Alma 27:4 Textual Variants

Here Oliver Cowdery omitted the an from before everlasting destruction as he copied the text from 𝓞 into 𝓟. All the printed editions have maintained this secondary reading. Elsewhere in the text, there are four occurrences of “an everlasting destruction”:

• Alma 5:7 and an everlasting destruction did await them
• Alma 12:17 they shall be chained down to an everlasting destruction
• Helaman 6:40 they were in an awful state and ripening for an everlasting destruction
• 3 Nephi 4:33 they had been delivered from an everlasting destruction

There are also two examples of everlasting destruction preceded by a different determiner:

• Alma 12:36 to the everlasting destruction of your souls
• Ether 14:25 and their wickedness and abominations had prepared a way for their everlasting destruction

But in two instances, there is no indefinite article (based on the earliest textual sources):

• Alma 12:6 that he might chain you down to everlasting destruction
• Helaman 8:26 yea even at this time ye are ripening ... for everlasting destruction

It therefore appears that everlasting destruction does not have to be preceded by a determiner in the Book of Mormon text. The critical text will in each case follow the earliest textual sources, thus “an everlasting destruction” here in Alma 27:4.