The emphasis in this verse is on the learning of men substituting for the wisdom of the Spirit. Nephi is picking up this theme for the learned/unlearned conflict he discussed in the previous chapter. Not only will there be a specific incident in which a learned man will be unable to read the book, there is an entire world filled with "the learned." These are they who are wise in the ways of the world, and because of the ways of the world and the doctrines of men grafted onto the scriptures of God, there are contentions as to which of the interpretations is better. Lacking any power in authority, these learned must resort to the power of words to persuade.