2 Nephi 10:14 Textual Variants

The 1953 RLDS edition reads “upon them” rather than the correct “unto them”. Elsewhere in the text, we always get “light (un)to X”, never “light upon X” (where X refers to people). There are five other occurrences of “light unto X”, including one more that quotes the Lord:

• 3 Nephi 15:12
  • and ye are a light unto this people

These occurrences of “light unto X” recall the language of Isaiah:

• Isaiah 49:6 (quoted in 1 Nephi 21:6)
  • I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles

Although the preposition in the Isaiah quote is to, the unto used elsewhere in the Book of Mormon for this expression is semantically equivalent, unlike upon.