Parallelism in this passage suggests that the original text probably read “work of darkness” rather than “works of darkness”. Both the preceding and following sentences consistently use the
singular (“there is nothing which is secret save it shall be revealed … and there is nothing which is sealed
upon earth save it shall be loosed”. Even more significant, “there is no work(s) of darkness” is immediately followed by the same singular pronoun it (“save
it shall be made manifest in the light”), which argues for the singular work.
Scribes typically had problems adding and deleting the plural s, but all manuscript instances involving work(s) show that for this lexical item the tendency was to accidentally
drop the plural s from works rather than add it to the singular work:
- 1 Nephi 15:33 (the original text probably read works)
- wherefore they must be brought to stand before God to be judged of their [work 01|works ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRST]
- Alma 7:24 (initial error by scribe 2 of 𝓟)
- and then ye will always abound in good [work > works 1|works ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRST]
- Alma 12:14 (the original text probably read works)
- yea all our [work 1A|works BCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRST] will condemn us
- Alma 12:32 (initial error by scribe 2 of 𝓟)
- for the [work > works 1|works ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRST] of justice could not be destroyed
- Alma 37:41 (initial error by Oliver Cowdery in 𝓞)
- nevertheless it did shew unto them marvelous [work > worke >+ works 0|works 1ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRST]
- Alma 40:13 (initial error by Oliver Cowdery in 𝓟)
- for behold they chose evil [works 0ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRST|work > works 1] rather than good
- Alma 50:2 (initial error by Oliver Cowdery in 𝓞)
- he caused that there should be timbers yea [work > works 0|works 1ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRST] of timbers built up to the heighth of a man
- 3 Nephi 21:5 (two errors by scribe 2 of 𝓟, one of which was corrected by him)
- therefore when these [work >+ works 1|works ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRST] and the [work 1PS|works ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOQRT] which shall be wrought among
you hereafter shall come forth from the Gentiles unto your seed …
- 3 Nephi 26:4 (initial error by scribe 2 of 𝓟)
- when all people and all kindreds and all nations and tongues shall stand before God to be judged of their [work > works 1|works ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRST]
- 3 Nephi 28:33 (initial error by scribe 2 of 𝓟)
- and if ye had all the scriptures which gives an account of all the marvelous [work > works 1|works ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRST] of Christ ye would according to the
words of Christ know that these things must surely come
- Mormon 9:26 (initial error by scribe 2 of 𝓟)
- and now behold who can stand against the [work > works 1|works ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRST] of the Lord
Since there are no manuscript examples of an original work being incorrectly replaced by works, there is some question here of whether the plural “there is no works of darkness”
in 2 Nephi 30:17 is actually a scribal error. (See 1 Nephi 15:33, Alma 12:14, and 3 Nephi 21:5 for discussion of the more complicated cases listed above.)
In addition, the original text had examples of “there be verb> no ”, as in the following four examples involving was:
- Alma 4:1
- there [was >js were 1|was A|were BCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRST] no contentions nor wars in the land of Zarahemla
- 3 Nephi 4:2
- but behold there [was >js were 1|was A|were BCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRST] no wild beasts nor game in those lands which had been deserted by the Nephites
- 4 Nephi 1:2
- and there [was >js were 1|was A|were BCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRST] no contentions and disputations among them
- Ether 7:27
- and there [was >js were 1|was A|were BCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRST] no more wars in the days of Shule
In each of these cases, Joseph Smith edited the singular was to the plural were. These examples show that the earliest reading in 2 Nephi 30:17 is therefore possible: “there is
no works of darkness”. Even so, the following singular it does seem very odd (“there is no works of darkness save it
shall be made manifest in the light”). Thus the 1852 LDS edition and the 1874 RLDS edition replaced the plural works with the singular work (rather than attempting to make the
whole sentence plural: “there are no works of darkness save they shall be made manifest in the light”).
The anomalous works here in 2 Nephi 30:17 may simply be the result of an early error in the transmission of the text, especially given the dominance of the plural “works of darkness”
elsewhere in the text:
- 2 Nephi 9:9 and all manner of secret works of darkness
- 2 Nephi 10:15 I must needs destroy the secret works of darkness
- 2 Nephi 25:2 for their works were works of darkness
- 2 Nephi 26:10 and choose works of darkness rather than light
- 2 Nephi 26:22 yea the founder of murder and works of darkness
- Alma 37:21 the mysteries and the works of darkness
- Alma 37:23 yea their secret works / their works of darkness
- Alma 45:12 and fall into the works of darkness
- Helaman 6:28 which spread the works of darkness
- Helaman 6:30 he doth carry on his works of darkness and secret murder
- Helaman 8:4 concerning their secret works of darkness
- Helaman 10:3 their secret works of darkness and their murderings
- Mormon 8:27 because of secret combinations and the works of darkness
Note, in particular, the three occurrences of the plural “works of darkness” earlier in 2 Nephi 25–26. In fact, the only occurrence of “work of darkness” (in Helaman 6:29) may be an error for
“works of darkness” since preceding and following verses have the plural:
- Helaman 6:28–30
- and it was that same being which led on the people which came from that tower into this land which spread the works of darkness and abominations over all the face of the
land …
yea it is that same being who put it into the heart of Gaddianton to still carry on the work of darkness and of secret murder …
and behold it is he which is the author of all sin and behold he doth carry on his works of darkness and secret murder
In fact, the third instance closely parallels the second:
to still carry on the work of darkness and of secret murder
he doth carry on his works of darkness and secret
murder
For further discussion of this example, see Helaman 6:29.
