Old Testament Commentary - Isaiah 1

by Don R. Hender


Scriptural Text [& Editorial]
Commentary & Explanation
Footnotes ~ References ~ JST
            CHAPTER 1             

Israel is apostate, rebellious, and corrupt; a very small remnant only is faithful—Their sacrifices and feasts are rejected—They are called upon to repent and work righteousness—Zion shall be redeemed in the day of restoration.

  1 THE avision of bIsaiah the son of Amoz, which he saw concerning cJudah and Jerusalem in the days of dUzziah, eJotham, fAhaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah.
 1a Ezra 5:1
 3a D&C 88:63; TG Repentance
      3 Ne. 10:6

Isaiah's Vision

The current introduction of verse 1 to this first chapter of Isaiah seems to be from a Jewish third-person perspective or if it is Isaiah's words, he is speaking of himself from the 'thrid-person' perspective. If it is not Isaiah speaking or introducing his vision, but some later Jewish compiler, the narrator and or editor of Isaiah's works seems to know and understand Isaiah's work well enough to proclaim that it was visionary. Thus, though the Jewish compiler of the record notes that Isaiah's days were in those of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah, and that this Jewish compliler considers Isaiah's vision to be but concerning Judah and Jerusalem; this is but a part of Isaiah's perspective. For Isaiah's vision is vastly more wide spread and Isaiah speaks concerning all of Israel and from a much more universal and panoramic visionary perspective concerning the entire house of Israel and of that more extensive concept of the 'Righteous City of the Lord', which has long since been named 'Jerusalem', even from before the foundation of the world (See Commentary Zechariah 3:2). Yet we can further gain from the writings of the Book of Mormon, that Isaiah is actually speaking from his own visionary experience of having received the 'Vision of All' himself. And that becomes an enlightening fact to consider that Isaiah has written 66 chapters of prophecies based upon and from that very 'vision'.

  2 aHear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth: for the LORD hath spoken, I have nourished and brought up children, and they have brebelled against me.
  3 The ox knoweth his owner, and the ass his master's acrib: but Israel doth not bknow, my people doth not consider.
  4 Ah asinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a seed of evildoers, bchildren that are ccorrupters: they have forsaken the LORD, they have provoked the Holy One of Israel unto danger, they are gone away backward.
 1a Ezra 5:1
 3a D&C 88:63; TG Repentance
      3 Ne. 10:6

  5 ¶ Why should ye be astricken any more? ye will brevolt more and more: the whole head is sick, and the whole heart cfaint.
  6 From the sole of the foot even unto the head there is no soundness in it; but wounds, and bruises, and putrifying sores: they have not been aclosed, neither bound up, neither bmollified with ointment.
 1a Ezra 5:1
 3a D&C 88:63; TG Repentance
      3 Ne. 10:6

  7 Your acountry is bdesolate, your cities are burned with fire: your land, cstrangers devour it in your presence, and it is desolate, as overthrown by strangers.
  8 And the daughter of Zion is lefta as a cottage in a avineyard, as ba lodge in a garden of cucumbers, as a besieged city.
  9 Except the LORD of hosts had left unto us a very small aremnant, we should have been as Sodom, and we should have been like unto Gomorrah.

