Studying Isaiah

Studying Isaiah is an awesome endeavor. Jeffrey has been interested in this book of scripture for years and has studied different translations in his quest to understand and find the different symbolic meanings. I was able to read through some verses with a mix of these translations and found it is sometimes easier to understand.

¹⁰ Moreover the LORD spake again unto Ahaz, saying,  ¹¹ Ask thee a sign of the [Mother of the, MB]  LORD thy God; ask it either in the [depths, BM] depth, or in the [heights, BM] height above.  ¹² But Ahaz said, I will not ask, neither will I tempt [OR test, try] the LORD.  ¹³ And [Isaiah, P] he said, Hear ye now, O house of David; [Is it not enough for you to try the patience of men? G; B also]  Is it a small thing for you to weary men, but will ye weary my God also? ¹⁴ Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, [the young woman with child shall, G; the Queen of heaven, MB] [the, P] a virgin shall [be with child, and shall bring forth a son, Matt 1:23] conceive, and [shall, BM] bear a son, and [the virgin, P] shall call his name Immanuel [HEB With us is God].  ¹⁵ [Cream, G] Butter and honey [OR Curd and honey--the only foods available to the poor at times] shall he eat, that he may know to refuse the evil, and [to, JST] choose the good.  ¹⁶ [Before the child is able to make his own moral choices, the kingdom of Syria and Israel (Northern Kingdom) will be laid to waste, P] For before the child shall know to refuse the evil, and choose the good [IE before he is mature], the land [whose two rulers you loathe shall lie forsaken, G] that thou abhorrest shall be forsaken of both her kings. Isaiah 7:10-16 (The Sign To Ahaz: The Immanuel Prophecy.)

1.  "And ... I looked and beheld the great city of Jerusalem, and also other cities.  And I beheld the city of Nazareth; and in the city of Nazareth I beheld a virgin, and she was exceedingly fair and white.... [a] virgin, most beautiful and fair above all other virgins.....  And he said unto me: Behold, the virgin whom thou seest is the mother of the Son of God, after the manner of the flesh."  1 Nephi 11:1, 15, 18.

2.  "And behold, he shall be born of Mary, at Jerusalem which is the land of our forefathers, she being a virgin, a precious and chosen vessel, who shall be overshadowed and conceive by the power of the Holy Ghost, and bring forth a son, yea, even the Son of God."  Alma 7:10. 

3.  This prophecy about the two kingdoms was fulfilled within a few years, while Mahershalalhashbaz [Isaiah’s son]was still under the age of eight, when both Syria and Israel fell to Assyria. P.

MB refers to Margaret Barker, Temple Themes in Christian Worship.

BM refers to The Book of Mormon Another Testament of Jesus Christ.

P refers to Parry, Parry & Peterson, Understanding Isaiah. 

B refers to Brown, Drive & Briggs, Hebrew & English Lexicon. 

G refers to Avraham Gileadi, The Book of Isaiah: A New Translation With Interpretive Keys From the Book of Mormon. 

It looks evident that Isaiah saw the whole picture, the whole panorama of how nations rise and fall. He could foretell the coming of Jesus Christ and the imminent fall of his own nation. He could foresee into the future of events when the Savior will come again. Reading these prophesies can be of assistance and warning to us in this day.

Gileadi's translation of Isaiah 30:8-11:  "Go now, write on tablets concerning them [the rebellious sons, v. 1]; record it in a book for the last day, as a testimony forever.  They are a rebellious people, sons who break faith, children unwilling to obey the law of the Lord, who say to the seers, See not! And to those with visions, Predict not what is right for us: flatter us; foresee a farce!  Get out of the way; move aside, off the path!  Cease confronting us with the Holy One of Israel!"   And perhaps this in response:  "The look on their faces betrays them: they flaunt their sin [and] cannot hide it.  Woe to their souls; they have brought disaster upon themselves!  Tell the righteous [one that he is good, MB] it shall be well with them; they shall eat the fruits of their own labors. But woe to the wicked when calamity overtakes them; they shall be paid back for the deeds they have done!"  Isaiah 3:9-11 G.

 See footnotes above.

This is a warning that our deeds will be noted and an assurance that evil will not go unchecked, there is a time limit attached to God’s patience.