Editing Second Nephi (section)

== Interpretation ==

=== Break between First and Second Nephi ===
Different theories have emerged as to why Nephi's two books seem to break in the middle of a family event. Frederick Axelgard, Latter-day Saint and Senior Fellow at the [[Wheatley Institution|Wheatley Institute]], suggests the account would be better divided at 2 Nephi 5, which generally marks the end of Nephi's historical narrative.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=W. Axelgard |first=Frederick |date=1986 |title=1 and 2 Nephi: An Inspiring Whole |url=https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/byusq/vol26/iss4/4/ |journal=BYU Studies Quarterly |volume=26 |issue=4 |page=55 |via=ScholarsArchive}}</ref> Political science professor and apologist [[Noel B. Reynolds]] writes that the first five chapters of Second Nephi seem to be establishing Nephi's authority and leadership qualifications.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Reynolds |first=Noel B. |date=Winter 1980 |title=Nephi's Outline |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/43041317 |journal=BYU Studies |volume=20 |issue=2 |page=32 |jstor=43041317 }}</ref>

Alternatively, literary scholar [[Terryl Givens]] proposes the interruption of the timeline was purposeful to emphasize an important theme of covenants in the Book of Mormon. Lehi's vision confirms Jerusalem and its temple have been [[Siege of Jerusalem (587 BC)|destroyed]], says Givens, and triggers subsequent explanations to show the family they are still a covenant people to God and that the Israelites will not be lost forever. These are ideas that Givens connects to Moroni's introductory thematic statement on the purpose of the Book of Mormon. He also suggests that Lehi's blessings to his children and many of the Isaiah quotations are aimed at this same purpose and show the family they are part of the covenant as long as they don't reject the Messiah.{{sfn|Givens|2020|pp=3, 6, 33, 50}}

=== Dark skin of the Lamanites a curse===
{{main|Lamanites}}
2 Nephi 5:21 describes the Lamanites as being cursed and marked with a "skin of blackness" because of their unbelief in order to make them less attractive to the Nephites. In 2 Nephi 30:6, the Lamanites are promised to become "pure and delightsome" (a passage that was "white and delightsome" before 1981). In a book about Mormon conceptions of race, sociologist [[Armand Mauss]] writes that modern secular readers see these passages as referring to race, and interpret them as reflecting the 19th-century racism of the day. Mauss argues that "white" was "almost always" a synonym for pure and clean in the Book of Mormon's original text, but acknowledges that these verses informed the prevailing image of Lamanites as savage Indians who ought to be assimilated among mid-19th-century Latter-day Saints.{{sfn|Mauss|2003|pp=116–118}} Mauss calls for a nonracist interpretation of the verses in 2 Nephi. Since the Nephites and Lamanites are both descended from Lehi, he argues, their main differences are cultural, not racial. 2 Nephi 26:33 states that "all are alike unto God," specifically referring to "black and white, bond and free."{{sfn|Mauss|2003|p=213}} Mauss interprets it as a "repudiation of racism in divine affairs."{{sfn|Mauss|2003|p=127}} In another book on race and the early LDS Church, Max Mueller writes that this purported universalist idea is "rooted in the limitations of whiteness as a universal racial category, a reality of which the Book of Mormon itself seems to be aware."{{sfn|Mueller|2017|p=35}} In his ''Annotated Book of Mormon'', [[Grant Hardy]] writes that modern readers are justifiably distressed by the Lamanites being marked with a dark skin. Hardy writes that skin color does not prevent the Lamanites from exceeding Nephites in righteousness, and the curse comes with a promise that their lineage will be preserved, while the Nephites eventually die out.{{sfn|Hardy|2023|pp=79, 96}}

