One textual variation between KJV Isaiah and that in the Book of Mormon I have often wondered about is that of Isa 51:19 (= 2 Nephi 8:19):
|
2 Nephi 8:19 |
Isa 51:19 KJV |
|
These two sons are come unto thee, |
These two things are come unto
thee; |
In
one case where the BM has another word for an italicized word, the meaning is
significantly changed, but not in accordance with the Hebrew original. The
phrase "These two _things are come unto thee" becomes
"These two sons are come unto thee" (Isa 51:19//2 Ne 8:19). This is
an extremely unlikely reading for any ancient text since the phrase in Hebrew
is formulated in the feminine ($etayim hënnâ qör'ötayik)
whereas "sons" (bänîm) is masculine. The variant in the BM is
oblivious to the requirements of Hebrew, and it is doubtful that the Hebrew
developed from a masculine to feminine formulation. Smith apparently replaced
the italicized word, picking up "sons" from the context of vv. 18 and
20 which speak of "sons.
Interestingly,
the Great Isaiah Scroll from Qumran sheds some possible light on the Book of
Mormon reading. As background, the MT reads הֵנָּה ("these"
[feminine plural]) while the Great Isaiah Scroll (1QIsaa) reads המה
(third person masculine plural pronoun). To quote Donald W. Parry:
הֵנָּה—MT’s independent f. pl. pronoun הֵנָּה refers to
שְׁתַּיִם; 1QIsaa’s המה is in error, or perhaps a copyist thought המה
refers back to בנים. (v. 18) (Donald W. Parry, Exploring the Isaiah Scrolls
and Their Textual Variants [Supplements to the Textual History of the Bible
3; Leiden: Brill, 2020], 363)
In
other words, the scribe (who knew Hebrew, and knew the difference between
masculine and feminine nouns, unlike Joseph Smith!) believed that המה referred
back to the “sons” from v. 18), a grammatical masculine plural (בנים).
