2 Nephi 15 – Commentary

Differences with the King James Version of Isaiah 5

And then (“and then” KJV uses “Now“) will I sing to my well beloved a song of my beloved touching his vineyard. My well-beloved hath a vineyard in a very fruitful hill:

5 And now go to; I will tell you what I will do to my vineyard: I will take away the hedge thereof, and it shall be eaten up; and I will (“I will” not in KJV) break down the wall thereof, and it shall be trodden down:

8 Wo unto them that join house to house, till there can be no place, (“house to house, till there can be no place” KJV uses “house to house, that lay field to field, till there be no place“) that they may be placed alone in the midst of the earth!

9 In mine ears, said the Lord of hosts, Of a truth many houses shall be desolate, and great and fair cities (“and great and fair cities” KJV uses “even great and fair“) without inhabitant.

11 Wo unto them that rise up early in the morning, that they may follow strong drink; that continue until night, and (“and” KJV uses “till“) wine inflame them!

19 that say, Let him make speed, (KVJ has “and“) hasten his work, that we may see it: and let the counsel of the Holy One of Israel draw nigh and come, that we may know it.

21 Wo unto the (“the” KJV uses “them that are“) wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight!

22 Wo unto the (“the” KJV uses “them that are“) mighty to drink wine, and men of strength to mingle strong drink:

24 Therefore as the fire devoureth the stubble, and the flame consumeth the chaff, (KJV has “so“)their root shall be (KJV has “as“) rottenness, and their blossoms (KJV not plural) shall go up as dust: because they have cast away the law of the Lord of hosts, and despised the word of the Holy One of Israel.

26 And he will lift up an ensign to the nations from far, and will hiss unto them from the end of the earth; and behold, they shall come with speed swiftly: none shall be weary nor stumble among them; (“none shall be weary nor stumble among them;” KJV has in verse 27)

Commentary

Isaiah is presenting a song to the Lord which includes an allegory comparing to people of the Lord to a vineyard. The vineyard represent the people of Jerusalem and all the Israelites in his day.

The Lord gathered out the stones which represent stumbling blocks and obstacles. The choicest vine represents the people of Judah or the covenant people – see verse 7. The tower represents the watchmen of the tower or the prophets. The winepress represents the expectation of a good harvest. Wild grapes represent apostasy.[source 6 page 16]

Although the Lord did what he could to produce a fine crop, instead it produced wild grapes – or apostasy.

Judge for yourself who is right. The Lord did everything he could to produce a good harvest, but only got wild grapes or evil works and apostasy. The Israelites and the Jews are in a state of Apostasy. This was not predestined or foreordained. The was the doings of the people in those chosen lands born under a chosen covenant and blessed with all the things the good Lord could have blessed them with. Yet, they would not hearken unto the Lord.

The hedge will be burned and the wall broken down. These are the defenses to the land. The land will be made desolate. It shall “not be pruned nor digged” represents that there will be no more ministry there. “Briars and thorns” are the wicked who shall take over the land. “No rain” represents that there shall be no more covenant blessings.^{[source 1]}

These acts are to be accomplished by the King of Assyria as prophesied in Chapter 10:6. ^{[source 1]}

Another interpretation could be that he looked for equity, but instead found iniquity; he looked for a righteous nation, instead lamentation. ^{[source 5, page 176]}

David Ridges makes the following quote about this scripture:

Verse 8, next, has actually been misinterpreted on occasions to mean that building row houses and condominiums is sinful. Of course, such is not the meaning but is interesting how astray things can go.

He instead believes this verse refers to wealthy landowners who cheat the poor taking their homes from them. ^{[source 6, page 17]}

Avriham Gileadi seems to indicate it has more to do with structuring the economic systems in such a way that resulted in schemes of the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer.^{[source 1]}

David Hocking points out this matching verse in the book of Micah.^{[source 4 page 11]}

“And they covet fields, and take them by violence; and houses, and take them away: so they oppress a man and his house, even a man and his heritage” (Micah 2:2).

