The Book of Mormon

Alma 40:13

Back to chapter
~73 BC

1830 Edition

And then shall it come to pass, that the spirits of the wicked, yea, which are evil; for behold, they have no part nor portion of the spirit of the Lord; for behold, they chose evil works, rather than good; therefore the spirit of the Devil did enter into them, and take possession of their house; and these shall be cast out into outer darkness; there shall be weeping, and wailing, and gnashing of teeth; and this because of their own iniquity; being led captive by the will of the Devil.

Influences

Westminster Confession chapter 32:1
The bodies of men after death return to dust and see corruption; but their souls, (which neither die nor sleep,) having an immortal subsistence, immediately return to God who gave them. The souls of the righteous, being then made perfect in holiness, are received into the highest heavens, where they behold the face of God in light and glory, waiting for the full redemption of their bodies; and the souls of the wicked are cast into hell, where they remain in torments and utter darkness, reserved to the judgment of the great day. Besides these two places for souls separated from their bodies, the scripture acknowledgeth none.
Matthew 4:1 (KJV)
Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.
Westminster Confession chapter 32:1
The bodies of men after death return to dust and see corruption;a but their souls, (which neither die nor sleep,) having an immortal subsistence, immediately return to God who gave them.b The souls of the righteous, being then made perfect in holiness, are received into the highest heavens, where they behold the face of God in light and glory, waiting for the full redemption of their bodies;c and the souls of the wicked are cast into hell, where they remain in torments and utter darkness, reserved to the judgment of the great day.d Besides these two places for souls separated from their bodies, the scripture acknowledgeth none.
Matthew 22:13 (KJV)
Then said the king to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Changes

And then shall it come to pass, that the spirits of the wicked, yea, whicho are evil; —for behold, they have no part nor portion of the sSpirit of the Lord; for behold, they chose evil works, rather than good; therefore the spirit of the Ddevil did enter into them, and take possession of their house; —and these shall be cast out into outer darkness; there shall be weeping, and wailing, and gnashing of teeth;, and this because of their own iniquity;, being led captive by the will of the Ddevil.

Simple English

Then the spirits of bad people will go to another place. These people are evil. They have no part of the Spirit of the Lord. They chose to do evil instead of good. So the spirit of the Devil came into them and took over their house. These people will be thrown into outer darkness. There will be crying and grinding of teeth. This happens because of their own bad choices. They were trapped by what the Devil wanted.

Paraphrase

Then the spirits of the wicked—those who are evil—have no part of the Spirit of the Lord. They chose evil over good, so the spirit of the Devil entered them and took over. These are cast out into outer darkness where there’s weeping and wailing and grinding of teeth. This is because of their own wickedness, being held captive by the Devil’s will.

Notes

40:11-20

"After some of Joseph Smith's family joined the Presbyterian faith in the mid-1820's, he evidently spent some time reading the Westminster Confession and Catechism, a vital part of that church. The Confession was formally adopted by the Presbyterian Church in the United States in 1729. Significantly, many phrases that are peculiar to that document appear in the Book of Mormon. The Westminster Confession, chapter 32, appears to be the source for Alma, chapter 40." -Jerald and Sandra Tanner, Joseph Smith's Plagiarism of the Bible in the Book of Mormon, p. 28.

See Footnotes on Alma 40:11, 12, 13, 14, 20.

Additionally, compare the following:
Mosiah 3:5-"The Lord... from all eternity"
Westminster Confession, ch. 3:1-"God from all eternity"

The word eternity is only used once in the KJV (Isaiah 57:15) and not in connection with the words from all.

Mosiah 5:3-"infinite goodness of God"
Westminster Confession, ch. 5:4-"infinite goodness of God"

The word infinite is found only three times in the Bible and never in connection with goodness of God.

Alma 42:2-"our first parents"
Westminster Confession, ch. 6:1-"our first parents"

All three of these words are found in the Bible, but they are never used in that order.

Alma 5:18-"before the tribunal of God"
Westminster Confession, ch. 33:1-"before the tribunal of Christ"

The word tribunal is never used in the KJV.

Mosiah 4:30-"thoughts, and your words, and your deeds"
Westminster Confession, ch. 33:1-"thoughts, words, and deeds"

Although these words are used in the Bible, they are not found in this order.

2 Nephi 28:21-"carnal security"
Westminster Confession, ch. 33:3-"carnal security"

Although both these words are found in the Bible, they are not found together.