Mormon 2:8 Textual Variants

Royal Skousen
therefore there was blood and carnage spread [throughout 1ABDEFIJLMNOPQRST|through CGHK] all the face of the land

The change in the 1840 edition to through is probably a typo rather than the result of Joseph Smith’s editing. As explained under Mosiah 29:1, we normally expect throughout in the context of “(the face of ) the land”. Note, in particular, the use of throughout in the very same context later on in Mormon 2:8: “and it was one complete revolution throughout all the face of the land”. The 1908 RLDS edition restored the correct throughout here in Mormon 2:8.

Summary: Maintain in Mormon 2:8 the word throughout, the reading of the earliest textual sources.

Analysis of Textual Variants of the Book of Mormon, Part. 6

References