Literary: Verse 8 is a transition phrase that links Nephi’s specific prophecy with the Isaiah texts that he is about to cite. In addition to linking the text, it also creates an abrupt shift in time context. Surely the coming forth of the Book of Mormon and its redemptive effect on the Jew (both of the Old and New worlds) is part of the “restoration of his people” that Nephi mentions in verse 8. Thus the idea that the “Lord God shall commence his work” is not sequentially following the coming forth of the Book of Mormon, but the Book of Mormon is a part of this work. The intent of this verse is not to create a sequence, but rather to link the coming of the Book of Mormon into another Isaianic prophecy of the redemption of the righteous remnant.