“For Their Good Have I Written Them”: The Onomastic Allusivity and Literary Function of 2 Nephi 25:8

Title

“For Their Good Have I Written Them”: The Onomastic Allusivity and Literary Function of 2 Nephi 25:8

Publication Type

Journal Article

Year of Publication

2022

Authors

Journal

Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship

Pagination

77–90

Volume

53

Abstract

Nephi’s writings exhibit a distinctive focus on “good” and divine “goodness,” reflecting the meaning of Nephi’s Egyptian name (derived from nfr) meaning “good,” “goodly,” “fine,” or “fair.” Beyond the inclusio playing on his own name in terms of “good” and “goodness” (1 Nephi 1:1; 2 Nephi 33:3–4, 10, 12), he uses a similar inclusio (2 Nephi 5:30–31; 25:7–8) to frame and demarcate a smaller portion of his personal record in which he incorporated a substantial portion of the prophecies of Isaiah (2 Nephi 6–24). This smaller inclusio frames the Isaianic material as having been incorporated into Nephi’s “good” writings on the small plates with an express purpose: the present and future “good” of his and his brothers’ descendants down to the latter days.

For a summary of this article, check out Interpreting Interpreterhttps://interpreterfoundation.org/interpreting-interpreter-for-their-good/

Subject Keywords

Inclusio
Wordplay
Nephi (Son of Lehi)
Isaiah (Book)
Onomastics

Bibliographic Citation

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