The Isaiah Diet

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Recently I have been wondering about Isaiah’s family diet; wondering what the Prophetess might prepare for Isaiah and their two sons at mealtimes. Hayes and Miller in A History of Ancient Israel and Judah explained that the diet in a Jewish household in Isaiah’s day revolved around oil, bread, and wine. With just these three foods, nearly every family sustained life. Below are a few possibilities that your family could try at your next home evening or family reunion.

Key Parts of Every Jewish Diet in Ancient Israel

When times were good, grapes, olives, and grain were central to the Jewish diet and religious tradition for more than a thousand years. However, as they moved into the “land flowing with milk and honey,” as the Lord described Isreal (see Exodus 3:8), this may not have just referred to the abundance of the land, but its capacity to sustain life with basic foodstuffs.

According to Menachem Posner, “The Midrash explains that milk symbolizes superior quality, richness of taste, and nourishment. Honey represents sweetness. The goodness of Israel is both nourishing and pleasant.”¹

In the Old Testament, Hosea [2:22–23] lists corn, wine, and oil as the Lord‘s response to mankind’s needs and how heaven and earth will supply the needed rains to produce them. Even today Jewish feasts and Sabbath blessings feature these foods.

The Isaiah DIet — Bread, Oil, and Wine were part of the daily diet in Ancient Israel

Though you may not consider them much of a meal, you should try this sometime. Pour some extra virgin olive oil into a dish with minced garlic or fresh ground pepper. Then take a slice or two of very dense sourdough bread, break it into pieces, dipping it into the oil. Eat this with a glass of organic grape juice, and you’ll have had a meal that Isaiah might have enjoyed.

Isaiah 7:22 “And it shall come to pass, for the abundance of milk that they shall give he shall eat butter: for butter and honey ^ashall every one eat that is left in the land.”

Along with honey, these foods are mentioned in 2 Kings 18:32. Isaiah in Chapter 7:22 explained that after Israel would be laid waste by Assyria, that butter and honey would be their food.

Goat curd - a common part of a jewish diet — Goat Curd (If you want to learn more about making goat curd, click here)

None of these foods are what it sounds like to the modern reader. For example, the footnote ^afrom the verse above, says that a better translation of butter in Hebrew would be curd (probably something along the lines of cottage cheese). So the “butter and honey likely referred to the curdled yogurt that would come from goats or sheep and any wild honey that could be found.”²

Date Syrup - a Key part of a Jewish Diet — Honey was made by boiling down dates into a dark, thick molasses-like syrup that was not as sweet as honey but “has its own rich flavor”² If you want to learn more about making date honey, click here)

Wild honey may have been available, but more likely this reference is to “date honey,” which was made by boiling the fruit down into thick, sweet syrup, knows as dvash.

Grain porridge and gruel were probably the quickest things to make in those days. Since wheat was just coming into use in Isaiah’s day, this probably was more often a barley porridge, that on a good day, was sweetened with date-honey.

However, making these foods were each time-consuming in and of themselves. Time for food preparation was at a premium when it came to daily bread making.

The “Seven Species” in the Ancient Jewish Diet

Israel's 7 Spices of the Jewish Diet — The Seven Species are all agricultural products; two grains and five fruits that the Hebrew Bible identifies as being unique to the Land of Israel.

Happily, the Jews in Isaiah’s time were no longer just subsisting off the land using the nomad staples of goat curd and date-honey. Under the leadership of David and Solomon a united monarchy of the Kingdom of Israel was established. With it cultivation became extensive.

Large granaries and food storage facilities were established for barley and wheat. Other common cultivars included figs, grapes, olives, pomegranates, and dates.

These foods were known as the Seven Species (HEB: שבעת המינים‎, Shiv’at HaMinim) and are referenced in Deuteronomy 8:8:

“A land of wheat, and barley, and vines, and fig trees, and pomegranates; a land of oil olive, and honey;”

During this time the ordinary folk had a diet mostly made up of bread and oil, wine and cooked grain or legumes, which included chickpeas, green peas, lentils and fava beans as plant-based protein sources. Grapes and figs were the most common fruits at meals; however other fruits and nuts found their way to the table. Grains and grapes were fermented and used as beverages; in springtime, they drank sheep and goats milk. Both kinds of milk were used to make cheese and butter. Olives were most often used for oil and not for eating as we might these days.

Meat, which is central to many modern diets, if eaten, was a rare treat usually reserved for festival meals, celebrations, and sacrificial feasts. When they could catch game, fish, and fowl, these might be eaten too, but very rarely.

Bread Was Central to Their Diet

Quern used for grinding wheat by hand for the Jewish Diet — The smaller stone was used to grind grain on the lower quern stone with a back and forth motion (see Numbers 11:8)

Bread was a staple in the Jews everyday diet. This task fell to the women, but making bread meant first grinding grain.

This was usually done on a stone mortar and pestle known as a quern. The process could take up to 3 hours to grind enough flour for an average family.

I have been making bread through natural fermentation for about a month, as part of the research for this post. This has not been a simple task. Every day the start was fed (if you are starting from scratch, it takes about 10 days to capture local yeast; it may have been a bit quicker in ancient times since they used rye and barley more than wheat). Then each day, once the start was active, it took 8–12 hours to make, form, proof and bake a loaf of bread.

Once there was enough flour (probably 8–12 cups) it was mixed with water and starter. The starter, known as “seor,” was made from a mix of flour and water that absorbed yeast in the air for a week or more. Each time bread was prepared, a lump of the dough was set aside for the next day’s batch preserving the natural yeast and bacteria. Together these gave the dough a “sourdough flavor,” and was made through a very natural fermentation process. The whole effort took minimal mixing, but hours of proofing to get the bubbles in the dough for a lighter bread.

Initially, bread was baked on stone, but by the time of Isaiah, it was usually baked either in or on a jar oven or in a pit-oven. A jar oven produces a kind of bread bowl, baking the bread on the outside of the preheated jar filled with hot coals.

In the pit oven, women baked boulles like the one pictured to the right. Ready, proofed dough was placed in a clay-lined pit that was preheated with hot coals, which were pulled aside for baking. As the Iron Age advanced, metal domes were placed over the top of the pit creating actual ovens.

Now you make an ancient Jewish meal and tell us what you think!

If you want a recipe for a meal Isaiah may have eaten go HERE

¹Menachem Posner, “Why is Israel called the land of ‘Milk and Honey,'” Chabad.org
²“Chapter 11: 2 Nephi 17–24,” Book of Mormon Student Manual( 2009), 81–91

Did the Utah Pioneers Fulfill Isaiah’s Prophecies?

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Search Isaiah

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July 24th, 1847 is celebrated as the day Mormon pioneers settled the state of Utah after being forced from Nauvoo, Illinois. However, do you know that there were a series of events from July 12th- July 31st that decided where the Latter-day Saints were to reside? The prophet Brigham Young and his apostles declared that the prophecies of Isaiah were fulfilled as they surveyed the mountains and landscape surrounding the Salt Lake Valley.

The excerpt below is from a July 1997 Ensign article entitled “On The Trail in July” which was provided as part of the sesquicentennial celebration of the arrival of Latter-day Saint pioneers.

Saturday, 24 July 1847

In 1888 President Wilford Woodruff recounted the historic moment when President Young arrived at the mouth of Emigration Canyon: “When we came upon the bench, I turned the side of the vehicle to the west so that he could obtain a fair view of the valley. President Young arose from his bed and took a survey of the country before him for several minutes. He then said to me, ‘Drive on down into the valley, this is our abiding place. I have seen it before in vision. In this valley will be built the City of the Saints and the Temple of our God.’”

After descending the bench, President Young said later that, “[George A.] Smith came about 3 miles from [the City Creek] came to meet me [when I entered the valley]. … I then pointed to a peak on the north and said, ‘I want to go up on that peak, for I feel fully satisfied that that was the point shown me in the vision, where the colors fell, and near which I was told to locate and build a city.’”

President Young arrived in the encampment at about noon and sometime during the day told men of the camp that “this was the place he had seen long since in vision; it was here he had seen the tent settling down from heaven and resting, and a voice said unto him: ‘Here is the place where my people Israel shall pitch their tents.”

Sunday, 25 July 1847

“It was a pleasant day, and at ten o’clock the pioneers met in worship in the circle of their encampment. Elders George A. Smith, Heber C. Kimball and Ezra T. Benson were the speakers. They expressed gratitude for the blessings of the Lord during their travels to this promised land. Not a soul had died on the toilsome journey. In the afternoon another service was held and the sacrament was administered. Elders Wilford Woodruff, Orson Pratt and Willard Richards were the speakers at this service.

The principal address was given by Elder Pratt who took for his text, Isaiah 52:7–8: ‘How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace.’ He stated that the predictions of the prophets were now being fulfilled,” inasmuch as they had arrived in the valley of the Great Salt Lake in the midst of the mountains.

President Young was too weak to make extended remarks, but near the close of the services he gave some advice regarding keeping the Sabbath day holy and being industrious in developing homes and farmland. When [he] finished his discourse, he led his people in the sacred shout of ‘Hosanna, Hosanna, Hosanna to God and the Lamb. Amen, Amen, and Amen!’” Of that event, one man wrote: “Then the valleys rang with the exultant themes of the Hebrew prophets, and the ‘Everlasting Hills’ reverberated the hosannas of the Saints.”

Howard Egan wrote of a 1:00 P.M. meeting when Elder Heber C. Kimball addressed a small group: We “shall go tomorrow, if Brigham is well enough, in search of a better location [to build the city] if, indeed, such can be found. If not, we shall remain here … inasmuch as we have reached ‘the promised land.

Monday, 26 July 1847

About 10:00 A.M. President Young and Elders Heber C. Kimball, Wilford Woodruff, George A. Smith, Ezra T. Benson, and Willard Richards, together with Albert Carrington and William Clayton, went northward about a mile and climbed the low mountain peak that President Young had said on Saturday he wanted to ascend. While there, President Young said it would be “a good place to lift up an ensign, referring to Isaiah’s prophecy; so they named it ‘Ensign Peak.’” Isaiah’s prophecy reads: “And he shall set up an ensign for the nations, and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel” (Isaiah 11:12).

Five years later, President Young bore witness to thousands of Saints at the laying of cornerstones for the Salt Lake Temple of another event that Monday morning: “We were on this ground, looking for locations, sending our scouting parties through the country, to the right and to the left, to the north and to the south, to the east and the west; before we had any returns from them, I knew, just as well as I know now, that this was the ground on which to erect a temple—it was before me.”

President Wilford Woodruff recounted in the Pioneer Day celebration of 1888: “On a day or two following our arrival, a remarkable incident occurred. While President Young was walking with several of the Apostles on the higher ground northwest of our encampment, he suddenly stepped out, stuck his cane into the barren ground and sagebrush, and exclaimed, ‘Right here will stand the Temple of our God.’ We had a peg driven down and it was nearly in the middle of the Temple as it stands today.”

Subsequent to these events, a number of exploring companies were sent out, two of which crossed the river they called the Western Jordan, and ascended the mountains on the west of the valley. It was later, on Sunday, 22 August, when the Brethren formally sustained the proposals that their city be called “The Great Salt Lake City” and “the river running west of this place” be called “The Western Jordan.”

For some of the Brethren, the parallel geography of the Salt Lake Valley and the Holy Land, each with salt and freshwater lakes joined by a river, was additional silent witness that this was the reserved place for the Lord’s latter-day Saints, just as the Holy Land was the promised land for the Lord’s people anciently.

To read more of the events from this article go HERE

Isaiah speaks through Divine Investiture

By

Gregorio Billikopf

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A careful reading of the Old Testament seems to indicate that the word Elohim is often used as an exalted title for deity as well as a noun meaning God or angels. It is at times also used to speak of pagan gods.

Both titles, Elohim (אֱלֹהִים) and Adonai (אֲדֹנָי) have been applied to each God the Father and God the Son. In the Old Testament, it needs to be pointed out, however, Elohim is almost always associated with Jehovah or Yahweh (JHVH or YHWH).

For instance, in the KJV, we frequently encounter the expression LORD God, which literally, in Hebrew, would be rendered Jehovah Elohim (יְהוָה אֱלֹהִים). Furthermore, we come across scriptures that say that the “LORD he is God,” (Deuteronomy 4:35), יְהוָה הוּא הָאֱלֹהִים. Or rather, the more literal rendition is “Jehovah, He the God.” This last statement is given a double emphasis in 1 Kings 18:39: יְהוָה הוּא הָאֱלֹהִים יְהוָה הוּא הָאֱלֹהִים.

Once again, it becomes clear that when Elohim is used as an exalted title in the Jewish Holy Scriptures or Old Covenant, that it almost always refers to Jehovah, Jeshua, or the promised Messiah, Jesus the Christ.

This does not mean that God the Father is absent from the Old Covenant. As we shall see, he is intimately present. In Genesis 1:1 we read: “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.” Or rather, “In the beginning Elohim created the heaven and the earth.”

Analyzing the Hebrew for the expression ‘in the beginning’ (BERESHIT, בְּרֵאשִׁית), the Prophet Joseph Smith taught us that בְּרֵאשִׁית, based on the word ROSH (רֹאשׁ), head, originally was missing the BETH (ב) and meant “The Head One of the Gods.” The expression Elohim has been defined precisely as the head God in the Ugaritic tradition (TWOT).

Elohim does not appear in our Standard Works in English

Lest anyone be confused, the word Elohim does not appear in our Standard Works in English. It emerges hundreds of times in Hebrew and almost always represents the LORD God, or Jehovah God, the Christ.

In General Conference and LDS writings (including the LDS Topical Guide and the writings of the Brethren), when the exalted title Elohim is used, it should be noted, it almost always represents the Father.

But returning to the topic of Divine Investiture, the Savior makes it clear that none of His words are His own, but rather, He glorifies the Father: “For I have not spoken of myself; but the Father which sent me, he gave me a commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak” (John 12:49, emphasis added).

