Helaman 16:2–3 Textual Variants

The 1830 edition has the demonstrative pronoun this, with the result that it assigns an appositive interpretation to the following that-clause. On the other hand, the this is missing from the printer’s manuscript. The 1908 RLDS edition, based on the reading of 𝓟, removed the this, as did the 1981 LDS edition. However, this later change in both the LDS and RLDS texts was undoubtedly made on the assumption that the 1830 edition was set from 𝓟 in Helaman 16, which is not the case.

The use of this followed by an appositive that-clause appears to be unique in the Book of Mormon text. Nonetheless, it is fully understandable, and there is nothing grammatically wrong with it. Since the 1830 edition is a firsthand copy of the original manuscript for this part of the text, it is very probable that 𝓞 also read this way. It seems rather unlikely that the 1830 typesetter would have inserted the this unless it was actually in his copytext, which was 𝓞 (not 𝓟).

Elsewhere the text has ten occurrences of a demonstrative pronoun this followed by a that- clause, but in each instance the that-clause is a resultive clause and does not act as an appositive (that is, as a restatement of the pronoun this); in three of these cases, the this serves as the direct object in the predicate (each of these is marked below with an asterisk):

• 2 Nephi 9:22 and he suffereth this that the resurrection might pass upon all men
• 2 Nephi 29:9 and I do this that I may prove unto many that I am the same
• Alma 7:11 and this that the word might be fulfilled which saith …
• Alma 13:16 and this that they might look forward to him
• Alma 26:30 and all this that perhaps we might be the means of saving some soul
• Alma 38:9 I have told you this that ye might learn wisdom
• Alma 56:37 and this that they might not be surrounded by our people
• Helaman 6:22 and this that they might distinguish a brother who had entered into the covenant
• Helaman 8:18 and this that it should be shewn unto the people …
• Ether 3:18 and all this that this man knew that he was God

But at least the three starred examples show that the demonstrative pronoun this can stand as the direct object in a predicate, just as it does here in Helaman 16:3.

When we consider other instances of adding or omitting this in the manuscripts and the editions, every one of them is a case of loss, not addition:

• Mosiah 24:13 (loss in the 1830 edition)
  • and I will covenant with [this 1PS| ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOQRT] my people
• Alma 18:11 (initial loss in 𝓟 by Oliver Cowdery)
  • now I surely know that [NULL >+ this 1|this ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRST] is the Great Spirit
• Alma 32:5 (loss in the 1837 edition)
  • and they have cast us out because of [this 01A| BCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRST] our exceeding poverty
• Alma 32:28 (initial loss in 𝓞 by Oliver Cowdery)
  • it must needs be that [NULL >+ this 0|this 1ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRST] is a good seed
• 3 Nephi 4:25 (initial loss in 𝓟 by Oliver Cowdery)
  • and [NULL >+ this 1|this ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRST] did they do in the nighttime
• 3 Nephi 11:15 (loss in the 1837 edition)
  • and [this 1ACEFGHIJKLMNOPQRST| BD] they did do
• 3 Nephi 11:35 (initial loss in 𝓟 by Oliver Cowdery)
  • I say unto you that [NULL > this 1|this ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRST] is my doctrine
• Ether 5:2 (initial loss in 𝓟 by Oliver Cowdery)
  • that ye may shew the plates unto those who shall assist to bring [ forth >+ forth this 1|forth this ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRST] work

Thus it is very unlikely that the 1830 typesetter added a this here in Helaman 16:3. The critical text will assume that Oliver Cowdery accidentally omitted the this. In order to show the appositive relationship for the following that-clause, the 1830 punctuation—namely, separating commas— could be restored; or to make the reading even clearer, dashes could be used:

• Helaman 16:3
• now when they saw this
  —that they could not hit him—
  there were many more which did believe on his words