2 Nephi 12 – Commentary – Book of Mormon Heartland

Also Known as Commentary on Isaiah 2

This is a beautiful chapter which confused me for many years. It is rather clear to me today of what Isaiah is explaining. The beginning was challenging as I did not understand the sequence of events leading to the day when Jesus Christ comes in the clouds and the Millennial days begin. It is laid out very in very plain terms here. In the middle it looks like a dual prophecy. Israel of old had many similarities to us today. Their wicked were going to be destroyed by the Assyrians. Our wicked will be destroyed because or our follies. Their destruction will be like unto the end of the earth. Our destruction will lead to removing the wicked from the earth. Both scenarios are not pleasant. Hopefully, the commentary will help you as you navigate your way through these Isaiah chapters.

Following my commentary you can view various help sources. Included is a comparison with the KJV. Included also are commentary sources, commentary from Avriham Gileadi, and commentary from George Reynolds and Janne M. Sjodahl.

When one reads the writings of Isaiah, they should stop and take a moment for prayer. Pray for the gift of prophesy. It will help you understand what is meant by his words.

Commentary
1830 Edition as Image
1830 Edition as Text with Verses
Compare 2 Nephi 12 with KJV
Isaiah Explained
George Reynolds and Janne M. Sjodahl Commentary

Commentary – 2 Nephi 12

The word that Isaiah, the son of Amoz, saw, concerning Judah and Jerusalem:

Isaiah’s father, whose name is Anglicized in the King James Version as Amoz, is not the same person as the prophet Amos, Isaiah’s contemporary. ^{[source 5, page 165]}

2 And it shall come to pass in the last days, when the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills, and all nations shall flow unto it,

3 and many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.

The prophesies in these two verses are profound. One scholarly answer to the Mountain of the Lord’s house is the temple. However, is it referring to the temple – or temples? Another explanation is that the mountain of the Lord is a representation of the Kingdom of God on earth. That includes church headquarters. That includes General Conferences. It refers to the state of Utah. And in many cases, it refers to the United States – the top nation of the world which was founded under righteousness which set the stage for the restoration of the Gospel and would be used as a gathering place for many people.

The term “Top of the Mountains” has been reported in an interesting Deseret News article – https://www.deseret.com/1994/7/10/19119154/utah-the-riddle-behind-the-name where the Utah native tribe is associated with being the “people of the mountains.” Some people have been a bit aggressive in proclaiming that Ute or Utah means “Top of the Mountains”, which is a bit of a stretch.

Avriham Gileadi is who suggests that another potential meaning for the “top of the mountains” could be referring to the top nation. The United States is that top nation as it was built upon the principals of righteousness. Avriham Giliadi’s commentary is given in an audio clip provided further down in this article.

4 And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people and they shall beat their swords into plough – shares, and their spears into pruning hooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.

5 O house of Jacob, come ye and let us walk in the light of the Lord; yea, come, for ye have all gone astray, every one to his wicked ways.

Verse 5 applies to everyone as we are called to walk in the light of the Lord. If you want to understand this light, then just start reading the Book of Mormon daily and compare how you feel after doing so. You will know immediately the difference from not walking in the light to walking in the light.

6 Therefore, O Lord, thou hast forsaken thy people, the house of Jacob, because they be replenished from the east, and hearken unto soothsayers like the Philistines, and they please themselves in the children of strangers.

7 Their land also is full of silver and gold, neither is there any end of their treasures; their land is also full of horses, neither is there any end of their chariots:

8 their land also is full of idols; they worship the work of their own hands, -that which their own fingers have made

9 and the mean man boweth down, and the great man humbleth himself not therefore forgive him not.

Are verses 6-9 for us today? Or is it for the Israelites during Isaiah’s day? Or is it both. I believe it is both. I shall go even one step further – It is a description of our society in the United States (the top nation) today which is how it will be prior to being compelled to be humble. Much destruction will take place. Afterwards, the church will establish Zion or the New Jerusalem in Independence Missouri.

Regarding Isaiah’s Day

In the Annotated Edition eBook, David Hocking gives these three bullet points regarding verse 6 demonstrating how it applied to the Israelites in Isaiah’s day.

• ‘they be replenished from the east’ They looked to neighboring nations to save them from their enemies (They should have been putting their trust in the LORD to win their battles.)

• ‘hearken unto soothsayers’ They had begun to listen to the astrologers of their day instead of listening to the prophets of God who had been sent to them to lead them and call them to repentance.

• ‘they please themselves in the children of strangers’ They had begun to commit adultery with the pagan nations around them. This often led to the pagan practice of idolatry.

Regarding Our Day

While the description was valid for Isaiah’s day, it also applies today. Isaiah takes a step back in his description of the Millennial day and now appears to be describing the mountain nation (The United States) prior to the days of the establishment of the New Jerusalem.

Verse 6. The Lord has forsaken his covenant people because they have forsaken him. The people of this land have set God at nought. For Verse 6, we need to pay attention to three points:

They be replenished from the East. Could this be referring to the United States’ excessive trade in-balance with Asia?
They hearken unto soothsayers. A soothsayer is supposed to be able to foretell the future. There are many soothsayers in society today. Many soothsay about the environment. Some soothsay about vaccines. Some soothsay about politics. Some soothsay about the economy. They are everywhere. They are prevalent in society.
Pleasing themselves in the children of strangers is less clear. Therefore I first defer to a quote from the book Understanding Isaiah on Page 30 by Donald Parry, Jay Parry, and Tina Peterson which states as follows:

clasp hands….children of strangers. One meaning of this phrase is to make covenants in apostate temple systems with those who are not affiliates with the true Israelite temple. The Hebrew word for Strangers has reference to characters who are foreign or alien to the house of Israel. …. The phrase also refers to God’s command that Israelites not intemarry with those who do not belong to covenant Israel.”

