Alma 5:3 Textual Variants

The 1830 typesetter added the relative pronoun which to the first yea-clause here in Alma 5:3. This editing makes this passage consistent with other passages in the text where yea is followed by either a land or the land:

• 1 Nephi 2:20
  • ye shall prosper and shall be led to a land of promise yea even a land which I have prepared for you a land which is choice above all other lands
• Mosiah 21:26
  • nevertheless they did find a land which had been peopled yea a land which was covered with dry bones yea a land which had been peopled and which had been destroyed
• Alma 50:11
  • the Nephites possessing all the land northward yea even all the land which was northward of the land Bountiful

The use of which in the current text for Alma 5:3 implies that the land of Mormon has already been mentioned. We find extensive reference to the geographic place Mormon earlier in the book of Mosiah, especially chapter 18. The text there specifically notes that this place of Mormon was “in the borders of the land”, which reminds us of the language in Alma 5:3 (“in the land which was in the borders of Nephi”):

• Mosiah 18:4–8
  • and it came to pass that as many as did believe him did go forth to a place which was called Mormon having received its name from the king being in the borders of the land having been infested by times or at seasons by wild beasts now there was in Mormon a fountain of pure water and Alma resorted thither … and it came to pass after many days there were a goodly number gathered together to the place of Mormon to hear the words of Alma … and it came to pass that he said unto them behold here is the waters of Mormon for thus were they called

And the book of Mosiah continues with various references to “the place of Mormon”, “the waters of Mormon”, “the forest of Mormon”, and just plain “Mormon”:

• Mosiah 18:16
  • and after this manner he did baptize every one that went forth to the place of Mormon ... yea and they were baptized in the waters of Mormon
• Mosiah 18:30
  • and now it came to pass that all this was done in Mormon yea by the waters of Mormon in the forest that was near the waters of Mormon yea the place of Mormon the waters of Mormon the forest of Mormon
• Mosiah 25:18
  • yea he did baptize them after the manner he did his brethren in the waters of Mormon
• Mosiah 26:15
  • and blessed are they which were baptized in the waters of Mormon

Technically, Alma 5:3 is the first actual use of the specific phraseology “the land of Mormon”, yet it seems that Alma is repeating the name of the land, not giving it for the first time.

There is some evidence that the scribes occasionally dropped the relative pronoun which, as in the following examples; all of these were made by Oliver Cowdery except for one by scribe 2 of 𝓟 (marked below with an asterisk):

• 2 Nephi 4:1 (initial error by Oliver Cowdery in 𝓟)
  • and now I Nephi speak concerning the prophecies of [my fa >% which 1|which ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRST] my father hath spoken concerning Joseph who was carried into Egypt
• Mosiah 11:11 (initial loss by Oliver Cowdery in 𝓟)
  • and the seats [NULL > which 1|which ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRST] was sat apart for the high priests which was above all the other seats he did ornament with pure gold
• Alma 48:9 (initial loss by Oliver Cowdery in 𝓟)
  • and thus he did fortify and strengthen the land [which 0ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRST|NULL >+ which 1] was possessed by the Nephites
• Alma 63:9 (initial loss by Oliver Cowdery in 𝓞)
  • and it came to pass that in this year there were many people [NULL >+ which 0|which >js who 1|which A|who BCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRST] went forth into the land northward
• Helaman 6:15 (initial loss by Oliver Cowdery in 𝓟)
  • and it came to pass that in the same year that his son [NULL > which >js who 1|which A|who BCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRST] had been appointed by the people in his stead was also murdered
• 3 Nephi 1:13 (loss by Oliver Cowdery in 𝓟; the 1830 edition was set from 𝓞)
  • all [that 1|that which ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRST] I have caused to be spoken by the mouth of my holy prophets
• 3 Nephi 1:28 (initial loss by Oliver Cowdery in 𝓟)
  • because there were many dissenters of the Nephites which did flee unto them which did cause much sorrow unto those Nephites [NULL >+ which >js who 1|which A|who BCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRST] did remain in the land
• * 3 Nephi 27:32 (loss by scribe 2 of 𝓟, corrected by Oliver Cowdery but in the wrong place)
  • and for that [ 1|which ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRST] moth [𝓢① NULL > 𝓢② which 1| ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRST] doth corrupt
• Moroni 9:7 (initial loss by Oliver Cowdery in 𝓟)
  • for according to the knowledge [NULL > which 1|which ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRST] I have received from Amoron behold the Lamanites have many prisoners

Thus it is possible here in Alma 5:3 that scribe 2 of 𝓟 accidentally omitted the relative pronoun which.

On the other hand, David Calabro points out (personal communication) that in Alma’s introductory remarks (verses 3–5) in this discourse, Alma repeats much information that the reader of the Book of Mormon already knows, yet Alma speaks to his audience as if this is all new information to them:

• Alma 5:3–5 (earliest text)
  • I Alma having been consecrated by my father Alma to be a high priest over the church of God he having power and authority from God to do these things behold I say unto you that he began to establish a church in the land which was in the borders of Nephi yea the land was called the land of Mormon yea and he did baptize his brethren in the waters of Mormon and behold I say unto you they were delivered out of the hand of the people of king Noah by the mercy and power of God and behold after that they were brought into bondage by the hands of the Lamanites in the wilderness yea I say unto you they were in captivity and again the Lord did deliver them out of bondage by the power of his word and we were brought into this land and here we began to establish the church of God throughout this land also

Calabro further points out that all three yea-clauses in this passage (marked above in bold) are simple basic statements of historical fact. Thus there is nothing actually inappropriate in Alma 5:3 with stating that “yea the land was called the land of Mormon” (the earliest extant reading). The critical text will therefore restore the reading in 𝓟: “yea the land was called the land of Mormon” (that is, without the which that the 1830 typesetter added). Of course, the possibility remains that the original text had the which and it was accidentally lost during the early transmission of the text. Even so, the earliest reading without the which works well enough.