Alma 1:32 Textual Variants

Royal Skousen
nevertheless the law was put in force upon all those who did transgress it inasmuch as it [were 1ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQS|was RT] possible

Here the committee for the 1920 LDS edition seems to have consciously decided to change the subjunctive were to the indicative was (the change is marked in the committee’s copy of the 1911 large-print edition). Elsewhere the earliest text has five occurrences of “as it were possible” and one of “as it was possible”:

As discussed under 1 Nephi 17:31, there are examples in the earliest text of both “save it were” and “save it was”, although the one with the subjunctive form were is considerably more frequent. The critical text will, in each case, follow the earliest textual reading. Thus here in Alma 1:32, the original “inasmuch as it were possible” will be restored. On the other hand, the unique occurrence in Mosiah 21:18 of “as much as it was possible” will be retained. For further discussion, see under mood in volume 3.

Summary: Restore in Alma 1:32 the earliest reading: “inasmuch as it were possible”.

Analysis of Textual Variants of the Book of Mormon, Part. 3

References