Text: To parallel Isaiah 51 (KJV), Orson Pratt in the 1879 edition inserted a new chapter break, even though this division was not part of Jacob’s original nor was it a division in the 1830 edition of the Book of Mormon. Rather, the verse above came immediately after the text of what is now 2 Nephi 7:11. Therefore, this verse needs to be read in sequence with 2 Nephi 7:11, Isaiah’s denunciation of hypocrites. At this point, however, Isaiah now addresses “ye that follow after righteousness.” In other words, chapter 7 and chapter 8 are addressed to different groups. The beginning of chapter 8 also returns to Yahweh as the speaker after the servant had spoken in chapter 7:4–11.
Scripture: Isaiah distinguishes between those who appear to be righteous (but are not) and those who are sincerely righteous. To preserve the sincerely righteous from being led astray by the hypocrites, Isaiah explains that they must know where to “look” for direction.
In poetic language, Isaiah sends them to their heritage—“the rock from whence ye are hewn, and to the hole of the pit from whence ye are digged.” These images are reminders that they are a part of their people’s past. The next verse makes the direction explicit.
Literature: While the parallels are preserved in the King James Version, Gileadi’s translation (like other translations) is more poetically rendered: “Look to the rock from which you were cut, to the quarry out of which you were hewn.” The quarry is more closely associated with the cut rock than the “pit from whence ye are digged.”