3 Nephi 26:14 Textual Variants

The earliest reading here, under one interpretation, has a conjoined predicate that seems to be lacking its subject. The printer’s manuscript and the 1830 reading read identically, without the expected he, which means that very likely the original manuscript itself lacked the he. The editors for the 1920 LDS edition supplied the he since it seems necessary—providing one assumes that in this passage we have two references to the Lord loosing the tongues of the children. Such an interpretation is possible since there are examples elsewhere in the original text where two identical clauses frame a central body of information:

• Alma 49:20
  • thus they were prepared
    —yea a body of their most strong men— with their swords and their slings to smite down all who should attempt to come into their place of security by the place of entrance and thus were they prepared to defend themselves against the Lamanites
• Alma 56:19
  • and thus were we favored of the Lord for had they come upon us in this our weakness they might have perhaps destroyed our little army but thus were we favored

Yet David Calabro points out (personal communication) that here in 3 Nephi 26:14 we may not have two references to loosing the tongues of the children. He argues that the second instance refers to the Lord as loosing the tongues of the people (that is, the adults, in distinction to the children). Calabro notes that support for this interpretation can be found in an earlier reference to the disciples being given the words they should say when they prayed:

• 3 Nephi 19:24
  • and it came to pass that when Jesus had thus prayed unto the Father he came unto his disciples and behold they did still continue without ceasing to pray unto him and they did not multiply many words for it was given unto them what they should pray

And shortly afterwards the text explains that not only were the disciples praying but also the entire multitude:

• 3 Nephi 20:1
  • and it came to pass that he commanded the multitude that they should cease to pray and also his disciples

One could argue that the entire multitude, not just the disciples, were being given what they should pray and that this is what Jesus is referring to here at the end of 3 Nephi 26:14. In other words, the final predicate belongs to the comparative clause: “even greater than he had revealed unto the people and loosed their tongues that they could utter”. This means that the antecedent for the pronouns they and their is the people, not the children (which is found much earlier in the passage). Given this interpretation, the 1920 emendation was unnecessary—and, in fact, misleading. Since Calabro’s proposed reading will work, the critical text will restore the earliest reading in 3 Nephi 26:14—that is, without any subject pronoun he for the last conjoined predicate.