In Isaiah 57:14, the Lord commands: “Cast ye up, cast ye up, prepare the way, take up the stumbling block out of the way of my people.” While this may seem a bit obscure, The Israel Bible renders it this way: “Build up, build up a highway! Clear a road! Remove all obstacles From the road of My people!” Some people in Israel see this prophecy being fulfilled in the excavation of an ancient tunnel system.
“The only part of ancient Jerusalem that lies in the Old City is the Temple Mount,” stated AnaRina Heymann, Outreach Coordinator at the City of David in Jerusalem. She explained that the ancient city of Jerusalem was rediscovered by Charles Warren in 1867 when he found a tunnel system (Warren’s Shaft) below the old city. King David may have used these tunnels to capture Jerusalem, and Heymann points to the restoration of these tunnels—covered on both ends by stones—as fulfillment of prophecy.
Heymann said, “Something amazing is happening because you see that we are now excavating this road, and again prophecy is being fulfilled because it says in Isaiah, ‘build up, build up the road,’ the highway. And it says ‘remove the stones for my people’s return.'”
The Biblical City of David in the period of Herod’s Temple, from the Holy Land Model of Jerusalem.
Last August, Chris Mitchell wrote, “When people visit Jerusalem’s Old City, they may believe it’s the same place King David set up as his capital more than 3,000 years ago. But, that’s not exactly the case. Archaeologists are uncovering the original city and telling others its amazing story.” (Mitchell interviewed Heymann in the above video.)
According to Heymann, each day, excavations of the City of David in Jerusalem are fulfilling the exact words of Isaiah 57:14.“As we uncover the city, the archaeological finds provide unequivocal proof, not only of the Jewish presence of more than 3,000 years in the land, but also the Biblical connection to Jerusalem”—proving to many the actual existence of the Kingdom of David.
Haymann often sees Bible prophesy unfold. In another interview, she cited Isaiah 52:2—explaining how the City of David is revealing itself. “We’re starting to see, in the last decade, the blueprint. She’s starting to share what she looked like to us again. So, you can see how prophecy is speeding up as we go. It’s said [Hebrew] ‘shake off your dust, arise, take your rightful place, Jerusalem.’ If you see the excavations here on a daily basis, you can see the buckets flying. You can see the dust literally flying about, how she’s shaking off her dust.”
There are many ways to study scriptures. Here are ten tips to try in improving your study of Isaiah.
Relax and realize that you already know a lot if you been attending Sunday meetings, seminary, family home evening, personal study, and prayer. These help you in studying Isaiah because those basic teachings are woven throughout Isaiah’s writings—
Isaiah covers three main topics: Jesus Christ, the last days, and the events of Isaiah’s day. Review each chapter heading to one of these topics and then read that group. Unlike most books in the Bible, Isaiah is NOT chronological, but topical. Find one that is interesting and go after it.
Use the Book of Mormon and Doctrine and Covenants to understand Isaiah’s words. There are 433 verses from Isaiah in the Book of Mormon, most have commentary from whoever wrote them. Doctrine and Covenants 113 explains several verses in Isaiah 52and Isaiah 11, saying that these verses relate to the restoration of the gospel in the last days, specifically the calling of the Prophet Joseph Smith, the restoration of the priesthood, and the gathering of Israel. Both the Book of Mormon and D&C are linked in many footnotes in the Book of Isaiah. Follow these for greater insights.
Use conference talks at the Citation Index to understand Isaiah. Church leaders have used Isaiah in more than 4000 times in their talks
In 2 Nephi 25:1, 6, he suggests that we learn “the manner of prophesying among the Jews.” Understanding Isaiah’s symbolism and Hebrew poetry are both helpful in understanding his prophecies. SearchIsaiah.org Labs and Top Questions sections are filled with helpful tools.
Victor Ludlow has a simple suggestion. Read all the chapter headings; all 66 of them. Then pick just one to read and reread it. See if it’s in the Book of Mormon and read it again there. In your final reading check all the footnotes for greater insights. Now you have read one chapter. There are 65 more if that worked for you.
Isaiah was written in ancient Hebrew; likewise, the King James Version is written in archaic English. Get a modern translation online to read alongside the KJV. The New Revised Standard Version is a simple modern version that makes sense to read.
If you want to understand the history of Isaiah’s writing, study the Bible dictionary, maps, and other sources to learn about Isaiah’s world. For example, Look at the map at this map, and read Isaiah 7:1–2. To see what the kingdom of Judah up against politically. Similarly, open the Bible Dictionary to Assyria and Babylonia to learn about the two great empires that threatened the Jews.
Commit to studying by the Spirit. Pray before you read asking God to help you understand the words. As you study by the Spirit, you will feel the truth of the Savior’s words: “Great are the words of Isaiah. 3 Nephi 23:1–5”
Regarding the “letter of Prophecy,” the Jews rely on interpretive devices such as types and shadows, allegorical language, literary patterns, underlying structures, parallelism, double meaning, keywords, code names, and many other mechanical tools. Below are some governing structures:
Governing Structures:
Near Eastern
Egyptian: Sinuhe Story: Trouble at Home, Exile Abroad, Happy Homecoming
The Monomyth or Hero Journey: Separation, Initiation, Return
Ugaritic (Ugarit is anancientcityinSyria)
Myth of Baal and Anath: The themes of Apostasy, Judgement, Restoration, Salvation as found in Isaiah parallel the Babylonian themes of Threat, War, Victory, and Feast.
