4 Nephi 1:16–17 Textual Variants

Here in these two verses, we have some variation in the editing of the multiple negative nor no. In the first case, Joseph Smith edited nor no to nor any. In the second case, nor no was edited to simply nor (in the 1837 edition). The editing for the first two cases has been retained in all subsequent editions. And in the third case, the 1837 edition replaced nor no with or any, while the 1852 edition restored the nor, thus giving nor any. There are examples of both nor any and or any in the original text, as in the following pair of examples involving any thing:

• Mosiah 13:24 (Exodus 20:17)
  • thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s house … nor any thing that is thy neighbor’s
• Alma 7:21
  • neither can filthiness or any thing which is unclean be received into the kingdom of God

In the second instance, the 1953 RLDS edition changed the or to nor, but in this case either conjunction is possible in English. The critical text will, of course, restore all three original instances of the multiple negative nor no in 4 Nephi 1:16–17.

One question that arises here in 4 Nephi 1:16–17 is whether the second example of nor no could have been edited to nor any instead of simply nor, thus “there were no robbers nor any murderers”. However, there is a difference in usage in the Book of Mormon text; namely, nor any (whether original or edited) is restricted to the last item in a series of negative conjuncts and that item, it turns out, acts as a kind of et cetera (thus covering all remaining possibilities):

• Mosiah 2:12 (Joseph Smith’s editing for the 1837 edition)
  • as I have been suffered to spend my days in your service even up to this time and have not sought gold nor silver nor [no >js any 1|no A|any BCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRST] manner of riches of you
• Mosiah 3:17 (Joseph Smith’s editing for the 1837 edition)
  • there shall be no other name given nor [no >js any 1|no A|any BCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRST] other way nor means whereby salvation can come unto the children of men …
• Mosiah 13:24 (Exodus 20:17)
  • thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s wife nor his manservant nor his maidservant nor his ox nor his ass nor any thing that is thy neighbor’s
• Mosiah 29:14 (Joseph Smith’s editing for the 1837 edition)
  • that there should be no wars nor contentions no stealing nor plundering nor murdering nor [no >js any 1|no A|any BCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRST] manner of iniquity
• Alma 7:21 (1953 RLDS edition)
  • neither can filthiness [or 1ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRT|nor S] any thing which is unclean be received into the kingdom of God
• 4 Nephi 1:16 (Joseph Smith’s editing for the 1837 edition)
  • and there were no envyings nor strifes nor tumults nor whoredoms nor lyings nor murders nor [no >js any 1|no A|any BCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRST] manner of lasciviousness
• 4 Nephi 1:17 (1852 LDS edition)
•  neither were there Lamanites [nor no 1A|or any BCDEGHK|nor any FIJLMNOPQRST] manner of ites

The same restriction applies to or any, again whether original or edited:

• Mosiah 12:36 (Exodus 20:4)
  • thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image or any likeness of any thing in the heaven above or things which is in the earth beneath
• Mosiah 13:12 (Exodus 20:4)
  • thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image or any likeness of things which is in heaven above or which is in the earth beneath or which is in the water under the earth
• Alma 7:21
  • neither can filthiness [or 1ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRT|nor S] any thing which is unclean be received into the kingdom of God
• Alma 19:24
  • and they durst not put forth their hands to touch him or any of those which had fallen
• Alma 31:5
  • yea it had had more powerful effect upon the minds of the people than the sword or any thing else which had happened unto them
• 4 Nephi 1:17 (1837 edition)
  • neither were there Lamanites [nor no 1A|or any BCDEGHK|nor any FIJLMNOPQRST] manner of ites

For a complete discussion of nor no and other negative connectors in the text, see under negation in volume 3.