2 Nephi 16 – Commentary

Differences with the King James Version of Isaiah 6

5 Then said I, Wo me! (“Wo me!” KJV uses “Woe is me!“) for I am undone; because I a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts.

9 And he said, Go, and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but they (KJV does not include “they“) understand not; and see ye indeed, but they perceived (“they perceived” KJV uses “percieve“) not.

11 Then said I, Lord, how long? And he said (“said” KJV uses “answered“), Until the cities be wasted without inhabitant, and the houses without man, and the land be utterly desolate;

12 and the Lord have removed men far away, for there shall (“for there shall” KJV uses “and there be“) be a great forsaking in the midst of the land.

13 But yet in it there shall be a tenth, and they (“they” KJV uses “it“) shall return, and shall be eaten: as a teil – tree, and as an oak whose substance is in them, when they cast their leaves: so the holy seed shall be the substance thereof.

Commentary

In going through the different sources I am referencing in doing this write-up a very interesting teaching pointed out is what the authors of Understanding Isaiah found in The Teachings of Joseph Smith.

God hath not revealed anything to Joseph, but what he will make known unto the twelve, and even the least Saint may know all things as fast as he is able to bear them. ^{[Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, Page 149]}

when any man obtains [the second comforter], he will have the personage of Jesus Christ to attend him, or appear unto him from time to time, . . . and the visions of the heavens will be opened unto him. ^{[Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, Page 151]}

Joseph Smith informs us on pages 150-151 that Isaiah’s vision was connected to the experience wherein his calling and election were made sure and he was given the gift of the Second Comforter, Jesus Christ. ^{[source 2 page 63]}

Uzziah, also called Azariah ( 2 Kings 15: 1 ), was the son of Amaziah. He was the ninth king of Judah and ascended the throne in Jerusalem at the age of sixteen years. He reigned between the years 810 and 759 B.C. It is said of him that he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord in the early part of his government, as long as he followed the counsel of Zechariah, the prophet. ( 2 Chron. 26 ) But later in life, pride inspired him to attempt to usurp the prerogatives of the priesthood. He went into the temple and insisted on burning incense on the altar. When he defied the High Priest Azariah and his assistants, he was stricken with leprosy, and remained a sufferer of that loathsome affliction until his death.^{[source 7]}

Seraph is a Hebrew word which means “fiery one”. ^{[source 5 page 182]} Seraphim would be the plural form of the word. Avriham Gileadi teaches that the Seraph is just below the Lord himself on the spiritual ladder. ^{[source 1]} In this account in verse 2, the Seraph has six wings. Two of those wings are for moving about. D&C 77:4 teaches that and “their wings are a representation of power, to move, to act, etc.”

Regarding the term “Holy, holy, holy” – a word repeated three times in Hebrew is called a superlative meaning the very best. ^{[source 6 pages 20-21]}

The smoke may represent God’s glory or presence, similarly to how it is described in Exodus 19:18 –

Exodus 19:18 And mount Sinai was altogether on a smoke, because the Lord descended upon it in fire: and the smoke thereof ascended as the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mount quaked greatly.

The term “undone” appears to be debated by the scholars – perhaps struck dumb, perhaps I am lost. Nevertheless, Isaiah is very much overwhelmed and humbled as he is a common man with his own sins and weakness, and he lives among other sinners – yet he has now seen the Lord.

The live coal is representative of the baptism by fire. The touching of the lips are symbolic of the cleansing of the inner man or the atonement^{[source 5 page 183]} from the alter of atonement.^{[source 1]}

The Lord with a counsel (plural “us”) asks whom shall I send on this mission (of preaching and teaching – to be the prophet). Isaiah offers himself saying “Here am I, send me.”

Verses 9 and 10 go together. What is difficult for the untrained learner is the logic of the Lords word’s towards the people. It seems like the Lord is telling Isaiah to make them not believe. But such is not the case. The Lord knows that this people are already hard in their hearts and as a people are not going to repent. Isaiah is being sent to condemn and seal their fate as a rebellious people. This does not sound like a mission anyone would really want to take on. But Isaiah is going to do it.

The Lord used very similar terminology when he spoke regarding the people in Jerusalem as recorded in Matthew 13:15:^{[source 6 page 22]}

Matthew 13:15 For this people’s heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.