Every commentary I read on this verse settles on the concept of the wealthy robbing the poor.

Verse 9 – when the troubles come, particularly when the attacks from the Assyrians and Babylonians take place, many homes and cities will be emptied.

Verse 10 – David Ridges gives the best explanation in layman’s terms of the meaning of these words which city folk do not understand:

• One Bath is about 8 1/4 gallons.
• One Homer is 6 1/2 bushels of seed.
• One Ephah is 1/2 bushel of harvest.

Famine is on its way for these people of Israel and Judah.

Wo (Woe) means severe anguish and distress resulting from Gods judgement, which will come upon the guilty in all ages of the world including our own.^{[source 2 page 56]}

Woe unto the party animals and alcoholics that care nothing for the works of God.

The people have no knowledge of the things of God. If they cared for the things of God, God would pour down knowledge upon them. But because they have no knowledge of the things of God, they will go into captivity, and they will experience drought and famine. ^{[source 1]}

A gaping Hell (Hebrew sheol – death and spirit prison) awaits the rebels to swallow them up.^{[source 5 page 177]}

“Her mouth” is a reference to the King of Assyria.^{[source 1]}

Verse 15. And those who entreat others in an ill manner shall be brought down to the depths of humility.

Verse 16. When the great day of judgement comes, the holiness of the Lord will be plain to see as he is set apart for that purpose. This is a dual reference to the destruction of the wicked by the Assyrians and at the great and final day of judgement at the very end.

After the desolation, the leftover lambs shall graze according to their will among the ruins. People of foreign lands will come in and eat of the fatted lambs. This continues the dual meaning to the final day of judgement as the Lambs who followed Christ shall be fed by Christ. Those who do not follow the Messiah shall feed in waste places.

Most commentators equate verse 18 to being tied to our sins like a beast of burden. Another way of looking at this could be like unto people taking their boat out for the weekend and forgetting the Lord on his day – hauling your goods with a cart-rope for purposes of vanity.^{[conceptually from source 1]} And then they mock the Lord – telling him to hurry it up so we can see how it all turns out.

No commentary is needed for this verses aside from stating that this is everywhere today. We in the United States are just like the Israelites and the Jews during the days of Isaiah.

Wise in their own eyes are the prideful.^{[source 6 page 18]}

“It is ironic that Judah’s men of valor were mighty not in the battle but in the bottle.” [source 5 page 178]

They use bribes and deny justice to the innocent, and ruin the reputations of the righteous. [source 5 page 178, source 6, page 19]

There are several scriptures which compare the wicked to being as stubble. Particularly in the last days, when the Lord is cleansing the earth of the wicked, he compares the wicked to being as stubble. One verse is Malachi 4:1.

Malachi 4:1 For behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the Lord of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.

The root has reference to parentage and offspring has reference to children, ^{[source 1 and source 2 page 58]} so for many of them, their genealogy will stop at this generation as they are killed in the destruction of the Assyrians.

All of this destruction is a result of their unwillingness to adhere to the Laws of God and instead to cast God out of their life.

The Lord to the Israelites is going to use the hand of the King of Assyria to cause great destruction upon the Israelites through war. There will also be earthquakes. The destruction by the hand of the King of Assyria is also a metaphor of the destructions to the wicked that will also happen in the last days. Yet despite the righteous indignation of the Lord to the wicked, the Lord still has his arms outstretched for those willing to repent, and he will turn the wrath away from them if they will turn to him.

The ensign that will be lifted in refers to the Savior Jesus Christ when he was lifted up on the cross.^{[source 8]} And later, the Gospel will hiss forth through missionary work ^{[source 5 page 179]} to all the ends of the earth, and this will take place after the coming forth of the Book of Mormon. The context is what gives this away, as it is after the coming forth of the Book of Mormon that modern transportation became swift, 24/7 operational, and non-stop.

Whose arrows shall be sharp and bows bent sounds like a descriptions of a jet airliner. And their horses’ hoofs shall be counted like flint and their wheels like a whirlwind with the roaring like a lion sounds like a modern train. Verse 29 sounds like a description of the safe passengers.

