Nephi’s accusation against the churches is reminiscent of Isaiah’s denunciation of the powerful who exploit the poor: “The Lord standeth up to plead, and standeth to judge the people. The Lord will enter into judgment with the ancients of his people, and the princes thereof: for ye have eaten up the vineyard; the spoil of the poor is in your houses. What mean ye that ye beat my people to pieces, and grind the faces of the poor? saith the Lord God of hosts” (Isa. 3:13–15).
Isaiah’s complaint that the powerful have “eaten up the vineyard” is not protesting the consumption of the fruit per se. The fruit is supposed to be eaten. However, according to Isaiah, the powerful are consuming all of the fruit, leaving nothing for the laborers who worked in the vineyard. Similarly, when Isaiah says that the “spoils of the poor are in your houses,” he is denouncing the economic exploitation of the poor by the powerful.
For his part, Nephi is not condemning fine buildings or clothing either. Rather, he is condemning the methods of production that result in their inequitable distribution. Although he does not explicitly state that this text should become his people’s political and economic charter, Nephi intends that his society be established on egalitarian principles.