Alma 4:9 Textual Variants

Scribe 2 of 𝓟 initially wrote “the eighth year”, but then he immediately corrected the the to this. The use of this with the number of the year does occur elsewhere, and in each case the year was originally referred to a few verses earlier:

• 3 Nephi 2:11, 13
  • and it came to pass in the thirteenth year there began to be wars and contentions throughout all the land … and it came to pass that before this thirteenth year had passed away the Nephites were threatened with utter destruction
• 3 Nephi 4:5, 15
  • and it came to pass that in the nineteenth year Giddianhi found that it was expedient that he should go up to battle against the Nephites …and it came to pass that this nineteenth year did pass away
• 4 Nephi 1:22, 24
  • and it came to pass that two hundred years had passed away … and now in this two hundred and first year there began to be among them those which were lifted up in pride
• Mormon 3:1, 4
  • and it came to pass that the Lamanites did not come to battle again until ten years more had passed away …and it came to pass that after this tenth year had passed away …

And for Alma 4:9, the original reference to the eighth year occurs earlier in verse 6:

• Alma 4:6, 9
  • and it came to pass in the eighth year of the reign of the judges that the people of the church began to wax proud … and thus in this eighth year of the reign of the judges …

It is possible that the original text here in Alma 4:9 actually read “this the eighth year”—that is, perhaps scribe 2 of 𝓟 should have inserted the this rather than replace the the with this. There are a couple examples of this the involving periods of time:

• 3 Nephi 4:7, 11
  • and it came to pass that they did come up to battle and it was in the sixth month ... and the battle commenced in this the sixth month
• 3 Nephi 6:17
  • and thus in the commencement of the thirtieth year
     —the people having been delivered up for the space of a long time to be carried about by the temptations of the devil whithersoever he desired to carry them and to do whatsoever iniquity he desired they should—
    and thus in the commencement of this the thirtieth year they were in a state of awful wickedness

But neither of these two examples are as similar to the language in Alma 4:6, 9 as are the two examples of the form “the Xth year … this Xth year” in 3 Nephi 2:11, 13 and 3 Nephi 4:5, 15. The critical text will therefore accept the corrected reading in 𝓟 for Alma 4:9: “and thus in this eighth year of the reign of the judges”.