“He Drove out the Man”

Alan C. Miner

According to Shirley Heater, the Printer's Manuscript of the Book of Mormon differs somewhat from the Original Manuscript. . . . At present in the 1981 LDS edition, Alma 42:2 reads, " yea, he [the Lord] drew out the man, and he placed at the east end of the garden of Eden, cherubim, and a flaming sword . . ." The Original Manuscript says that he "drove out the man"--a much stronger and more accurate wording which parallels the statement that God "sent our first parents forth" (see also Genesis 3:29-31 [23-24]. The weaker word "drew" conveys enticement or persuasion; the essence of this word is most associated throughout the scriptures with God "drawing all men toward him" (cf. 2 Nephi 26:24; 3 Nephi 27:14-15; John 12:32). [Shirley R. Heater, "Variances Between the Original and Printer's Manuscripts," in Recent Book of Mormon Developments, Vol. 2, pp. 80, 85]

Step by Step Through the Book of Mormon: A Cultural Commentary

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