1 Nephi 12:18 and the Sword of Justice

I read a very interesting item about an error in the current Book of Mormon text compared to the original manuscript, found in 1 Nephi 12:18, described by Royal Skousen:

The phrase "the word of the justice of the eternal God" (in 1 Nephi 12:18), which in the original manuscript read "the sword of the justice of the eternal God"

So the justice of God is likened to a sword, not a word. And Nephi compares this to the gulf that divides the people in the building from the tree of life.

Other references to justice of God being likened to a sword (also from the Skousen link above):

Alma 26:19      the sword of his justice

Alma 60:29      the sword of justice

Helaman 13:5      the sword of justice

Helaman 13:5      the sword of justice

3 Nephi 20:20      the sword of my justice

3 Nephi 29:4      the sword of his justice

Ether 8:23      the sword of the justice of the eternal God

All that is already very interesting, but it gets even more interesting when you compare to 1 Nephi 15:30:

30 And I said unto them that our father also saw that the justice of God did also divide the wicked from the righteous; and the brightness thereof was like unto the brightness of a flaming fire, which ascendeth up unto God forever and ever, and hath no end.

Nephi describes the justice of God as a bright thing, "like unto the brightness of a flaming fire." Where else do we hear about a flaming sword standing between those who have transgressed and the tree of life? In the garden of Eden.
See Alma 42

2 Now behold, my son, I will explain this thing unto thee. For behold, after the Lord God sent our first parents forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground, from whence they were taken—yea, he drew out the man, and he placed at the east end of the garden of Eden, cherubim, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the tree of life—

3 Now, we see that the man had become as God, knowing good and evil; and lest he should put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat and live forever, the Lord God placed cherubim and the flaming sword, that he should not partake of the fruit—

4 And thus we see, that there was a time granted unto man to repent, yea, a probationary time, a time to repent and serve God.

Or Moses 4

31 So I drove out the man, and I placed at the east of the Garden of Eden, cherubim and a flaming sword, which turned every way to keep the way of the tree of life.

Or Genesis 3

24 So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.