• Heart fat – unfeeling
• Ears heavy – cannot hear the promptings of the spirit
• Eyes shut – spiritually blind

The mission will last until their fate has been sealed and the Assyrians and the Babylonians have taken the people away.

A remnant shall return. But just as the teil and oak trees cast off their leaves and the tree goes dormant for the winter, the trees are still alive. The holy seed represents Christ and his people. And the tree will come to life again in order to bring forth the birth of the Lord and bring forth the people of God. And the cycle will be repeated again as Jerusalem will loose its leaves again (70 AD), and in the last days, it comes back to life again.^{[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:

VERSE 1. In the Year That King Uzziah Died. Uzziah, also called Azariah ( 2 Kings 15: 1 ), was the son of Amaziah. He was the ninth king of Judah and ascended the throne in Jerusalem at the age of sixteen years. He reigned between the years 810 and 759 B.C. It is said of him that he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord in the early part of his government, as long as he followed the counsel of Zechariah, the prophet. ( 2 Chron. 26 ) But later in life, pride inspired him to attempt to usurp the prerogatives of the priesthood. He went into the temple and insisted on burning incense on the altar. When he defied the High Priest Azariah and his assistants, he was stricken with leprosy, and remained a sufferer of that loathsome affliction until his death. Jotham, his son, succeeded him on the throne. Isaiah was called to the prophetic office during the last year of the life of Uzziah in his exclusion from family, friends and society. The Vision of the Prophet. Isaiah saw the Lord sitting on his throne, in the Holy of Holies, which represented the invisible abode of the Deity. He was en robed in a robe of light ( Psalm 104: 2 ), the train of which filled the front part of the temple, as the light from the Presence of God fills the visible creation and the immensity of space. ( D. and C. 88:12 )

VERSE 2. Seraphim. Above the throne were seen Seraphim. This word is said to mean ” fire spirits. ” But whatever the etymology of the name may be, these beings of the vision of the prophet were glorious beings, engaged in the service of the Almighty. They were intelligent beings, glorifying their Maker. As seen by the Prophet, they had wings. With two they covered the upper part, and with two the lower part of their bodies, out of respect for Him who occupied the throne. With the other two they were flying; they kept themselves floating in the air, as it were, ever ready for service without delay, and while they were waiting for the divine command, they were praising the Lord.

VERSE 3. One Cried to Another. ” Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord of Hosts, etc. ”

VERSE 4. Smoke. A cloud which surrounded the radiant glory, thereby making it possible for mortal eye to endure it. ( See Ex. 33: 18-22; 1 Kings 8:10, 11; Ezek. 10: 4 )

VERSE 5. Wo Unto Me. The Prophet, in the presence of the glory of God, realized that his lips were unclean, and that he lived among a people with unclean lips; that is, that his and their conversation had not always been pure. He felt as if he were about to perish, because he had seen the Lord, before he was perfectly clean.

VERSE 6. Live Coal. Probably one of the hot rocks lying on the altar and used for cooking purposes. One of the seraphs picked up one of these.

VERSE 7. His Message. Applying it to the mouth of the Prophet, he said: “Thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin is purged.” Sin and Iniquity. ( See 2 Ne. 15:18 )

VERSE 8. Whom Shall I Send ? Now the Prophet was equipped for his mission. He could hear the voice of the Lord. He was ready and willing to go wherever the Lord would send him. Comp. Pearl of Great Price, Mos. 4: 1, 2; and Ab. 3:27, 28.

VERSES 9-10. Hear Ye Indeed; See Ye Indeed. The tenth verse explains the ninth. It may be expressed thus: “Ye may hear and see all ye want, but hearing the word of God and seeing his wonders does not bring salvation. On the contrary. The result of the preaching, the hearing and seeing would be “fat,” that is, insensible hearts, blind eyes, deaf ears, and dull understanding, instead of conversion and healing.

VERSE 11. Lord, How Long ? The Prophet, naturally, wondered how long this condition was to last, and the Lord answered his humble question in these closing verses of the chapter: Until the cities and homes be depopulated, the land utterly desolate, and the people driven into exile. But, ( v. 13 ), a remnant, a tenth part, would be left, and return. This remnant is a “holy seed.” “For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Ísrael, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in, and so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written. These shall come out of Zion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob.” ( Paul, Rom. 11:25, 26 )