We also read: “Now they have known that all things whatsoever thou hast given me are of thee. For I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me…” (John 17:7–8a).

The Sweetness of the Unity between the Godhead

The Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit are three distinct beings who are one in purpose. There is no envy between them. They are of one mind. This truth was powerfully revealed to me by the Holy Spirit on the way home from school, as a young boy of thirteen or so, years before I ever saw, heard of, or handled the Book of Mormon (or any literature published by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints).

It is understandable that some Christians outside of our faith—when taking the scriptures out of context—are confused: “Philip saith unto him, Lord, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us. Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father? Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works. Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works’ sake” (John 14:8–11).

As LDS we believe that the Savior of mankind, Jehovah, was made in the similitude of Elohim, God the Father. The person who has seen the Son has also seen the Father because of their likeness. Not just physical likeness, but perhaps even more importantly, behavioral.

The primary purpose of these verses, then, is not to speak just of the physical similarity between the Father and the Son, but to make it clear that the Father and the Son are one in purpose—despite being different individuals.

The next verse makes this plain: “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father. And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it” (John 14:12–14).

In other words, just as the Savior does the works of the Father, we can do the works of the Savior, which in turn are the works the Father would have us do.

So also we have the words of the Savior: “Verily, verily, I say unto you, this is my gospel; and ye know the things that ye must do in my church; for the works which ye have seen me do that shall ye also do; for that which ye have seen me do even that shall ye do; Therefore, if ye do these things blessed are ye, for ye shall be lifted up at the last day” (3 Nephi 27:21–22, emphasis added).

This is essentially a message of unity of purpose, as we find in D&C 50:43, “And the Father and I are one. I am in the Father and the Father in me; and inasmuch as ye have received me, ye are in me and I in you.”

John 17:11b; 17:21–22 make this point even clearer, beyond any doubt, that the question is one of unity of purpose: “Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are,” and “That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one.” Well is it said that “For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one” (1 John 5:7).

All revelation comes through Jesus Christ

President Joseph Fielding Smith taught: “All revelation since the fall has come through Jesus Christ, who is the Jehovah of the Old Testament. In all of the scriptures, where God is mentioned and where he has appeared, it was Jehovah who talked with Abraham, with Noah, Enoch, Moses and all the prophets. He is the God of Israel, the Holy One of Israel; the one who led that nation out of Egyptian bondage, and who gave and fulfilled the Law of Moses. The Father has never dealt with man directly and personally since the fall, and he has never appeared except to introduce and bear record of the Son” (Doctrines of Salvation 1:27).

Elder McConkie explains: “How does God reveal himself? Though the ways may be infinite, the perfect and crowning way is by direct revelation, by visions, by personal visitations. According to the laws of mediation and intercession which the Father himself ordained, he has chosen to reveal himself through the Son, ordaining that all revelation shall come through the Son, though that holy personage frequently speaks in the Father’s name by divine investiture of authority; that is, he speaks in the first person as though he were the Father, because the Father has placed his name upon the Son.”

Except for those times when the Father is introducing the Son, then, the words of the Father are pronounced and brought to us by the Son through the instrumentality of the Holy Ghost.

The Son delights in giving all honor and glory to the Father

In the Book of Mormon, when referring to words given by Jehovah to Malachi, the Savior reminds us that these words, the words spoken in the Old Covenant by the Holy Prophets, are truly the words of the Father—even if delivered by the Son: “And it came to pass that he commanded them that they should write the words which the Father had given unto Malachi, which he should tell unto them … Thus said the Father unto Malachi—Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me, and the Lord whom ye seek shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant … ” (3 Nephi 24:1, emphasis added).

As women and men who are disciples of Christ, we pray to the Father, in the name of the Son. We receive an answer through Christ who manifests it unto us by the power of the Holy Ghost. Note the perfect pattern of prayer: “And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he [I interpret this to mean, He, Christ] will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost” (Moroni 10:4).

The revelations received by the Prophet Joseph Smith in the Doctrine and Covenants were given by the Savior (either directly, or through the Holy Ghost). For example, “listen to the words of Jesus Christ, your Lord and your Redeemer” (D&C 15:1b, also see D&C 6:21; 10:57; 14:9; 16:1; 17:9; 18:47; etc.).

Nephi, similarly, explains that the words he has spoken come from the Son: “if ye shall believe in Christ ye will believe in these words, for they are the words of Christ” (2 Nephi 33:10b).

We might well say that the Holy Ghost speaks for the Son as the Son speaks for the Father. Each of these represents instances of Divine Investiture. And so also when a Prophet speaks, he speaks through Divine Investiture. We read: “And, behold, and lo, this is an ensample unto all those who were ordained unto this priesthood, whose mission is appointed unto them to go forth—And this is the ensample unto them, that they shall speak as they are moved upon by the Holy Ghost. And whatsoever they shall speak when moved upon by the Holy Ghost shall be scripture, shall be the will of the Lord, shall be the mind of the Lord, shall be the word of the Lord, shall be the voice of the Lord, and the power of God unto salvation. Behold, this is the promise of the Lord unto you, O ye my servants. Wherefore, be of good cheer, and do not fear, for I the Lord am with you, and will stand by you; and ye shall bear record of me, even Jesus Christ, that I am the Son of the living God, that I was, that I am, and that I am to come” (D&C 68:2–6).

It follows, then, that when a Priesthood holder gives a blessing, he speaks the words of Christ as received through the power of the Holy Ghost, through Divine Investiture. So also, when members deliver a talk or give a lesson as moved by the Holy Ghost. This is why it is so vital to teach by the Spirit and bless by the Spirit and live by the Spirit. Each one of these will be justified by the Holy Spirit of Promise when we so act, and be brought to the hearts of the people we teach, serve and bless.

Power of attorney

Divine Investiture, then, is like a power of attorney: “Search these commandments, for they are true and faithful, and the prophecies and promises which are in them shall all be fulfilled. What I the Lord have spoken, I have spoken, and I excuse not myself; and though the heavens and the earth pass away, my word shall not pass away, but shall all be fulfilled, whether by mine own voice or by the voice of my servants, it is the same. For behold, and lo, the Lord is God, and the Spirit beareth record, and the record is true, and the truth abideth forever and ever. Amen” (D&C 1:37–39, emphasis added).

Note, again, the beauty of acting in unity. This is in part why the Lord teaches: “I say unto you, be one; and if ye are not one ye are not mine” (D&C 38:27b).

In Isaiah Christ speaks about His own mission

We hear the Son of Man speaking about His own mission through the words of the Prophet Isaiah, as the mortal Messiah, as if it was the Father who was speaking. Thus we have Jehovah speaking in Isaiah 53:6 and 53:10, “and the LORD (Jehovah, יהוָה) hath laid on him the iniquity of us all,” and “Yet it pleased the LORD (Jehovah, יהוָה) to bruise him.”

It is the Holy One of Israel speaking, but He (Jehovah, Christ) is speaking for the Father in first person about Himself (Christ) in relation to his future Messianic role. When I am asked to be a language interpreter at a meeting, and the speaker says, “I have a testimony,” I do not say, “He has a testimony,” but rather, “I have a testimony” (not, él tiene un testimonio but rather yo tengo un testimonio).

The Son, as our advocate before the Father, likewise speaks the words of the Father precisely as spoken by the Father. So it is in the Book of Moses: “And I have a work for thee, Moses, my son; and thou art in the similitude of mine Only Begotten; and mine Only Begotten is and shall be the Savior, for he is full of grace and truth; but there is no God beside me, and all things are present with me, for I know them all’ (Moses 1:6, emphasis added). Once again, it is the Son who speaks the words of the Father throughout the book of Moses.

There are notable exceptions in Scripture, where the Father is introducing or bearing witness of the Son. For instance, in the New Covenant, when Christ is upon the earth, we hear the Father glorifying the Son (e.g., Matthew 3:17, John 12:28). In Joseph Smith History–1:17b, Elohim the Eternal Father introduces the Son to the boy Prophet Joseph Smith:

“When the light rested upon me I saw two Personages, whose brightness and glory defy all description, standing above me in the air. One of them spake unto me, calling me by name and said, pointing to the other—This is My Beloved Son. Hear Him!”

An example all can understand

The Book of Revelation gives a perfect example of Divine Investiture that our Christian friends from other denominations will understand. An angel speaks the words of Christ. John distinctly hears the words of the Savior spoken in first person from the angelic messenger who is clothed in great glory (see a similar event in the Ascension of Isaiah):

“Behold, I come quickly: blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book” (Revelation 22:7). John thought himself in the presence of our Redeemer. Scripture tells us that he fell down to worship but was prevented from doing so: “Then saith he [the angel] unto me, See thou do it not: for I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren the prophets, and of them which keep the sayings of this book: worship God” (Revelation 22:9).

It is not possible to understand Isaiah without understanding that the Savior often explicitly speaks to Isaiah as if He were the Father. And even when He does not appear to be speaking for the Father, the Savior is still speaking for the Father.

“Jesus … said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise. For the Father loveth the Son, and sheweth him all things that himself doeth … That all men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father. He that honoureth not the Son honoureth not the Father which hath sent him” (John 5:19b–20a, 23).

In summary, the principle of Divine Investiture is everywhere in our lives as followers and disciples of Jesus Christ. We speak in His name often, as moved upon by the Holy Ghost to do so. In the Hebrew Bible, in almost every instance that the word Elohim is used, it is used as a title of honor for Christ, “Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God” (Philippians 2:6). There are portions of Isaiah that are impossible to comprehend without being award of the principle of Divine Investiture.

A Bibliography: Who says that “You can’t have it both ways?

By

Gregorio Billikopf

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One of my daughters took a class at BYU where the professor suggested that we can’t have it both ways. We can’t accept just that which is convenient to us as members of the Church. This is, however, precisely what every scholar does… each looks for those points of view that agree with the premises she or he is trying to make. Scholars do this in every field of study. Not that opposite points of view are not considered.

I make no apology for that myself. I have searched long and wide through ancient scriptures, translations, commentaries, and lexicons that are written from almost every conceivable angle, and when they helped me make the point I was trying to make, I have used these. I make no general recommendation of them, but I have no reservations about using things I find interesting and useful. Even where there is much I disagree with.

There are dozens of commentaries—or exegetical works—on Isaiah. Some of them specialize on Isaiah, some on particular portions of Isaiah and others cover larger portions of scripture and include Isaiah. These include books written by Jewish authors or by Christians of other faiths. Among the exegetes or Biblical scholars, we often find excellent insights. I have come to expect pearls of wisdom from several of them. In some instances, observations are mentioned as an aside—or even when arguing an opposite perspective. Even these contrary perspectives are often quite useful.

No more important source, to me, has been the writings of the Brethren. But there are extensive portions of Isaiah that have not been referred to by the Brethren.

It requires much striving

Elder B. H. Roberts taught that “It requires striving—intellectual and spiritual—to comprehend the things of God—even the revealed things of God. In no department of human endeavor is the aphorism ‘no excellence without labor’—more in force than in acquiring knowledge of the things of God. The Lord has placed no premium upon idleness or indifference here … the truth here contended for—achievement in divine things, progress in the knowledge of them, comes only with hard striving, earnest endeavor, determined seeking.”¹

For the first several chapters of Isaiah, I kept telling myself. “I will never understand this chapter.” Yet eventually I would get an understanding of sorts. I eventually changed my notion to: “This chapter is just as hard as the ones I have completed, yet with work and God’s help I will, in time, come to an understanding.”

Towards the end of the project, I was surprised when on occasion I received guidance from the Lord before I had put in the effort to understand.

This effort would take over two decades of joyous enterprise not to finish or complete; I can see how I could profitably spend the rest of my days cherishing the words of Isaiah and continually revising what I have written. I already see the need for the fourth edition. I look forward to your comments, suggestions, and corrections.

At first, it was taking seven months to complete a chapter. This was when I was limited to about two or so hours of study per day. I have become more efficient, and now that I am retired, have more time to devote to the work.

Scripture study is much like entering a room and finding that there are adjoining doors and windows that offer additional insights. And those new rooms have yet more doors and windows, and so on.

“For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little” (Isaiah 28:10).

It seems that almost every time I reread a scripture I find additional meaning and inspiration. I particularly love reading and rereading the same passage over and over throughout several weeks. The scriptures seem to form one eternal round.

Because so few people, relatively speaking, are interested in Isaiah, I found that writing was a little like talking to myself when nobody else might want to listen. Prayerful analysis has been the key to this study, especially as I am exposed to so very many perspectives.

With this in mind, then, I here share a bibliography of most of the books that I used in the study of Isaiah, and are related to the articles I am contributing to Search Isaiah.

SELECTED KEY TO AUTHORITIES

Here are some of the resources used in the study of Isaiah. Sometimes I utilized multiple versions of the same reference, such as electronic vs. hard copy; or two or more hard copies or electronic copies of a resource. Much of the bibliography is found as footnotes within the text itself. Some of the references do not fit as cleanly or nicely under a specific category, but I wished to refrain from creating additional categories.

SIGLA

Only the most basic and generalized siglum were used. For instance, for the (𝔔) we indicate separately the Great Isaiah Roll (1QIsaa) and other rolls utilized (e.g., 1QIsab, 4QIsac). Peshitta and Syriac share the same siglum.