Verse 7. This seems to be refer to Israel of old and to the “head of the nations” or the United States whose land is full of riches today. Neither is there any end to their treasures as the government is able to spend, spend, and spend. There is no cap. Congress keeps passing laws the keep increasing the spending. Verse 7 is exactly the description of the fiscal state of the United States today. The horses and chariots are what Israel had. Today we have our vehicles and trucks.

Verse 8. We worship our riches and our possessions. We take them every where we go and everything we do focuses around our possessions. Isaiah mentions “-that which their own fingers have made”. Fingers – instead of hands. Could this be a reference to texting and social media?

Verse 9. And we are no longer kind. Meanness rules the day. This verse appears to be a reference to pride. The divisiveness in politics today has become most unbearable. Neighborhoods are destroyed. Businesses burned. The Capitol is attacked. Arguments in all circles abound. Families estrange themselves over opinions. Our internet is filled with trolls. How many of us forget that we are to “love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you” (Matthew 5:44).

10 O ye wicked ones, enter into the rock, and hide thee in the dust, for the fear of the Lord, and the glory of his majesty shall smite thee.

11 And it shall come to pass that the lofty looks of man shall be humbled, and the haughtiness of men shall be bowed down, and the Lord alone shall be exalted in that day.

12 For the day of the Lord of hosts soon cometh upon all nations; yea, upon every one; yea, upon the proud and lofty, and upon every one which is lifted up; and he shall be brought low:

In days of old, this is fulfilled with the conquering of the Assyrians. For today, these three verses are similar to verses in the Book of Revelation 6: 15-17.

Revelation 6 : 15-17

15 And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains;

16 And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb:

17 For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?

These events are future events as of today – they are however “Sixth Seal” events as taught by John the Revelator – so they may not be far distant from today. If you are young, you will likely see the fulfillment of these prophesies. For the day shall come when Christ shall dwell in the temple of the New Jerusalem while he is in the process of cleansing the earth of wickedness. It will be a time when all the wicked, even the great ones of the earth will seek to hide themselves from the face of the Lord. And they will hide themselves in the mountains and in the rocks and anyplace they can to avoid seeing the Lord – “For the great day of his wrath is come and who shall be able to stand.”

13 yea, and the day of the Lord shall come upon all the cedars of Lebanon, for they are high and lifted up; and upon all the oaks of Bashan,

14 and upon all the high mountains, and upon all the hills, and upon all the nations which are lifted up, and upon every people,

15 and upon every high tower, and upon every fenced wall,

16 and upon all the ships of the sea, and upon all the ships of Tarshish, and upon all pleasant pictures.

17 And the loftiness of man shall be bowed down, and the haughtiness of men shall be made low: and the Lord alone shall be exalted in that day.

18 And the idols he shall utterly abolish.

19 And they shall go into the holes of the rocks, and into the caves of the earth, for the fear of the Lord shall come upon them; and the glory of his majesty shall smite them, when he ariseth to shake terribly the earth.

20 In that day a man shall cast his idols of silver, and his idols of gold, which he hath made for himself to worship, to the moles and to the bats;

21 to go into the clefts of the rocks, and into the tops of the ragged rocks, for the fear of the Lord shall come upon them, and the majesty of his glory shall smite them when he ariseth to shake terribly the earth.

Verses 13-18 represent the bringing down of all the high minded people. The Cedars of Lebanon were a show of riches during Isaiah’s day. The Cedars of Lebanon were used extensively in King David’s palace, Solomon’s Temple, and Solomon’s palace.

Oaks and Cedars represent proud people. Walls and Fences represent protective devices from enemies. (Parry, Parry, Peterson, Understanding Isaiah, page 43)

Verses 19-21 are a continuation of verses 10-12. The Lord will cleanse the earth of all wickedness when he comes to prepare the earth for Millennial reign as the wicked hide themselves from the face of the Lord as he shakes terribly the earth. There will be intense earthquakes and other natural disasters at this time. The fear of the Lord will be upon the wicked.

22. Cease ye from man, whose breath is in his nostrils for wherein is he to be accounted of?

The breath of these wicked ones shall be taken from them. They will perish.

Commentary Sources

The website Isaiah Explained – by Avriham Gileadi.
The book Understanding Isaiah by Donald and Jay Parry, and Tina Peterson published by Deseret Book Company, 1998.
The book Annotated Edition – The Book of Mormon published by David R. Hocking and Rod Meldrum, 2018.
The book The Book of Isaiah – Annotated Edition eBook published by David R. Hocking, 2020.
Verse by Verse – The Book of Mormon by D. Kelly Ogden and Andrew C. Skinner, published by Deseret Book Company, 2011.
Isaiah Made Easier by David J Ridges, Second Edition, published by Cedar Fort, Inc., 2009.
Commentary of the Book of Mormon – writings from George Reynolds and Janne Sjodahl.
My own understanding.

1830 Edition of 2 Nephi 12 as Images

1830 Edition of 2 Nephi 12 as Text with Verses Added

2 Nephi 12