Except A Very Small Remnant 
Now this 'very small remnant' is not a reference to the whole tribe of Judah and his companions which were left of the twelve tribes after the initial scatterings of Israel. For the most part they who were still left in Judea, the land of Jerusalem, were wicked, corrupted, murders and rejectors of the prophets. That 'very small remnant' that remained did remain within the larger general populous. And they did consist of the likes of Lehi and his family, Ishmael and his family and Jeremiah the prophet, all of whom interestingly enough were of the house of Joseph, Lehi of Manasseh, Ishmael of Ephraim and Jeremiah of the tribe of Benjamin. These and those few others like them, were they who made up that 'righteous remnant' or leaven which did preserve the whole of the nation from being utterly swept off from the face of the earth as were Sodom and Gomorrah.
 8a the daughter of Zion is left This is a direct reference to that city and land of Jerusalem left in the land of Judaea which was left a besieged city. It is significant that this particular city of Jerusalem is referred to as the 'daughter of Zion' and not Zion directly. Zion like Jerusalem was a name and disignation from before the foundation of the world. Those names would have been first used in that more ancient land of Adam, that 'Zion' which is more apply in reference to the the Zion of Adam and Enoch and to which the Lord will return at his Second Coming. Thus the 'Jerusalem' of Judaea is not that original Zion, but a 'daughter' or later out growth from that original Zion of Adam. And thus it might further be noted that when the application of Zion is being made to America, it is not a 'borrowed' application from the Jerusalem of the Jews. It is a most correct and direct application of and reference to that original Zion of Adam and the city of Enoch which was here upon the American continent prior to the flood of Noah.  1a Ezra 5:1
 3a D&C 88:63; TG Repentance
      3 Ne. 10:6

  10 ¶ Hear the word of the LORD, ye rulers of aSodom; give ear unto the law of our God, ye people of Gomorrah.
  11 To what purpose is the multitude of your asacrifices unto me? saith the LORD: I am full of the burnt offerings of rams, and the fat of fed beasts; and I bdelight not in the blood of bullocks, or of lambs, or of he goats.
  12 When ye come to appear before me, who hath required this at your hand, to tread my courts?
  13 Bring no more avain boblations; incense is an abomination unto me; the new moons and csabbaths, the calling of dassemblies, I cannot eaway with; it is finiquity, even the gsolemn meeting.
  14 Your new amoons and your appointed bfeasts my soul hateth: they are a trouble unto me; I am cweary to bear them.
  15 And when ye spread forth your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you: yea, when ye make many aprayers, I will not hear: your hands are full of bblood.
  16 ¶ aWash you, make you bclean; put away the cevil of your doings from before mine eyes; dcease to do evil;
  17 aLearn to do bwell; seek cjudgment, drelieve the oppressed, ejudge the fatherless, plead for the fwidow.
  18 Come now, and let us areason together, saith the LORD: though your bsins be as scarlet, they shall be as cwhite as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.
  19 If ye be awilling and bobedient, ye shall eat the cgood of the land:
  20 But if ye refuse and arebel, ye shall be bdevoured with the sword: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.
  21 ¶ How is the faithful city become an aharlot! it was full of bjudgment; righteousness lodged in it; but now murderers.
  22 Thy silver is become adross, thy wine mixed with water:
  23 Thy aprinces are rebellious, and companions of thieves: every one loveth bgifts, and followeth after rewards: they cjudge not the fatherless, neither doth the cause of the widow come unto them.
  24 Therefore saith the Lord, the LORD of hosts, the mighty One of Israel, Ah, I will ease me of mine aadversaries, and avenge me of mine enemies:
  25 ¶ And I will aturn my hand upon thee, and purely bpurge away thy dross, and take away all thy tin:
  26 And I will arestore thy judges as at the first, and thy bcounsellors as at the beginning: afterward thou shalt be called, The ccity of righteousness, the faithful citya.
  27 aZion shall be redeemed with bjudgment, and her cconverts with righteousness.
 26a The city of righteousness, the faithful city This city is representative of the Lord's people or the people of the Lord and that city's name is 'Jerusalem, which was had and given from before the earth was in the preexistence as even stated in that great preexitent judgment council of determination and reconfirmation between Jehovah as Jehoshua and Lucifer as Satan (see Zechariah 3:2).
  28 ¶ And the destruction of the transgressors and of the sinners shall be together, and they that forsake the LORD shall be consumed.
  29 For they shall be ashamed of the aoaks which ye have desired, and ye shall be confounded for the gardens that ye have chosen.
  30 For ye shall be as an oak whose leaf fadeth, and as a garden that hath no water.
  31 And the strong shall be aas tow, and the maker of it as a spark, and they shall both bburn together, and none shall quench them.