wherefore the ends of the law which the Holy One hath given unto the inflicting of the punishment which is affixed which punishment that is affixed is in opposition to that of the
happiness which is affixed to answer the ends of the atonement
Paul Hoskisson (personal communication, 30 June 2004) has suggested a dittography in this passage, marked above in bold. The current reading produces a sentence fragment (discussed separately
under 2 Nephi 2:10–11 in part 1); but if “which punishment that is affixed” is removed, Hoskisson points out, we get a completed sentence:
- 2 Nephi 2:10 (suggested emendation)
- wherefore the ends of the law which the Holy One hath given unto the inflicting of the punishment which is affixed is in opposition to that of the happiness which is affixed to answer the
ends of the atonement
The problem with removing this proposed dittography is that it is not a full dittography. Note that there are two differences in the phraseology: the versus which, and
which versus that. Moreover, the earliest extant text shows similar instances of repetitiveness, as in the following examples where the repetition has been eliminated in varying
ways from the standard text:
- 1 Nephi 8:7
- and it came to pass that as I followed him and after I had followed him
I beheld myself that I was in a dark and dreary waste
- 1 Nephi 13:37
- yea whoso shall publish peace that shall publish tidings of great joy how beautiful upon the mountains shall they be
- 1 Nephi 14:1–2
- and it shall come to pass that if the Gentiles shall hearken unto the Lamb of God in that day that he shall manifest himself unto them in word and also in power in very deed unto the
taking away of their stumbling blocks if it so be that they harden not their hearts against the Lamb and if it so be that they harden not their hearts against the Lamb of God they shall be
numbered among the seed of thy father
All of these instances of repetitiveness were removed by Joseph Smith in his early editing for the 1837 edition; see under each passage for how Joseph specifically removed the repetition. But in
most of his editing for the 1837 edition, Joseph left similar instances of repetitiveness unchanged, as here in 2 Nephi 2:10 and these two examples from 1 Nephi 13:
- 1 Nephi 13:24
- thou hast beheld that the book proceeded forth from the mouth of a Jew and when it proceeded forth from the mouth of a Jew it contained the
fullness of the gospel of the Lamb
- 1 Nephi 13:29
- and after that these plain and precious things were taken away it goeth forth unto all the nations of the Gentiles and after it goeth forth unto all the nations of the
Gentiles yea even across the many waters which thou hast seen …
The critical text will accept the original repetitiveness in 2 Nephi 2:10 and elsewhere.
