Old Testament & Book of Mormon Commentary
- Isaiah 50 / 2 Nephi 7

by Don R. Hender

   Jacob, in the Book of Mormon, continues to read from the plates of brass the text of Isaiah 50. Thus after reading the last verses of Isaiah 49 in Nephi 6, he continues on into Isaiah 50 and then Isaiah 52. In the Book of Mormon original text there would not be such chapter breaks as in the Book of Mormon today. And here the chapter break is made where the translators of the Bible so made the chapter break. But as Jacob's reading continues, so also does the line of thought of Jacob and Isaiah continue. And as Jacob states in 2 Nephi 9:1, Jacob is reading this text from Isaiah so that 'ye might know concerning the covenants of the Lord that he has covenanted will all the house of Israel'. Significantly, this is that 'OTHER' purpose of the Book of Mormon besides being another witness of Jesus Christ. And that purpose as stated on the Title Page of the Book of Mormon is to 'show unto the remnant of the House of Israel what great things the Lord hath done for their fathers; and that they may know the covenants of the Lord, that they are not cast off forever'. This gives a particular meaning and reason behind the inclusion of the words of Isaiah in the pages of the Book of Mormon, for 'great are the words of Isaiah'.

Now these covenants of God did not merely begin with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, but they were the same covenants made with such as Noah, Enoch and Adam. And these covenants of God continue back into the preexistance, they being the 'New and Everlasting Covenant' that God the Father did make unto His children from the beginning. And this gives added universal meaning to the 'House of Israel' and the name of Israel, that it did not just begin with Jacob. But it was a name of God given unto Jacob, as Jacob did prevail in God or with God. Thus this is a covenant unto all those who do prevail in the covenants of God unto salvation and exaltation. And they do not apply only unto the children of Abraham, but they apply unto all those spirit children of God the Father who did keep their first estate and by virtue of these very covenant do also keep their second estate as well.

Scriptural Text [Isaiah 50]
Scriptural Text [2 Nephi 7]
Footnotes ~ References ~ JST
           CHAPTER 50            

Isaiah speaks Messianically—
Messiah shall have the tongue of the learned—He shall give his back to the smiters—He shall not be confounded.

             CHAPTER 7

Isaiah speaks Messianically—
Messiah shall have the tongue of the learned—He shall give his back to the smiters—He shall not be confounded—Compare Isaiah 50.

The Lord Jehovah, even Jesus Christ, speaks as Isaiah doth record the words of the Lord—The whole of the chapter is spoke by Christ speaking of himself, that He will have the tongue of the learned, He will give his back to the smiter, He will not be confounded.—When He speaks of 'his Lord God', He is speaking of his mistry under the commission and direction of God the Father. We of the LDS faith who understand the true relationship between God the Father and God the Son should easily understand that the Lord of David, that is Jehovah who is the same as Jesus Christ, is speaking of his relationship to God the Father, who is the LORD of David's Lord (See Psalms 110 and related sciptures in the New Testament where Christ and his apostles do so reference this relationship of the Father and the Son in the New Testament).

" ~ Thus Saith the Lord Jehovah ~ "

The whole of this chapter is the Lord Jehovah, even Jesus Christ, speaking. Isaiah merely records the voice of the Lord. It is not Isaiah speaking. It is Jesus Christ speaking Messiahically of himself and his relationship to man and the Father, God the Father of Spirits, 'his Lord God'.

