Alma 11:2 Textual Variants

Here only the first part of the word evidences is extant in 𝓞 (evi plus part of the following d ). The ev at the beginning of the word, in Oliver Cowdery’s hand, looks somewhat like a w, which led scribe 2 of 𝓟 to misread evidences as witnesses when he copied the text from 𝓞 into 𝓟. Oliver restored the original evidences to 𝓟 when he proofed 𝓟 against 𝓞. Instances of plural evidences can be found elsewhere in the text:

• Helaman 5:50
  • and it came to pass that they did go forth and did minister unto the people declaring throughout all the regions round about all the things which they had heard and seen insomuch that the more part of the Lamanites were convinced of them because of the greatness of the evidences which they had received
• Helaman 8:24
  • for ye have rejected all these things notwithstanding so many evidences which ye have received

In standard English, we expect the singular evidence (acting as a mass noun rather than a count noun). The critical text will accept the plural evidences here in Alma 11:2 and elsewhere in the text whenever it is supported by the earliest textual sources.