1 Nephi 20:22 Textual Variants

Royal Skousen
and notwithstanding he hath done all this [ 01|, ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRST] and greater also [ 01|, ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRST] there is no peace saith the Lord unto the wicked

Isaiah 48:22 (King James Bible)

there is no peace saith the LORD unto the wicked

Here in 1 Nephi 20:22, the Book of Mormon text has some additional text: “and notwithstanding he hath done all this and greater also”. John A. Tvedtnes has suggested that the also at the end of this addition should be placed with the following clause: “also there is no peace … unto the wicked” (see page 72 of “The Isaiah Variants in the Book of Mormon”, FARMS preliminary report, 1984). The 1830 typesetter placed commas around the phrase “and greater also”, interpreting the also as part of that phrase. This punctuation has continued in all subsequent editions. Semantically, the 1830 typesetter’s interpretation seems to work perfectly well. On the other hand, “also there is no peace … unto the wicked” seems strange because the immediately preceding text (verses 20–21) mentions nothing else that the wicked have been deprived of. The critical text will maintain the traditional placement of the also (as part of the phrase “and greater also”).

Summary: In 1 Nephi 20:22, the adverb also belongs to the phrase “and greater also” rather than at the beginning of the following clause.

Analysis of Textual Variants of the Book of Mormon, Part. 1

References