It is logical that Nephi quoted portions of Lehi’s dream to his brothers. We would also expect him to use the special knowledge so recently received in his personal vision—which he does, but apparently without explaining how he received it. However, quoting Isaiah seems unexpected. Unless he neglected to report that major sections of Isaiah were included in his vision, then Nephi was familiar with that prophet’s writings before his vision. Thus, when he asked for the interpretation of Lehi’s dream, he already had a context of scriptural understanding in which to place it. It is an insight into his impressive personal preparation.
Gratifyingly, Nephi’s preaching humbled his brothers. But sadly, although they could be touched by the Spirit periodically, they were unable to hold on to those feelings. Each experience with humility was brief, followed by again allowing pride to fill their souls.
Text: Nephi does not give enough detail about what he cited from Isaiah to allow identification of the relevant passages. Certainly, Isaiah spoke in several chapters about the gathering of Israel in the last days. Nephi’s use of “scattered” and “confounded” suggest a specific passage, but nothing in the received text seems to make a match. Isaiah notes the scattering but spends much more time on the gathering. “Confounded” appears in the King James Version of Isaiah, but never in Nephi’s context. While Nephi may be basing his comments on Isaiah, he paraphrases the concept in his own language, rather than quoting Isaiah directly, unless it is a passage not in our received text of Isaiah.