There are two ways that the brightness
could be understood. Obviously, as brass plates it could be literally not
losing their brightness, or that they are not dimmed by time. The more likely,
and useful, interpretation is that their message does not lose its importance
and is not dimmed by the passage of time. We know the prophecies concerning the
seed of Joseph are important, but more significant is the focus that the brass
plates have on the coming of the Saviour. This message never dims, we may
choose to ignore the light, but it does not mean the light isn’t there. I am
blind in my left eye, and sometimes I position myself so that the sun is
shining on my left side, as it doesn’t affect me or cause annoyance. It doesn’t
mean the sun isn’t there just that I am turning away from it. This is just so
with the message of the Saviour and his influence in our lives. We can pretend
he’s not there, but he always is, with his arm outstretched. (James D. Holt, The
Book of Mormon Verse by Verse [Manchester: Self-Published, 2025], 1:177)