Elsewhere in the text, if an if-clause has a quotation introduced by the verb say, the subordinate conjunction that never precedes the quotation. We see this, for
instance, in the two preceding verses here in Helaman 10:
- Helaman 10:8–9
- and thus if ye shall say unto this temple : it shall be rent in twain and it shall be done and if ye shall say unto this mountain :
be thou cast down and become smooth and it shall be done
We find the same for all other series of if-clauses with direct quotes:
- 2 Nephi 2:13
- and if ye shall say there is no law ye shall also say there is no sin and if ye shall say there is no sin ye shall also say there is no righteousness
- Alma 27:7–8, 10
- and if he saith unto us : go down unto our brethren will ye go yea if the Lord saith unto us : go we will go down unto our brethren and if he saith unto us : go we will go
- Helaman 12:13–14
- yea and if he saith unto the earth : move and it is moved yea if he say unto the earth : thou shalt go back that it lengthen out the day for many hours and it is done
- Helaman 12:16–21
- and behold also if he saith unto the waters of the great deep :
be thou dried up and it is done
behold if he saith unto this mountain :
be thou raised up and come over and fall upon that city that it be buried up and behold it is done
and behold if a man hideth up a treasure in the earth and the Lord shall say :
let it be accursed because of the iniquity of him that hath hid it up behold it shall be accursed and
if the Lord shall say :
be thou accursed that no man shall find thee from this time henceforth and forever
and behold no man getteth it henceforth and forever
and behold if the Lord shall say unto a man :
because of thine iniquities thou shalt be accursed forever and it shall be done and
if the Lord shall say :
because of thine iniquities thou shalt be cut off from my presence and he will cause that it shall be so
And the same holds for various isolated instances of if-clauses where say introduces a quotation:
- 1 Nephi 17:50
- if he should command me that I should say unto this water : be thou earth and it shall be earth
- 2 Nephi 28:6
- if they shall say there is a miracle wrought by the hand of the Lord believe it not
- Alma 22:7
- and if now thou sayest there is a God behold I will believe
- Alma 37:12
- and it may suffice if I only say they are preserved for a wise purpose
- Helaman 13:27
- but behold if a man shall come among you and shall say : do this and there is no iniquity do that and ye shall not suffer …
Thus it is not surprising that in Helaman 10:10 the that was omitted in the 1953 RLDS edition, even if unintentionally.
In standard English we expect the that when the quote is indirect, but not when the quote is direct:
indirect quote
he said that he was coming
direct quote
he said: “I am coming”
Here in Helaman 10:10, the quote can be interpreted as either indirect or direct, so that is clearly acceptable in standard English. Even so, it is worth noting that the Book of Mormon
text allows that even when the quote is direct, as in the following example:
- 1 Nephi 3:15 (𝓞 is extant here and has the that) but behold I said unto them that
- as the Lord liveth and as we live we will not go down unto our father in the wilderness until we have accomplished the thing which the Lord hath commanded us
Thus there is no grammatical or textual motivation to remove the that here in Helaman 10:10; the critical text will maintain this unique reading with the that.
