Isaiah illustrates the spiritual blindness of Israel with two examples: an educated man who can't read a book because it's sealed, and an uneducated man who protests that he isn't learned. In Nephi's version of the story, God helps the uneducated man read, affirming that He is able to do His work.
From the Dust
The Book of Mormon reinterprets Isaiah's imagery of defeat as a conduit of spiritual power, and then adopts it as a self-description. Its authors view themselves as speaking "from the dust," both literally and symbolically, but testify that God will make their weak words strong, even as it invites Jerusalem to "arise from the dust."
To My Readers: 2026 Book of Mormon Culture Conference
I'm excited to share that I will be presenting again at the Book of Mormon Culture Conference in Provo, Utah on November 6–7, 2026. Some of you came last year, and I appreciated the opportunity to meet you. If you'll be in Utah that weekend, I hope you can join us!
Reading Isaiah 29 with Nephi
The overall shape of the prophecy contained in Isaiah 29 is drowsiness giving way to clarity because of a book. Nephi makes the prophecy more vivid by identifying the book as the Book of Mormon and by distinguishing between the learned, who reject the book, and the unlearned, who help God perform His marvelous work.
Isaiah’s Other Six Woes
Isaiah pronounced six woes in chapter 5 and then another six woes in chapters 28-33. After quoting some of them, Nephi offered some woes of his own in 2 Nephi 28. Undergirding these woes are two principles: We should open our minds to God's revelation, and we should trust God instead of worldly power.
A Marvellous Work and a Wonder
Isaiah pronounced a collection of "burdens," weighty prophecies of affliction, upon multiple nations. But among these burdens, he included messages of hope. Then he foretold a marvelous work which God would perform on behalf of all people. Nephi emphasized that work, seeing Isaiah's message as a hopeful assurance of God's blessings.
Nephi’s Isaiah Synthesis: 2 Nephi 30
In 2 Nephi 30, Nephi quotes an extended passage from Isaiah 11, which he quoted earlier, but this time, he provides context for Isaiah's words. Nephi's main message is that knowledge brings peace, so God will fill the earth with knowledge in order to fill the earth with peace.
Nephi’s Isaiah Synthesis: 2 Nephi 29
Nephi's message in 2 Nephi 29 is that the words of his family will one day be united with the testimonies of the Jews, as evidence that God speaks to all nations. His extensive use of Isaiah's words in this chapter serves as an example if this unifying process.
Nephi’s Isaiah Synthesis: 2 Nephi 28
In 2 Nephi 28, Nephi draws upon numerous quotations from the Old Testament, particularly the thirteen chapters from Isaiah he has just quoted, to teach the importance of prioritizing God's wisdom over human knowledge. He ends with the assurance that God's merciful arm is stretched out toward us "all the day long."
Purged Sins: Isaiah’s Call as a Template for Personal Conversion
Isaiah not only gave Lehi's descendants an understanding of God's redemption of His chosen people; he also provided a template for individual salvation. Isaiah's description of being called as a prophet in the throne room of God parallels the conversion experiences of Enos and Alma.