2 Nephi 6:1 Textual Variants

The 1953 RLDS edition replaced the plural words with the singular word here in 2 Nephi 6:1. (This verse acts as a preface to Jacob’s discourse in 2 Nephi 6–10.) The same change also occurred in the previous chapter of the 1953 edition:

• 2 Nephi 5:4
  • now I do not write upon these plates all the [words 1ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRT|word S] which they murmured against me

As shown in the discussion for 2 Nephi 5:4, the phrase “all the word” never occurs in the Book of Mormon text. Nor is the phrase “the word of X” ever used in the text to introduce a direct quote of a person’s words. Instead, we always get “the words of X”:

• Alma 7 preface
  • The words of Alma which he delivered to the people in Gideon according to his own record
• Alma 9 preface
  • The words of Alma and also the words of Amulek which was declared unto the people which was in the land of Ammonihah
• Moroni 2:1 (a preface)
  • The words of Christ which he spake unto his disciples the twelve whom he had chosen as he laid his hands upon them

More generally, the text prefers the plural words to refer to a person’s speech. For some discussion, see 1 Nephi 16:24.