(Isa. 48:4)
These introductory words of Isaiah apply so well to Laman and Lemuel, who often act wickedly but consider themselves righteous. Indeed, Isaiah’s opening comments in chapter 48, though addressed to all Israel, seem to speak directly to the rebellious and stubborn members of Nephi’s family. Isaiah’s description of Israel—”thou art obstinate, and thy neck is an iron sinew, and thy brow brass” (Isaiah 48:4, parallel to 1 Nephi 20:4)—fits Nephi’s older brothers Laman and Lemuel perfectly.
(Andrew C. Skinner, Isaiah in the Book of Mormon, ed. Donald W. Parry and John W. Welch [Provo, Utah: Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies, 1998], 100.)