3 Nephi 3:19 Textual Variants

The original manuscript undoubtedly had the repeated of here in 3 Nephi 3:19 (“the spirit of revelation and also of prophecy”). Both the 1830 edition and the printer’s manuscript have the repeated of. The 1837 edition (probably accidentally) omitted the repeated of. The Book of Mormon text has examples of this construction both with and without the repeated of:

• title page written ... by the spirit of prophecy and of revelation
• Alma 4:20 according to the spirit of revelation and prophecy
• Alma 8:24 according to the spirit of revelation and prophecy
• Alma 23:6 according to the spirit of revelation and of prophecy
• Alma 43:2 according to the spirit of prophecy and revelation
• Helaman 4:12 denying the spirit of prophecy and of revelation

There is one example that involves a different preposition, and in that case the preposition is repeated:

• 3 Nephi 29:6 the Lord no longer worketh by revelation or by prophecy

Since either reading is theoretically possible for 3 Nephi 3:19, the repeated of should be restored. It should also be noted that the phrase “and also of X” occurs 27 other places in the Book of Mormon, so there is nothing wrong with having also before the repeated of.