In Words of Mormon 1:5, Mormon provides some information concerning the way in which he structured his writing, but unfortunately he does not make his intent clear. Mormon says, "Wherefore I chose these things to finish my record upon them, which remainder of my record I shall take from the plates of Nephi."
According to Daniel Ludlow, several questions have been raised concerning this brief verse by Mormon:
(1) First of all, to what is he referring when he states he is going to finish his record?
(2) To what plates is he referring when he says he will finish his record upon these things?
(3) To what section of his writings is he referring to when he talks of the remainder of his record?
Most Book of Mormon scholars have assumed that when Mormon refers to finishing "his records" he had in mind the rest of his writings in the small section entitled The Words of Mormon. Most scholars also assume that "these things" refer to the small plates of Nephi. If this interpretation is correct, then the section entitled The Words of Mormon was written at the end of the small plates of Nephi. According to these scholars the fact that Amaleki says the small plates of Nephi are already full (Omni 1:30) does not necessarily rule out the possibility of adding the brief notes that make up The Words of Mormon.
Mormon's reference to the "remainder" of his record is a little more confusing. Some scholars believe that here Mormon is referring to the rest of his writings in The Words of Mormon, the ideas of which he obtained from the large plates of Nephi. Other scholars, however, believe that Mormon is referring to that portion of his abridgment from the large plates of Nephi which he has not yet written on his plates of Mormon. Unfortunately, the pronoun reference in verse 5 does not make it possible to determine Mormon's meaning exactly." [Daniel H. Ludlow, A Companion to Your Study of the Book of Mormon, pp. 171-172]
Note* Although discounted here, the idea that Mormon still has the rest of his abridgment to write (Mosiah to the end) is supported by Eldin Ricks. [see Eldin Ricks, "The Small Plates of Nephi and the Words of Mormon," in The Book of Mormon: Jacob through Words of Mormon: To Learn with Joy, p. 216]
“Wherefore I Chose These Things to Finish My Record Upon Them”
After Mormon had made an abridgment of the large plates of Nephi down to the reign of king Benjamin, he searched and found the small plates (Words of Mormon 1:3). He then makes an interesting comment:
And the things which are upon these plates pleasing me,
[1] because of the prophecies of the coming of Christ; and my fathers knowing that many of them have been fulfilled; yea and
[2] I also know that as many things as have been prophesied concerning us down to this day have been fulfilled, and as many as go beyond this day must surely come to pass--
wherefore
[3] I chose these things to finish my record upon them, which remainder of my record I shall take from the plates of Nephi. (Words of Mormon 1:4-5, emphasis added)
If I interpret these verses correctly, then Mormon "chose" to use the content of prophetic writings on the small plates as a pattern by which he would "finish" the rest of his abridgment. In other words, he would choose accounts from the large plates which would amplify this pattern.
Question: What patterns of writings and/or what prophetic writings were there in the small plates that might have caused Mormon to respond this way? [Alan C. Miner, Personal Notes]
Garold Davis makes some interesting observations in this regard:
The question naturally arises, why would Mormon include in the Book of Mormon record twenty-one nearly complete chapters of Isaiah as well as quotations from them and other Isaiah chapters? Why this duplication of scripture? . . . The inclusion of this large body of information from the prophet Isaiah must surely be attributed to more than human oversight. Indeed, in this view the Book of Mormon's repeated affirmations of the great worth of Isaiah's words suggest a divine purpose behind their preservation in two different yet complementary collections of scripture.
I suggest two possible reasons for the duplication of Isaiah's writings. First, the Isaiah text translated by Joseph Smith in the Book of Mormon contains numerous differences from the biblical translations of the same text available in his day and in ours. . . . [Because it predates the biblical texts and was translated by the prophet Joseph Smith] the Isaiah material in the Book of Mormon corrects textual errors perpetuated in the biblical versions.
A second reason for the duplication is that the Book of Mormon Isaiah text comes complete with a number of specific commentaries, an advantage that the biblical text of Isaiah does not have.
The Isaiah passages in the Book of Mormon occur within a very interesting lexical or contextual pattern. Careful readers of the book are aware that one of its major themes is the history and destiny of the Lord's covenant relationship with the house of Israel--a theme that includes the Abrahamic covenant, the covenant of the infinite atonement, the scattering of Israel, and the reestablishment of the house of Israel in the last days by a mighty gentile nation.. . .
The scope of [Davis's] paper does not allow a detailed explication of the Isaiah chapters in the Book of Mormon. Rather, [his] approach is to suggest how the commentaries unite in purpose to clarify and reinforce Isaiah's teachings. These commentaries are remarkably consistent in their interpretation and application of Isaiah's words.
