Helaman 7:9 Textual Variants

Royal Skousen
but behold I am consigned that these are my days and that my soul shall be filled with sorrow because of this the wickedness of my brethren

One wonders here in Helaman 7:9 if the word consigned is an error for resigned. The context in Helaman 7:9 implies that the word consigned means that Nephi reluctantly accepted those days as his own. There is no other use of the word consign with this meaning in the Book of Mormon. Elsewhere in the earliest text, there are nine instances of consign (plus two of consignation), and they all have the meaning ‘to deliver or to commit’ (especially with respect to judgment). This meaning for consign is listed in the Oxford English Dictionary under definition 7.

On the other hand, definition 5 in the OED has the meaning ‘to agree to something’ (or ‘to submit to the same terms with someone’, Samuel Johnson’s definition), with quotes all from William Shakespeare (here cited with accidentals regularized):

Basically, in these instances consign means ‘to assent’, with the last two suggesting reluctance. This usage is clearly obsolete.

It is worth noting that substitute words such as resign and consent (or words based on them) do not occur at all in the Book of Mormon text. One other possible substitute, the adjective content, occurs once in the text—and expresses a similar idea:

Nonetheless, it seems unlikely in Helaman 7:9 that “I am consigned”, the difficult reading, is a mistake, either aural or visual, for “I am content” (or “I am contented”), especially since the word consigned is so unexpected. The critical text will accept the use of consigned here in Helaman 7:9 with its unexpected archaic meaning.

Summary: Accept in Helaman 7:9 the use of consigned with its apparent meaning of ‘resigned’ or ‘reluctantly agreed’; consigned appears to be the intended word rather than an error for resigned or content(ed).

Analysis of Textual Variants of the Book of Mormon, Part. 5

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