===Atonement in 2 Nephi===
Lehi's discussion with Jacob in 2 Nephi 2 is doctrinally rich and frequently used in [[Salvation in Christianity#Theories of atonement|theological discussion of the atonement]] in Latter-day Saint thought. 2 Nephi 2 contains the first mention of "atone" in the Book of Mormon.{{sfn|Frederick|2024}}<!--no pagination from Frederick bc I'm working from a digital edition-RH--> Writing for ''Dialogue'', Jacob Morgan cites two scriptures from 2 Nephi 2 to support his unorthodox argument that the atonement gave mankind the light of Christ, or a conscience, which prevents humans from choosing "eternal death" (verse 29). Having a conscience makes humans free to "act for themselves" (verse 26) and gives them [[Agency in Mormonism|agency]].{{sfn|Morgan|2006|pp=72–73}} In his chapter on the atonement in the Book of Mormon, Nicholas J. Frederick, an associate professor of ancient scripture at Brigham Young University argues that ideas from multiple atonement theories are present in the Book of Mormon and gives two examples from 2 Nephi. He writes that 2 Nephi 2:6–10 can support the [[governmental theory of atonement]], where Christ's atonement satisfied the demands of justice. This passage does not mention Christ's [[Agony in the Garden|suffering in Gethsemane]] (wherein many Latter-day Saints believe the payment for sins occurred) but only his death and resurrection. Later, Jacob's sermon in 2 Nephi 9:7–12 seems to support a [[Christus Victor]] theory, where Christ's death was a ransom paid to Satan. Jacob describes how Christ's atonement was infinite in 2 Nephi 9:25–26, and allows God to show mercy. Frederick gives a caveat that these interpretations may require imposing too much of previous theories on the text.{{sfn|Frederick|2024}}

===The Fall in 2 Nephi===
{{see also|Agency in Mormonism#Adam and Eve}}
In 2 Nephi 2, Lehi's articulation of the [[fall of man]] reinterprets it as a necessary component of God's plans for human salvation.<ref>{{Harvnb|Morrill|2005|p=137}}; {{Harvnb|Austin|2024|p=39}}.</ref> 2 Nephi 2:18 identifies "the serpent" as the devil.{{sfn|Smith|2017|p=16}}

According to literary critic Michael Austin, 2 Nephi describes prelapsarian reproduction as impossible, making the fall a prerequisite for procreation.<ref>{{Harvnb|Austin|2024|pages=37–39}}.</ref> According to biblical scholar Julie Smith,<ref>{{cite web |title=Julie M. Smith |url=https://www.byunewtestamentcommentary.com/about-us/contributors/julie-m-smith/ |access-date=26 February 2024 |website=www.byunewtestamentcommentary.com |publisher=BYU New Testament Commentary}}</ref> 2 Nephi 2 can alternatively be interpreted as meaning reproduction was impossible only during the time when Eve had eaten the fruit but Adam had not.{{sfn|Smith|2017|pp=5, 8,  9–11}}

The discussion in 2 Nephi 2, specifically verse 25, which states that "Adam fell that men might be," is frequently used in LDS interpretation of the fall to see it as part of God's plan. Some LDS thinkers take the idea further and say that Eve's decision was "wise," a stance that Smith calls the "Wise Choice Theory".{{sfn|Smith|2017|pp=1–2}} According to Smith, the "classic statement of the Wise Choice Theory" among Latter-day Saints is from a 1993 General Conference talk by apostle Dallin H. Oaks who stated that "we celebrate Eve's act and honor her wisdom and courage in the great episode called the Fall," and cited Brigham Young and Joseph Fielding Smith to aver that was formally a transgression of law but did not constitute sin.<ref>As quoted and analyzed in {{harvnb|Smith|2017|pp=1–2}}. The address is {{cite journal |last1=Oaks |first1=Dallin H. |date=October 1993 |title=The Great Plan of Happiness |url=https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/1993/10/the-great-plan-of-happiness?lang=eng |journal=The Ensign |language=en |access-date=26 February 2024}}</ref> Most official Latter-day Saint discourse interprets Eve's role in the fall "overwhelmingly positive[ly]", religious studies scholar Susannia Morrill explains.<ref>{{Harvnb|Morrill|2005|p=141}}.</ref>

Smith argues that God's curse in response to Adam and Eve's partaking of the fruit makes it difficult to argue that their decision was wise, and that the argument that they were following a higher law requires them to take advice from the serpent. She questions the interpretation of considering Eve eating the fruit a transgression but not a sin. Smith argues this distinction does not exist in the Book of Mormon, and she sees no evidence that a transgression would be wise. She concludes that the "Wise Choice Theory" is not supported by the Book of Mormon.{{sfn|Smith|2017|pp=5, 8, 9–11}}

