After quoting thirteen chapters of Isaiah in a row, Nephi writes what he calls “mine own prophecy” (2 Nephi 25:7). It isn’t uniquely his. He interweaves passages from Isaiah throughout the subsequent chapters, including paraphrasing most of Isaiah 29 in 2 Nephi 27. Finally, at the end of 2 Nephi 30, he quotes again an extended passage from one of the thirteen chapters, but this time, he couches it between an introduction and a conclusion, providing context for Isaiah’s words. Here is the passage that Nephi quotes a second time:
And with righteousness shall the Lord God judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth. And he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth; and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked. …
And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins.
And then shall the wolf dwell with the lamb; and the leopard shall lie down with the kid, and the calf, and the young lion, and the fatling, together; and a little child shall lead them.
And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.
And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice’s den.
They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain; for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.
2 Nephi 30:9, 11-15; compare 2 Nephi 21:4-9; Isaiah 11:4-9
It’s a passage about God providing order and peace. He will judge righteously, and as a result of His judgment, all kinds of creatures that normally would be enemies will be reconciled. The final line offers an explanation for this unexpected harmony: universal knowledge.
Nephi prefaces this quotation by offering the Book of Mormon itself as a mechanism for achieving this outcome. He begins by declaring that anyone can be part of “the covenant people of the Lord” (2 Nephi 30:2). That designation is based on repentance and faith in Christ, not on lineage. Then, he prophesies that his words will become available to his descendants, who will accept the gospel of Jesus Christ and become “a delightsome people” (2 Nephi 30:6). The same will happen to scattered Jews (2 Nephi 30:7). In this way, God will begin to do His work “among all nations, kindreds, tongues, and people” (2 Nephi 30:8).
After quoting the Isaiah prophecy, Nephi elaborates on the final line. What does it mean for the earth to be full of the knowledge of the Lord? It means that all things will be revealed: the things of all nations, everything which was previously kept secret, everything which has been revealed before. And the outcome of this revelation is the overthrow of Satan (Lucifer) as prophesied in Isaiah 14. Knowledge brings peace, so God fills the earth with knowledge in order to fill the earth with peace.
Today, I will promote peace through understanding. I will strive to understand, and I will strive to communicate clearly, with faith that more knowledge will lead to improved relationships.
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