Alma 42:2–3 Textual Variants

Royal Skousen
and he placed at the east end of the garden of Eden [Cherubims 0A|Cherubims >js Cherubim 1|Cherubim BCDEFGHIJKLMNQ|cherubim OPRST] and a flaming sword which turned every way to keep the tree of life … the Lord God placed [Cherubims >js Cherubim 1|Cherubims A|Cherubim BCDEFGHIJKLMNQ| cherubim OPRST] and the flaming sword that he should not partake of the fruit

Here the original text, in accord with the King James translation, has two instances of cherubims. Joseph Smith edited this double plural to its Hebraic form, cherubim. As explained under Alma 12:21, the critical text will restore the original cherubims.

Analysis of Textual Variants of the Book of Mormon, Part. 4

References