Verse 30 sounds like a final vision of transportation as we get near the time of the second coming of the Lord in glory. At this time, the seas shall roar against any vessel trying to cross it. And if they make that journey, those looking to the land will see that the great and spacious building has fallen-and it will be filled with literal darkness and sorrow. And the prophesy of the sun being darkened is now realized. When this is seen, you will know that the glory of the Lord in his time to reign on the earth is near. ^{[source 8]}

Commentary Sources

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

Isaiah Explained

This video file was downloaded from the website at Isaiah Explained – Avraham Gileadi. He has a very detailed commentary to this chapter.

The website Isaiah Explained has this type of detailed description for all chapters of Isaiah.

Commentary from George Reynolds and Janne M. Sjodahl taken from Commentary on the Book of Mormon published in 1955:

The Israelites had a yearly festival, at the end of their year, called the feast of ingathering ( Ex. 23:16; 34:22 ), because on that occasion the people were required to give thanks especially for the harvest of fields and vineyards. It has been suggested that this song, or poem, was composed and recited on such an occasion. It contains a parable in which Israel is represented as a vineyard ( as in Is. 3:14 ), and the consequences of the neglect of unfaithful keepers. ( Matt. 21: 33-41 ) As a literary composition, no less than as a prophetic utterance, it is regarded as an outstanding piece of sacred reading.

VERSE 1. The Vineyard. This is Israel. ( See v. 7 )

My Well – beloved is the Lord. The Prophet says that in this composition he is singing God’s own song – a song inspired by the divine Spirit – concerning his people – his vineyard.

VERSE 2. A Tower. From which the vineyard and surrounding territory could be watched, and the approach of enemies, or animals, could be seen in time to prevent depredations.

Wild Grapes. The small, sour variety that has but little commercial value, if any.

VERSE 5. What Will I Do ? In the preceding verse the Lord asks what more he could do to the vineyard to make it a success. In this and the following verses he explains, in words of burning wrath, what he is about to do.

Eaten Up. The hedge and the wall would be broken down and the vineyard overrun with grazing animals.

VERSE 7. Oppression. Means here more particularly the shedding of blood. The closing sentences present an instance of rhyme rarely found in Hebrew poetry. It might be rendered somewhat like this, approximately:

He looked for legal intercession, But, lo, oppression! For righteousness ( none would deny ), But heard a cry. – “A Cry.” Comp. James 5: 4.

VERSES 8-24. In this section the Prophet enumerates some of the principal causes of the downfall of Israel and Judah. It is a mirror in which modern nations may look with profit. They are:

VERSES 8-10. Wo unto them that join house to house. Property acquired for selfish purposes is not a blessing. Greed is never satisfied. Ownership of property is not condemned. The only question is, how did the owner get it, and to what use does he put it ?

Ten Acres. With the curse of God upon the land, ten acres would yield only one bath of wine ( about 8 gallons ); an ephah ( v. 10 ) was a tenth part of a homer, so that the yield was only a tenth part of the sowing.

VERSE 11. Intoxication. Slaves of strong drinks have no time, nor inclination, for useful endeavor. Early and late, their craving, like a burning flame, consumes what is good in them.

Drink and Music. The art of music is of divine origin, and its proper purpose is to enable man to praise the Creator and to consider the marvelous operations of his hands. ( v. 12 ) But the music of the drunkard drowns the nobler thoughts and sinks the victim to the level of the lower brutes. The music of satan in bar rooms and places of revelry, where intoxicants flow, is poison to all spiritual and intellectual life, and a source of destruction of nations. ( vv. 14-17 )

VERSES 18-19. Iniquity and Sin. Generally refer to all kinds of wickedness and transgression of the law, but in the languages of the Scriptures “iniquity” also means, the punishment by which sin is atoned for. As for instance, when it is said that Aaron “may bear the iniquity of the holy things” ( Ex. 28:38 ), it means that he was to atone for the impurity which may have adhered to them. In the same way, “sin” means not only an overt act, but also the atonement for sin. The sense here seems to be:

Wo unto them who, in their vanity, are clamoring for the punishment of others, And pulling for retribution. As with cart ropes, Saying, Let him make speed and hasten his work That we may see it; And let the counsel of the Holy One of Israel draw nigh and come That we may know it.