 1 
 
     aTHUS saith the LORDa, Where is the bill of your mother's bdivorcement, whom I have put away? or which of my creditors is it to whom I have sold you?
Behold, for your ciniquities have ye sold yourselves, and for your transgressions is your bmother put away.
1 aYEA, for thus saith the Lord: Have I put thee away, or have I cast thee off forever? For thus saith the Lorda: Where is the bbill of your mother's cdivorcement? To whom have I put thee away, or to which of my dcreditors have I esold you? Yea, to whom have I sold you? Behold, for your iniquities have ye sold yourselves, and for your transgressions is your mother put away.
 1a Thus saith the LORD In the Hebrew it would read 'Thus saith Jehovah', that is 'yehvah' which is Jehovah. It is out of respect for the name of God that the Hebrew and thus the resulting English transalations have placed the name 'LORD' in the stead of 'Yehvah' or Jehovah, for the traditional Jew does not speak the Holy Name of God but they do replace it with the word LORD when they read and speak from their Hebrew Bibles. But no mistake, He who is speaking is clearly named to be 'Jehovah' in the Hebrew text. 		 1a Isa. 50:1; 2 Ne. 8:1
   b Jer. 3:8
   c TG Divorce
   d 2 Kings 4:1; Matt. 18:25
   e Judg. 4:2; Isa. 52:3; TG Apostasy of Israel
 1a 1 Ne. 22:8 (1-9); 2 Ne. 10:9 (5-9)
   b Isa. 60:16
   c Isa. 60:14; Rev. 3:9
   c TG Shame

Vision of All 
 It is well to recall why it is that Nephi seems to have such an infinity for the words of Isaiah from the plates of brass. It is because such as Isaiah, John the Beloved, and Nephi hold in common 'THE' vision of all things to draw upon. Isaiah would have had in assigned writings there from, Nephi his and certainly John the Revelator would have his in the 'eternal now' perspective. When studied together and in concert from that persective, in Isaiah 60:14 when it speaks of "them that afflicted thee", oft to be directly associated with "them of the synagogue of Satan". And further from the writings of Nephi upon that perspective, it ought to become very clear that what is being spoke of in all three cases is but what Nephi has identified as the 'Church of the Devil, which Nephi further explains is all who are not of the true Church of God/Jesus Christ, and in their various ways and manners do fight against the true Church of Jesus Christ. This is a new perspective of the relationship between the Book of Mormon, the Vision of All [the sealed portion of the Book of Mormon written by Mahonri Moriancumr], and the Biblical scriptures and all the prophets of God who have had that vision and/or a tour of it, and do write 'relatedly' from it. In short all the various scriptures written may be viewed as but 'one' together as the 'sticks' or 'books' of God 'become one in thine hand'.
 2 Wherefore, when I came, was there no man? when I called, was there none to answer? Is my ahand shortened at all, that it cannot redeem? or have I no bpower to deliver? behold, at my rebuke I cdry up the sea, I make the rivers a wilderness: their fish stinketh, because there is no water, and dieth for thirst.
 3 I clothe the heavens with blackness, and I make sackcloth their covering.
2 Wherefore, when I came, there was no man; when I acalled, yea, there was none to answer. O house of Israel, is my hand shortened at all that it cannot redeem, or have I no power to deliver? Behold, at my rebuke I bdry up the csea, I make their drivers a wilderness and their efish to stink because the waters are dried up, and they die because of thirst.
3 I clothe the heavens with ablackness, and I make bsackcloth their covering.
 2a Prov. 1:24-27; Isa. 65:12; Alma 5:37
   b Nahum 1:4
   c Ex. 14:21 (1-31); Ps. 106:9; D&C 133:68
   d Josh. 3:16 (15-16)
   e Ex. 7:21 (17-21)
 2a Isa. 59:1; D&C 35:8
   b D&C 133:67
   c TG Drought
 3a Ex. 10:21
   b Rev. 6:12
 4 The Lord GODa hath given me the tongue of the alearned, that I should know how to speak a bword in season to him that is weary: he wakeneth morning by morning, he wakeneth mine ear to hear as the learned.
4 The Lord Goda hath given me the atongue of the learned, that I should know how to speak a word in season unto thee, O house of Israel. When ye are weary he waketh morning by morning. He waketh mine ear to hear as the learned.
 4a The Lord GOD Since it is the Lord Jehovah, Jesus Christ, who is speaking, the reference to 'the Lord GOD', Jehovah's Lord GOD, is Christ referring to God the Father of our spirits, our Heavenly Father and his Father as well. 		 4a Luke 21:15
 4a Luke 21:15 (14-15)
   b Prov. 25:11
 5 ¶ The Lord GOD hath opened mine aear, and I was not brebellious, neither turned away back.
 6 I agave my bback to the csmiters, and my dcheeks to them that plucked off the hair: I ehid not my face from fshame and gspitting.
5 The Lord God hath opened mine aear, and I was not rebellious, neither turned away back.
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.
 5a D&C 58:1
 5a D&C 58:1
   b Matt. 26:39; Philip. 2:8
 6a Isa. 53:4; Matt. 27:26; 2 Ne. 9:5 (4-7)
   b TG Shame
 6a TG Jesus Christ, Condescension of
   b TG Jesus Christ, Prophecies about
   c Isa. 53:4 (1-12); Matt. 27:26;
     TG Suffering
   d Lam. 3:30
   e TG Jesus Christ, Exemplar
   f TG Shame
   g Matt. 26:67
 7 ¶ For the Lord GOD will help me; therefore shall I not be confounded: therefore have I set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be ashamed.
 8 He is near that ajustifieth me; who will contend with me? let us stand together: who is mine adversary? let him come near to me.
 9 Behold, the Lord GOD will help me; who is he that shall condemn me? lo, they all shall wax aold as a garment; the bmoth shall eat them up.
7 For the Lord God will help me, therefore shall I not be confounded. Therefore have I set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be aashamed.
8 And the Lord is near, and he ajustifieth me. Who will contend with me? Let us stand together. Who is mine adversary? Let him come near me, and I will bsmite him with the strength of my mouth.
9 For the Lord God will help me. And all they who shall acondemn me, behold, all they shall bwax old as a garment, and the moth shall eat them up.
 7a Rom. 9:33
 8a Rom. 8:33 (32-34)
   b Isa. 11:4
 8a Rom. 8:32-34
 9a Rom. 8:31
   b Ps. 102:26
 9a Isa. 51:6; D&C 1:16
   b Isa. 51:8 (7-8)
 10 ¶ Who is among you that feareth the LORD, that obeyeth the avoice of his bservant, that walketh in cdarkness, and hath no dlight? let him etrust in the name of the LORD, and fstay upon his Goda.
 11 Behold, all ye that kindle a fire, that compass yourselves about with sparks: walk in the alight of your fire, and in the sparks that ye have kindled. This shall ye have of mine hand; ye shall lie down in bsorrow.

