1 What meaneth these things which ye have read, so we are not alone in finding Isaiah difficult to understand. And once again, we are Laman & Lemuel, not Nephi. The question is the same one they ask in 15:31, and it’s one of the most fundamental to scripture interpretation—is this literal (according to the flesh) or figurative (according to the spirit)? Hugh Nibley suggests that they are trying to weasel their way out of actual consequences by asserting that the prophecies must be “spiritual”, i.e. figurative (HN Teachings of the BM).
3-4 it appears that the house of Israel…will be scattered, there had already been a scattering of the 10 northern tribes 120 years before Lehi left Jerusalem (“the more part of all the tribes”); and there was another scattering then currently happening from which Lehi and his family escaped (by Babylon). And there would be a third and final in 70 AD by Rome [there is actually a fourth mentioned in v7, the horrific scattering of the native population by the explorers and subsequent settlers in the Americas]. This is the main theme of Isaiah, and the primary point for Nephi and his people. Why? Because they are the scattered (“isles of the sea”). And because as the scattered, they have a role to play in God’s work of gathering, now and in the future, by recording on plates and creating a book that would become the instrument of gathering—the Book of Mormon.
5 for against [the Holy One of Israel] will they harden their hearts, a reason why they are scattered. And yet, one of the main points Nephi draws from Isaiah is that the scattering has a purpose other than just a consequence of unbelief. Through the scattering, the gospel will be spread throughout the earth (as in the Olive Tree Allegory, to save the original tree and retain the original fruit, branches must be cut off and planted elsewhere, only later to be grafted back in).
6, 8 lifted up his hand upon the Gentles and set them up for a standard… carried… nursed, vs6 is explained in vs8. This standard that is set up among the Gentiles, which is compared to tenderly nursing and carrying for Israel, is the “marvelous work,” which we know is the RESTORATION of the gospel in the latter-days and taking that gospel to Israel and the world.
7 raise up a mighty nation…upon the face of his land, this part of the prophecy is important because it refers to where the restoration will occur, namely, in the promised land (Americas) where Lehi and his family just arrived.
by them shall our seed be scattered, the horrific scattering of the native population by the explorers and subsequent settlers in the Americas.
9 it shall also be of worth to the Gentiles, the Restoration blesses all mankind, Jew and Gentile alike. It fulfills the covenant to Abraham, that in his seed all the earth will be blessed (Abr 2:9-11). Thus those who accept the Restoration and participate in the “nursing” and “carrying” by taking it to others are pronounced Abraham’s seed (memorialized in a patriarchal blessing). They are doing the opposite of the scattering that the above graphic portrays.
10-11 make bare his arm…in bringing about his covenants and his gospel, “make bare his arm” is a metaphor for God unleashing his power. The idea here is that the Restoration will be a miraculous show of God’s power (Jer 16:14-15; D&C 25:13-14). The phrase also connotes outreach to all mankind. Incidentally, Nephi is recasting Isaiah 52:10 in these verses. Isaiah 52:10 is the Book of Mormon’s most often quoted Isaiah passage (1 Ne 22:10-11; Mos 12:24; 15:11; 3 Ne 16:20: 20:35), and Isaiah 52 the most cited chapter.
12 they shall be gathered…brought out of obscurity…and shall know that the Lord is their Savior, one of the challenges of scripture reading is how to interpret the antecedent of a pronoun, which is often confusing. Here for example, who is “they”? Well, in the metaphor it’s Israel, but more practically it’s those who join the restored church. They are the children of Israel who are being rescued/gathered, and the primary aim of their rescuing/gathering is that they know their Savior.
13-14 that great and abominable church…shall turn upon their own heads, interpretation of the last verse of the previous chapter (21:26; or Isa 49:26) as well as 1 Ne 14:3. The idea is equivalent to “those that live by the sword shall die by the sword,” and while there is certainly some literalness to this idea, it should also be taken figuratively. When we fight against the truth, we tend to create our own consequences.
15-19 the time speedily cometh…that the fulness of the wrath of God shall be poured out, etc. Nephi is obviously referring now to the Millennium and the destruction that will apparently precede it. Note in v18 how he reminds his brothers, Oh by the way, this will happen “according to the flesh.” It’s literal boys, so you can’t get out of it! [There is some similarity in these verses to Malachi’s prophecies, who wrote 100-200 yrs after Nephi (Mal 4:1-2), but it is likely both are receiving their texts from an earlier source, namely, Zenos.]
20-21 A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up…the Holy One of Israel, Nephi hearkens back to a prophecy Moses gave in Dt 18:15-19 to ensure his message continues to center around Jesus, the Messiah. The mosaic prophecy may well be the most often-quoted messianic prophecy in scripture. It was first uttered by Moses to the children of Israel, Nephi quoted it to his people, Peter quoted it in his great discourse on the grounds of Herod’s temple (Acts 3:22-23), Christ quoted it to the nation of the Nephites (3 Nephi 21:11), Stephen quoted it while transfigured before the Sanhedrin (Acts 7:37), Moroni quoted it to Joseph Smith (Joseph Smith History 1:40), and we find it referred to in the revelation given as a preface to the Doctrine and Covenants (D&C 1:14) and in the revelation that was once known as its appendix (D&C 133:63).
22 the righteous need not fear, no doubt Nephi maps the fear his brothers feel at the prospect of some of the dire prophecies. Already they had complained against Nephi that his words were harsh (1 Ne 15). So Nephi affirms that if they follow the Lord they will not fear; and it’s the same with us. For my part, “righteousness” means connection with the Lord through covenants more than just obedience.
23 all churches which are built up to get gain…yea, in fine, all those who belong to the kingdom of the devil, once again “churches” here are not churches as we would define them, but all entities—from religious bodies to secular organizations, from families to individuals—where the tentacles of the adversary’s kingdom reach and infect.
24 led up as calves of the stall, prophecies of the Millennium (see references in footnotes). Malachi 4:1-2.
25 he gathereth…and there shall be one fold and one shepherd, see John 10:16; 3 Ne 15:21. The promises painted here are beautiful. And as always, so we don’t miss the point, while there is a literal application (the Millennium), there is also a symbolic one that is more personal—we don’t have to wait until the Millennium to benefit from the Good Shepherd leading us to still waters and helping us find green pastures.
26 because of the righteousness of his people, Satan has no power, cogent insight into how Satan will be bound during the Millennium—not by some magical binding, but simply by our own refusal to heed his enticements. ‘No power’ over what? Our hearts. Since the change that binds Satan occurs within our own hearts, our personal binding of his influence need not wait for the millennium. The Prophet Joseph taught, “Satan has no power over us only as we allow him, and the moment we break a commandment, the devil has power over us” (TPJS 181). President Spencer W. Kimball taught, “When Satan is bound in a single home—when Satan is bound in a single life—the Millennium has already begun in that home, in that life” (Teachings 172).
27 according to the flesh, again to his brothers, this is literal!
28-31 people shall dwell safely…if it so be that they repent… [and] keep the commandments, what more can be said? These last verses remind me that while Nephi is expounding on some pretty deep and expansive scripture, in the end, all he really wants to do his encourage his brothers to repent and keep the commandments so that they can be a happy family again.
Holy Envy 