One Ugaritic cycle encompasses the whole book of Isaiah:
Apostasy———- Isaiah 10-34
Judgment——— Isaiah 10-34
Restoration——– Isaiah 30-59
Salvation———- Isaiah 60-66
Local Ugaritic themes exist throughout Isaiah. Several examples:
Apostasy
Judgment
Restoration
Salvation
Isaiah 1:20-23
Isaiah 1:24
Isaiah 1: 25-26
Isaiah 1:27
Isaiah 1:28-29
Isaiah 1:30-31
Isaiah 2:2-3
Isaiah 2:4-5
Isaiah 57:11
Isaiah 57:12-13
Isaiah 57:13-14
Isaiah 57:15
Isaiah 57:16-17
Isaiah 57:17
Isaiah 57:18
Isaiah 57:19
Zion Ideology
General: Encompassing the whole book of Isaiah
Destruction or Judgement of the wicked———-Isaiah 1-36
Deliverance or establishment of the righteous—–Isaiah 40-66
At the appearance or ascension to the throne of a righteous Davidic King—–Isaiah 37-39
Local: Every time Isaiah mentions ZION these ideas come together. The Davidic King mostly appears under a pseudonym: Ensign, Staff, Hand, Arm, Righteousness, etc. (Note: Under the Davidic Covenant God pledges to protect the King’s people as long as the King remains loyal. Under the Sinaitic Covenant, every person has to be loyal to merit protection. The Davidic Covenant follows the pattern of ancient near eastern covenant of grant between a suzerain and vassal king–the suzerain protects the people of the vassal king as long as the vassal king remains loyal, for example, King Hezekiah in Isaiah 37:33-36 and Isaiah 38: 2-6)1
Covenantal Malediction and Benediction
Covenantal Malediction—–Isaiah 1-39
Covenantal Benediction—–Isaiah 40-66
Bifid Chiastic Structure (original to Isaiah)Forms of Speech (small literary patterns)
Ruin and Renascence (Isaiah 1-5; 34-35)
Recalcitrance and Compliance (Isaiah 6-8; 36-41)
Punishment and Deliverance (Isaiah 9-12; 41-46)
Humiliation and Exaltation (Isaiah 13-23; 47
Suffering and Salvation (Isaiah 24-27; 48-54)
Disloyalty and Loyalty (Isaiah 28-31; 55-59)
Disinheritance and Inheritance (Isaiah 32-33; 60-66)
Forms of Speech
Lawsuit (Isaiah 1:10-20)
Messenger Speech [Thus says the Lord] (Isaiah 7:3-9; 30:8-17)
Woe Oracle (Isaiah 5:8-24)
Prophetic Lament [How?] (Isaiah 1:21)
Priestly Sermons (Isaiah 8:11-17; 51:1-8)
Parable (Isaiah 5:1-7; 27:2-6)
Song of Salvation (Isaiah 12:1-6; 26:1-6)
Proclamation of Judgement?
Ethical Sermon?
The Parable?
Commission Formula* (Isaiah 6:9)
Proclamation Formula* (Isaiah 28:23; 49:1)
Oath Formula* (Isaiah 14:24; 62:8; 45:23)
Revelation Formula* (Isaiah 7:3; 8:3; 21:16)
Prophetic Call Narrative (Isaiah 6:1-13)
Prophetic Symbolic Actions (Isaiah 20:1-6)
Prophetic Lawsuit (Isaiah 1:2-3, 18-20)
Prophetic Vision (Isaiah 6)
Judgment Oracle* (Isaiah 3:12; 29:13-14)
Recognition Formula* (Isaiah 45:3; 49:23)
Parallelism (the smallest structure)
Synonymous Parallelism
Antithetical Parallelism [contrasts one word or idea with another] (Isaiah 45:7)
Metaphors
• Key Words: Individual metaphorical terms such as Sea, River, Razor, Light, Hand, Ensign, Staff, Anger, Litter
• Transcendent Drama: Struggle between the Archtyrant and the Davidic King
Hebrew Language—Several Examples:
Seraph: Fiery or Holy Ones
Consummation: Fulness
Mist: Denotes the presence of the Lord
Undone: Struck dumb (As in the Egyptian opening of the mouth ceremony)
Reading between the lines: Isaiah is not to be fully understood simply by reading the words. We must search them out and make connections, study things out in our minds, and otherwise read between the lines.
*Donald W. Parry, in a review partly laudatory and partly critical of Gileadi’s book, mentioned these forms of speech as examples where Gileadi fell short of making a complete list of prophetic speech forms.
Author: Steven Montgomery | Happily married and father of four (2 natural sons, 1 step-son, 1 step-daughter), Steven is an active member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He has a bachelor’s of science degree in political science and has been involved in politics for more than thirty years and has been a candidate for political office or party office on a number of occasions, including a bid for the state legislature and the U.S. Congress. He runs the “Perfect Law of Liberty” website and has taught American National Government, U.S. History, and Political Economy for several years at a private high school in Utah.
Lehi Studying the Brass Plates and the Writings of Isaiah
Laban’s Brass Plates provided Lehi’s colony to the Americas vital connections to the God of Israel’s teachings and to their to their heritage. Nephi loved to quote Isaiah from those plates. His brother Jacob joined him as well as Abinidai and the Savior Himself.
According to the LDS “Guide to the Scriptures,” these Brass Plates contained “many writings of the prophets (1 Ne. 5:10–16).” The record had been kept by Laban who was “one of the Jewish elders in Jerusalem. While Lehi and his family were in the wilderness, Lehi sent his sons back to Jerusalem to obtain this record (1 Ne. 3–4).”
While Lehi used these plates for some of his teachings, its Nephi’s use of the Brass Plates in his teachings that really makes the most impact. The plates helped secure their Jewish belief, culture and they shaped the doctrine of the Nephites for generations
In a book titled Second Nephi, The Doctrinal Structure, Robert L. Millet joined with 22 other scholars to explore a variety of themes within Second Nephi. Their essays recall the prophetic words of Isaiah, Lehi, Nephi, and Jacob as given in 2 Nephi.
Millet’s chapter turns to Nephi’s use of the Brass Plates in his teachings where he explained “the power of scriptural records” in helping to a nation preserve faith and literacy (1 Nephi 4:13;Omni 1:17). He stated that the Brass Plates were used as scripture throughout the Book of Mormon. For example, to his sons, King Benjamin explained:
“My sons, I would that ye should remember that were it not for these [brass] plates, which contain these records and these commandments, we must have suffered in ignorance, even at this present time, not knowing the mysteries of God” (Mosiah 1:3).
Similarly, in speaking with Helaman, Alma explained that the brass plates “have enlarged the memory of this people, yea, and convinced many of the error of their ways, and brought them to the knowledge of their God unto the salvation of their souls” (Alma 37:8).1
Contents of the Brass Plates
The brass plates, as we understand included the first five books of the Old Testament or Law of Moses (1 Ne. 5:10–11); a genealogy linking Lehi’s family to Abraham through Joseph (1 Nephi 5:14); and the plates include missing parts to our King James Old Testament (1 Nephi 13:23). Throughout the Book of Mormon, authors quote Isaiah, Zenos, Zenock, Neum, and Ezias. Millet made a sampling of how the plates directed Lehi’s family toward Christ:
With a total of 433 verses from his Old Testament writings, Isaiah is foremost among contributing prophets quoted from the Brass Plates. Millet writes, “the record keepers of the brass plates saw to it that Isaiah’s words were included in their volume of scripture” and Christ is often at the center of his message.
“Neum spoke prophetically of the crucifixion of the Son of God (1 Nephi 19:10).”
Ezias “prophesied of the coming of the Messiah (Hel. 8:20).”
