3 Nephi 12:1 Textual Variants

Royal Skousen
now the number of them which had been called and received power and authority to baptize [were 1ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQS|was RT] twelve

As discussed under Alma 44:21, the Book of Mormon text prefers were when the subject is of the form “the number of X”. The 1920 LDS edition edited the were to was in some cases, including here in 3 Nephi 12:1, but in other cases this edition left the original were unchanged. The critical text will, as the case may be, maintain or restore the original were in all these cases.

Analysis of Textual Variants of the Book of Mormon, Part. 5

References