KnoWhy #38 - What Vision Guides Nephi’s Choice of Isaiah Chapters? (2 Nephi 11:2)

The books of 1 and 2 Nephi include eighteen chapters of the Book of Isaiah. Nephi included these passages in order to help readers understand important revelations from the Lord regarding his dealings with his children. Why did Nephi choose the specific chapters of Isaiah that he did? Using his vision recorded in 1 Nephi 11-14 as a framework, Nephi chose prophecies from Isaiah that served as a second witness to the vision of the future that the Lord had given him. BYU professor John W. Welch outlined four stages of this “Nephite prophetic view,” including: 1) Christ’s coming; 2) his rejection and the scattering of the Jews; 3) the day of the Gentiles; and 4) the restoration of Israel and the ultimate victory of good over evil. This insight helps readers interpret the words of Isaiah in the Book of Mormon and also provides a paradigm for understanding the prophetic outlook of the Book of Mormon prophets.