“Zenock bore repeated witness that redemption would come only in and through the atoning sacrifice and death of Christ (Hel. 8:18–20; 3 Nephi 10:16); that he would be lifted up by wicked men (1 Nephi 19:10);
“I do not think I overstate the matter when I say that next to Isaiah himself—who is the prototype, pattern, and model for all the prophets—there was not a greater prophet in all Israel than Zenos. And our knowledge of his inspired writings is limited to the quotations and paraphrasing summaries found in the Book of Mormon”—Elder Bruce R. McConkie, Doctrinal Restoration, p 17).
that the anger of the Father was kindled against those who do not recognize the cost of the Lord’s atonement; and that he was put to death because of the poignancy of his messianic witness (see Alma 33:15–17).”
“We have more details of the oracles of the prophet Zenos than any of the other nonbiblical prophets of the brass plates. Nephi and Jacob quoted Zenos extensively (1 Nephi 19, 22; Jacob 5), and Alma utilized his words on worship and prayer in speaking to the Zoramites (Alma 33:3–11). Nephi called him simply ‘the prophet’ (see 1 Nephi 19:11–16), much as we refer to the Prophet Joseph Smith today. Nephi, the son of Helaman, explained that because of his testimony of the Redeemer, Zenos also was slain by unbelievers (Hel. 8:19).
The Book of Mormon Uses Isaiah to Teach of Christ
Four major Book of Mormon authors quote Isaiah, Nephi, Jacob, Abinidai and the Savior Himself. For example, in his own vision, Nephi saw a “virgin, most beautiful and fair above all other virgins … bearing a child in her arms” (1 Nephi 11:15, 20). Then in 2 Nephi 17:14 as if to use Isaiah as a second witness, he quoted from Isaiah 7:14, where he saw that “a virgin shall conceive, and shall bear a son.”
“Isaiah was prepared from birth—and of course we would say from before birth—to testify of the Messiah and bear such witness of the divinity of Christ’s coming.”—Elder Jeffrey R. Holland 2
Nephi goes on to cite Isaiah 7 “A virgin shall conceive, and shall bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel” (2 Nephi 17) and then rejoices in Isaiah 9:6, “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder; and his name shall be called, Wonderful, Counselor, The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace” (2 Nephi 19:6; ).
Nephi read Isaiah to his people so that he “might more fully persuade [them] to believe in the Lord their Redeemer” (1 Nephi 19:23). In his own vision, Nephi saw that the Savior “went forth ministering unto the people, in power and great glory” but that He was cast, “out from among them” (1 Nephi 11:28); He was “taken by the people” and “judged of the world” (1 Nephi 11:32). Again as a second witness, Nephi cites Isaiah where he spoke of the people rejecting their Messiah, saying “this people refuseth the waters of Shiloah” (2 Nephi 18:6; Isaiah 8:6). Isaiah wrote that they will reject Him because He is “a stone of stumbling, and for a rock of offense to both the houses of Israel, for a gin and a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem” (2 Nephi 18:14; Isaiah 8:14).
In 2 Nephi 6, Jacob predicts Christ’s coming and his rejection by the Jews, then in 2 Nephi 7–8 he cites Isaiah 50:6 “I gave my back to the asmiter, and my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair. I hid not my face from bshame and spitting,” as part of his second witness of the Savior’s suffering. In 2 Nephi 10:14, Jacob also designated Christ the “King of heaven” as did Isaiah in 6:5. Like Nephi before him, Jacob quoted full chapters of Isaiah (see Isaiah 50, 51 and 52:1–2).
In Mosiah, Abinidai teaches, “He was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; … and with his stripes we are healed.” (Isa. 53:4–5.) John W. Welch explained that the “dominant feature of Abinadi’s teaching is about the Redemption and that it will come through suffering (the words redeem or redemption appear nineteen times in Abinadi’s words). Despite God’s mighty power, He will be ‘oppressed’ and ‘afflicted’ (Mosiah 13:35). Abinadi drew those words from the prophecies of Isaiah that the servant would be ‘despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief,”afflicted,’ ‘wounded for our transgressions,’ ‘oppressed, and he was afflicted’ (Isaiah 53:3–7; Mosiah 14:3–7). As Isaiah prophesied, ‘he hath poured out his soul unto death’ (Isaiah 53:12;Mosiah 14:12), and ‘so he shall be led, crucified, and slain, the flesh becoming subject even unto death’ (Mosiah 15:7). …There is no literary embellishment or flourish in Abinadi’s speech. That stylistic feature enhances the simplicity and directness of his message, and it also implements the plainness of Isaiah’s vision: “He hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him” (Isaiah 53:2; Mosiah 14:2).”3
Gaye Strathearn and Jacob Moody wrote that when Jesus visited the Americas following his death, “he spent a significant portion of his sermon on the second day focused on Isaiah’s teachings. He quoted a substantial portion of chapter 52, although in a rearranged order, and all of chapter 54. What is stunning about this rendition is that Jesus did not include Isaiah 53 in his sermon, even though his audience would probably have expected it. Instead he includes a chapter discussing the coming forth of the Book of Mormon. It is the purpose of this paper to argue that the discussion on the Book of Mormon was not a digression from his teaching from the Isaianic texts, but rather was Jesus’s interpretation of the servant passage in Isaiah 52:13–15, which he had just quoted in 3 Nephi 20:43–45.”4
The Brass Plates and the Writings of Isaiah
In Millet’s paper, he wrote, “many precious remnants of those things are to be found in the Book of Mormon and the Joseph Smith Translation (JST) of the King James Bible.” Then he explained:
“Nephi taught his people from the plates of brass ‘that they might know concerning the doings of the Lord in other lands, among people of old’ (1 Nephi 19:22). He read at length from the Pentateuch, but in order that he ‘might more fully persuade them to believe in the Lord their Redeemer I did read unto them that which was written by the prophet Isaiah; for I did liken all scriptures unto us, that it might be for our profit and learning’ (v. 23). Later, in speaking to his people, he reminded them that ‘there are many things which have been spoken by Isaiah which may be likened unto you, because ye are of the house of Israel’ (2 Nephi 6:5).
Millet suggests the Brass Plates were probably kept by the tribe of Ephraim, but we don’t know exactly when they were crafted. However, when Nephi took the plates, Isaiah’s words were just 100 years old, making what we have from the Brass Plates a significant comparative source for Isaiah today. But as Millet points out, their origin may have been from the “the Northern Kingdom rather than in Judah in the south (1 Nephi 3:3, 12; 5:14–16). In one of the prophecies of Zenos are found these words: ‘And as for those who are at Jerusalem‘ (1 Nephi 19:13; emphasis added), suggesting that Zenos was speaking from somewhere other than Jerusalem.”