Pseudepigrapha
𝔊 Septuagint, LXX
𝔐 Masoretic text
𝔔 Dead Sea Scrolls, DSS
𝔖 Peshitta
𝔖 Syriac
𝔗 Targum / Chaldee
𝔙 Vulgate

ANCIENT MANUSCRIPTS AND TRANSLATIONS

Pseudepigrapha

• Charles, R.H. (1900) The Ascension of Isaiah. From the Pseudepigrapha. Translated from the Ethiopic Version, which, together with the new Greek fragment, the Latin Versions and the Latin Translation of the Slavonic, is here published in full. The Clarendon Press, Oxford. Asc Isa

𝔊 Septuagint, LXX

• A New Translation of the Septuagint: And the other Greek Translations Traditionally Included under that Title. A new translation of the Greek into contemporary English—An essential resource for Biblical studies. Albert Pietersma and Benjamin G. Wright, Editors (2007). ????
• International Organization for Septuagint and Cognate Studies. Esaias translated by Moisés Silva. NETS. ????
• Isaiah according to the Septuagint. Codex Alexandrinus. Translated by R.R. Ottley. 2nd Edition, 1909. Cambridge. (Logos Bible Software) ????
• Rahlfs, A., & Hanhart, R. (Eds.). (2006). Septuaginta: SESB Edition (Is 44:24–25). Stuttgart: Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft. (Logos Bible Software) ????
• Tan, R., & deSilva, D. A., Logos Bible Software. (2009). The Lexham Greek-English Interlinear Septuagint. (Logos Bible Software) ????
• The Old Testament Greek Interlinear. Esaias Septuagint begins on page 912 out of 1242. Author not mentioned. URL http://septuagint-interlinear-greek-bible.com/OldTestament.pdf ????
• The Septuagint Version of the Old Testament and Apocrypha with an English Translation and with Various Readings and Critical Notes. Also known as Brenton’s 1851 translation of the LXX. Zondervan Publishing House, Second Zondervan printing, 1975. ????
• The Septuagint: The Bible used by our Savior and the Apostles. Used in the Christian church for a thousand years. First English Translation. Translated by Charles Thomson. A new edition, S.F. Pells. Volume II. London, Skeffington & Son, 1904. Reprint of 1883 edition. ????
• Ziegler, J. (Ed.). (1983). Isaias (Vol. XIV, Is 36:13–16). Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht. Hard copy as well as Logos Bible Software. Also electronic Göttingen Septuagint collection including critical apparatus. ????

𝔐 Masoretic or related texts

• Bibles, also see under.
• Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia : SESB Version. (2003). (electronic ed., Jos 6:5). Stuttgart: German Bible Society. (Logos Bible Software) ????
• Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia. H.P. Rüger et J. Ziegler, Editio secunda emendate W. Rudolph et H.P. Rüger. Deutsche Bibelgesellscharft, Stuttgart. 1967/77, 1984. ????
• Biblia Hebraica, Editor, Rud Kittel. Privilegierte Wurtemmbergische Bibelanstalt, Stuttgart. 1929–1937. ????
• Boothroyd, Benjamin. Biblia Hebraica, or, the Hebrew scriptures of the Old Testament: without points, after the text of Kennicott, with the chief various readings, selected from his collation of Hebrew mss., from that of De Rossi, and from the ancient versions: accompanied with English notes, critical, philological, and explanatory.
• Hebrew Bible (BHS). (Accordance Bible Software) ????
• Hebrew Bible (Biblia Hebraica). (Accordance Bible Software) ????
• Jay Green, The Interlinear Hebrew-English Bible (3 Volumes), APGA Associated Publishers and Authors, Wilmington, Delaware, 1976. ????
• The Hebrew Bible: Andersen-Forbes Analyzed Text. (2008). (Jos 6:5). Francis I. Andersen; A. Dean Forbes. (Logos Bible Software) ????
• Van der Merwe, C. (2004). The Lexham Hebrew-English Interlinear Bible. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press. (Logos Bible Software) ????
• Weil, G. E., Elliger, K., & Rudolph, W., Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft. (1997). Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia Apparatus Criticus (5. Aufl., rev., p. 361). Stuttgart: Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft. (Logos Bible Software) ????

𝔔 Dead Sea Scrolls, DSS

• Dead Sea Scrolls Biblical Corpus in Canonical order. (Accordance Bible Software) ????
• Dead Sea Scrolls Biblical Corpus in Manuscript order. (Accordance Bible Software) ????
• Discoveries in the Judean Desert, XXXII, Qumran Cave 1, II, The Isaiah Scrolls (Part 1: Plates and Transcriptions; Part 2: Introductions, commentary and textual variants), by Eugene Ulrich, Peter W. Flint and contributions by Martin G. Abegg (2010), Jr. Oxford, At the Clarendon Press. ????
• Eugene Ulrich (2010). The Biblical Qumran Scolls: Transcriptions and Textual Variants. Supplements to Vetus Testamentum: The Text of the Bible at Qumran. Volume 134. Brill, Leiden, Netherlands. ????
• Fred Miller, Dead Sea Scrolls. URL http://www.moellerhaus.com/qumdir.htm ????
• Martin G. Abegg Jr., Peter Flint, Eugene Ulrich (1999), The Dead Sea Scrolls Bible: The Oldest Known Bible Translated for the First Time into English. San Francisco: Harper. ????
• Qumran Biblical Dead Sea Scrolls Database by Lexham Press • Lexham Press (2011). (Logos Bible Software) ????
• The Great Isaiah Scroll (online). The Israel Museum, Jerusalem. Enlargeable. URL http://dss.collections.imj.org.il/isaiah#1:1. ????

𝔖 Peshitta / Syriac

• Biblia Peshitta en Español: Traducción de los Antiguos Manuscritos Arameos (2006). Holman Bible Publishers. ????
• LBP – The Holy Bible from the Ancient Eastern Texts: Aramaic from the Peshitta (e-Sword) ????
• Leiden Peshitta. (2008). Leiden: Peshitta Institute Leiden. (Logos Bible Software) ????
• Old Testament in Syriac (1913). Trinitarian Bible Society. ????
• Peshitta Syriac Version of the Bible, George M. Lamsa (1957). A.J. Holman Company. ????
• Syriac Peshitta Old Testament (Peshot T) (Accordance Bible Software) ????
• The Aramaic-English Interlinear Peshitta Old Testament (2013). An Interlinear Translation Translated (with notes and commentary) by Rev. Glenn David Bauscher. Lulu Publishing. ????

𝔗 Targum / Chaldee

• Alexander Sperber, The Bible in Aramaic based on old manuscripts and printed texts. The Pentateuch according to Targum Onkelos; the Former Prophets according to Targum Jonathan; The Latter Prophets according to Targum Jonathan. Third impression Brill, Leiden 2004. ????
• Etheridge, John Wesley (1865), The Targums of Onkelos and Jonathan ben Uzziel on the Pentateuch; with the fragments of the Jerusalem Targum: from the Chaldee.
• Targum Onqelos, Jonathan, and the Writings (English) TARG-E, 2015. (Accordance Bible Software) ????
• Targums Tagged. Aramaic Targums (Onkelos, Jonathan, and the Writings) (TARG-T) (2014). Based on the electronic text of The Complete Aramaic Lexicon Project (CAL) of Hebrew Union College, Cincinnati, OH, USA. (Accordance Bible Software) ????
• The Aramaic Bible (22 Volumes, including Volume 11, edited by Bruce D. Chilton on Isaiah (1990–2007). (Logos Bible Software) ????
• The Chaldee Paraphrase of the Prophet Isaiah, translated by the Rev. C.W. Pauli (1871). London Society House. ????
• The Isaiah Targum: Introduction, Translation, Apparatus and Notes by Bruce D. Chilton (1987). Volume 11 in The Aramaic Bible: The Targums, series. A Michael Glazier Book: The Liturgical Press, Collegeville, Minnesota. ????
• The Targum of Isaiah, edited with a translation by John F. Stenning (1949). Oxford, At the Clarendon Press. Printed in Great Britain. ????

𝔙 Vulgate

• Bibbia. La Sacra Bibbia (Italian, Tradotti da Giovanni Diodati). Cambridge. La Societa Biblica Americana di New York. ????
• Biblia Sacra, Vulgatae Editionis, Sixti V. et Clementis VIII, Jussu Recognita Atque Edita, Editio Nova, Londini: 1857. ????
• DRB – 1899 Douay-Rheims Bible (e-Sword) ????
• La Biblia ó El Antiguo Testamento traducidos al Español de la Vulgata Latina por el RMO. P. Phelipe Scio de S. Miguel de las escuelas pias, obispo electo de Segovia. Londres: Impreso 1823. ????
• The Holy Bible Douay Version. Translated from the Latin Vulgate (Douay, A.D. 1609: Rheims, A.D. 1582. London Catholic Truth Society (14 Septembris 1955). ????
• Vulgate – Latin Vulgate (e-Sword) ????
• Weber, R., & Gryson, R. (1969). Biblia Sacra iuxta Vulgatam versionem (5th revised edition). Stuttgart: Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft with critical apparatus. (Logos Bible Software) ????

BIBLES (BASED ON …)

• AAT American Translation, J.M. Powis Smith, U. of Chicago Press 1951 ????
• AMP Amplified Bible, Frances Siewert (e-Sword) ????
• AMPC Amplified Bible Classic (e-Sword) ????
• ASV American Standard Version (e-Sword) ????
• BBE Bible in Basic English (1965) (e-Sword) ????
• Berkeley The Berkeley Version in Modern English – Zondervan 1959 ????
• Bishop Bishops’ Bible (1568) (e-Sword) ????
• Brenton Brenton’s English Septuagint (e-Sword) ????
• CEV Contemporary English Version (e-Sword) ????
• CJB Complete Jewish Bible (e-Sword) ????
• Darby 1889 Darby English Bible ????
• DRB 1899 Douay-Rheims Bible (e-Sword) ????
• EMTV English Majority Text Version (e-Sword) Greek New Testament
• ERV Easy to Read Version (e-Sword) ????
• ESV English Standard Version (e-Sword) ????
• FDB French Darby Bible (e-Sword) ????
• FLS French Louis Segond (e-Sword) ????
• Geneva Geneva Bible (1587) (e-Sword) ????
• GLB German Luther Bible (e-Sword) ????
• GNB Good News Bible (e-Sword) ????
• GW God’s Word (e-Sword) ????
• HCSB Holman Christian Standard Bible (e-Sword) ????
• HNV Hebrew Names Version ????
• ISV International Standard Version (e-Sword) ????
• JPS Jewish Publication Society Bible 1955 (e-Sword) ????
• JUB Jubilee Bible (e-Sword) ????
• KJV King James Version (AV) ????
• KJV1611 King James Version 1611 (e-Sword) ????
• KJV1900 1900 Cambridge Edition of the King James Version ????
• KoJB Koren Publishers, The Jerusalem Bible, Jerusalem, 1998 ????
• LBLA La Biblia de las Américas (e-Sword) ????
• LBP The Holy Bible from the Ancient Eastern Texts – Peshitta (e-Sword) ????
• LEB Lexham English Bible (e-Sword) ????
• Leeser Leeser Old Testament (e-Sword) ????
• LITV Literal Translation of the Holy Bible (e-Sword) ????
• Moffatt The Books of the Prophets (1939) Hodder & Stoughton: London. ????
• Murdock James Murdock New Testament (e-Sword) Greek New Testament
• NAS77 1977 New American Standard (e-Sword) ????
• NASB New American Standard Bible (e-Sword) ????
• NBLH Nueva Biblia Latinoamericana de Hoy (e-Sword) ????
• NVI La Santa Biblia: Nueva Versión Internacional (1984) (e-Sword) ????
• Rotherham Rotherham Emphasized Bible (e-Sword) ????
• RV Revised Version (e-Sword) ????
• RV1865 Reina Valera 1865 – NABC ????
• RV1865 Reina Valera 1865 (e-Sword) ????
• RV1906 Reina Valera 1906 – Sociedad Bíblica Americana ????
• RV1909 Reina Valera 1909 – Broadman & Holman Publishers ????
• RV1960 Reina Valera 1960 – Broadman & Holman Publishers ????
• RV2009 SUD LDS Spanish 2009 Translation – Salt Lake City ????
• RV60 La Santa Biblia Reina Valera (1960) (e-Sword) ????
• RV95 La Santa Biblia Reina Valera (1995) (e-Sword) ????
• RVG Reina Valera Gómez (e-Sword) ????
• Spurrell A Translation of the OT Scriptures by Helen Spurrel, London 1985 ????
• SRV Spanish Reina Valera 1909 (e-Sword) ????
• SSE Spanish Sagradas Escrituras (e-Sword) ????
• Tanakh A New Translation of The Holy Scriptures 1985(Jewish PS) ????
• TLV Tree of Life Version (e-Sword) ????
• TS2009 The Scriptures 2009 (e-Sword) ????
• WEB World English Bible (e-Sword) ????
• Webster 1833 Webster Bible (e-Sword) ????
• Wuest Wuest’s Expanded Translation (e-Sword) ????
• Young 1898 Young’s Literal Translation (e-Sword) ????