 10a let him trust in the name of the LORD, and stay upon his God This is one of the few times that Isaiah in the Bible has more text than the Book of Mormon reading of the text. This may will indicate that it was added in and was not suppose to be there in the logical flow of the thought being conveyed. The thought asks the question and does not supply this answer in Jacob's reading but continues on with another answer implying those who 'kindle their own fire' of understanding and live by their own 'sparks' of the intellectual learning of man, thus by doing so they do 'walk in darkness and hath no light' when compared to that which they ought to have is they did fear the Lord and did obey the voice of his servant Jesus Christ, the ministering God of this second estate. Thus, though they ought to have done what was implied, 'trust in the name of Jesus Christ and stay upon his God', they do not. Thus some writer of compiler of the text of the Bible filled in that which was implied that they ought to have done while the actual text was pointing out what it is that men actualy do that they ought not to do.

10 Who is among you that feareth the Lord, that obeyeth the avoice of his servant, that bwalketh in darkness and hath no light?
11 Behold all ye that kindle fire, that compass yourselves about with sparks, walk in the light of ayour fire and in the sparks which ye have kindled. bThis shall ye have of mine hand—ye shall lie down in sorrow. 		 10a D&C 1:38
     b TG Walking in Darkness
 10a D&C 1:38
     b TG Servants
     c TG Darkness, Spiritual
     d TG Light
     e D&C 84:116
     f HEB be supported by
 11a Deut. 12:8; Judg. 17:6
     b D&C 133:70
 11a TG Light
     b TG Sorrow
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