So how did these plates end up in Jerusalem? Sidney B. Sperry suggested this:
“The Northern Kingdom of Israel fell to the Assyrians when its capital of Samaria capitulated to Sargon II in 722 BC. The forebears of Laban may have fled to Jerusalem to prevent the sacred records from falling into alien hands. Lehi’s grandfather or great-grandfather may have left his northern home for Jerusalem in order to prevent his children from intermarrying and making religious compromises with the foreigners brought into the land by the Assyrians.”5
Millet touched on the Isaiah Problem reminding readers that most scholars “partition the book of Isaiah and assign, at the very least, chapters 40–66 to later authors, the Book of Mormon serves as a historical check and balance against such interpretive extremes. Both Nephi and Jacob, in America, quote from the latter chapters of Isaiah—chapters 48–49 (1 Nephi 20–21) and 50:1–52:2 (2 Nephi 6–7); these are chapters which many Old Testament scholars assign to the period of Babylonian captivity—a period some years after the Nephites left Jerusalem with their brass treasure.”
Millet continues suggests that, “even a superficial perusal of the Book of Mormon (brass plates) text of the Isaiah material reveals many differences from the King James Version, showing that Joseph Smith did not simply copy everything directly from the King James or Authorized Version when he came to these passages. Sidney B. Sperry wrote:
‘The text of Isaiah in the Book of Mormon is not word for word the same as that of the King James version. Of 433 verses of Isaiah in the Nephite record, Joseph Smith modified about 233. Some of the changes made were slight, others were radical. However, 199 verses are word for word the same as the old English version. We therefore freely admit that Joseph Smith may have used the King James version when he came to the text of Isaiah in the gold plates. As long as the familiar version agreed substantially with the text on the gold plates [taken from the brass plates], he let it pass; when it differed too radically he translated the Nephite version and dictated the necessary changes.’6
“In regard to the differences between the two texts, Brother Sperry has also noted:
‘The version of Isaiah in the Nephite scripture hews an independent course for itself, as might be expected of a truly ancient and authentic record. It makes additions to the present text in certain places, omits material in others, transposes, makes grammatical changes, finds support at times for its unusual readings in the ancient Greek, Syriac, and Latin versions, and at other times no support at all. In general, it presents phenomena of great interest to the student of Isaiah.’7
When it comes Isaiah, Nephi made the Book of Mormon its best commentary and while the brass plates “enlarged the memory of [Nephi’s] people” and pointed them to Christ, Nephi knew he was leaving the Lamanites, Jews and the Gentiles, the same blessings: “the convincing of the Jew and Gentile that Jesus is the Christ, the Eternal God.”
1 Much of post is an excerpt taken from “The Influence of the Brass Plates on the Teachings of Nephi,” in Second Nephi, The Doctrinal Structure, ed. Monte S. Nyman and Charles D. Tate Jr. (Provo, UT: Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University, 1989), 207–25. 2 Elder Jeffrey R. Holland,“‘More Fully Persuaded’: Isaiah’s Witness of Christ’s Ministry,” in Isaiah in the Book of Mormon, p 4. 3 John W. Welch, “Ten Testimonies of Jesus Christ from the Book of Mormon” in A Book of Mormon Treasury: Gospel Insights from General Authorities and Religious Educators, (Provo, UT: Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University, 2003), 316–42. 4 Gaye Strathearn and Jacob Moody, Christ’s Interpretation of Isaiah 52’s “My Servant” in 3 Nephi, BYU Maxwell Institute 5 Sidney B. Sperry, Answers to Book of Mormon Questions. Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1967, p.43 6 Ibid. 7 Ibid.
Recently we reported on a presentation by Matt Roper and Paul Fields where they captivated the audience with their study of Book of Mormon authors using stylometry. Using computers for statistical analysis, they produced a “wordprint” (sometimes compared to a fingerprint) that is unique to authors. During their presentation, they mentioned previous studies they have completed on the Pauline Epistles and the Book of Isaiah, which helps with the “Multiple Isaiah Theory.”
Of course, I was intrigued with what Fields said they had done with wordprint analysis, using stylometry to look at Isaiah. You see in the months of studying Isaiah for my Discover column I keep coming across this Multiple Isaiah Theory; the notion of a Second and Third Isaiah.
Many scholars claim that the Book of Isaiah is a compilation of the work of several authors over the centuries. They assert that some of the prophecies in the book are too specific concerning the future and that no one person could have known these things. Things like the birth of Christ 700 years in advance, or the Cyrus prophecy 150 before he came to the throne, these among others point to the fact that they had to be written looking back rather than forward. This is the “Multiple Isaiah Theory Problem.”
In personal correspondence with Paul Fields after the conference he wrote:
“There have been a few stylometric studies over the years starting with the earliest that I am aware of in 1970. To interpret the results, it is important to realize that none of the studies can establish that there was more than one writer of the text. Although there is evidence of more than one writing style in the text, factors other than the identity of the author must be considered.
“More than one style does not necessarily indicate multiple ‘hands hold the pen.’ The same author can express himself or herself differently when writing at different times, to different audiences, on different topics, or for different purposes. So, the presence of multiple writing styles cannot be asserted as indicating multiple people as authors of a text.”1
The statistical results … strongly support single authorship of the book [of Isaiah]. The divisions of the book most often claimed to have been written by different authors were found to be more similar to each other in authorship style than to any of the control group of eleven other Old Testament books. The book of Isaiah also exhibited greater internal consistency than As any of the other books when authorship style was analyzed. …The results of this research bear witness that the book of Isaiah has a literary unity characteristic of a single author. These results, therefore, confirm the claims made in the Book of Mormon and the New Testament by later prophets and by “the Savior that Isaiah was the author of the book bearing his name.—L. La Mar Adams, “A Scientific Analysis of Isaiah Authorship”
Stylometry and the Multiple Isaiah Theory
Stylometry, “the statistical analysis of variations in literary style between one writer or genre and another”2 is as a field of research that uses various statistical methods to detect linguistic patterns. It is very well suited to addressing the multiple Isaiah problem and it is especially useful in helping to detect authorship in disputed in documents like the Federalist Papers and Shakespeare’s plays.
As long ago as 1984, L. La Mar Adams in “A Scientific Analysis of Isaiah Authorship” which was one of the first scientific approaches to the multiple Isaiah theory wrote, “The disputed authorship of Isaiah is one of the most popular textual biblical issues and appears to be the father of all Old Testament authorship problems of the same nature.”
“The majority of biblical scholars divide the book of Isaiah into multiple authorship. The problem of identifying authorship for the book and parts of the book is known as the “Isaiah problem,”3 or what we are calling the “Multiple Isaiah Theory Problem.”
Adams explained, “A few years ago, our group of thirty-five specialists in Semitic languages, statistics, and computer science at Brigham Young University devised a literary style analysis to test the claims of these biblical scholars. This study, which spanned several years, in the end used more than 300 computer programs, analyzed several hundred stylistic variables, and obtained more than 4800 statistical comparisons.