LEXICONS (INCLUDING SHORT TITLE)

• (2012). The Lexham Analytical Lexicon of the Septuagint. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.
• (2017). The Lexham Analytical Lexicon of the Hebrew Bible. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.
• Arndt, W., Danker, F. W., Bauer, W., & Gingrich, F. W. (2000). A Greek-English lexicon of the New Testament and other early Christian literature (3rd ed.). Chicago: University of Chicago Press. BDAG
• Bosman, H. J., Oosting, R., & Potsma, F. (2009). Wörterbuch zum Alten Testament: Hebräisch/Aramäisch-Deutsch und Hebräisch/Aramäisch-Englisch (A Hebrew/Aramaic-English and Hebrew/Aramaic-German Lexicon of the Old Testament). Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft.
• Botterweck, G. J., Ringgren, H., & Fabry, H.-J. (Eds.). (1977–2012). J. T. Willis, G. W. Bromiley, D. E. Green, & D. W. Stott (Trans.), Theological Dictionary of the Old Testament (Revised Edition, Vol. I–XV). Grand Rapids, MI; Cambridge, U.K.: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company. TDOT.
• Brown, F., Driver, S. R., & Briggs, C. A. (1977). Enhanced Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew and English Lexicon. Oxford: Clarendon Press. BDB
• Chávez, Moisés (1992). Diccionario de hebreo bı́blico (1. ed.). El Paso, Tx: Editorial Mundo Hispano.
• Cheyne,
• Clines, D. J. A. (Ed.). (1993–2011). The Dictionary of Classical Hebrew (Vol. I–VIII). Sheffield, England: Sheffield Academic Press; Sheffield Phoenix Press. DCH
• Comprehensive Aramaic Lexicon. (2004). Targum Lexicon. Hebrew Union College. TgLex
• Davidson, Benjamin (1979). The Analytical Hebrew and Chaldee Lexicon. Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, Michigan.
• Davies, Benjamin (1876). Student’s Hebrew Lexicon: A Compendious and Complete Hebrew and Chaldee Lexicon to The Old Testament. 2nd Edition, London, Published by Albert Cohn.
• Fuerst, Julius (1867). A Hebrew and Chaldee Lexicon to the Old Testament. 3rd Edition, translated by Samuel Davidson. London, Williams and Norgate. Fuerst
• Gesenius, W., & Tregelles, S. P. (2003). Gesenius’ Hebrew and Chaldee lexicon to the Old Testament Scriptures. Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software. Gesenius
• Harris, R. L., Archer, G. L., Jr., & Waltke, B. K. (Eds.). (1999). Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament (electronic ed.). Chicago: Moody Press. TWOT
• Holladay, W. L., & Köhler, L. (2000). A concise Hebrew and Aramaic lexicon of the Old Testament. Leiden: Brill. CHAL or Holladay
• Jastrow, M. (1903). A Dictionary of the Targumim, the Talmud Babli and Yerushalmi, and the Midrashic Literature and II. London; New York: Luzac & Co.; G. P. Putnam’s Sons. Jastrow
• Jenni, E., & Westermann, C. (1997). Theological lexicon of the Old Testament. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers. TLOT
• Judit Targarona Borrás (1995). Diccionario Hebreo Español Bíblico, Rabínico, Medieval y Moderno. Riopiedras, Barcelona, España.
• Koehler, L., Baumgartner, W. (1958). Lexicon in Veteris Testamenti Libros & Supplementum Leiden: E.J. Brill. HAL
• Koehler, L., Baumgartner, W., Richardson, M. E. J., & Stamm, J. J. (1994–2000). The Hebrew and Aramaic lexicon of the Old Testament (electronic ed.). Leiden: E.J. Brill. HAL
• Koehler, L., Baumgartner, W., Richardson, M. E. J., & Stamm, J. J. (1994–2000). The Hebrew and Aramaic lexicon of the Old Testament: Aramaic (electronic ed., Vol. 5). Leiden; New York: E.J. Brill. HAL
• Pick, Aaron (1977). Dictionary of Old Testament for English Readers, Kregel Publications, Grand Rapids, Michigan.
• Strong, J. (2009). A Concise Dictionary of the Words in the Greek Testament and The Hebrew Bible. Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software. Strong
• Thomas, R. L. (1998). New American Standard Hebrew-Aramaic and Greek dictionaries: updated edition. Anaheim: Foundation Publications, Inc.
• Vine, W. E., Unger, M. F., & White, W., Jr. (1996). Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words. Nashville, TN: T. Nelson. Vine
• Young’s Analytical Concordance to the Bible (1970).

BIBLE DICTIONARIES AND ENCYCLOPEDIAS

• Barry, J. D., Bomar, D., Brown, D. R., Klippenstein, R., Mangum, D., Sinclair Wolcott, C., Widder, W. (Eds.). (2016). In The Lexham Bible Dictionary. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.
• Beale, G. K., & Carson, D. A. (2007). Commentary on the New Testament use of the Old Testament. Grand Rapids, MI; Nottingham, UK: Baker Academic; Apollos.
• Brand, C., Draper, C., England, A., Bond, S., Clendenen, E. R., Butler, T. C., & Latta, B. (Eds.). (2003). In Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary. Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
• Easton, M. G. (1893). In Easton’s Bible dictionary. New York: Harper & Brothers.
• Hastings, J., Selbie, J. A., Lambert, J. C., & Mathews, S. (1909). In Dictionary of the Bible. New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons.
• LDS Library 2009 (electronic library)
• LDS Scripture Citation Index (electronic and app) URL http://scriptures.byu.edu/
• Ludlow, Daniel (Editor). Encyclopedia of Mormonism.
• M’Clintock, J., & Strong, J. (1891–1894). In Cyclopædia of Biblical, Theological, and Ecclesiastical Literature (Vol. I–X). New York: Harper & Brothers, Publishers.
• Orr, J. (Ed.). (1999). In The International standard Bible encyclopedia: 1915 edition. Albany, OR: Ages Software. ISBE
• Pick, Aaron (1977) Dictionary of Old Testament Words. Kregel Publications, Grand Rapids, Michigan.
• Pritchard, James B. (editor), The Ancient Near East, Volume 1: Anthology of Texts and Pictures. Princeton University Press, 6th Paperback printing, 1973,
• Singer, I. (Ed.). (1901–1906). In The Jewish Encyclopedia: A Descriptive Record of the History, Religion, Literature, and Customs of the Jewish People from the Earliest Times to the Present Day, 12 Volumes. New York; London: Funk & Wagnalls.
• Smith, William (1884). A Dictionary of the Bible: comprising its antiquities, biography, geography, natural history and literature. The John C. Winston Company, Chicago. Teacher’s Edition.
• Smith’s Bible Dictionary
• Wood, D. R. W., & Marshall, I. H. (1996). In New Bible dictionary (3rd ed.). Leicester, England; Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.

COMMENTARIES

• Alexander, Joseph Addison (1870). The Prophecies of Isaiah Translated and Explained (Vols. 1–2). New York: Charles Scribner & Co. (Hard copy, Zondervan Publishing, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1962). Alexander
• Allis, Oswald T. (1974). The Unity of Isaiah: A Study in Prophecy. The Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing Company.
• Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture (ACCS) (29 vols.)
• Baltzer, K. (2001). Deutero-Isaiah: a commentary on Isaiah 40–55. (P. Machinist, Ed.). Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press.
• Baltzer, K. (2001). Deutero-Isaiah: a commentary on Isaiah 40–55. (P. Machinist, Ed.). Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press. Hermeneia. Baltzer
• Barnes, Albert. Notes on the Whole Bible, Isaiah. Barnes
• Box, G. H., & Driver, S. R. (1909). The Book of Isaiah: Translated from a Text Revised in Accordance with the Results of Recent Criticism. New York: The Macmillan Co.
• Brown, J. (1853). The Sufferings and Glories of the Messiah: An Exposition of Psalm 18, and Isaiah, 52:13–53:12. New York: Robert Carter & Brothers.
• Bullinger, E. W. (1898). Figures of speech used in the Bible. London; New York: Eyre & Spottiswoode; E. & J. B. Young & Co.
• Bullinger, E. W. (1968). Figures of speech used in the Bible. Baker Book House, Grand Rapids, Michigan.
• Calvin, John. Calvin’s Commentaries: Isaiah. APGA. Grand Rapids, Michigan. Calvin
• Cheyne, T. K. (1880). The Prophecies of Isaiah: A New Translation with Commentary and Appendices (Vols. 1–2). London: C. Kegan Paul & Co. Cheyne
• Cheyne, T. K. (1889). The Prophecies of Isaiah: A New Translation with Commentary and Appendices (Vols. 1–2). 5th Edition, Revised. London: C. Kegan Paul & Co. Cheyne
• Clarke, Adam. The Holy Bible: A Commentary and Critical Notes (Volume IV, Isaiah to Malachi). Abingdon Press, Nashville, New York. Clarke
• Cowles, Henry (1869). Isaiah with Notes: Critical, Explanatory, and Practical. New York, D. Appleton & Company. Cowles
• Driver, S.R. & Neubauer, AD. (1877). The Fifty-Third Chapter of Isaiah according to Jewish Interpreters. (Vols. I & II). Oxford and London: James Parker and Co. Neubauer & Driver
• Ensign, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Conference issues and other articles pertinent to the study of Isaiah and related matters.
• Ezra, A. I. (1873). The Commentary of IBN Ezra on Isaiah. (M. Friedländer, Ed.) (Vols. 1–2). London: Trübner & Co. Ibn Ezra
• General Conference (General Conference talks by Church leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, where they have quoted Isaiah or taught related topics). General Conference
• Gill, John. Exposition of the Entire Bible. Gill
• Govett, R. (1841). Isaiah Unfulfilled: Being an Exposition of the Prophet. James Nisbet and Co. London.
• Gray, George Buchanan (1980). A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Book of Isaiah (Vol. I, I–XXVII). The International Critical Commentary (ICC). Edinburgh. Printed in Scotland. T&T Clark LTD. Gray
• Hawker, Robert (1816–1820). Poor Man’s Old Testament Commentary, Especially Volume 5.
• Henderson, Ebenezer (1857). The Book of the Prophet Isaiah: Translated from the Original Hebrew with a Commentary, Critical, Philological, and Exegetical. 2nd Edition. London: Hamilton, Adams, and Co. Henderson
• Henry, Matthew. Matthew Henry’s Commentary, Vol. IV Isaiah-Malachi. Henry
• Hertz, J.H., ed. (1978). The Pentateuch and Haftorahs. 2nd Ed, 1978, Commentary. Hertz
• Horsley, Samuel (1844). Isaiah (Biblical Criticism on the Nine Prophetical Books). 2nd Edition. Longman, Brown, Green and Longmans and F&J Riverton, London. Horsley
• Horsley, Samuel. Critical Disquisitions on the Eighteenth Chapter of Isaiah: In a letter to Edward King. From the London copy of 1799, Re-printed by James Humphreys, Philadelphia 1800. Horsley
• Institute Student Manual for the Old Testament, Vol. II (LDS)
• Ironside, H.A. (1985). Expository Notes on the Prophet Isaiah. Loizeaux Brothers, Neptune, New Jersey. Ironside
• Isaiah, Abraham Ben & Sharfman, Benjamin (1949), The Pentateuch and Rashi’s Commentary: A Linear Translation into English. (Vols. 1–5) Published by S.S. & R. Publishing Company, Brooklyn, New York.
• Jackson, Kent P., editor. Studies in Scripture (Especially Vol. 4, Kings to Malachi)
• Jennings, Frederic Charles (1966). Studies in Isaiah. Loizeaux Brothers, Neptune, New Jersey. Jennings
• Jenour, Alfred (1830). The Book of the Prophet Isaiah translated from the Hebrew; with Critical and Explanatory notes and practical remarks on the nature and use of prophecy. (Vols. 1–2). Seeley and Burnside, London. Jenour
• Journal of Discourses (26 vols., teachings by the early leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on Isaiah or related topics). JD
• Kaiser, Otto (1963). Isaiah 1–12 (Vol. 1). Part of the Old Testament Library series. The Westminster Press, Philadelphia. (Also see Westermann, for Vol. 3) Kaiser
• Kaiser, Otto (1974). Isaiah 13– 39 (Vol. 2). Part of the Old Testament Library series. The Westminster Press, Philadelphia. (Also see Westermann, for Vol. 3) Kaiser
• Kay, W. (1893). Isaiah. The Holy Bible according to the Authorized Version (AD 1611) with explanatory and critical commentary by Bishops and other Clergy of the Anglican Church, Volume V, Isaiah-Jeremiah-Lamentations. New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons. Kay
• Keil-Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
• Keil-Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament, Isaiah. Delitzsch
• Keith, Alexadner (1850). Isaiah as it is: or Judah and Jerusalem the subjects of Isaiah’s Prophesying. London: Longman and Co. Keith
• Lowth, Robert (1834). Isaiah: A New Translation, with A Preliminary Dissertation and Notes. Boston;Cambridge: William Hilliard;James Munroe and Company. Lowth
• Lowth, Robert (1848). Isaiah: A New Translation, with A Preliminary Dissertation and Notes. 14th Edition. London; Printed for William Tegg and Co. Lowth
• Ludlow, Daniel H. A Companion to Your Study of the Old Testament. Salt Lake City, Utah: Desert Book, 1981.
• Ludlow, Victor L. Isaiah: Prophet, Seer, and Poet. Ludlow
• Luther, M. Isaiah. Luther’s Works, Volume 16 & 17. Concordia Publishing House, Fortress Press. Luther
• Margalioth, Rachel (1964). The Indivisible Isaiah: Evidence for the Single Authorship of the Prophetic Book. Sura Institute for Research, Jerusalem; Yeshiva University, New York. Margalioth
• McConkie, Bruce R. A New Witness for the Articles of Faith. Salt Lake City, Utah: Deseret Book Company, 1985.
• McConkie, Bruce R. Doctrinal New Testament Commentary. (3 vols.). Salt Lake City, Utah: Bookcraft, 1965–1973.
• McConkie, Bruce R. The Messiah Series. Salt Lake City, Utah: Deseret Book Company, 1978–82. The Promised Messiah; The Millennial Messiah: The Second Coming of the Son of Man
• McDonogh, T.M. & Manton, Thomas (1858). Isaiah’s Report of The Messiah as revealed in the 53rd Chapter of his prophecy; Expounded in a series of twenty-four lectures. London: Wertheim, Macintosh, and Hunt. McDonough & Manton
• McFadyen, J. E. (1910). The Book of the Prophecies of Isaiah. New York: MacMillan Co. McFadyen
• McFadyen, John Edgar (1910). The Book of the Prophecies of Isaiah. New York, The MacMillan Company.
• Nägelsbach, Carl Wilhelm Eduard (1878). Lange’s Commentary on the Holy Scriptures, (Volume 11). The Prophet Isaiah. Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, Michigan. Nägelsbach
• Nyman, Monte S., & Charles D. Tate, Jr., eds. Isaiah and the Prophets: Inspired Voices from the Old Testament.
• Nyman, Monte. Great are the Words of Isaiah. Nyman
• Orelli, C. Von (1889). The Prophecies of Isaiah. Edinburgh, T&T Clark. Orelli
• Oswalt, J. N. (1986). The Book of Isaiah, Chapters 1–39. Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co. Oswalt
• Oswalt, J. N. (1986). The Book of Isaiah, Chapters 1–39. Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co. Oswalt
• Parry, Donald W.; Parry, Jay A.; & Peterson, Tina M. Understanding Isaiah.
• Paul, S. M. (2012). Isaiah 40–66: Translation and Commentary. Grand Rapids, MI; Cambridge, UK: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company. Shalom Paul
• Peterson, Mark E. (1981). Isaiah for Today. Deseret Book Company, Salt Lake City, Utah.
• Poole, M. (1853). Annotations upon the Holy Bible (Vols. 1–3). New York: Robert Carter and Brothers. Poole
• Pratt, Parley P. A Voice of Warning and Instruction to All People Or, an Introduction to the Faith and Doctrine of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints New Edition. (1846) Salt Lake City: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1957. Included is the preface to the First American Edition (1837) and the Second European Edition (December 4, 1846).
• Rawlinson, George (1910). The Pulpit Commentary: Isaiah (Vols. 1–2). Spence-Jones, H. D. M. (Ed.). London; New York: Funk & Wagnalls Company. (No date on hard copy.) Rawlinson
• Roberts, J. J. M. (2015). First Isaiah: A Commentary. (P. Machinist, Ed.). Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press. Hermenaia.
• Rosenberg, Rabbi A.J. (2007). The Book of Isaiah: A new English Translation of the Text, Rashi, and a Commentary Digest (includes Redak, Ibn Ezra, Kimhi, and others). (Vols. 1–3) The Judaica Press, 5th Printing, Brooklyn, New York. Rosenberg
• Shaye J.D. Cohen, a professor of Hebrew Literature and Philosophy at Harvard, online courses, The Hebrew Scriptures in Judaism & Christianity and The Hebrew Bible.
• Simeon, Charles (1832). Isaiah. Horae Homileticae or discourses forming a commentary upon every book of the Old and New Testament. Volume 7 (Proverbs to Isaiah). Simeon
• Skinner, J. (1930) The Book of the Prophet Isaiah: In the Revised Version with Introduction and Notes. Cambridge: At the University Press. Part of The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges. Skinner
• Slotki, Israel Wolf (1983). Isaiah. The Soncino Books of the Bible: Hebrew Text & English translation. (Revised by Rabbi A. J. Rosenberg). The Soncino Press Limited, London, Jerusalem, New York. Slotki-Rosenberg
• Smith, Joseph Fielding (1946). Church History and Modern Revelation. Salt Lake City, Utah: The Council of The Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.
• Smith, Joseph Fielding (1957). Answers to Gospel Questions. Salt Lake City: Deseret Book.
• Smith, Joseph Fielding (1973). The Restoration of All Things. Salt Lake City: Deseret Book,
• Smith, Joseph Fielding. The Signs of the Times. “Restoration of Israel and Judah.” Salt Lake City, Utah: Deseret News Press, 1952.
• Smith, Joseph Fielding. The Way to Perfection: Short Discourses on Gospel Themes. 9th ed. Salt Lake City: Genealogical Society of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1951,
• Smith, Joseph Jr. History of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Edited by B. H. Roberts. 2nd ed., Salt Lake City, Utah: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
• Smith, Joseph. History of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, (Vols. 1-7). Introduction and notes by B. H. Roberts.
• Standard works of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints: Bible, Book of Mormon, Pearl of Great Price.
• Talmage, James E. Jesus the Christ: A Study of the Messiah and His Mission According to Holy Scriptures Both Ancient and Modern.
• Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, TPJS
• The Babylonian Talmud, Complete Soncino English Translation (online). But also see Neusner, J. (2011). The Babylonian Talmud: A Translation and Commentary. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers; Neusner, J. (2008). The Jerusalem Talmud: A Translation and Commentary. Peabody, Massachusetts: Hendrickson Publishers; Neusner, J. (1988). The Mishnah : A new translation. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press.
• The Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown Commentary JFB (Isaiah). Fausset
• Tov, Emanuel. Textual Criticism of the Hebrew Bible (2nd Edition), Augsburg Fortress Press, Minneapolis, MN, 2001. Also see Third edition.
• Urwick, William (1877). ‬עֶבֶד יְהוָה The Servant of Jehovah: A Commentary, Grammatical and Critical upon Isaiah 52:13–53:12. Edinburgh. T&T Clark LTD. Urwick
• Wade, G. W. (1911). The Book of the Prophet Isaiah with Introduction and Notes. London: Methuen & Co. Wade
• Westermann, Claus (1969). Isaiah40–66 (Vol. 3). Part of the Old Testament Library series. The Westminster Press, Philadelphia. (Also see Kaiser, for Vols. 1–2) Westermann
• Whitehouse, Owen C. (1905). The Century Bible, Isaiah (Vols. 1–2). Edinburgh, London. Whitehouse
• Wildberger, H. (1997). A Continental Commentary: Isaiah 13-27. Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press. Wildberger
• Wolk, Herbert & Stek, John. The New International Version Study Bible (Isaiah).
• Wordsworth, CHR. (1871) The Holy Bible in the Authorized Version with Notes and Introductions. Volume 5 (Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, and Ezekiel). London, Rivingtons, Waterloo Place. Wordsworth
• Young, Edward J. (1993). The Book of Isaiah: A Commentary: The English Text, with Introduction, Exposition, and Notes (Vols. 1–3). Eerdmans Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, Michigan. Young
• Zimmerli, W. & Jeremias, J. (1957). The Servant of God. Alec R. Allenson, Inc., Naperville, Illinois.

