Analysis of Textual Variants of the Book of Mormon Part Four: Alma 18–51

Skousen, Royal. Analysis of Textual Variants in the Book of Mormon, 2nd Edition. Volume IV. Provo, Ut.: Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies, 2017.

The 2nd edition of part 4 covers Alma 18 through Alma 51.


Skousen, Royal. Analysis of Textual Variants of the Book of Mormon. Volume IV. Provo, Ut.: Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies, 2007.

Part 4 of volume 4, like its predecessors, attempts to recover the original text of the Book of Mormon by identifying variations in the text that have been introduced through scribal, typesetting, and editing errors and inconsistencies. Part 4 examines 996 cases of variation (or potential variation) in the text. For 423 of these cases, the critical text proposes readings that differ from the standard text (the current edition). Of these proposed alternate readings, 150 have never appeared in any standard printed edition of the Book of Mormon, while 56 readings make a difference in meaning that would show up in any translation of the English text of the Book of Mormon into another language. In addition, 16 readings make the text fully consistent in phraseology or usage, while 4 readings restore a unique phrase or word choice to the text.