And I did read many things unto them
which were written in the books of Moses; but that I might more fully persuade
them to believe in the Lord their Redeemer I did read unto them that which was
written by the prophet Isaiah; for I did liken all scriptures unto us, that it
might be for our profit and learning. (1 Nephi 19:23)
It is no coincidence that Nephi’s explanation
that he “did liken all scriptures unto us, that that it might be for our profit
and learning” follows immediately upon his declaration that he “did read unto
them that which was written by the prophet Isaiah.” This simple statement is
the interpretive foundation for all of Nephi’s quotations from Isaiah. Nephi
quotes entire chapters from a prophet who lived over 100 years earlier, and
typically provides little commentary on them. What he does is use these
hundred-year-old writings as a basis for his discussion of the future. In 1
Nephi, he quotes Isaiah in chapters 20-21, and in chapter 22 he discusses
future events. In 2 Nephi, he quotes Isaiah in chapters 12-24, and then
discusses the future in chapters 25-31. For Nephi, the principle of “likening” scriptures
meant that, although a text was written for another time and place, it still
has applicability to the present and to future events. While we may also liken
scriptures to us, we must understand that Nephi likened them to his own people
and his own time. These are not random inclusions of Nephi’s favorite
scriptures; they are calculated inclusions of texts that have current impact on
Nephi’s situation and on the future of his people. (Brant A. Gardner, Second
Witness: Analytical and Contextual Commentary on the Book of Mormon, 6
vols. [Salt Lake City: Greg Kofford Books, 2007], 1:373-74)
