KnoWhy #52 - Why Does Nephi use Isaiah 29 as Part of His Own Prophecy? (2 Nephi 26:16; Isaiah 29:4)

Isaiah 29 is one of the most often cited scriptural passages of the Restoration. Nephi frequently borrowed the language of Isaiah 29 to describe his own visions and prophecies about the latter-days. In 2 Nephi 27, Nephi borrowed extensively from the language of Isaiah 29 to describe the coming forth of the Book of Mormon. In doing so, he was not quoting from Isaiah but re-appropriating his words for a different purpose. Isaiah 29 uses the symbolism of a sealed book while talking about the fall and restoration of Jerusalem, and Nephi repurposes this symbolism to talk about a literal book—the Book of Mormon.