KnoWhy #375 - Why Did Nephi Connect Isaiah’s Prophecies with Joseph Who Was Sold into Egypt? (2 Nephi 25:17)

Joseph who was sold into Egypt prophesied that a future prophet, called after his own name, would bring about a restoration of his people. On several occasions, it seems that Nephi combined Isaiah passages about the restoration in a way that would intentionally highlight their connection to Joseph’s prophecy. Nephi accomplished this through the use of a Hebrew wordplay (like a pun) which used verbs that sound like the name Joseph. Not only would such a wordplay have been beyond Joseph Smith’s literary ability in 1829, but its fundamental message strongly confirms that he is truly the promised prophet of the Restoration.