Reference: These verses follow Isaiah 29:21–22: “And they That make a man an offender for a word, and lay a snare for him that reproveth in the gate, and turn aside the just for a thing of nought. Therefore thus saith the Lord, who redeemed Abraham, concerning the house of Jacob, Jacob shall not now be ashamed, neither shall his face now wax pale.”
Because verse 31 discussed the binding of Satan, which stops the font of “inspiration” for the wicked, it also heralds the triumph of the just. Verse 32 expresses this transition. Isaiah, as a literary device, hyperbolically describes the just being oppressed and the wicked as the powerful oppressors, thus highlighting the triumphant effects of the Messianic redemption. That redemption becomes the subject of the ending verses, applicable to both Isaiah’s and Nephi’s purposes.
Diminishing the wicked’s power removes the particular type of oppression in which the just were made “an offender for a word.” With the adversary gone, verse 33 invokes the theme of redemption with Abraham symbolizing its completeness. Abraham not only links the covenant’s beginning with its fulfillment here but also links the symbolic beginning of time with its ending. Using this literary device creates a picture of completion and inclusion.
Translation: The KJV passage relied upon the previous verse. The change in the Book of Mormon text (adding “and they” to the beginning of v. 32) attempts to make an easier reading but actually creates a sentence fragment. This further suggests that the change was made by paying attention to the verse and not the context. That is much more typical of a change from a modern editor than an ancient writer, indicating that it is a place where we again see Joseph’s participation in the translation process.