Why did Joseph Smith change Isaiah 2:9 in the Book of Mormon to have God forgive idol worshippers?
This argument, which seems to be making the rounds these days in anti-Mormon circles, is based on an interesting difference between Isaiah 2:9 and a passage in the Book of Mormon that cites Isaiah 2. In the King James Version, we read, “And the mean man boweth down, and the great man humbleth himself: therefore forgive them not.” In 2 Nephi 12:9, where Isaiah 2 is quoted, it reads “And the mean man boweth not down, and the great man humbleth himself not, therefore, forgive him not.” (So much for the idea that the Book of Mormon slavishly copies the King James text when Bible passages are being quoted. There are many subtle and sometimes significant differences, and, as we will see in for the present case, they often support the notion that the Book of Mormon is an authentic, ancient text.) The critics note that verses 7 and 8 in Isaiah 2 discuss idolatry. They then argue that verse 9 therefore refers to worship of idols: the mean man (the man of means, or a rich man) bows to an idol, a