Early Latter-day Saint leaders Orson Pratt, George Q. Cannon, and Brigham Young regarded Adam wisely chose to eat the fruit wise but thought Eve was not, and Smith argues that "in the earliest layers of LDS interpretation, Eve’s choice was not seen as wise".{{sfn|Smith|2017|pp=12–13}} Morrill, agreeing that the Book of Mormon text itself does not heroize Eve, reports that most Latter-day Saint women's literature in the nineteenth century considered Eve "a wise and knowing woman" who acted as a "savior figure" by "safely guid[ing] the course of human salvation on the right path".<ref>{{Harvnb|Morrill|2005|pages=138–140}}.</ref>

=== Jacob's sermon ===
Egyptologist and CES instructor John S. Thompson analyzed Jacob’s sermon and identified themes of judgment, clothing, remembrance, creation, fasting, sacrifice, usage of God’s name, repentance, and the Law of Moses.{{sfn|Thompson|1997|pp=128–136}} On another note, author Marilyn Arnold suggests that, based on the deliberate structure and language of his sermon, Jacob adopts his style from writings in the brass plates. Additionally, Jacob repeats words such as "body," "flesh," "die," and "death" but applies them to his teachings in a way that shifts their connotations.{{sfn|Arnold|1996|pp=50–52}}

=== Nephi's poetry ===
Independent scholar Matthew Nickerson identifies shared traits between what has been called "the Psalm of Nephi" and psalms of the Old Testament. Nephi’s words are specifically connected to the individual lament, each of which contains an invocation, complaint, confession of trust, petition, and vow of praise. Nickerson proposes that each of these elements can be identified, making Nephi’s psalm a true psalm.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Nickerson |first=Matthew |date=1997-07-31 |title=Nephi's Psalm: 2 Nephi 4:16–35 in the Light of Form-Critical Analysis |url=https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/jbms/vol6/iss2/3 |journal=Journal of Book of Mormon Studies |volume=6 |issue=2 |pages=30, 40–41 |doi=10.2307/44758820 |jstor=44758820 |issn=2374-4766|url-access=subscription }}</ref> According to Fatimah Salleh and Margaret Hemming, Nephi's psalm is associated with grief over his father’s death and tensions within the family.{{sfn|Salleh and Hemming|2020|pp=59–60}}

Richard Rust explains that Nephi incorporates certain literary aspects such as rhythms and structures similar to those found in poetry.{{sfn|Rust|1997|p=11}} One example is when Nephi repeats words and phrases in a way that contributes to the poetic sounds of his writings.{{sfn|Rust|1997|p=4}} Some of the things he repeats include "the Lord," "commanded,"{{sfn|Rust|1997|pp=27–29}} and "that I may walk...that I may be strict."{{sfn|Rust|1997|p=45}} Such repetition is emphatic, says Rust.{{sfn|Rust|1997|p=45}} Because of Nephi's repetition and use of Hebrew structure—which presents and then satisfies an idea—his poetry is similar to Isaiah’s.{{sfn|Rust|1997|pp=66–67}} Bible and Jewish Studies professor David Bokovoy claims another connection to biblical poetry in Nephi's tendency to switch from third to first person. Bokovoy notes other examples in the Bible of the writer switching in the same passage from speaking about God at a distance to speaking to God in proximity.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Bokovoy |first=David |date=2000-01-31 |title=From Distance to Proximity: A Poetic Function of Enallage in the Hebrew Bible and the Book of Mormon |url=https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/jbms/vol9/iss1/14 |journal=Journal of Book of Mormon Studies |volume=9 |issue=1 |pages=62–63 |doi=10.2307/44758908 |jstor=44758908 |issn=2374-4766|url-access=subscription }}</ref> Additionally, Salleh and Hemming suggest that, based on the tone of the psalm, Nephi doesn’t have a lot of time to mourn over his parents' deaths before he has to flee from his brothers.{{Sfn|Salleh and Hemming|2020|p=61}}

=== Early LDS interpretation ===
Second Nephi 28 mentions that priests of different churches will "contend" with each other and teach without the [[Holy Spirit (Christian denominational variations)#Latter Day Saints|Holy Ghost]]. Early members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints saw many competing religions and began to interpret [[Joseph Smith|Joseph Smith's]] visit to the [[Sacred Grove (Latter Day Saints)|Sacred Grove]] to ask God which church was right as fulfillment of this prophecy. Second Nephi 29 goes on to describe a new book of scripture that would be revealed but rejected by many people because they already had the Bible. According to early church leader [[Heber C. Kimball]], the response of many ministers was often "we need no more revelation," which he declared as fulfillment of the chapter 29 prophecy.{{sfn|Underwood|1984|p=46}}

Joseph of Egypt's prophecy quoted in Second Nephi 3 was also interpreted by early church members, who believed Joseph Smith to be "the choice seer" with the same name as his father.{{sfn|Underwood|1984|p=47}}

=== The Isaiah chapters ===

==== Intertextuality ====
Nephi quotes extensively from the [[Book of Isaiah]] throughout 1 and 2 Nephi, with passages largely appearing as they do in the [[Bible]].{{sfn|Givens|2009|p=37}} Elizabeth Fenton describes these passages as "not-quite-exact copying," with differences being minor.<ref name=":52">{{Cite journal |last=Fenton |first=Elizabeth |date=2016-01-01 |title=Understanding the Book of Mormon |url=https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1589&context=jbms |journal=Journal of Book of Mormon Studies |volume=25 |issue=1 |pages=43–45|jstor=10.18809/jbms.2016.0105 }}</ref> J.N. Washburn, an independent scholar, cites that 199 of 433 verses from Isaiah appear with the same wording and proposes that Joseph Smith used the [[King James Bible]] version whenever it was close enough to the original meaning of the plates he was said to be translating and used the new translation when meaning differed.{{sfn|Washburn|1954|p=187}} According to author H. Clay Gorton, 2 Nephi 21 is the only Isaiah-quoted chapter in the Book of Mormon that, when compared to the KJV, sustains no textual differences. In a similar vein, 2 Nephi 22 and Isaiah 12 are different only by one word. Gorton has concluded that, where Isaiah verses differ in the Book of Mormon, approximately 38% of those changes are extensive.{{sfn|Gorton|1994|p=32}}

Philosopher Joseph Spencer calls Isaiah "the honored keynote speaker of the small plates."<ref>{{Cite book |last=Spencer |first=Joseph M. |title=The Anatomy of Book of Mormon Theology |publisher=Greg Kofford Books |year=2021 |isbn=978-1-58958-780-9 |volume=1 |location=Salt Lake City, Utah|page=16}}</ref> Spencer also emphasizes that even beyond quotations, Jacob and Nephi's teachings both seem to be built on further ideas of Isaiah's.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Spencer |first=Joseph M. |title=Reading Nephi Reading Isaiah 2 Nephi 26–27 |publisher=Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship |year=2016b |isbn=978-0-8425-2866-5 |editor-last=Spencer |editor-first=Joseph M. |edition=2nd |pages=17–18 |chapter=Nephi, Isaiah, and Europe |editor-last2=Webb |editor-first2=Jenny}}</ref> A scholar involved in early studies of the Book of Mormon, [[Sidney B. Sperry|Sidney Sperry]], suggests that by including Isaiah's writings, Nephi points out the mission of Jesus Christ, the restoration of the house of Israel, and God’s judgments that follow.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Sperry |first=Sidney B. |title=The Isaiah Quotation: 2 Nephi 12–24 |url=https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1105&context=jbms |journal=Journal of Book of Mormon Studies |volume=4 |issue=1 |page=193 |via=BYU ScholarsArchive}}</ref> Additionally, Nephi says he "delights" in Isaiah but explains that a knowledge of Jewish tradition is needed to understand his writings, according to literary critic Michael Austin. Nephi admits he has chosen not to teach his people certain knowledge and traditions with which he is familiar as a former resident of Jerusalem.<ref>{{Harvnb|Austin|2024|p=157}}.</ref>
{| class="wikitable"
|+Chapter comparison
!2 Nephi
!Isaiah
|-
|2 Nephi 7
|Isaiah 50
|-
|2 Nephi 8
|Isaiah 51
|-
|2 Nephi 12–24
|Isaiah 2-14
|-
|2 Nephi 27
|Isaiah 29{{sfn|Washburn|1954|p=188}}
|}

==== Deutero-Isaiah ====
In more modern times, scholars have theorized based on variation in style and structure that more than one author wrote the book of Isaiah. These authors are referred to as [[Isaiah]], Deutero-Isaiah, and Trito-Isaiah. Deutero-Isaiah is thought to be born after the time Lehi’s family would have left Jerusalem.{{sfn|Washburn|1954|p=190}} Many of those writings which are considered to be part of Deutero-Isaiah are cited in Second Nephi as quotations from Isaiah. This implies that the Book of Mormon narrative disagrees that this section of Isaiah was written by someone other than its namesake.{{sfn|Gorton|1994|pp=49–51}} An LDS doctrine course teacher's supplement cites the Book of Mormon as evidence that Isaiah wrote the whole book of Isaiah since pieces from throughout the book are said to be from the already compiled brass plates which Lehi's sons took from Jerusalem around 600 BC.{{sfn|Smith|1983|p=49}}

==== Chiasmus ====
Joseph Spencer suggests that Isaiah appears as a sort of [[chiasmus]] in Nephi’s record, sandwiched between Jacob’s and Nephi’s explanations of his writings. In their explanations both men discuss reconciliation with God, contributing to its chiastic appearance. Additionally, Isaiah’s teachings as they appear in Second Nephi form a chiasmus: chapters 12–15 discuss destruction relating to the covenant people; chapter 16 contains a call to repentance, and chapters 17–22 follow themes of God’s covenant people returning to him.{{sfn|Spencer|2016a|pp=53–54}}

==== Typology ====
Biblical [[Typology (theology)|typology]] is a practice of interpretation that suggests Old Testament events are types or representations of future fulfillment of prophecy.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Anderson |first=Bernard W. |title=Israel's Prophetic Heritage: Essays in Honor of James Muilenburg |publisher=Harper & Brothers |year=1962 |editor-last=Anderson |editor-first=B. |page=177|chapter=Exodus Typology in Second Isaiah |editor-last2=Harrelson |editor-first2=W.}}</ref> Isaiah's writing was described in scripture as things that "have been and will be," which aligns with typology's idea that written prophecies apply both to events in the writer's own day which create a type for the future, and to the [[Christian eschatology|latter days]]. Many of the prophecies quoted from Isaiah in Second Nephi regard [[Babylonian captivity]], which Nephi believes to have already begun. Despite this understanding, Nephi also claims the prophecies will be useful in future times. According to Isaiah analyst and Latter-day Saint [[Avraham Gileadi]], this can be viewed either as a contradiction in the text or with the lens of Nephi viewing Isaiah typologically.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Gileadi |first=Avraham |title=Isaiah and the prophets: Inspired Voices from the Old Testament from the Old Testament |publisher=Religious Studies Center Brigham Young University|year=1984 |editor-last=Monte |editor-first=Monte S. |page=134 |chapter=Isaiah: Four Latter-day Keys to an Ancient Book}}</ref>

==== Isaiah and the Charles Anthon visit ====
Second Nephi 27 quotes a prophecy from Isaiah 29 in which the disregarded messages from prophets are compared to a sealed book. The book is delivered to "one who is learned," who says, "I cannot [read it] for it is sealed." In the [[Pearl of Great Price (Mormonism)|Pearl of Great Price]], another Latter-day Saint book of scripture, [[Martin Harris (Latter Day Saints)|Martin Harris]]'s visit to professor [[Charles Anthon]] with copied characters from the Book of Mormon is recorded. While records of the event vary between Anthon and Harris, Anthon's response as reported by Harris was "I cannot read a sealed book." Many Latter-day Saints see this visit as fulfilling Isaiah's prophecy.<ref>{{harvnb|Smith|1983|pp=45–46|}}; {{harvnb|Smith|Thomasson|Welch|1992|p=73}}</ref>

=== Cultural Reception ===
Nephi's psalm has appeared in numerous works by LDS creators. One such example is ''Mazmuur Naafi: The Arabic Psalm of Nephi'' by Ahmed Jamal Qureshi. In this work of visual art, the psalm is translated into Arabic and shaped into a circle. The color of the piece, author Josh E. Probert explains, points to blue tiles found inside [[mosque]]s. Around the circle with the psalm are four smaller circles. Inside the circles are the names Lehi, Nephi, [[Moroni (Book of Mormon prophet)|Moroni]], and Joseph as figures related to the Book of Mormon's content.<ref>{{harvnb|Mason|2023}}; {{harvnb|Probert|2006}}</ref> Nephi's psalm has also been set to music, including "I Love the Lord" and "Sometimes My Soul" by John Tanner, as well as "I Glory in My Jesus" written by [[Millennial Choirs & Orchestras|Millennial Choirs and Orchestras]] founders Brandon and Brett Stewart.{{sfn|Mason|2023}}