding, which modifies the adjective numerous. In all other cases, the adverb ends in -ly.

Thus the phrase “the more easy” is a difficult reading. The definite article the has been maintained in the text, perhaps because such archaic usage is recognizable as biblical in style. On the other hand, the use of the bare adverb easy is quite unacceptable to modern readers and has therefore been edited in the LDS text to easily, beginning with the 1906 large-print edition and later adopted in the third printing (in 1907) of the 1905 missionary edition and in the 1907 vest-pocket edition. Here in Helaman 7:5, all subsequent LDS editions have maintained the expected adverbial form ending in -ly. Elsewhere, the original text has instances of only easily (six times) as the adverbial form for easy. Nonetheless, the use of the bare adverb sometimes occurs for other adverbs in the original Book of Mormon text. See, for instance, under 2 Nephi 25:20 for cases where the original text had the bare adverb plain instead of the standard plainly. For a complete discussion on the use of the bare adverb in the original text, see under adverbs in volume 3. The critical text will restore the adverbial form easy here in Helaman 7:5 despite its uniqueness in the text.