Helaman 16:17–18 Textual Variants

Paul Huntzinger points out (personal communication, 9 January 2004) that the punctuation and the stranding of “saying that” across two verses (in the LDS edition, the result of Orson Pratt’s 1879 versification of the text) is incorrect. The that is not part of the quote per se, and it should be associated with the preceding saying. In the standard text, the punctuation between saying and that should be removed, although such a change should probably be accompanied by a change in the beginning of verse 18, such as placing the entire phrase saying that at the beginning of the verse:

• Helaman 16:17–18 (revised accidentals for the LDS text)
  • And they began to reason and to contend among themselves,
    Saying that it is not reasonable that such a being as a Christ shall come; The critical text will follow this interpretation of saying that.