3 Nephi 13:7 Textual Variants

Matthew 6:7 (King James Bible) but when ye pray use not vain repetitions as the heathen do for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking

The Book of Mormon text agrees with the King James Bible here in 3 Nephi 13:7 except that the word do (in italics in the King James text) is lacking in the Book of Mormon text. The 1830 edition and the printer’s manuscript agree, so the original manuscript most probably was lacking the do. Nonetheless, in writing down the original text, Oliver Cowdery might have dropped the do. Or perhaps while dictating, Joseph Smith accidentally dropped it.

There is a similar change in 3 Nephi 13:5 which argues that the omission of do in 3 Nephi 13:7 is intentional:

• 3 Nephi 13:5
  • and when thou prayest thou shalt not do as the hypocrites
• Matthew 6:5 (King James Bible)
  • and when thou prayest thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are

Here the King James expression “be … are ” has been intentionally changed in the Book of Mormon to “do … NULL”. And in both Book of Mormon cases, we end up with “as ” at the end of the clause—that is, without a following verb (thus “as the hypocrites” in verse 5 and “as the heathen” in verse 7). The parallel change in 3 Nephi 13:5 strongly suggests that the omission of the do in 3 Nephi 13:7 is intentional.

The intentional removal of the do in 3 Nephi 13:7 makes it so that every occurrence of “as the heathen” or “as the hypocrites” here in the Book of Mormon version of the Sermon on the Mount occurs without a following verb. Besides the two cases here in verses 5 and 7 of this chapter, we have a third one in verse 16—and in that case the King James Bible agrees by not having an italicized verb are after “as the hypocrites”:

• 3 Nephi 13:16
  • moreover when ye fast be not as the hypocrites of a sad countenance
• Matthew 6:16 (King James Bible)
  • moreover when ye fast be not as the hypocrites of a sad countenance

All three cases in the Book of Mormon version of the Sermon on the Mount (in 3 Nephi 13:5, 7, 16) agree with the original Greek text, which has no verb after either “as the heathen” or “as the hypocrites” in Matthew 6:5, 7, 16.

There is one more case of “as the hypocrites” in Matthew 6, and it has an actual verb in the Greek (namely, the main verb do); in this instance, the Book of Mormon version has maintained the main verb do but replaced the definite article the with the auxiliary verb will:

• 3 Nephi 13:2
  • therefore when ye shall do your alms do not sound a trumpet before you as will hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets
• Matthew 6:2 (King James Bible)
  • therefore when thou doest thine alms do not sound a trumpet before thee as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets