2 Nephi 27 - Isaiah 29 and the Translation

This chapter is Nephi’s last comment and citation of Isaiah. Based upon chapter 29, it has more changes from the Masoretic version found in the King James Bible than any other chapter. This one foretells the advent of the Book of Mormon and the efforts taken by Joseph Smith to get it translated.

The book “From Darkness into Light” by Michael Hubbard MacKay and Gerrit J. Dirkmaat, is an excellent history of that effort. From the book, I learned Martin Harris left on the trip because of a vision he’d received from the Lord. He also wanted to go to get a scholar’s confirmation that the characters were authentic. All Joseph knew was they were ancient. He didn’t know they were “Reformed Egyptian” till late in the translation process.

Joseph sent him for a different reason, to find someone who could translate the plates. He’d spent all 1827 studying the characters on them, not knowing the Seer stones or the Urim and Thumim would do that for him. He was anxious to figure out how to translate the plates. It wasn’t until Harris returned that he finally learned he would do the translating. Up until that time, he hadn’t learned the stones could be used to translate, instead he used them to keep the plates safe.

It wasn't until they were almost finished with the work that they read this chapter and saw how Harris' trip fulfilled the prophecies it contains.