JST – INSPIRED VERSION

• Joseph Smith’s “New Translation” of the Bible (1970). Edwards, Henry F. (introduction). Herald Publishing House, Independence, Missouri.
• Joseph Smith’s Translation of the Bible (2010) – Electronic Library
• LDS Bible JST notes
• The Complete Joseph Smith Translation of the New Testament: A Side-by-Side Comparison with the King James Version. Wayment, Thomas A.
• The Complete Joseph Smith Translation of the Old Testament: A Side-by-Side Comparison with the King James Version. Wayment, Thomas A.

Footnotes
¹Brigham H. Roberts, Seventy’s Course in Theology, Fifth Year (Deseret News Press, 1912), pp. IV–V.

The Historical Background of Isaiah

By

Darryl Alder

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The Prophet Nephi in 2 Nephi suggests four ways to understand Isaiah: know the manner of prophesying among the Jews, have the spirit of prophecy yourself, know the history and geography of the middle east in 700 BC and live in the last days. This timeline and the maps and chart should help you with the big picture.

Old Testament History

Recently I completed an adult Institute course on Isaiah, taught by my friend Blair Van Dyke. Blair has worked in the Church Education System for a number of years and the course on Isaiah is one of his favorites.

To begin each class, he sets the stage with maps and a timeline that he roughs out on the whiteboard for his classes. It was always fast and nearly always the same, but I really could not take notes to help you, my readers in Discover Isaiah with Darryl, so I looked into the back issues of the Ensign for resources.

In January 2002, the Ensign offered this great Old Testament Timeline listing major events, prophets, and kings in the Old Testament. You can download it here or view the next few screens to see where Isaiah comes into the big picture.

Timeline of the first half of the Old Testament — Genesis is an overview of Moses other books: Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. Genesis recounts events of the first 2000 years and the dispensations of Adam, Enoch, Noah, and Abraham.

Timeline of the books of the Old Testament — The end of Genesis and Exodus cover most of the third thousand years and tell of Gods people leaving Egypt, how they conquered the Promised Land and were first governed by Judges. Then sadly in Kings how they surrendered their freedom to be like others in the region first with Saul as King and then David and his son Solomon

Timeline of the events in the Golden Age of Israel under Kings David and Solomon. — This next time period runs between 1000–500 BC and includes the Golden Age of Israel under Kings David and Solomon. This includes the remaining books in the Old Testament from Kings to Malachi. Begining at 750 BC, Isaiah begins his service to four kings (see chart below)

Isaiah and the Kings of His Day

Geography of the Middle East in 740–700 BC

Was Child Trafficking Prophesied in Isaiah 2:6? You Decide

By

Search Isaiah

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Did you know that every 30 seconds a child is sold for sex, labor, or organ harvesting?

Many people of faith believe Isaiah 2 verse 6 shows that Isaiah prophesied of a day when child trafficking would occur:

“Therefore thou hast forsaken thy people the house of Jacob, because they be replenished from the east, and are soothsayers like the Philistines,

AND THEY PLEASE THEMSELVES IN THE CHILDREN OF STRANGERS.”

Isaiah 2:6

If true, 2,800 years ago Isaiah was shown a day when this disturbing, destructive, and toxic industry thrive. Today the sex trafficking industry brings in $150 BILLION dollars a year. It is one of the fastest growing criminal enterprises in the world. Below gives you a better idea:

30 million people are trapped in sex trafficking
2 million children are sex slaves throughout the world
6 million children are forced into either sex, labor, or organ harvesting
Sex trafficking is growing so rapidly because criminals can sell a human many times whereas drugs can only be sold once
The highest consumer of child pornography is the United States of America

This may seem like a foreign, untouchable issue to you. But there actually is something you can do. You can support Operation Underground Railroad (O.U.R.) in saving children from human trafficking. Here’s a little more about the non-profit:

Operation Underground Railroad, founded by Tim Ballard four years ago, combats child trafficking. Teams of former military and CIA special operatives subdue these criminals as well as train local law enforcement with strategies and resources to find and imprison predators.

In the past four years, O.U.R. has rescued 1,400 victims and assisted in the arrests of more than 570 traffickers around the world.

Join us in supporting O.U.R. to eradicate modern-day slavery and save children being abused throughout the world.

Start with watching this FREE newly-released documentary about Tim Ballard and the O.U.R mission, currently available online at ourfilm.org. After watching the film, you’ll have access to new content and ways to help from Tim Ballard and others.

Below is the trailer to learn more.

The Suffering Servant: Part I

By

Gregorio Billikopf

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Find other posts in this series by clicking here

As a descendant of Judah from my paternal heritage, my most valued treasure is the unshakable testimony of the Divinity of Jesus the Messiah, Son of God. In this five-part series we shall focus on two of the most sublime Messianic chapters in Scripture.

In Isaiah 52:13–15, and flowing into Isaiah 53, Skinner beautifully says: “The tragedy of which they have been spectators [the Suffering Servant’s contemporaries] makes an impression far more profound and convincing than any direct teaching could have done, compelling them to recognize the mission of the Suffering Servant, and at the same time producing penitence and confession of their own sin. The whole conception here given of the Servant of the Lord makes the prophecy the most remarkable anticipation in the Old Testament of the ‘sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow.’”

Urwick writes: “The more accurately and closely the passage is studied, the clearer does its Messianic import appear … No interpretation of this chapter at all comes up to its tone and befits its language, save that which recognizes here the invitations, the blessings, the triumphs of the gospel of Christ … Our English version of this famous passage is in the main as correct as it is beautiful. Compared with any newly attempted and competing translations, it far transcends them in sublime simplicity and in pathos.”

There are those who would deny the Messianic nature of these verses, or the Divinity of our Savior. But carefully note the ancient Targum of Jonathan (????), which makes it clear that these verses are of the Christ. Wordsworth says: “That this is a prophecy of the sufferings and exaltation of the Messiah, is confessed by many of the Hebrew Rabbis, as in Targum of Jonathan here, H. Simeon, and R. Moshe, R. Alschech.”

Cowles also notes: “Jewish opinion show that they applied it to the Messiah; e.g., the Targum of Jonathan paraphrases it, ‘My servant, the Messiah.’ This is supposed to bear date before the Christian era. That this opinion was held by the oldest school of Jewish interpreters is freely admitted by the Jewish doctors of the middle ages who themselves discarded the Messianic interpretation because they discarded the Christian Messiah; e.g., Ibn-Ezra, Jarchi, and Abarbanel.—In the Christian church, the Messianic interpretation was held almost universally until the close of the eighteenth century. It was then abandoned by various German critics who had previously discarded the doctrine of atonement and of divine inspiration. Their denial of its reference to the Messiah may very properly prompt us to a more vigilant examination of the subject and to a more thorough canvassing of its significance and weighing of its proofs; but need shake no man’s faith, for the passage rejoices in the most searching scrutiny and triumphs only the more, by how much the more severe is the ordeal of criticism through which skeptical minds may cause it to pass.”

Wordsworth states: “The ancient Jews always connected these three verses with what follows in the fifty-third chapter and applied them to the same Person—the Messiah.”

Also Horsley, along with numerous other exegetes, believes this passage ought to have been coupled with Isaiah 53: “This chapter should end with the 12^th verse, and the three following verses should make the beginning of the fifty-third chapter; in which the immediate subject is the humiliation and sufferings of the Messiah, his accomplishment of the general redemption, and his progress through suffering to glory.”

Instead, I would suggest that just as Isaiah has done with other subjects throughout, he is giving us a foretaste of things to come, in this case, of the Messiah’s sufferings on earth, more fully expanded in Isaiah 53. So also Rawlinson: “It is generally allowed by modern commentators that this passage is more closely connected with what follows it than with what precedes. Some would detach it altogether from Isaiah 52 and attach it to Isaiah 53. But this is not necessary. The passage has a completeness in itself [and serves as a prelude or introduction to the same].”

Govett well says that there is a contrast, in these last verses, between the mortal Messiah and the glorified Messiah: “Then follows a prediction of Jesus, and a comparison is instituted between his first and second coming. As many were astonished at his marred countenance when he came in humility, so ‘when he shall be exalted, and lifted very high.’” Indeed, there is a sort of chiasmus here. Isaiah 52:14 is the center of the poem, focusing on the mortal Messiah, and the verses on each side (Isaiah 52:13, 15) speak of the glorified Lord.

