The Book of Mormon

Mosiah 3:6

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~124 BC

1830 Edition

and he shall cast out Devils, or the evil spirits which dwelleth in the hearts of the children of men.

Influences

Matthew 7:22 (KJV)
Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
Acts 19:12 (KJV)
So that from his body were brought unto the sick handkerchiefs or aprons, and the diseases departed from them, and the evil spirits went out of them.

Changes

aAnd he shall cast out Ddevils, or the evil spirits which dwelleth in the hearts of the children of men.

Simple English

He will make evil spirits leave people’s hearts.

Paraphrase

'He’ll drive out demons and evil spirits that have taken hold of people’s hearts.'

Notes

3:2-8

It appears evident that King Benjamin is claiming revelation from an angel revealing the name Jesus Christ to him, and his people should take upon them the name of Christ (see also Mosiah 1:11-12; Mosiah 6:2).

"This address raises a very serious question with regard to the material which appears in the book of 2 Nephi. Why would King Benjamin have to receive a special revelation informing him of the name of Christ if the plates of Nephi already contained this information? According to Mormon, 'Amaleki had delivered up these plates [the small plates of Nephi] into the hands of King Benjamin' (Words of Mormon 1:10). Furthermore, King Benjamin also had the large plates of Nephi. Benjamin himself told his sons that the 'plates of Nephi' were 'true' and instructed them to 'remember to search them diligently' (Mosiah 1:6-7). In the small plates alone, the name Jesus appears ten times and the word Christ is found eighty-two times (See 2 Nephi 25:16, 26; 2 Nephi 31:13)..In light of this information, it seems highly unreasonable to believe that King Benjamin and his people would have been completely in the dark concerning the 'name of Christ' before the angel visited Benjamin and revealed this information."-Jerald and Sandra Tanner, Joseph Smith's Plagiarism of the Bible in the Book of Mormon, p. 217.

See also the Book of Mormon 1830 edition, page 28 (1 Nephi 12:18). The 1830 edition says, ".. and Jesus Christ." This was changed to read, "... and the Messiah" in 1837. Current editions read, "... and the Messiah."