“…The results of the study were conclusive: there is a unique authorship style throughout the various sections of Isaiah. The rates of usage for the elements of this particular style are more consistent within the book of Isaiah, regardless of the section, than in any other book in the study. This statistical evidence led us to a single conclusion: based on style alone, the book of Isaiah definitely appears to be the work of one man. The two parts of Isaiah most often claimed to have been written by different authors, chapters 1–39 and 40–66, were found to be more similar to each other in style than to any of the other eleven Old Testament books examined.”4
It has also been shown that even after an author’s works have been translated from language to language, stylometry can detect the author’s unique wordprint.5 For example, in that same correspondence mentioned above, Fields wrote:
The idea that there is more than one Isaiah and that they all tell different things. Since there is only one message and one audience, this is a mere quibble. The message is a happy one: “Repent—and all will be well—better than you can ever imagine!” Only to those who do not intend to repent is the message grim. Isaiah does not distinguish between the good and the bad but only between those who repent and those who do not. He does not ask where we are—he knows that—but only the direction in which we are moving. Of course, only those can repent who need to, and that means everybody—equally. Does not one person need repentance more than another?—“Great Are the Words of Isaiah”, Hugh Nibley, The Old Testament, (Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University, and Deseret Book 2005), 177–195.
“There have been studies showing that the original author’s ‘wordprint’ comes through the translation process to a certain extent, the original author’s style as evident in the translated text is still affected by the translator’s style. Further, we have shown that the “scribe effect” — the extent to which a scribe’s wordprint can be detected in a dictated text — can range from a trivial amount (10-15%) to a large amount (70-80%). Consequently, the accumulated effect of a sequence of translators and a sequence of multiple scribes (copyists) will result in substantial changes to the writing styles in a text, even if the translator effect and the scribe effect are small for each step in the sequence.
“Also, unlike the Book of Mormon which had one translator (Joseph Smith) who had one scribe (Oliver Cowdery), the Bible has gone through innumerable hands over the last 2000 years. It has been translated and retranslated by translators after translators, and written and rewritten by scribes after scribes. While we can show that the modest changes to the text of the Book of Mormon have not made a meaningful difference in the writing styles in the Book of Mormon, we cannot show that to be the case for the Bible. In fact, it should actually be surprising if only one writing style was found in a Biblical text.
“Finally, stylometric studies must be conducted in the context of established historical facts that set the framework for the analyses and their interpretation. The results of stylometric studies can provide evidence for our against a research conjecture that is founded on historical and biographical information external to the stylometric analyses. Proceeding in the opposite direction by just ‘fishing around’ for different writing styles in a text and then trying to assert historicity or identity based on the results is an excellent way to arrive at nonsense conclusions or at least non-scientific conclusions.
“In sum, whatever someone wants to assert about the number of people who were ‘Isaiah,’ that assertion must be based on evidence other than stylometric evidence.”6
The Multiple Isaiah Theory Problem in the Book of Mormon
Many non-LDS scholars who go after the multiple Isaiah theory, also find fault with the Book of Mormon. In claiming there are two or three authors to the book of Isaiah, they point to the fact that those chapters would have been written after Nephi and his brothers got the Brass Plates, which included the Book of Isaiah.
Since the Book of Mormon contains material from both First and Deutero-Isaiah and to them this is evidence against Joseph’s translation. That is the Book of Mormon’s “Multiple Isaiah Theory Problem.”
One of the more remarkable linguistic evidences for the authenticity of the Book of Mormon as a translation from an ancient text lies in the Isaiah variants found in it.— John A. Tvedtnes
John Tvedtens in explaining how one associate used “analysis of the frequency of changes made in the Isaiah passages in the Book of Mormon” and then concluded, “that because there are more such changes earlier on than later, this indicates that Joseph Smith wearied of making alterations as time went by.”
Tvendtens listed his objections to the study:
“My objections to the study are basically twofold: First, some of the changes made by the Prophet fit the reading found in some ancient versions of Isaiah. Secondly, the study did not take into account that some of the changes were not in the first edition of the Book of Mormon but were added later. I contend that these changes have no bearing on Joseph Smith’s translation. Moreover, many of them were stylistic or grammatical, such as the change from ‘which’ to ‘who’ or ‘whom’ when the referent is human. To my way of thinking, it makes more sense to examine substantive differences between the texts of the King James and Book of Mormon versions of Isaiah.”7
John Tvedtens went on then to identify the 207 variants in the Book of Mormon Isaiah passages that I mark in red in my Discover column on this blog. He concluded with this thought: “It has long been my contention that the best scientific evidence for the Book of Mormon is not archaeological or historical in nature, as important as these may be, but rather linguistic. This is because we have before us a printed text which can be subjected to linguistic analysis and comparison with the language spoken in the kingdom of Judah at the time of Lehi.”
“One of the more remarkable linguistic evidences for the authenticity of the Book of Mormon as a translation from an ancient text lies in the Isaiah variants found in it.”8
The second problem after the Multiple Isaiah Theory problem in the Book of Mormon Isaiah chapters is that even before the Book of Mormon was published skeptics proposed theories about who had written itsaying that much of it had been plagiarised from the King James Bible.
To my delight this year when Ann Madsen and Shon Hopkin published “Opening Isaiah—a Harmony” where they compared every change to the King James Version of Isaiah, with the Joseph Smith Translation of the Book of Mormon and the Bible, the Dead Sea Scrolls and the modern New Revised Standard Version (NRSV). Many times the Book of Mormon differs with King James but agrees with the Dead Sea Scrolls.
For example, Donald W. Parry and Stephen D. Ricks, both BYU professors, list several changes in the Book of Mormon that support the Great Isaiah scroll. A few include:
In many cases, passages in the Isaiah scroll and in the Book of Mormon contain the conjunction and, which is lacking in the corresponding KJV text. Compare the following:“and they declare their sin as Sodom, they hide it not” (KJV, Isaiah 3:9)
“and they declare their sin as Sodom, and they hide it not” (Isaiah scroll, Isaiah 3:9)
“and doth declare their sin to be even as Sodom, and they cannot hide it” (Book of Mormon, 2 Nephi 13:9 = Isaiah 3:9)
Second Nephi 24:32 lacks the word one, which appears in Isaiah 14:32. The Book of Mormon version thus makes messengers the subject of the verb answer. The Hebrew Bible uses a singular verb, but the Isaiah scroll uses the plural, in agreement with the Book of Mormon:“What shall one then answer [sing.] the messengers of the nation?” (KJV, Isaiah 14:32)
“What shall then answer [pl.] the messengers of the nations?” (Isaiah scroll, Isaiah 14:32)
“What shall then answer [pl.] the messengers of the nations?” (Book of Mormon, 2 Nephi 24:32 = Isaiah 14:32)
In the KJV, Isaiah 48:11 reads, “for how should my name be polluted?” while 1 Nephi 20:11 reads, “for I will not suffer my name to be polluted.” The Isaiah scroll supports the Book of Mormon by having the verb in the first person, as follows:“for how should my name be polluted?” (KJV, Isaiah 48:11)
“for how can I be polluted” (Isaiah scroll, Isaiah 48:11)
“for I will not suffer my name to be polluted” (Book of Mormon, 1 Nephi 20:11 = Isaiah 48:11)
In the KJV, Isaiah 50:2 reads, “their fish stinketh, because there is no water,” and the Isaiah scroll reads, “their fish dry up because there is no water.” Second Nephi 7:2 essentially preserves the verb stinketh from the KJV and the phrasal verb dry up from the Isaiah scroll: “their fish to stink because the waters are dried up.”