Keith suggests: “These verses … describe the glory of Christ, which will be manifested when he shall gather Israel, a glory which shall be in proportion to his former shame.”

Cheyne writes: “The importance of this chapter justifies a somewhat fuller commentary than usual. The ideas are well fitted to arrest the attention, especially that of Vicarious Atonement, which some have labored hard to expel from the prophecy, but which still forces itself on the unbiased reader.”

Faussett writes: “The correspondence with the life and death of Jesus Christ is so minute, that it could not have resulted from conjecture or accident. An impostor could not have shaped the course of events so as to have made his character and life appear to be a fulfillment of it. The writing is, moreover, declaredly prophetic.”

Delitzsch writes quoting the Jewish perspective: “‘Christian scholars’ says Abravanel, ‘interpret this prophecy as referring to that man who was crucified in Jerusalem about the end of the second temple, and who, according to their view, was the Son of God, who became man in the womb of the Virgin.

But Jonathan ben Uziel explains it as relating to the Messiah who has yet to come, and this is the opinion of the ancients in many of their Midrashim.’ So that even the synagogue could not help acknowledging that the passage of the Messiah through death to glory is predicted here.”

As in other occasions, Isaiah gives a hint of what is to come in more detail later. Driver & Neubauer, who write about the Jewish perspective, quote Yepheth Ben ‘Ali, a Karaite,[1] who after refuting the idea that these three verses could apply to the prophets in general or to Jeremiah in particular, boldly states: “As to myself, I am inclined, with Benjamin of Nehawend, to regard it as alluding to the Messiah …”

And so it is. I invite you to prayerfully study these verses here and those of Isaiah 53, for indeed the Spirit boldly testifies of Messiah, the Anointed One.

¶ “Behold, my servant shall deal prudently, he shall be exalted and extolled, and be very high.” —Isaiah 52:13

“Behold, my servant shall deal prudently.” The Targum (????) says, “Behold, my servant the Messiah shall prosper. Once again, note the reference to the Messiah. Cheyne says: “The same verb [יַשְׂכִּיל from the root שָׂכַל, wisely, prudently, to be a success, see Gesenius also] is applied to the ‘righteous Branch’ (i.e., probably, the Messiah) in Jeremiah 23:5 [2].” Not probably but surely of the Messiah.

The Jewish Midrash Tanhuma, explains Henderson (also see Schiller-Szinessy, Urwick), “‘This is the King Messiah,—who shall be higher than Abraham, more elevated than Moses, and exalted above the ministering angels.’”

Urwick further says: “Rabbi Alschech (in his commentary on this chapter, AD 1601) says: ‘Upon the testimony of tradition, our old Rabbins have unanimously admitted that King Messiah is here the subject of discourse.’”

Alexander defends the idea of the Messiah is here meant by my servant, עַבְדִּי: “The objection, that the title servant is not applied elsewhere to Messiah, would have little force if true, because the title in itself is a general one, and may be applied to any chosen instrument; it is not true, however, as the single case of Zechariah 3:8 will suffice to shew, without appealing to the fact, that the same application of the title, either partial or exclusive, has been found admissible above in Isaiah 42:1, 49:3, and 50:10.”

Zechariah 3:8 reads: “Hear now, O Joshua the high priest, thou, and thy fellows that sit before thee: for they are men wondered at: for, behold, I will bring forth my servant the Branch,” אֶת־עַבְדִּי צֶמַחּּ. Urwick, in defending the Messianic view, explains: “The word עֶבֶד occurs twice only in the passage [speaking of Isaiah 52:13–15 through Isaiah 53:12]; in the beginning, 52:13: ‘Behold my Servant’ and near the close, 53:11: ‘My righteous Servant;’ but the recurrence of the personal pronoun throughout, the emphatic and repeated הוּא, points obviously to Him, as distinct from the אֲנַחְנוּ, we.

There is a contrast very marked throughout between the Servant on the one hand, and the people collectively on the other. If our English version is deficient in any way, it is in not giving sufficient emphasis to these pronouns, הוּא, He, Himself, on the one hand; and אֲנַחְנוּ, we on our part, on the other. That emphatic pronoun occurs five times in the passage, which in other places our translators have rendered by the words: He Himself, e.g. Psalm 1:6: ‘God is Judge Himself;’ Psalm 37:5: ‘The Prophet Himself;’ Isaiah 7:14: ‘Jehovah Himself shall give you a sign.’”

“He shall be exalted and extolled, and be very high.” The Targum (????) says, for the last clause, “And He shall be very strong.” The LXX (????) reads, “And be exalted and highly glorified.” Schiller-Szinessy makes a comment of special interest to the LDS: “וְגָבַהּ means in itself simply and shall be high, and becomes relatively the superlative, only by the addition of another word … ‘For one higher than a high one regardeth, and there are higher ones than they.’ Here the other qualifying word is מְאֹד [very]” (emphasis added).

In Abraham we read: “And the Lord said unto me: These two facts do exist, that there are two spirits, one being more intelligent than the other; there shall be another more intelligent than they; I am the Lord thy God, I am more intelligent than they all” (Abraham 3:19, emphasis added).

Cowles says: “‘Extolled’ is here … [to mean] elevated, raised to supreme dignity and glory. All these terms concur in this one idea, which is put in its strongest possible form by the accumulation of all the words of the language which express it, heightened by the intensive, very, exceedingly, at the end.” These words are intimately associated with Isaiah 6:1, when Isaiah saw the Lord “sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up.” It is this lifted up, exalted, portion that has always particularly touched my heart. In that place most exegetes think it was the throne that was lifted up, but Kay and I believe it was the Lord who was exalted.

Furthermore, there is no doubt that here in Isaiah 52:13, we are speaking of the Messiah as being exalted and glorified. Yes, indeed our Redeemer atoned for our sins and triumphed over the grave, completing His expiatory work so that He could well say: “And now, O Father, glorify [see LXX (????) here in Isaiah 52:13] thou me with thine own self with the glory [see LXX (????) here in Isaiah 52:13] which I had with thee before the world was” (John 17:5). All those who are true disciples of our Lord Jesus Christ “shall be lifted up at the last day” (Alma 38:5b, also see Alma 37:37).

Jenour states: “St. Paul furnishes the best commentary that can be given upon these words; ‘Wherefore God hath highly exalted him (Jesus), and given him a name which is above every name; that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow’ (Philippians 2:9).” The Jewish view is also that the Messiah will be the most exalted. Driver & Neubauer quote Yalqut, as we saw earlier: “Who art thou, great mountain? (Zechariah 4:7) This refers to the King Messiah. And why does he call him ‘the great mountain?’ because he is greater than the patriarchs, as it is said, ‘My servant shall be high, and lifted up, and lofty exceedingly’—he will be higher than Abraham, who says, ‘I raise high my hands unto the Lord’ (Genesis 14:22); lifted up above Moses, to whom it is said, ‘Lift it up into thy bosom’ (Numbers 11:12); loftier than the ministering angels, of whom it is written, ‘Their wheels were lofty and terrible’ (Ezekiel 1:18). And out of whom does he come forth? Out of David (Yalqut 2:571).”

“As many were astonied at thee; his visage was so marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men:” —Isaiah 52:14

As many were astonied at thee; his visage was so marred more than any man. The Targum (????) says, “As the house of Israel anxiously hoped for Him many days.” Isaiah is about to speak of the mortal Messiah. Birks says “The appearance and character of Messiah would be a marvel and cause of astonishment to the Jewish people. He would wholly disappoint the expectation of carnal minds, who looked for all outward signs of royalty and worldly greatness. The rest of the verse explains the source of their astonishment, the appearance of a sorrowful and suffering Messiah.”

Cowles, leaning on Alexander says: “The many individuals were amazed at his marred visage and saw only things toward which they felt contempt and aversion.” Skinner writes: “The word ‘astonied’ expresses the blank amazement, mingled with horror, excited in the minds of beholders by the spectacle of the Servant’s unparalleled sufferings (cf. 1 Kings 9:8; Jeremiah 2:12; 18:16).”

Keith says: “In regard to his humiliation it is said, that the effects of his sufferings were so traceable in his appearance as to excite the astonishment of the spectator. Judging from the effects of suffering in others, in the shrunken features and shattered frame of the sufferer, no doubt, although it is not expressed in his history, that of Christ told visibly upon the frame of him who was flesh of our flesh. And as his sufferings were greater than others can endure, so, doubtless, his visage and form were more marred than those of others … Visage, from מַרְאֶה, signifying a looking, then the object seen, then appearance, as in Exodus 24:17. This is the meaning here, not the face only, but the general appearance.”

Jenour explains: “The humiliation and after glory of our adorable Redeemer are clearly predicted here, and in the following chapter. When his countenance was disfigured with tears and blood; and his body with stripes and wounds, and he hung in expiring agony upon the cross, to which he had been fastened by the hands of wicked men, then they who beheld him, looked upon him with scorn, and mocked and despised him.” There seems little doubt, at any rate, that Isaiah saw our Redeemer in the Garden of Gethsemane as well as on the cross.

Quoting Dr. Kalisch, Urwick explains that the whole point of the Mosaic law according to the Jewish perspective pointed to the role the Messiah would play: “So the Kabbalists held, that after the advent of the true Messiah no animal sacrifice would be required, since he would himself effect all that can be hoped for by sacrifices; ‘the Messiah will deliver up his soul and pour it out unto death, and his blood will atone the people of the Lord.’”[3] While as LDS we understand that animal sacrifice will once again, for a period, be carried out in the temple that will follow Ezekiel’s vision of the last days, the essence of this Kabbalistic statement is true.

Elder Neal A. Maxwell spoke about the process of being marred, “Because living prophets are so precious a presence on the human scene, adversarial efforts to diminish and to mar them—past and present—should not be surprising. These men are thus called upon to endure efforts to ‘mar’ them. The word mar, as used in certain scriptures, suggests to ‘spoil to a certain extent or to render less attractive,’ as if one were to mar furniture by scratching its surface but not harming its substance. Isaiah speaks of the Lord’s servant whose ‘visage’ (or appearance) is marred (Isaiah 52:14). The resurrected Jesus speaks of a ‘great and marvelous work’ which will not be believed by many, ‘although a man shall declare it unto them.’ This latter-day servant who was to bring Christ’s word forth ‘shall be marred … Yet … I will show unto them that my wisdom is greater than the cunning of the devil’ (3 Nephi 21:9–10).

The Doctrine and Covenants (10:43) uses those same last words (about the wisdom of the Lord proving greater than the cunning of the devil) in reference to Joseph Smith and the coming forth of the Book of Mormon. Joseph Smith, Sr., gave a father’s blessing to the Prophet Joseph on 9 December 1834. In part of that blessing, Father Smith quoted from ancient Joseph, who wondered how his latter-day posterity would receive the word of God. Then ancient Joseph’s eyes beheld Joseph Smith, Jr., to be raised up in the last days. Ancient Joseph’s soul was satisfied and he wept. Ancient Joseph was quoted by Father Smith as saying that the choice seer to arise ‘shall meditate great wisdom, [and his] intelligence shall circumscribe and comprehend the deep things of God, … though the wicked mar him for a little season.’ Church members should not be surprised, therefore, if enemies seek to ‘mar’ prophets and the Presidents of the Church, or the Church itself, by seeming to render it, or us as members, less attractive and influential, thus causing some to turn away from or to discount the Lord’s work and His servants.

One of the early Twelve, Elder Orson Hyde, observed that the ‘shafts’ intended for the Church ‘are always aimed at the head first.’ Being marred can be part of the experience of discipleship: ‘Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake’ (Matthew 5:11). If we as members are likewise ‘marred’ while doing the Lord’s work, it will prove to be yet another dimension of sharing the fellowship of Christ’s sufferings (see Philippians 3:10).”[4]

The Savior was marred (see Elder McConkie, The Mortal Messiah) through His suffering and is also now being marred by evil speech. The Savior, in His visit to the American Continent, quoted Isaiah 52:14 (see 3 Nephi 21:10) and spoke of a servant who would yet be marred, through the How Beautiful Feet Principle in the future. The Prophet Joseph Smith was also frequently punished physically and hated by many: “He [the angel] called me by name, and said unto me that he was a messenger sent from the presence of God to me, and that his name was Moroni; that God had a work for me to do; and that my name should be had for good and evil among all nations, kindreds, and tongues, or that it should be both good and evil spoken of among all people” (JS–History 1:33).

The Jewish scholars and Rabbis have ironically spoken much about the suffering Messiah, of Isaiah ben Joseph, or more specifically, Isaiah ben Ephraim (see Driver & & Neubauer, pp. 16, 32, 162, 300–303, 321, 390, 394). Some Christian exegetes have felt that this has been an effort to deny suffering to Messiah ben Judah or Messiah ben David.

“And his form more than the sons of men:” The Savior’s suffering was indeed more profound than that of any man and He bled from every pore for us.

“So shall he sprinkle [Book of Mormon] gather [Inspired Version] many nations; the kings shall shut their mouths at him; for [that] which had not been told them shall they see; and [that] which they had not heard shall they consider.” —Isaiah 52:15

“So shall he sprinkle / gather many nations.” We shall consider both at the KJV and Book of Mormon sprinkle as well as the Inspired Version gather.

Sprinkle, יַזֶּה. Birks exquisitely says—and all of my soul rejoices to contemplate it—and the Spirit testifies of the truthfulness of the atonement: “When the first covenant was confirmed at Sinai, Moses sprinkled the people with the blood of sacrifice, Exodus 24:8.[5] But this Prophet, like unto Moses, will sprinkle not one, but many nations, with the blood, not of oxen or rams, but of His own perfect sacrifice, and thus will bring them within the pale of a new and better covenant. Their kings shall shut their mouths at Him in mute wonder and reverence.”

