Alma 35:14 Textual Variants

The earliest text here reads “of bringing many of the Zoramites to repentance”. The preposition of is found in the original manuscript. Greg Wright (personal communication, 29 August 2006) suggests that the of in this passage could be an error for in, especially since there are four similar sentences involving the word instrument where the preposition is in (three of these also have the same verb form, bringing):

• 2 Nephi 1:24
  • and who hath been an instrument in the hands of God in bringing us forth into the land of promise
• Mosiah 23:10
  • the Lord did hear my cries and did answer my prayers and hath made me an instrument in his hands in bringing so many of you to a knowledge of his truth
• Mosiah 27:36
  • and thus they were instruments in the hands of God in bringing many to the knowledge of the truth
• Alma 1:8
  • and it was him that was an instrument in the hands of God in delivering the people of Limhi out of bondage

One could argue that in Alma 35:14 the of entered the text because of the surrounding occurrences of of (“in the hands of God of bringing many of the Zoramites to repentance”).

Even so, there is one other example with the of, although this of is not extant in the original manuscript:

• Alma 26:15
  • yea and we have been instruments in his hands of doing this great and marvelous work

Note that in this last case there are no surrounding of ’s that could have prompted replacing an original in with of. It looks like the of is intended in both Alma 26:15 and Alma 35:14, despite its difficulty for modern readers. The critical text will maintain the occurrence of of in both these passages.