Seer Stone

Has the Book of Mormon been changed since 1830?

Short answer

Yes—there have been changes to the Book of Mormon since 1830, but they have been relatively few and are chiefly grammatical, typographical, or clarifying corrections. The 1837 edition contains roughly 4,000 authorized changes, while the wording, structure, and order of the narrative remained substantially intact. Most changes involved spelling, punctuation, grammar, printer errors, or restoring the intended meaning from the original manuscripts; a few clarified passages, such as changing some references to Jesus as ‘God’ to ‘the Son of God’ in 1 Nephi 11 and 13.

One notable correction changed ‘Benjamin’ to ‘Mosiah’ in passages now found at Mosiah 21:28 and Ether 4:1. This appears to have corrected a scribal or transmission error, since the surrounding context identifies Mosiah as the king involved. Later editions also incorporated some readings from early manuscripts and editions so the text would more closely reflect Joseph Smith’s original work. These revisions do not amount to rewriting the Book of Mormon’s doctrine or narrative; they are comparable to careful textual editing and correction.

The strongest way to know whether the Book of Mormon is true is spiritual confirmation through sincere study and prayer. Moroni invites readers to read the record, remember God’s mercy, ponder its message, and ask God with real intent; God promises that He will manifest the truth of it by the power of the Holy Ghost (Moroni 10:3-5).

1 Nephi 11:18

And he said unto me: Behold, the virgin whom thou seest is the mother of the Son of God, after the manner of the flesh.

1 Nephi 11:21

And the angel said unto me: Behold the Lamb of God, yea, even the Son of the Eternal Father! Knowest thou the meaning of the tree which thy father saw?

1 Nephi 11:32

And it came to pass that the angel spake unto me again, saying: Look! And I looked and beheld the Lamb of God, that he was taken by the people; yea, the Son of the everlasting God was judged of the world; and I saw and bear record.

Mosiah 21:28

And now Limhi was again filled with joy on learning from the mouth of Ammon that king Mosiah had a gift from God, whereby he could interpret such engravings; yea, and Ammon also did rejoice.

Ether 4:1

And the Lord commanded the brother of Jared to go down out of the mount from the presence of the Lord, and write the things which he had seen; and they were forbidden to come unto the children of men until after that he should be lifted up upon the cross; and for this cause did king Mosiah keep them, that they should not come unto the world until after Christ should show himself unto his people.

Moroni 10:3-5

3. Behold, I would exhort you that when ye shall read these things, if it be wisdom in God that ye should read them, that ye would remember how merciful the Lord hath been unto the children of men, from the creation of Adam even down until the time that ye shall receive these things, and ponder it in your hearts. 4. And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost. 5. And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things.

1 Nephi 11:1

For it came to pass after I had desired to know the things that my father had seen, and believing that the Lord was able to make them known unto me, as I sat pondering in mine heart I was caught away in the Spirit of the Lord, yea, into an exceedingly high mountain, which I never had before seen, and upon which I never had before set my foot.

FAIR - "the Son of"

Question: What changes were made to the 1837 edition of the Book of Mormon?

Light and Truth - The Coming Forth of the Book of Mormon

Critics write off the “one draft” argument by pointing out the approximately 4000 authorized changes made in the 1837 and 1840 editions of the Book of Mormon, compared to the 1830 edition.12 Weren’t the vast majority of the changes typographical in nature? The changes were for the purpose of aligning the printer's manuscript with the original translation, correcting spelling, or clarifying the intended meaning. Sentence structures and order were unchanged, and no more than 4-5 words were changed in any given passage. Isn’t that feat incredibly impressive for an inexperienced, uneducated, and unknown farmer in upstate New York in the 1830s?

Gospel Topics - Book of Mormon Translation

Some later versions of the Book of Mormon were based on an early edition published in England that did not contain some of Joseph Smith’s changes. However, all recent editions include them, along with a few other minor changes. These additional changes help bring the text into closer “conformity with the prepublication manuscripts and early editions edited by the Prophet Joseph Smith.”

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