And even before these commentaries on Isaiah, Nephi gives the reader a very interesting textual note. Nephi tells us that in order to explain "my proceedings, and my reign and ministry" (1 Nephi 10:1), he must comment on the teachings of his father. He then gives a summary of Lehi's teachings that is a rather precise outline for all the commentaries on Isaiah that follow in the Book of Mormon. 1 Nephi 10 indicates that:
(1) Jerusalem will be destroyed and the Jews will be carried away (v. 3);
(2) the Jews will return and "possess again the land of their inheritance" (v. 3)
(3) the Messiah will come and "take away the sins of the world," but he will be rejected and slain and will then "rise from the dead" (vv. 4-11);
(4) the house of Israel will then be scattered "upon all the face of the earth" (vv. 12-13);
(5) the gentiles will receive "the fulness of the Gospel,," and then the house of Israel will be gathered together and "come to the knowledge of the true Messiah, their Lord and their Redeemer" (v. 14).
Davis then discusses the following commentaries:
(1) Nephi's commentary on Isaiah 48 and 49 in 1 Nephi 19 and 22 is entirely consistent with Lehi's outline and commentary that Nephi recorded in 1 Nephi 10 and 15.
(2) Jacob's commentary on Isaiah 50-51 (2 Nephi 7-8) is found in Jacob 6, 9, 10. Once again Jacob identifies the major theses that always accompany his citing of Isaiah. These are also consistent with Lehi's teaching outline found in 1 Nephi 10.
(3) Using Nephi's introductory commentary on Isaiah in 2 Nephi 11 and his summarizing commentary in 2 Nephi 25 as a guide, we can make our way more confidently through the thirteen chapters of Isaiah (Isaiah 2-14) quoted in 2 Nephi 12-24.
(4) Concerning Isaiah 29 (2 Nephi 26-27), the words of Nephi (and the Lord) from 2 Nephi 26 through 29 constitute what must be the most careful and specific commentary on Isaiah in the entire Book of Mormon.
(5) Abinadi's quoting of Isaiah leads into a commentary on the resurrection of mankind and the justice of God. Like Nephi, Abinadi identifies a time for the events he will describe. . . .Abinadi concludes his sermon and Isaiah commentary with a return to the purpose of the law of Moses:"Therefore, if ye teach the law of Moses, also teach that it is a shadow of those things which are to come--Teach them that redemption cometh through Christ the Lord, who is the very Eternal Father" (Mosiah 16:14-15).
(6) The Savior's Commentary on Isaiah 52 and 54 (3 Nephi 16, 20, 22). The last full chapters of Isaiah quoted in the Book of Mormon, Isaiah 52 and 54, are quoted by the Savior himself in 3 Nephi 16, 20, and 22 and are preceded by a lengthy and detailed commentary beginning in 3 Nephi 16. Here the Savior tells of visiting his other sheep and then turns his attention to the destiny of the house of Israel, which according to the familiar pattern will be scattered and then gathered again in the last days by the gentiles. The Savior's commentary on Isaiah continues in chapter 20 when he returns to the theme of the house of Israel. Continuing this theme, 3 Nephi 21 begins with a specific statement that again identifies the time when these prophesies of Isaiah are to be fulfilled. With this introduction, the Savior then quotes Isaiah 54 in its entirety.
In view of the significance of Isaiah in the Book of Mormon, it is perhaps fitting that Moroni should quote from Isaiah as part of his final exhortation and farewell: "And again I would exhort you that ye would come unto Christ, and lay hold upon every good gift, and touch not the evil gift, nor the unclean thing [from Isaiah 52:11]. And awake, and arise from the dust, O Jerusalem; yea, and put on thy beautiful garments, O daughter of Zion [from Isaiah 52:1]; and strengthen thy stakes and enlarge thy borders forever [from Isaiah 54:2], that thou mayest no more be confounded, that the covenants of the Eternal Father which he hath made unto thee, O house of Israel, may be fulfilled" (Moroni 10:230-31].
In summary, it should be emphasized that the Isaiah passages in the Book of Mormon are not unnecessary duplications of the biblical Isaiah. Rather, they are an inspired, integral part of that sacred text. Although the Book of Mormon Isaiah makes significant corrections to the biblical Isaiah, the greater value lies, first, in the contextual setting in which the doctrines of the covenant of Christ's atoning sacrifice, the prophesied scattering of Israel, and the restoration of the house of Israel in the last days through the instrumentality of the gentiles receive their full and proper emphasis; and, second, in the rich and detailed interpretations given us through the commentaries of Lehi, Nephi, Jacob, Abinadi, and the Savior. [Garold N. Davis, "Pattern and Purpose of the Isaiah Commentaries in the Book of Mormon," in Davis Britton ed. Mormons, Scripture, and the Ancient World, F.A.R.M.S., pp. 277-303]
Words of Mormon 1:5 I cannot write the hundredth part of the things of my people (Illustration): Chart: References Showing We Have Less Than One Percent of What Was Written. [Raymond C. Treat, "What Is in the Book of Mormon Is There for a Purpose," in Recent Book of Mormon Developments, Vol. 2, p. 173]