Often a singular noun in the KJV is represented by a plural noun in the Book of Mormon. One example of this appears in Isaiah 9:9, where the KJV reads “inhabitant” and 2 Nephi 19:9 reads “inhabitants.” The Isaiah scroll supports the reading of the Book of Mormon with its reading of “inhabitants”:“and the inhabitant of Samaria” (KJV, Isaiah 9:9)
“and the inhabitants of Samaria” (Isaiah scroll, Isaiah 9:9)
“and the inhabitants of Samaria” (Book of Mormon, 2 Nephi 19:9 = Isaiah 9:9)
Parry and Ricks concluded: “These examples of variant readings in which the Isaiah passages in the Book of Mormon agree with the Isaiah scroll but not with the KJV could be multiplied.”
The multiple Isaiah theory arguments continue to be refuted by BYU Scholars time and again. Still, this remains a troublesome notion for some. However, by now our readers can clearly see that the Isaiah Chapters have an important place in the Book of Mormon. When compared side by side, better understandings of the meaning of many verses emerge.
The articles below may be helpful to those who need to understand the Multiple Isaiah Theory Problem in the Book of Mormon
I write this highly opinionated column on all things Isaiah. I used to be a scholar, researcher, and a bit of a writer. I say “used to be” because I don’t have time and patience for that anymore, and I don’t get paid enough. (I do backlinks, but I don’t do footnotes!) I’m also retired, which is the ultimate form of tenure.
I admit I am LDS… mostly. I sit in the back of what used to be the High Priests group and try to keep my mouth shut, but it still gets me in trouble a lot. It’s funny, they don’t ask me to teach gospel doctrine or priesthood much anymore. Why? I don’t have patience with watered down, second-hand thinking and especially precepts of men. Still, I know this wonderful gospel is true, gets truer every day in fact. I’m doing my best to avoid the 7 steps to apostasy found in 2 Nephi 28:24-31 (just follow the 7 “wo’s” to see where they lead).
So cut me some slack, and I’ll do the same for you.
I spent a lot of my formative time on the east coast in my liberal years, but I’m a bit of a political hybrid now. Like Mitt Romney, I admit I’ve flip-flopped a bit. I don’t claim either the right or the left, don’t see much use. I’m a self-proclaimed millennial revolutionary. I’m waiting for the return of the only leader I ultimately choose to follow, and He is going to change everything, so I’m not getting too tied to what we currently have. The last election let me know we don’t have a lot of options in Washington. Where are the statesmen and stateswomen in the field of politicians? Where are the Captain Moroni’s who clean a little house? That’s right, I said it. I’m tired of wading through this political correctness charade, so I choose not to. I figure if Clayton Christensen calls PC a doctrine of Satan, that’s good enough for me.
Pop Isaiah is my perfect job, so please don’t screw it up. My boss has already had a few requests to fire me and I’m just getting started. I promise you won’t be bored. And I’m looking for some sharp thinking gladiators to meet me on the field of words, opinions, and ideas! We have to stay proper though, and civil.
Isaiah has been an all-absorbing passion of mine, especially lately when I finally have time to really roll up my sleeves and search his words diligently. I spend a lot of time each week in the temple, every day in the Book of Mormon, and specifically, the Isaiah chapters of the Book of Mormon.
You see, I’m enthralled with solving a puzzle.
I love to call it Nephi’s Journey.
You are invited to join me if you choose. I don’t think many (if any) of the Scholars have figured it out. Their disciplines don’t allow them to I’m afraid. You don’t get peer-reviewed articles approved in scholarly journals for aiming at the main idea, the relevant, the practical. You have to be unique, and almost irrelevant because the ultimate rule in force is ‘publish or perish,’ and relevance and practicality don’t help that, even at BYU. If I’m wrong, please correct me. A blog is easy to change.
Pop Isaiah Loves Nephi’s Journey
I believe that Nephi and his brother Jacob were trying to tell us something. Or at least they were trying to warn their descendants.
I mean, think about it.
Lehi sees a vision of Jerusalem on fire and is told to leave. He sends his sons back three times for the brass plates, oh, and the women. (Smart men!) Nephi is even commanded by the Lord to kill a wicked man to secure the sacred scriptures. Every step of the way most of them murmur and complain, even Lehi! And mother Sariah!
Pop Isaiah Loves to call this Nephi’s Journey
So the Lord lets them wander in the wilderness for eight years… EIGHT YEARS! When I Google it, they could have made it through the Arabian Peninsula in eight months.
I think the Lord was trying to teach them something. What did they need to learn that took them eight years?
Lehi saw the Tree of Life in vision, and then Nephi asked to see it and to have angelic help so he could figure it out. Which he did! (Hint: That Iron Rod is REALLY important!) Imagine, a vision so important it is recorded twice by Mormon on plates made of gold, and then even explained it.
Important?
I think so.
But Poor Laman and Lemuel never figured it out; in fact, they just kept descending further down the steps of apostasy to where they were willing to commit the murder of their own brother, several times! All while Nephi becomes so righteous that he sees Christ. And then he is allowed to see what happens to his descendants, spoiler alert. (They contend with and kill each other until they get destroyed.) Did he want to warn them? And us? Is the new pope a Jesuit?
Then Nephi actually sees the same revelation of the last days that John saw, but he was forbidden to tell us. Did he want to? Yes! So what did he do next?
HE INSERTED ISAIAH.
Yup, that’s it. He let Isaiah do it. In code. Yeah, it’s hard to figure out, but for a reason.
Think about it. Why is Isaiah inserted by Nephi, in what looks like a totally random way, after the very point where he couldn’t say more?
And then why does Nephi’s brother Jacob quote Isaiah through most of the book of 2nd Nephi?
It must be VERY important.
Let’s find out. I think I’m starting to get it. I can’t just tell you. Christ didn’t command us to search diligently for other people. But we can give each other clues, and share some great tools.
