BETHABARA

Biblical GN

The place where JOHN baptized CHRIST (1 Nephi 10:9)

Bethabara represents the Hebrew bet 'abarah, literally "house of the ford," hence "place of crossing," a conjectural rendering of the Greek Bethabara of John 1:28.

The Book of Mormon uses the same phraseology as the King James Bible: "These things were done in Bethabara beyond Jordan, where John was baptizing." (John 1:28)."And my father said he should baptize in Bethabara, beyond Jordan; and he also said he should baptize with water; even that he should baptize the Messiah with water." (1 Nephi 10:9). Indeed, the Book of Mormon text says nothing that the Bible text does not say.

The original printer's manuscript read "Bethebara," but the 1830 edition reads "Bethabara." (Footnote 1) Indeed, "Bethebara," which appears as the earliest of Book of Mormon spellings, is attested at John 1:28 in manuscripts 13 and 828 as "Bethebara," (Footnote 2) and may thus reflect an acceptable, if not preferred, reading at 1 Nephi 10:9 and John 1:28.

Footnote 1. Royal Skousen, Analysis of Textual Variants of the Book of Mormon (Provo, UT: Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies/BYU PRess, 2004), 1:202-03. Skousen prefers the reading of the 1830 edition to the original and printer's manuscript.

Footnote 2. The Greek New Testament, 4th edition, ad loc.