Mormon 8:35 Textual Variants

One wonders here if the singular doing of the earliest textual sources isn’t an error for doings. The 1892 RLDS edition has the plural doings, perhaps unintentionally (yet out of expectation of the plural). The 1908 RLDS edition restored the singular. Elsewhere in the text, there are 21 instances of the plural noun doings but none of the singular noun (excluding cases where doing acts verbally):

• 1 Nephi 10:20 all thy doings
• 1 Nephi 19:22 the doings of the Lord
• 2 Nephi 13:8 their doings
• 2 Nephi 13:10 their doings
• 2 Nephi 22:4 his doings
• 2 Nephi 25:2 their doings were doings of abomination (2 times)
• Mosiah 7:29 their doings
• Mosiah 11:29 his evil doings
• Mosiah 12:1 their evil doings
• Alma 37:36 all thy doings
• Alma 37:37 all thy doings
• 3 Nephi 28:7 all the doings of the Father
• 3 Nephi 29:4 the doings of the Lord
• 3 Nephi 29:4 his doings
• 3 Nephi 29:5 the doings of the Lord
• 3 Nephi 30:2 your evil doings
• 4 Nephi 1:18 all their doings
• Mormon 2:8 their evil doings
• Ether 8:5 the doings of Jared their brother
• Ether 15:13 all the doings of the people

These examples argue that the singular doing, the earliest reading in Mormon 8:35, is an error. If so, the final s must have been dropped in 𝓞 as Oliver Cowdery, the presumed scribe here, took down Joseph Smith’s dictation. There is considerable evidence that Oliver occasionally omitted the plural s, as in these examples that involve the ending -ing:

• 1 Nephi 13:23 (initial error in 𝓟)
  • and it is a record like unto the [engraveings 0|engraveing > engraveings 1| engravings ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRST] which are upon the plates of brass
• 1 Nephi 16:25 (uncorrected error in 𝓟)
  • and he was truly chastened because of his [murmurings 0|murmuring 1ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRST] against the Lord
• Mosiah 19:3 (error in 𝓟 corrected by the 1830 typesetter)
  • and the lesser part began to breathe out [threatning >jg threatnings 1|threatnings ABCD| threatenings EFGHIJKLMNOPQRST] against the king
• Alma 22:14 (initial error in 𝓟)
  • but the [suffering > sufferings 1|sufferings ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRST] and death of Christ atoneth for their sins
• Alma 30:22 (initial error in 𝓟)
  • to interrupt their [rejoiceing > rejoiceings 1|rejoicings ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRST]
• 3 Nephi 8:25 (uncorrected error in 𝓟; 1830 reading correctly copied from 𝓞)
  • and thus were the [howling 1|howlings ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRST] of the people great and terrible
• 3 Nephi 16:4 (initial error in corrected reading in 𝓟)
  • and I command you that ye shall write these [things >+ saying > sayings 1|sayings ABCDEFHIJKLMNOPQRST|things G]
• Moroni 9:25 (initial error in 𝓟)
  • and may his [suffering > sufferings 1|sufferings ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRST] and death ... rest in your mind forever

On the other hand, the singular noun doing is not particularly offensive here in Mormon 8:35. It has been maintained in both the LDS and RLDS texts. Moreover, there are similar examples of the singular noun doing in the King James Bible, although they all refer to the Lord’s doing:

• Psalm 64:9 for they shall wisely consider of his doing
• Psalm 66:5 he is terrible in his doing toward the children of men
• Psalm 118:23 this is the LORD’s doing
• Matthew 21:42 this is the Lord’s doing
• Mark 12:11 this was the Lord’s doing

(There are also a number of examples in the King James Bible of well doing and evil doing, which are somewhat different.) On the other hand, references to “one’s doings” is quite common in the King James text (there are 51 instances, some of which refer to the Lord’s doings). Since the singular is possible, the critical text will maintain the earliest reading here in Mormon 8:35, “I know your doing”, despite its uniqueness in the Book of Mormon text. The possibility remains that doing is a primitive error for doings.