Moroni 8:11 Textual Variants

This passage is somewhat difficult to parse. One cannot be sure how “unto the remission of sins” fits in. Is the text saying that “baptism is unto repentance … unto the remission of sins”, or is it referring to “the fulfilling the commandments unto the remission of sins”? Mark Williams (personal communication, 17 May 2004) points out that a later verse in the chapter supports the second, more difficult, interpretation here in verse 11:

• Moroni 8:25
  •   and the firstfruits of repentance is baptism and baptism
      cometh by faith
      unto the fulfilling the commandments
    → and the fulfilling the commandments bringeth remission of sins

In other words, there is a direct link between “fulfilling the commandments” and “remission of sins”. The critical text will show this connection in Moroni 8:11 by placing “fulfilling the commandments” and “remission of sins” on the same line of text and without any intervening punctuation:

• Moroni 8:11 (arranged according to sense-lines, with punctuation and capitalization)
  • And their little children need no repentance, neither baptism.
    Behold, baptism is unto repentance,
    to the fulfilling the commandments unto the remission of sins.

There is another passage that can be interpreted as using a similar instance of “fulfilling X unto Y”:

• 3 Nephi 5:25
  • and as he hath covenanted with all the house of Jacob
    even so shall the covenant wherewith he hath covenanted with the house of Jacob
    be fulfilled in his own due time unto the restoring all the house of Jacob
    unto the knowledge of the covenant that he hath covenanted with them