About

What

The Scripture Compare tool highlights the specific differences in versions of similar texts. Any change in capitalization, spelling, punctuation, wording, added phrases or removed changes is noted by adding a highlight. Any words that are the same in both versions of the text is displayed with no highlight. It does not compare verse or chapter numbers, but exclusively compares the sacred texts.

How

This tool implements a simple Longest Common Subsequence (LCS) algorithm. After comparing the texts, it recreates both texts, highlighting the differences and printing the similarities it found, while re-adding the chapters and verses (pages and lines for manuscripts). All results are placed in a two column layout with the left column representing one text and the right side representing the other. It attempts to match the rows relatively close to where the same text appears on the left and right side, however this is not always the case. This is an ongoing refining process.

I have been exposed to this type of text comparison on a daily basis in my career as a software engineer, where we use similar tools to compare changes in code files. I have found the side by side comparison helps me notice any changes without taking away my ability to understand the context of both files.

Why

I've always been interested in the Isaiah chapters of the Book of Mormon and wondered about their significance. If the text was already included in the Bible, why would the Lord inspire Book of Mormon prophets like Nephi, Jacob and Alma to painstakingly copy entire chapters into their records? What was so important about it that Joseph Smith, Oliver Cowdery, Egbert Grandin, and many other editors would have to re-copy the text into the Book of Mormon and millions of readers would be invited to re-read it? The Book of Mormon records that Jesus Christ Himself quoted the entirety of Isaiah 54 and many other Bible passages in His visit to the Americas. The Savior commanded His ancient American Church to study Isaiah: "Yea, a commandment I give unto you that ye search these things diligently; for great are the words of Isaiah." 3 Nephi 23:1.

There are many insights that I have gleaned from comparing the scriptural texts. For example in Isaiah 2:6 (2 Nephi 12:6 ), the King James (KJV) text says the Lord is abandoning His people because they "are soothsayers" (magicians, black magic workers). The astute reader will note that the words in italics, like this instance of the word "are", in the KJV are words not found in the Hebrew or Greek manuscripts, but are words added to help the grammar make more sense in English. If you look at the passage in the Hebrew manuscripts, you'll notice that the word for soothsayers (וְעֹֽנְנִ֖ים) is a plural noun and does not necessarily express "they are," although in many contexts the "הֵם" (they are) can be dropped. Technically it's ambiguous. This is apparent when comparing some English translations like the KJV, the New International Version (NIV) and the English Standard Version (ESV). Some versions say they "are soothsayers", the ESV says only "soothsayers" without explicitly implying are. However in the Book of Mormon, the prophet Joseph Smith dictated that the Lord is abandoning His people because they "hearken unto soothsayers" (2 Nephi 12:6). This means that the Lord is not only displeased when someone becomes a soothsayer, but even hearkening to a soothsayer is not in harmony with His will. Is there a possibility the Brass Plates included some version of the word (שָׁמֵ֔עוּ / they hearkened) that is no longer found in our Hebrew manuscripts? Perhaps. But it's an insight I would have missed if I did not actively compare the scriptural texts.

During the 2024 Come Follow Me reading of the Book of Mormon, I found myself frequently going between the Book of Mormon chapters, the Old Testament, Hebrew texts and Royal Skousen's "The Book of Mormon: The Earliest Text." I wondered if there was an existing resource to compare the different editions, but I didn't find a tool that I was satisfied with. I found it difficult to get much out of lists of differences because they were taken far out of the context of the scripture passages. For example this paper by John A. Tvedtnes is well researched and thorough, however I personally feel removed from the text and it would be nice to have a tool to follow along with the passages he quotes. Also many lists don't take into account in which edition of the Book of Mormon certain updates were published. For example Joseph Smith added the phrase "out of the waters of baptism" to 1 Nephi 20:1 (Isaiah 48:1) for the 1840 edition, which suggests that although the passage is prophetic, it was probably not found in the Brass Plates.

I wanted a tool to be able to see small comparisons that didn't take me out of the flow of my normal scripture study. I figured I wasn't the only person that enjoys comparing the texts and seeing the harmony across the word of the Lord. You'll notice as you scroll through some of these passages that God's message to His children is harmonious. Even the texts He has inspired to be written by multiple people on multiple occasions are typically word for word the same.

Plans for the Future

I think this project has a few more things to offer. As referenced before, I would like to be able to compare different editions of the Book of Mormon with their corresponding Bible verses. Right now most of the Biblical comparison is with the most up-to-date edition of the Book of Mormon found at the official website of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I know that BYU and Royal Skousen (who is my inspiration) have published a word crunching tool that interested parties can download for free at the WordCruncher website and I've wondered what it would take to bring that technology to the web. I have also started looking at the original Book of Mormon manuscript transcripts published at the Joseph Smith Papers Website to start comparing the original manuscripts with our current published version. I think these comparisons can put many people at ease who might be anxious about Book of Mormon textual changes, while taking the oxygen out of faithless assertions and falsehoods claimed by naysayers.

Testimony

No forward from a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints would be complete without their testimony, which I would like to share:

I know that the work of the restoration of the Church of Jesus Christ in the latter days is inspired and mandated by God and Christ Themselves. I know that the Word of God from the scriptures is true and will lead any person to the way of salvation through the atoning sacrifice made by Jesus Christ. I know Joseph Smith was a prophet called of God and inspired to bring many sacred scriptures to the world, including the Book of Mormon. He was a righteous, just and honest man who was assassinated by cowards and was received into the bosom of His Master, Jesus Christ. Today his successors as Apostles, Prophets, Seers and Revelators are the leadership of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I know that Jesus Christ was slain for the sins of the world and rose on the third day. Jesus Christ lives. I know He is the Way, the Truth and the Life and that no man can come to the Father except through Him. We will stand accountable to Him, the Judge of the quick and dead, for our thoughts an actions. May we repent and be purified and sanctified through His grace, made possible by His atonement.

I share this in the Holy Name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

—Jake Avery