“Knowest Thou the Condescension of God?”

Brant Gardner

“Knowest thou the condescension of God?” (See commentary following 1 Nephi 11:26–27.)

Variant: The original manuscript and the 1830 edition designate Mary as “the mother of God.” In the corrected printer’s manuscript, this passage reads “mother of the son of God.” The insertion of “the son of” occurs here and in 1 Nephi 11: 21, 32 and 13:40. Most of the changes in the 1837 edition of the Book of Mormon are in the corrected printer’s manuscript. While the corrected printer’s manuscript is not dated, it is certainly post-1830 and pre-1837. Skousen suggests that “these changes, characteristic of Joseph’s editing of the first part of the text, should be considered as clarifications, not as doctrinal reinterpretations.” He specifically notes that Jesus is clearly identified as the Son of God in 1 Nephi 10:17 and 1 Nephi 11:7, both of which appear in the 1830 edition.

Second Witness: Analytical & Contextual Commentary on the Book of Mormon, Vol. 1

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