1 Nephi 19:11 Textual Variants

The 1849 LDS edition accidentally replaced the singular tempest with the plural, but the singular was restored in the 1920 edition, probably by reference to one of the earlier editions. The prepositional phrase “by tempest” is associated with two following by-phrases, both of which have singular nouns (fire, smoke, and vapor). But the preceding with-phrase has plurals (thunderings and lightnings), which undoubtedly led to the 1849 typo.

We find that in conjuncts the word tempest agrees in number (singular or plural) with the nearest nouns, as in the following examples involving prepositions:

• 2 Nephi 6:15 both by fire and by tempest
• 2 Nephi 27:2 and with storm and tempest
• 3 Nephi 8:12 because of the tempests and the whirlwinds and the thunderings and the lightnings
• 3 Nephi 8:17 because of the tempests and the thunderings and the lightnings
• 3 Nephi 10:14 and by tempests and by whirlwinds

The two examples in 3 Nephi 8 actually involve early textual variation between tempest and tempests, but in each case the evidence supports the plural. (See the discussion for those two verses.) Here in 1 Nephi 19:11 there is no difficulty in determining the original text since the plural was accidentally introduced considerably later in the printed editions.