Wordsworth says: “It [i.e., sprinkle] is specially applied both to describe the sprinkling with the blood of atonement, on the great day of atonement, and with the water of purification[6] (see Leviticus 4:6; 14:7; 16:14, 18, 19; Numbers 19:19).”

Gather. Some exegetes have suggested various possibilities, including scattered as in the Targum, the very opposite of gather. Cheyne writes: “So shall he * many nations] A most difficult passage.” So much so that Cheyne puts an asterisk to replace the word. Lowth writes: “I retain the common rendering, though I am by no means satisfied with it.” The inspired version uses gather.

Neubauer & Driver quote the Older Nizzahon: “If the prophet had meant to say that he would gather many nations to his religion, he should have written יקרב (will bring near or attract[7]), rather than יזה (will sprinkle or scatter).” I find it interesting, however, that the Older Nizzahon even brings up the subject of gathering. But Schiller-Szinessy[8] says, which coincide exactly with the Inspired Version: “The fact is, יזה here comes from the root וזה to accumulate, to gather, to attract.”

I worked for weeks trying to find additional information on the Hebrew יזה. Gladly, a Logos Bible Software colleague directed me to the Gesenius reference which I had missed: “יָזָה an unused root. Arab. وزى to gather selves together,” as well as the Emphasized Bible, which under Isaiah 52:15 says: “gather to himself” and more importantly, gives Fuerst’s Hebrew Lexicon (Williams & Norgate, 1871) as a reference. In the 1867 version of the Fürst Lexicon (see pp. 917–918) we find additional information of great interest: “נָזָה II. (Kal not used), intr. same as יָזָה (which see) to go together. Deriv. the proper name יִזִּיָּה.[9] Hif. (future יַזֶּה) to collect, Isaiah 52:14–15, like as many were amazed at him—and therefore fled from him—will he now gather to himself many nations. The versions have thought sometimes of expiating, purifying, sometimes of causing to exult; but the explanation now given is the most suitable.”[10]

After speaking of the mortal Messiah in the meridian of times Isaiah returns to speak of the latter-day when the good news or the Gospel would be preached through the Book of Mormon and the Bible and help gather Israel from all the nations of the earth. This is what I believe the word gather means in the context of Isaiah 52:15, but I also like the concept of attracting people to Christ, because else, why would they gather in the first place?

“The kings shall shut their mouths at him.” The Targum (????) says, “Before Him kings shall keep silence: they shall put their hands upon their mouths.” Rabbi Metsudath David, in Slotki/Rosenberg, says: “In amazement at the exaltation of the despised servant.” Keith says: “The expression ‘kings shall shut their mouths,’ denotes silence and subjection. Instead of taking counsel together any more against him, ‘all kings shall fall down before him, all nations shall serve him’ (Psalm 72:11).”

Wade explains: “Shall shut their mouths at him] Better, shall shut their mouths because of him, i.e. shall be awed into silence at the wonderful change in his condition (cf. Job 29:9; 40:4; Micah 7:16).” Nägelsbach writes: “in the same degree that one was horrified at Him, He will also provoke joyful wonder and reverence.” Similarly Alexander: “His exaltation shall bear due proportion to his humiliation; the contempt of men shall be exchanged for wonder and respect.” Kay says: “As His degradation was most surprising, exceeding any in human history; so shall His exaltation be. Many had looked wonderingly on Him as a wretched criminal …”

Elder Orson Pratt has tied this verse to the preaching of the Gospel of Jesus Christ after the restoration: “Now Moses has told us of that time, and it is repeated again in the 3^rd chapter of the Acts of the Apostles, that the Lord would raise up a Prophet, and it should come to pass that every soul that would not hear that Prophet should be cut off from among the people. We are told that that Prophet was Jesus, and we believe it. Jesus Christ was that Prophet, and the day is to come, as sure as the Lord lives in yonder heavens, when every soul that will not repent, and receive his work, will be literally cut off from among the people, just as Moses has predicted.[11] And it shall come to pass that ’kings shall shut their mouths: for that which had not been told them shall they see; and that which they have not heard shall they behold,’ a marvelous work and a wonder, a work that the Lord would perform in the latter days. A strange work, a strange act, so-called by Isaiah the Prophet.”[12]

Of some of these same verses in 3 Nephi 21, the Savior seems to liken some of these Scriptures to the latter-day restoration of the Gospel and even to Joseph Smith. For instance, the Savior said, “And when these things come to pass [such as the going forth of the Book of Mormon] that thy seed shall begin to know these things [speaking of the Lamanites]—it shall be a sign unto them, that they may know that the work of the Father hath already commenced unto the fulfilling of the covenant which he hath made unto the people who are of the house of Israel. And when that day shall come, it shall come to pass that kings shall shut their mouths; for that which had not been told them shall they see; and that which they had not heard shall they consider. For in that day, for my sake shall the Father work a work, which shall be a great and a marvelous work among them; and there shall be among them those who will not believe it, although a man shall declare it unto them” (3 Nephi 21:7–9).

“For that which had not been told them shall they see.” The LXX (????) reads, “Because they, to whom no publication was made concerning him, shall see.” As we read in Isaiah 40:5: “And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.” So it is that all shall see Him so that it will not be necessary for anyone to tell them about it. In Habakkuk 2:14 we read: “For the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.” In Jeremiah 31:34a we read: “And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the Lord.”

“And that which they had not heard shall they consider.” The LXX (????) and Peshitta (????) suggest understand rather than consider. Skinner writes: “for that which had not been told them] The meaning is either that the exaltation of the Servant is an event of which they had received no announcement beforehand, or that it is one the like of which had never been known.”

Notes

[1] The Karaites are a Jewish group who reject rabbinical traditions and lean heavily on the Hebrew Scriptures, that is, the Old Testament. For more information see The Jewish Encyclopedia (1901–1906), 7:438, New York; London: Funk & Wagnalls.

[2] “Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper [וְהִשְׂכִּיל root שָׂכַל], and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth” (Jeremiah 23:5). ASV says: “Behold, the days come, saith Jehovah, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land.”

[3] Kalisch, M. M. A Historical and Critical Commentary on the Old Testament with a new translation. Leviticus, Part I. English or Abridged Edition. 1867. Urwick uses a different edition, p. 59. The 1867 edition has the quote in p. 46. Kalisch also points us to Isaiah 53:12.

[4] Maxwell, Neal A. If Thou Endure It Well. Salt Lake City, Utah: Bookcraft, 1996, pp. 71–72.

[5] See also the numerous references to the sprinkling of blood in the Day of Atonement, or Yom Kippur, and temple services in anticipation to the atonement by the Son of Man.

[6] Not a few Christian commentators mention that sprinkling meant baptism, so I was pleased to find Schiller-Szinessy’s comments here that the earliest form of baptism was through immersion, not by sprinkling.

[7] Gesenius says “to draw near.”

[8] The author of this dissertation says of himself: “I am now 61 years of age, and I so loved the Hebrew Bible in my youth that I knew the whole of it by heart before I was ten years old. But, although the whole Bible has ever been dear to me, my favourite prophet has always been Isaiah. Him I studied under Jews, Rabbanites and Quaraites; him I studied under Christian, Roman Catholics and Protestants. He has ever been my thought by day, my dream in the night; my comfort in trouble, my exultation in happiness” (pp.6–7). An Exposition of Isaiah 52:13–15; and 53; Delivered before the Council of the Senate in the Law School on Friday, April 28, 1882, Cambridge.

[9] Pronounced something like Yiziyah, and in modern English it is sometimes written Izayah, both of which sound like the Hebrew pronunciation of Isaiah.

[10] Fuerst [Fürst], Dr. Julius, A Hebrew & Chaldee Lexicon to the Old Testament, Professor at the University of Leipzig. Translated from the German by Samuel Davidson, D.D. of the University of Halle. London, Williams & Norgate. 1867 (3^rd edition). First German Edition was published in 1857.

[11] “I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren [Jesus Christ], like unto thee [Moses], and will put my words in his mouth [see Isaiah 51:16]]; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him. And it shall come to pass, that whosoever will not hearken unto my words which he shall speak in my name, I will require it of him [shall be cut off or suffer the consequences for such disobedience]” (Deuteronomy 18:18–19).

[12] Pratt, Elder Orson. “Gathering of Israel, Etc.” Journal of Discourses, Vol. 18, No. 4, 11 April 1875, pp. 28–29.

Top 15 Books on Isaiah by LDS Authors: Kindle

By

Isaiah Labs

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The team at Isaiah Labs is excited to introduce our latest research project, Top 15 Books on Isaiah on Kindle. The Top 20 Books on Isaiah: LDS Authors-Paperbook is also available.

We wanted to see who the most popular LDS authors are who write the Top 15 Books on Isaiah. We looked at Amazon, Deseret Book, and Barnes And Noble, and the only site we could find that makes their data available to allow us to determine actual rankings is Amazon.com.

The ‘Top 15 Books on Isaiah’ as of July 4, 2018:

The top author for books specifically about Isaiah is Monte Nyman with “Great Are the Words of Isaiah.”
Our newest author in the ranking is Terry Ball (new release on Jun 19, 2018, called “Isaiah: An LDS Perspective on the Beloved Prophet’s Message“.)
The author with the most books (3) in the Top 15 is Avraham Gileadi with “Isaiah Decoded“, “The End from the Beginning: The Apocalyptic Vision of Isaiah with Isaiah Translation“, and “The Literary Message of Isaiah.“
The author with the most reviews (69) is Avraham Gileadi with “Isaiah Decoded.”
The author with the most stars (5.0) is Victor Ludlow with “Isaiah: Prophet, Seer, and Poet.”

Rank	Books	Author	# Stars	# Reviews	Kindle Rank
1	Great Are the Words of Isaiah	Monte Nyman	4.6	9	148,203
2	Isaiah: An LDS Perspective on the Beloved Prophet's Message	Terry Ball		0	175,529
3	Isaiah Decoded	Avraham Gileadi	4.5	69	289,172
4	Isaiah Made Easier	David Ridges	4.8	44	342,058
5	The End from the Beginning: The Apocalyptic Vision of Isaiah with Isaiah Translation	Avraham Gileadi	4.3	16	450,085
6	Isaiah Speaks to Modern Times	Cleon Skousen	4.5	17	526,151
7	Isaiah: Prophet, Seer and Poet	Victor Ludlow	5	2	535,332
8	Isaiah For Airheads	John Bytheway	4.6	47	640,171
9	Understanding Isaiah	Jay Parry, Donald Parry	4.6	39	708,173
10	The Literary Message of Isaiah	Avraham Gileadi	4.7	8	824,541
11	The Vision of All: Twenty-five Lectures on Isaiah in Nephi's Record	Joseph Spencer	4.3	12	887,412
12	Isaiah, Plain and Simple: The Message of Isaiah in the Book of Mormon	Hoyt Brewster, Jr.	5	3	1,159,678
13	Unlocking Isaiah in the Book of Mormon	Victor Ludlow	4.4	6	1,462,295
14	Unlocking Isaiah	Reg Christensen		6	1,559,976
15	Making Sense of Isaiah	Terry Ball and Nathan Winn	4.4	9	1,582,717

7 Ways to Increase My Favorite Book on the ‘Top 15 Books on Isaiah’

Do a thoughtful review of a book you purchase through Amazon.
Review and comment on other reviews on books about Isaiah (so the whole category grows.)
Share your favorite book through social media.
Tell others about your favorite book.
Share your favorite author through social media
Tell others about your favorite author.
Ask Deseret Book to make their purchase data available so we can publish it with Amazon!

How ‘Top 15 Books on Isaiah’ Rankings have Changed

Rankings have changed quite a bit over the last six months since January of 2018. Here are a few examples:

“Great are the Words of Isaiah” by Monte Nyman rose from a #9 ranking of 512,485 to #1 at 148, 203.
“Isaiah Decoded” by Avraham Gileadi fell from its #1 slot at a ranking of 101,909 to #3 at 289,172.
“The End from the Beginning: The Apocalyptic Vision of Isaiah with Isaiah Translation” by Avraham Gileadi fell from its #2 slot at a ranking of 157,304 to #5 with 450,085.
“Understanding Isaiah” by Jay and Don Parry fell from its #3 slot at 170,775 to #9 at 708,173.
“The Literary Message of Isaiah” by Avraham Gileadi fell from its #4 slot at 185,358 to #10 at 824,541.
“Isaiah Made Easier” by David Ridges rose from its #5 slot at 200,893 to #4 at 342,058 (but the entire category fell in overall purchase ranking on Amazon, hence the lower Amazon ranking.)
“Isaiah For Airheads” by John Bytheway from #6 at 205,847 to #8 at 640,171.
The average ranking of the Top 15 Books on Isaiah fell from 588,004 to 752,766 in the last six months. Come on everyone! Start reading (and buying!)

‘Top 15 Books on Isaiah’ Other Interesting Facts

Honorable Mention includes “Making Isaiah Plain” by Randal Chase at 2,121,456, “Isaiah for Today” by Mark E. Peterson at 2,127,861, and “Commentaries on Isaiah in the Book of Mormon” by Douglas Bassett.
Deseret Book is the top publisher and has 7 of the Top 15 Books on Isaiah.
Hebraeus Foundation is the 2nd best publisher and has 3 of the Top 15 Books on Isaiah.
Cedar Fort is the 3rd best publisher and has 2 of the Top 15 Books on Isaiah.
The oldest book in the Top 15 Books on Isaiah is “Understanding Isaiah” by Jay and Don Parry having been published in 1998.
The most expensive Kindle Book still selling well in the Top 15 Books on Isaiah is “Understanding Isaiah” by Jay and Don Parry for $28.49, (hint, their used hardback version was under $5 when we checked, it’s also the oldest book in the Top 15 Books on Isaiah, lots of used copies for cheap!)
The least expensive Kindle Book selling well in the Top 15 Books on Isaiah is “Isaiah Made Easier” by David Ridges for $6.15.