Comp. 2 Peter 3: 3-14: “There shall come, in the last days, scoffers, walking after their own lusts and saying, Where is the promise of his coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation. . . . The Lord is not slack concerning his promise as some men count slackness; but is long suffering to usward, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night.”

VERSE 20. Falsehood. The Prophet denounces falsehood as one of the causes of the downfall of the nation. And justly so. To say that darkness is light and light darkness, that sweet is bitter and bitter sweet, etc., is to take a stand of opposition to our Lord, who in his life, in his very existence, was, and is, the embodiment of Truth. The great mystery of Pilate, which, some say, has come down through the centuries as an unanswered question, was anticipated by our Lord, when he declared, “I am the way, the truth and the life,” and when he added, “No man cometh unto the Father, but by me,” ( John 14: 6 ), he virtually said that the road of Truth is the only way there is to progress, back to the Father. He was that road. From one point of view considered, truth is the correct knowledge of the present, the past and the future ( D. and C. 93:24 ). But the source of such knowledge is Christ ( D. and C. 88: 7-15, 50 ). It is he that is in the sun, the moon, the stars, the earth, and human intelligence, the immensity of space, and in all things. The perversion of truth, be it in religion, in politics, in business, or in family and social. circles, in the pulpit or the press or radio, on the rostrum or the soap box, is really warfare against Him, to whom has been given all power in heaven and on earth.

VERSE 21. Pride. The prophet here pronounces wo unto those who are putting a too high estimate upon their own wisdom and prudence. Lacking humility, they are unfit for leadership. Not knowing obedience, they cannot command. Their wisdom is apt to be folly; their prudence ignorance. If a man is truly great, he need not blow his own trumpet; his friends know it before he himself does.

VERSES 22-24. Intemperance in Officers. In vv. 11-17 drunken revelry in general has been condemned as a cause of the downfall of the nation. Here a special wo is pronounced because of the indulgence of the administrators of the law in strong drink. Wo the drunkards who justify the wicked for reward, and condemn the righteous! Verse 24 may be paraphrased thus:

“As fire devoureth stubble And the flame consumeth chaff, So shall their roots rot And their foliage blow away as dust, Because they have despised the law of the Lord of Hosts, And set aside the word of the Holy One of Israel.”

VERSE 25. Anger of the Lord. Can God be angry ? The Scriptures say he can. For instance, Num. 25: 4; 32:14; Deut. 21:20, and many other passages. The question is similar to another: “Can God hear?” Or “see?” The Psalmist answers that query by propounding another: “He that planted the ear, shall he not hear? He that formed the eye, shall he not see? He that chastiseth the heathen, shall he not correct?” ( Psalm 94: 9, 10 ) May we not continue and ask: He that made his children sensitive to the injustice and sufferings of fellow beings, shall he be immovable, himself as a cold marble statue?” That is unthinkable. The Scriptures speak not only of his wrath, but of his “fierce wrath.” However, they also give us to understand that,

“His anger endureth but a moment, But his favor all our life: There may be weeping in the evening, But in the morning there is joy.” -Psalm 30: 6.

The Hills Did Tremble. Refers to an earthquake, as a result of which corpses littered the streets as refuse.

His Hand is Stretched Out Still. His anger is not yet appeased. He is ready to strike again. Which is but another way of saying that the object of the correction had not yet been attained. More punishment is coming.

VERSES 26-30. Further Calamities. These consisted in the invasion of the country by the eastern nations. God would summon them. The Prophet refers to the Assyrians ( 10: 5, 6 ) as “The Rod of God’s Anger.” Here their invasion is graphically depicted as the roaring sea and the covering of the land with darkness.