The Pop Isaiah Job Description
I’m told my Pop Isaiah job description is to make you think and get you to actually search diligently the words of Isaiah. Those were the very words that Christ used as he commanded us to do so. In fact, it’s the only book of any scripture in which He did, therefore it must be VERY important.
Oh, and no more making a meal out of other people’s vomit. That’s what Isaiah calls it (other people’s half-digested regurgitated thoughts on what they think Isaiah is trying to tell us.) In other words, you won’t see me relying a lot on any scholarly commentaries… It’s time to think for ourselves.
Don’t get me wrong, Pop Isaiah will definitely steal a scholars ideas if they are really good (with an occasional backlink, but never a footnote, I’m on strike!) But I will call them out if they are missing the torchlight of truth and are merely illuminating the pathway with mere sparks (also what Isaiah warns us about.) Can you tell I have some problems with what modern day scholarship has turned into? Even at our own BYU? I admit I’m biased.
With my health, I doubt that God will keep me here much longer during what is clearly the last days. Too bad, it’s getting rather exciting. During my nearly seven decades of living, I have seen enough end-time prophecies become fulfilled, especially recently, to make me pretty worried and excited for the rest of you.
I invite you to lay down the gauntlet and call me out with comments and share your best thinking in a spirit of radical candor. In other words, be blunt, because I will be, and yes, I will respond!
If you notice fulfillment of prophecies related to Isaiah, the latest gossip or scuttlebutt, spelling problems, breaking news I don’t know about, or some really stupid arguments I make, I invite you to send them to me privately at PopIsaiah@aol.com. My boss is pretty adamant about me staying civil, so please do the same. And sorry, sometimes you can’t fix stupid!
Pop Isaiah may be a little slow (and slow responding), but I’ll catch up and get back to you eventually. If you send me some really great content privately, I’ll probably post it publicly and take credit for it, but I will (or won’t) use your name if you specifically ask me to.
I’m warning you up front, I tend to stoke the fire: it keeps me warm. – Pop
Before writing each day, I read several translations of Isaiah to study the meaning of verses that I am working on. Then I turn to commentaries, both paper and online, to see what insights I can gain. However, with the start of the Isaiah Chapters in the Book of Mormon, I found myself looking at whole chapters instead of single verses and for motives by Nephi and Jacob as to why they were included.
Joseph Spencer offers some insight: “First Nephi is an extended introduction to Second Nephi, and it does its work of introduction by getting us acquainted with the two prophetic sources he brings together in 2 Nephi 6–30: Isaiah’s writings from the brass plates, and the prophetic tradition that began with his father. What’s more, it shows its readers at least preliminarily how those two sources are interrelated…
“In Isaiah, we have a record divided into two parts that are nonetheless deeply entangled with one another. You’ll remember that what scholars call First Isaiah focuses on prophecies of destruction, and they present a prophet who’s forced to write and then seal up his prophecies so they can be kept for a later generation. But then what scholars call Second Isaiah focuses on prophecies of restoration, of the fulfillment of the Abrahamic covenant at last—all a consequence of the sealed book being opened and read among the faithful. Nephi saw his own vision mirrored rather perfectly in the writings of Isaiah, or he saw Isaiah’s writings mirrored rather perfectly in his own vision.”1
The point of separation Spencer mentions above, would placeIsaiah 48 and 49 (1Ne 20–21), in Second Isaiah right where we are going to begin our study in the Book of Mormon. Of these two chapters, Garold N. Davis, BYU professor of German and comparative literature wrote Nephi’s Commentary on Isaiah 48–9 (1 Nephi 20–1)
Isaiah passages in the Book of Mormon are not unnecessary duplications of the biblical Isaiah. Rather, they are an inspired, integral part of that sacred text. Although the Book of Mormon Isaiah makes significant corrections to the biblical Isaiah, the greater value lies, first, in the contextual setting in which the doctrines of the covenant of Christ’s atoning sacrifice, the prophesied scattering of Israel, and the restoration of the house of Israel in the last days through the instrumentality of the gentiles receive their full and proper emphasis; and, second, in the rich and detailed interpretations given us through the commentaries of Lehi, Nephi, Jacob, Abinadi, and the Savior.—Garold N. Davis
However, Davis explained the need to go back one chapter to “1 Nephi 19, where Nephi again mentions his father, Lehi, and states that Lehi’s record and prophecies are contained on the other (large) plates.” Then Nephi describes how the Messiah would come to earth in 600 years, how he “would be rejected and crucified, and the signs of his death would be given to ‘all the house of Israel’” (see 1 Nephi 19:7–8, 9–12). In the end, “those who are at Jerusalem …shall wander in the flesh and perish, and become a hiss and a byword” (verses 13–14). But the Lord, who “will remember the covenants which he made to their fathers,” will also remember “all the people who are of the house of Israel” and will gather them again (see verses 15–16).”
Davis writes that Nephi explains the writings of Isaiah were written to persuade his people to “remember the Lord their Redeemer” (verse 18). Several texts from the brass plates helped him in this task, he states, but so that he “might more fully persuade them to believe in the Lord their Redeemer,” he turned to the prophet Isaiah (see verse 23). With this context and commentary as preparation for what will follow, Nephi then copies from the brass plates those sections from the writings of Isaiah that now constitute 1Ne 20–21 (Isaiah 48–49).
Davis explained that this introduction to “Isaiah 48 serves, in a way, as an introduction to the purpose of all prophecy.”Then Davis continued:
“God reveals future events through his prophets so that when those events transpire, people will not attribute them to natural (or even to supernatural but likewise ungodly) causes, but will recognize his supervening hand in human affairs. As stated by Isaiah, “Before it came to pass I showed them thee …for fear lest thou shouldst say—Mine idol hath done them, and my graven image, and my molten image hath commanded them” (1 Nephi 20:5).
“In addition to inviting Nephi’s illuminating commentary, the Book of Mormon text of Isaiah 48 fulfills the other purpose mentioned earlier by correcting two significant errors that appeared in later biblical manuscripts and that were carried over into the King James Version of Isaiah. In 1 Nephi 20:1 (Isaiah 48:1) the information that the ‘house of Jacob’ had come ‘out of the waters of baptism’ is restored to the text…”
The phrase “out of the waters of baptism” according to McConkie and Millet is prophetic commentary by Joseph Smith to call “our attention to the fact that the ordinance of baptism was as common to the people of the Old Testament as it was” to those of the Book of Mormon.1 In verse 2 Davis explains:
“the statement that the people of the holy city ‘stay themselves upon the God of Israel’ is corrected to the exact opposite—they ‘do not stay themselves on the God of Israel.’2 This correction is important because it is consistent with the message that follows—that if the people had not broken the covenant, the house of Israel would not have been scattered (see 1 Nephi 20:18–19).