How ‘Top 15 Books on Isaiah’ Works

Amazon publishes a really cool section about every book it sells called ‘Product details.’ Here are the Product details on The Book of Mormon Made Easier, Part 1 by David J. Ridges, (David is our reigning champion with books that focus on Isaiah, though we didn’t include it here in the Top 15 Books on Isaiah, because it isn’t specifically just about Isaiah. Don’t worry, we have entire other lists coming that includes Non-LDS, Book of Mormon, and Old Testament Commentaries that include Isaiah.):

Product details

File Size: 1409 KB
Print Length: 440 pages
Publisher: Cedar Fort, Inc (August 1, 2007)
Publication Date: August 1, 2007
Sold by: Amazon Digital Services LLC
Language: English
ASIN: B008I42P1C
Text-to-Speech:
X-Ray: Enabled
Word Wise: Enabled
Lending: Enabled
Screen Reader:
Enhanced Typesetting:
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #77,754 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
- #26 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Religion & Spirituality > Christian Books & Bibles > Christian Denominations & Sects > Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints
- #60 in Books > Christian Books & Bibles > Christian Denominations & Sects > Mormonism
- #14771 in Books > Religion & Spirituality

Here is the listing of The Book of Mormon Made Easier Part 1 on Amazon so you can look for yourself (hint, the bundle package with Book of Mormon Made Easier Parts 1, 2, and 3 is the best deal!):

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What Does Isaiah Say About Prayer?

By

Darryl Alder

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Fasting and prayer are interwoven. In a recent post, we answered the question, “What does Isaiah have to say about fasting?” Here, we will explore prayer in the Book of Isaiah using selected verses and a variety of translations.

In the LDS Bible Dictionary it states, “Prayer is nowhere specifically commanded as a duty in the law, and prayers were not prescribed…[prayer] is, however, certain from the nature of things, and from the custom in later times, that prayer accompanied sacrifice. …Before the first generation of mankind had passed away, men began to call upon the name of the Lord (Gen. 4:26; Moses 5:4). Prayers, whether with (Gen. 12:8; 13:4) or without (Gen. 20:7) sacrifice, were constantly offered by the patriarchs to God.”¹

Approach God with Confidence

The most profound example of prayer in the days of Isaiah is his own vision in Isaiah 6. During prayer, Isaiah saw the Lord on his throne. However, he did not imagine that anyone could see God and live to tell about it; still, he found the courage to approach God to speak with him. It was then that God called Isaiah to be a prophet to Judah and all of Israel, but Isaiah felt unfit. He told the Lord that he was both unqualified and unworthy to receive the call.

In response, the Lord sent angels to him, helping him partake of the Savior’s Atonement. Isaiah described this by explaining that a seraph took a live coal from the altar of the temple and laid it on his mouth. Then the Seraph said: “Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged” (verse 7).

Like so many others who have come to Christ, Isaiah’s prayer was his introduction to God’s love through the Atonement. In the answer, he came to know the nature of God, in the form of a loving Father, which made Him approachable to the prophet.

When we truly know and understand that we are a children of God with a Father in Heaven who loves us and who knows our needs, we see God more as a loving parent rather than a fearsome force. This knowledge makes speaking with Him in prayer easier, like calling home to a parent who wants to know what you’ve been up to, both good and bad.

Praise the Lord

Isaiah 12:1-2: Isaiah praises the Lord in prayer (Compare 2 Nephi 22).

1 …O LORD, I will praise thee:
though thou wast angry with me,
but thine anger is turned away,
and thou comfortedst me.
2 Behold God, God is my salvation;
I will trust, and not be afraid:
for the LORD JEHOVAH is my strength and my song;
he also is become my salvation.²

(This quotation from the Dead Sea Scrolls is taken from Opening Isaiah)

Have you taken time to praise the Lord for your redemption and forgiveness of your sins?

Isaiah 25:1-6: God will swallow up death in victory.

1 O Lord, you are my God;
I will exalt you; I will praise your name,
for you have done wonderful things,
plans formed of old, faithful and sure.
2 For you have made the city a heap,
the fortified city a ruin;
the foreigners’ palace is a city no more;
it will never be rebuilt.
3 Therefore strong peoples will glorify you;
cities of ruthless nations will fear you.
4 For you have been a stronghold to the poor,
a stronghold to the needy in his distress,
a shelter from the storm and a shade from the heat;
for the breath of the ruthless is like a storm against a wall,
5 like heat in a dry place.
You subdue the noise of the foreigners;
as heat by the shade of a cloud,
so the song of the ruthless is put down.
6 On this mountain the Lord of hosts will make for all peoples
a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wine,
of rich food full of marrow, of aged wine well refined.

(This quotation from the English Standard Version)

Have you ever lost a loved one and felt inclined to thank God for his victory over death?

Isaiah 26 is “a prayer in which the people of God are portrayed as an offering to the Lord. This prayer contains several stages. First, the Lord blesses the righteous (verse 7). Next, the people explain that they wait for the Lord to bring judgments upon the wicked and salvation to the righteous (verses 8-11). It then appears that he describes the Millennium (verses 12-15), and then portrays the events immediately preceding it (verses 16-18). He concludes with a beautiful promise of the Resurrection (verse 19). The entire prayer begins with Isaiah’s petition for all of Israel:”³

⁷The path of the righteous is level;
    you, the Upright One, make the way of the righteous smooth.
⁸Yes, Lord, walking in the way of your laws,
    we wait for you;
your name and renown
    are the desire of our hearts.
⁹My soul yearns for you in the night;
    in the morning my spirit longs for you.
When your judgments come upon the earth,
    the people of the world learn righteousness.
¹⁰But when grace is shown to the wicked,
    they do not learn righteousness;
even in a land of uprightness they go on doing evil
    and do not regard the majesty of the Lord.
¹¹Lord, your hand is lifted high,
    but they do not see it.
Let them see your zeal for your people and be put to shame;
    let the fire reserved for your enemies consume them.

¹²Lord, you establish peace for us;
    all that we have accomplished you have done for us.
¹³Lord our God, other lords besides you have ruled over us,
but your name alone do we honor.

¹⁴They are now dead, they live no more;
    their spirits do not rise.
You punished them and brought them to ruin;
    you wiped out all memory of them.
¹⁵You have enlarged the nation, Lord;
    you have enlarged the nation.
You have gained glory for yourself;
    you have extended all the borders of the land.

¹⁶Lord, they came to you in their distress;
    when you disciplined them,
    they could barely whisper a prayer.^[b]
¹⁷As a pregnant woman about to give birth
    writhes and cries out in her pain,
    so were we in your presence, Lord.
¹⁸We were with child, we writhed in labor,
    but we gave birth to wind.
We have not brought salvation to the earth,
    and the people of the world have not come to life.

(This quotation from the New International Version)

Donald Parry asks, “When will this prayer be uttered?” He then answers, “This prayer or one like it has been offered by the righteous since the beginning of the world, for it sets forth their desires for God’s judgments. The prayer should also represent our desires.”⁴

Isaiah 21:8: Isaiah waits on the Lord.

8 …“My lord,
I stand continually upon the watchtower in the daytime,
and I am set in my ward whole nights:

This quotation is taken from Understanding Isaiah⁵

With a prayer in our heart, each of us can be diligent by keeping watch and waiting on the Lord.

Prayer Must Be Sincere

The habit of prayer will draw you to God and will actually help you come to know Him better. However, the habit of prayer should not be lazy one. The LDS Bible Dictionary explains, “It was the custom to pray three times a day, as did David (Ps. 55:17), Daniel (Dan. 6:10), and the later Jews. Prayer was said before meat (1 Sam. 9:13).

In Isaiah 1:2, God says, “Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth: for the Lord hath spoken.” As Isaiah continues to write in that chapter, He scolds Israel for their insincere prayers, beginning in verses 12–15:

“When ye come to appear before me, …bring no more vain oblations …they are a trouble unto me; I am weary to bear them …and when ye spread forth your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you: yea, when ye make many prayers, I will not hear”

So when God says “many prayers, I will not hear,” He probably means He may not be listening whenever we recite our rote blessing on the food or perform our kneel-and-dash bedtime prayer. “‘Making many prayers’ was a part of the corrupt religion of Israel under the later kings (Isa. 1:15).”⁶ And yet in this same chapter, Isaiah offers hope as he alludes to the effects of the Atonement in our sincere repentant prayer. He continues,

“18 Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.
19 If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land.”

Always Pray

In the later chapters of Isaiah the prophet taught,

6 Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near:
7 Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. (Isa. 55:6–7)

Isaiah teaches us that in spite of our unworthiness, the Lord is there.

1 Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear:
2 But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.(Isa. 59:1-2).

Pray with Faith

Hezekiah’s Jerusalem was in an imminent threat from the Assyrians; King Hezekiah prayed for deliverance of his people and Jehovah delivered them from the besieging Assyrians.

14 And Hezekiah received the letter from the messengers and read it. Then Hezekiah went up to the house of Jehovah and unrolled it before Jehovah. 15And Hezekiah prayed to Jehovah and said,

16 O Jehovah of Hosts, God of Israel, who sits enthroned between the cherubim, you alone are God over all the kingdoms of the earth. It is you who made the heavens and the earth…

17 O Jehovah, give ear and hear; O Jehovah, open your eyes and see. Listen to all the words Sennacherib has sent to mock the living God.

18 O Jehovah, the kings of Assyria have indeed destroyed all peoples^c and their lands, 19 committing their gods to the fire. For they were no gods, but mere works of men’s hands, of wood and of stone, and so they could destroy them. 20 But now, O Jehovah our God, deliver us out of his hand, that all kingdoms on earth may know that you alone are Jehovah.

(This quotation from the Isaiah Institute Translation)

In answer to this prayer, that night the angel of God slew a hundred and 85,000 Assyrian soldiers, but the king fell ill. Isaiah counseled the king to put his affairs in order because he was going to die. The King then offered a remarkable prayer (2 Kgs. 19:14; Isa. 38:9) as he lay on his deathbed.

2 Then Hezekiah turned his face toward the wall, and prayed unto the Lord,
3 And said, Remember now, O Lord, I beseech thee,
how I have walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart,
and have done that which is good in thy sight.
And Hezekiah wept sore.

God sent Isaiah back to the king and promised that 15 years would be added to his life. This prayer of gratitude followed in part:

16 O Lord, by these things men live,
and in all these things is the life of my spirit:
so wilt thou recover me, and make me to live.
17 Behold, for peace I had great bitterness:
but thou hast in love to my soul delivered it from the pit of corruption:
for thou hast cast all my sins behind thy back.
18 For the grave cannot praise thee,
death can not celebrate thee:
they that go down into the pit cannot hope for thy truth.
19 The living, the living, he shall praise thee,
as I do this day: the father to the children shall make known thy truth.

Isaiah’s Intercessory Prayer

One of the most remarkable prayers recorded in Isaiah is found in chapter 64:1–2. In this prayer of intercession the prophet calls on the Lord:

“Oh that you would rend the heavens and come down,
that the mountains might quake at your presence—
as when fire kindles brushwood
and the fire causes water to boil—to make your name known to your adversaries,
and that the nations might tremble at your presence!
When you did awesome things that we did not look for,
you came down, the mountains quaked at your presence. (Isaiah 64:1-2)“

In Jewish custom, the Bible Dictionary explains, “Smiting on the breast and rending of the garments signified special sorrow (Ezra 9:5; Luke 18:13).” But in this case ‘rend’ means to tear open heaven to reveal Himself to mankind so that the world would see God as Isaiah had seen Him!

In this prayer to ‘rend the heavens and come down’, I believe Isaiah was reflecting on his own vision in Isaiah 6:1–8, as explained above where he saw God on his throne, angels and his sudden awareness of his own sins. Tasting of God’s grace and feeling purged of sin, this intercessory pray is for all of us to have a similar glorious experience.

Regarding Isaiah 64, one writer in Christ for All Nations wrote,

“God wants us to approach Him in prayer with assurance and confidence in His all-sufficient provision. Today we can march boldly into the presence of God with a pure conscience and a heart full of faith, knowing that God has already destroyed everything that stands between Him and us by the blood of Jesus Christ. He truly has given us the keys to the Kingdom of Heaven.”⁷

Lastly, in Isaiah 56:7, Isaiah invites us to pray in the temple:

7 Even them will I bring to my holy mountain,
and make them joyful in my house of prayer:
their burnt offerings and their sacrifices shall be accepted upon mine altar;
for mine house shall be called an house of prayer for all people.

Footnotes

¹“Prayer,” LDS Bible Dictionary
²iAnn Madsen and Shon Hopkin, Opening Isaiah—a Harmony, Dead Sea Scroll Column, Isaiah 12, p 49
³Victor Ludlow, Isaiah, Prophet, Seer, and Poet, Deseret Book Shelf
⁴Don Parry, Understanding Isaiah, Deseret Book Company. Kindle Edition
⁵Parry, ibid.
⁶Ludlow, ibid.
⁷in Christ for All Nations

For Further Study click on Prayer in LDS Topics and Prayer at Mormon.org

The Fourth of July and Isaiah

By

Jacob Krogue

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40:31 But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

61:1 The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound;

45:8 Drop down, ye heavens, from above, and let the skies pour down righteousness: let the earth open, and let them bring forth salvation, and let righteousness spring up together; I the Lord have created it.

61:1 The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound;

40:31 But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

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Footnotes 1Brigham H. Roberts, Seventy’s Course in Theology, Fifth Year (Deseret News Press, 1912), pp. IV–V.

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Approach God with Confidence

Praise the Lord

Prayer Must Be Sincere

Always Pray

Pray with Faith

Isaiah’s Intercessory Prayer

Footnotes

For Further Study click on Prayer in LDS Topics and Prayer at Mormon.org

Footnotes
¹Brigham H. Roberts, Seventy’s Course in Theology, Fifth Year (Deseret News Press, 1912), pp. IV–V.