3 Nephi 18:20 Textual Variants

Here we have an example where Joseph Smith, in his editing for the 1837 edition, removed an and that originally separated a complex nominal clause (headed by whatsoever) from its following main clause. The key here for explaining the extra and seems to be the present participial clause that the nominal clause ends in (namely, “believing that ye shall receive”). The original text has quite a few instances where and was used to separate a preceding present participial clause from its following main clause, as in these examples where one or more participial clauses form the last part of a complex subject:

• Alma 9:1
  • and again I Alma having been commanded of God that I should take Amulek and go forth and preach again unto this people or the people which was in the city of Ammonihah [and >js NULL 1|And A| BCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRST] it came to pass as I began to preach unto them they began to contend with me
• Alma 16:21 (the first having was edited to had in the 1920 LDS edition)
  • and now after the church having been established throughout all the land having got the victory over the devil and the word of God being preached in its purity in all the land and the Lord pouring out his blessings upon the people [& >js NULL 1|and A| BCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRST] thus ended the fourteenth year of the reign of the judges over the people of Nephi

As in 3 Nephi 18:20, Joseph Smith removed the extra and from Alma 9:1 and from Alma 16:21 in his editing for the 1837 edition. The critical text will restore each of these original instances of and, which can be considered Hebraisms. For a complete list of the Hebraistic and following a present participial clause, see under hebraisms in volume 3.