” First Nephi 21 (Isaiah 49) presents the scattering of Israel as a result of breaking the covenant and specifically addresses ‘all ye that are broken off and are driven out because of the wickedness of the pastors of my people’ (verse 1). If Israel is scattered, then is the Lord’s work for the house of Israel all in vain? (see verse 4). No, because the Lord will gather them again through the Gentiles, and all the nations of the earth will be blessed by his ministry, ‘that thou mayest be my salvation unto the ends of the earth’ (see verses 5–6). The Lord will remember his covenant to those scattered, even to the ‘isles of the sea’” (see verses 8–9, 15–16).
Nephi refers to the isles of the sea as their location in the Americas and possibly to other locations where the remnants of the house of Israel are located.3 With this explanation, you can see why he believes this part of Isaiah points to his people. Davis then continues:
“An interesting dialogue follows (verses 18–23) in which the Lord tells Israel that although she has lost her first children, she will have many more brought to her by the Gentiles: ‘Behold, I will lift up mine hand to the Gentiles, and set up my standard to the people; and they shall bring thy sons in their arms, and thy daughters shall be carried upon their shoulders. And kings shall be thy nursing fathers, and their queens thy nursing mothers’ (verses 22–3).
“We have Laman and Lemuel to thank for Nephi’s further commentary on Isaiah 48 and 49. ‘What meaneth these things which ye have read?’ they ask (1 Nephi 22:1). Nephi explains that the house of Israel ‘will be scattered upon all the face of the earth, and also among all nations’ (verse 3); that God will then ‘raise up a mighty nation among the Gentiles’ who will continue the scattering of Israel (verse 7); and that God will then ‘proceed to do a marvelous work among the Gentiles’ that will greatly benefit scattered Israel and ‘is likened unto their being nourished by the Gentiles and being carried in their arms and upon their shoulders’ (verse 8).4
In the day when God brings “his covenants and his gospel unto those who are of the house of Israel . . . they shall be gathered together to the lands of their inheritance; and they shall be brought out of obscurity and out of darkness; and they shall know that the Lord is their Savior and their Redeemer, the Mighty One of Israel” (verses 11–12).
Nephi’s commentary on Isaiah 48 and 49 in 1 Nephi 19 and 22 is entirely consistent with Lehi’s commentary that Nephi recorded in 1 Nephi 10 and 15.
1 Doctrinal Commentary on the Book of Mormon1:151–52 2 See Gorton, Legacy of the Brass Plates, for thorough commentary on these corrections. 3 Daniel H. Ludlow, A Companion to Your Study of the Book of Mormon [1976], 121 4 In 1 Nephi 22:8–10, Nephi links Isaiah 29:14 (“a marvelous work . . .”), Isaiah 49:22–3 (“thy daughters shall be carried upon their shoulders . . .”), and Isaiah 52:10 (“the Lord hath made bare his holy arm . . .”), thus bringing together and explaining three of the most frequently quoted Isaiah verses in the Book of Mormon. This makes 1 Nephi 22 one of the most important Isaiah commentaries in the Book of Mormon.
This weekend, overlooking the ancient city of Jerusalem, our Prophet Russell M. Nelson’s bore his witness of Jesus Christ. “I also declare that Jesus the Christ lives, that His Church has been restored to the earth, complete with His power and authority, with apostles and prophets.”
Overlooking the city, a voice of a prophet was heard once again as he addressed members of the Church, “God has always dealt with His children on the earth through prophets from the time of Adam to the present day.”
The whole Biblical record, one where another testifies of prophets and apostles who have testified in this land, and it is a personal thrill for me, it’s a spine-tingling thrill for me to realize that I’m in the company of President Russell M. Nelson, a modern prophet in every sense with the same authority and the same priesthood, and teaching the same gospel.—Jeffery R. Holland
Stating that Jerusalem is a fitting place for President Nelson to visit as a central part of his global ministry tour, the narrator opened her report saying: “The walls of the Holy city of Jerusalem have echoed with the voices of God’s prophets for thousands of years, Old Testament prophets such as Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel. It was here where the Savior Jesus Christ Himself undertook much of His ministry and willingly sacrificed His life.”
The President also told the audience, “As the new president to the Church, I felt that there were two messages that I would like to convey to our people. One is that Jesus is the Christ and He has a message for all of God’s children. And the second is that His is a global invitation. We invite all of God’s children to come unto their Savior.”
Joining him, Elder Holland and their wives, each spoke during a devotional service at the BYU Jerusalem Center.
Continuing his witness, President Nelson said, “In the coming day the Lord will return to this Holy Land. …He is the Son of God, Jehovah, the Old Testament, the promised Emanuel, our great exemplar, our redeemer, our God, our King, I’m honored to be listed among the many who teach and testify of the Lord Jesus Christ.”
In each of these sections just stick to the verses in Isaiah. You will be surprised what you can learn.
Author: 
22 other scholars to explore a variety of themes within Second Nephi. Their essays recall the prophetic words of Isaiah, Lehi, Nephi, and Jacob as given in 2 Nephi.
“Isaiah was prepared from birth—and of course we would say from before birth—to testify of the Messiah and bear such witness of the divinity of Christ’s coming.”—Elder Jeffrey R. Holland 2
but that He was cast, “out from among them” (
In 
(the words redeem or redemption appear nineteen times in Abinadi’s words). Despite God’s mighty power, He will be ‘oppressed’ and ‘afflicted’ (
Recently we 
One of the more remarkable linguistic evidences for the authenticity of the Book of Mormon as a translation from an ancient text lies in the Isaiah variants found in it.— 
I admit I am LDS… mostly. I sit in the back of what used to be the High Priests group and try to keep my mouth shut, but it still gets me in trouble a lot. It’s funny, they don’t ask me to teach gospel doctrine or priesthood much anymore. Why? I don’t have patience with watered down, second-hand thinking and especially precepts of men. Still, I know this wonderful gospel is true, gets truer every day in fact. I’m doing my best to avoid the 7 steps to apostasy found in 2 Nephi 28:24-31 (just follow the 7 “wo’s” to see where they lead).
Isaiah passages in the Book of Mormon are not unnecessary duplications of the biblical Isaiah. Rather, they are an inspired, integral part of that sacred text. Although the Book of Mormon Isaiah makes significant corrections to the biblical Isaiah, the greater value lies, first, in the contextual setting in which the doctrines of the covenant of Christ’s atoning sacrifice, the prophesied scattering of Israel, and the restoration of the house of Israel in the last days through the instrumentality of the gentiles receive their full and proper emphasis; and, second, in the rich and detailed interpretations given us through the commentaries of Lehi, Nephi, Jacob, Abinadi, and the Savior.—Garold N. Davis
