Ether 1:23–24 Textual Variants

Royal Skousen
and Morianton was a descendant of Riplakish and Riplakish was [the 1ABCDEFGIJLMNOPQRST|a HK] son of Shez

Here the 1874 RLDS edition replaced the with a in the phrase “the son of Shez”, a typo probably resulting from the preceding “a descendant of Riplakish”. The 1908 RLDS edition restored the correct the. Although the indefinite article is theoretically possible, similar phraseology elsewhere in the text supports the definite article:

Thus the definite article the before son is quite correct in Ether 1:24.

Summary: Maintain in Ether 1:24 the definite article the in the phrase “the son of Shez”.

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

References