2 Nephi 21 Commentary

Differences with the King James Version of Isaiah 11

8 And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice’s (KJV has no ‘s) den.

No other changes in the comparison.

Commentary

“In addition to these [quoted Biblical scriptures], he [the angel Moroni] quoted the eleventh chapter of Isaiah, saying that it was about to be fulfilled.” Joseph Smith—History 1, v. 40; Pearl of Great Price. ^{[source 4 page 27]}

Doctrine and Covenants 113

1 Who is the Stem of Jesse spoken of in the 1st, 2s, 3d, 4th, and 5th verses of the 11th chapter of Isaiah?

2 Verily thus saith the Lord: It is Christ.

3 What is the rod spoken of in the first verse of the 11th chapter of Isaiah, that should come of the Stem of Jesse?

4 Behold, thus saith the Lord: It is a servant in the hands of Christ, who is partly a descendant of Jesse as well as of Ephraim, or of the house of Joseph, on whom there is laid much power.

This rod is likely a reference to Joseph Smith. The rest of these five verses are a reference to Jesus Christ.

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“For the time speedily cometh that the Lord God shall cause a great division among the people and the wicked will He destroy, and He will spare His people, yea, even if it so be that He must destroy the wicked by fire.” (Nephi’s midrash on v. 4; cf. 2 Nephi 30:10.)^{[source 4 page 27]}

These four verses describe the Garden of Eden like situation that will exists during the 1000 year reign that is commonly referred to as the Millennium.

The definition of a Cockatrice given in dictionary.com is a venomous serpent.

Doctrine and Covenants 113

5 What is the root of Jesse spoken of in the 10th verse of the 11th chapter? 

6 Behold, thus saith the Lord, it is a descendant of Jesse, as well as of Joseph, unto whom rightly belongs the priesthood, and the keys of the kingdom, for an ensign, and for the gathering of my people in the last days.

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David Ridges teaches the root is Jesse is probably Joseph Smith – and he references the institute manual.^{[source 6 pages 41-42]}

Ogden and Skinner teach that it could only be Joseph Smith.^{[source 5 pages 206-207]}

Regarding the Ensign of the People – “In the little town of Fayette, Seneca County, New York, the Lord set up an ensign to the nations. It was in fulfillment of the prediction made by the prophet Isaiah, which I have read. That ensign was The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which was established for the last time, never again to be destroyed or given to other people. ^{[Joseph Fielding Smith, Doctrines of Salvation vol 3, pages 254-255]}

“My dear extraordinary youth, you were sent to earth at this precise time, the most crucial time in the history of the world, to help gather Israel, There is nothing happening on this earth right now that is more important than that. There is nothing of greater consequence. Absolutely nothing. This gathering should mean everything to you. This is the mission for which you were sent to earth.” – June 3, 2018, President Russell M. Nelson

“Anytime we do anything that helps anyone — on either side of the veil — to make and keep their covenants with God, we are helping to gather Israel.” – October 2020, President Russell M. Nelson

This verse recalls the tensions in the days of Isaiah between Ephraim – representing the Northern Kingdom of Israel, and Judah, the Southern Kingdom. This envy shall no longer exists. ^{[source 2 page 124]}

I see verses 14 and 15 as being a prophesy of future events not yet fulfilled. It speaks of the Lord in the Last Days prevailing against the wicked nations. To comment on how it will be accomplished is speculation other than to read the text and see how it unfolds.

Doctrine and Covenants 133 should help enhance your understanding here:

25 And the Lord, even the Savior, shall stand in the midst of his people, and shall reign over all flesh.

26 And they who are in the north countries shall come in remembrance before the Lord; and their prophets shall hear his voice, and shall no longer stay themselves; and they shall smite the rocks, and the ice shall flow down at their presence.

27 And an highway shall be cast up in the midst of the great deep.

28 Their enemies shall become a prey unto them,

29 And in the barren deserts there shall come forth pools of living water; and the parched ground shall no longer be a thirsty land.

30 And they shall bring forth their rich treasures unto the children of Ephraim, my servants.

31 And the boundaries of the everlasting hills shall tremble at their presence.

32 And there shall they fall down and be crowned with glory, even in Zion, by the hands of the servants of the Lord, even the children of Ephraim.

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. The Rod of the Stem of Jesse. The Messiah. Literally, the ” stem ” means the ” stump ” of the tree left in the ground, after the branches had been cut down and the luxuriant foliage removed. The meaning is that the Messiah would come when the family of Jesse had been reduced to the social status it occupied at the time of its ancestor, before the golden age of David and Solomon. The Messiah would come as a shoot from the stump of the family tree, but the tender twig would grow and become a flourishing, fruitful Tree.

VERSES 2-5. His Characteristics. In Isaiah 9: 6 four names of the Messiah are given:

• Wonderful Counselor
• Mighty God
• Everlasting Father
• Prince of Peace

In the Pearl of Great Price, Moses 7:35, these names appear:

• I am [ Jehovah ? ] God,
• Man of Holiness,
• Man of Counsel
• Endless and Eternal

Here ( Is. 11: 2 ) are four characteristics of the Messiah.

• He was endowed with The Spirit of the Lord
• The Spirit of Wisdom and Understanding
• The Spirit of Counsel and Might
• The Spirit of Knowledge and the Fear of the Lord

The Spirit of the Lord came upon Jesus at his baptism ( Matt. 3:16, 17; Mark 1:10, 11; Luke 3:21, 22; John 1: 32-34 ). Through the influence and guidance of the Divine Spirit he had wisdom to recognize the difference between right and wrong, truth and error, and understanding to do what is right and avoid what is wrong. He had the Spirit of “counsel and might”; he was resourceful and strong in difficulties, and he had the loving fear of the Father, which is founded on a knowledge of his Fatherhood. ( v. 2 ) The Messiah, by the guidance of the Spirit, is also “quick” of understanding: sensitive and exact in judgment. He is not deceived by those who falsely profess to fear the Lord. ( v. 3 ) He sees the heart and judges accordingly. The poor and those who are humble are the special objects of his care. ( vv. 4 and 5 ) For their benefit he will “smite the earth with the ‘rod’ of his mouth,” or, which is the same-“the breath of his lips,” as did Moses when he sent plagues on Egypt, waving the rod of Aaron, as the symbol of the power of the Almighty. ( Ex. 7 et seq. ) Note that the “sword” of the Messiah is the “rod of his mouth,” his word, his gospel, and that his “armour” is righteousness and faithfulness. There are no other sure roads to peace in the world.

VERSES 6-9. The Millennium is here described. That Millennial conditions are possible on earth is proved by the story in Fourth Nephi 15-36.

VERSE 10. Root of Jesse. Commentators generally take it for granted that the “root of Jesse” in this verse is the same as the “rod out of the Stem of Jesse” in verse 1. They apply both the “rod out of the stem” and the “root” to the Messiah. But in verses 4-9 the Millennium is clearly introduced, and in this verse we read that the root of Jesse stands for an “ensign”; that is, a banner around which even the Gentiles will gather. We read that the “rest” of the Messiah, that is, his resting place, the temple ( 1 Chron. 28:2 ), will be “glorious,” and in the next verse we are told that the gathering of the remnant of Israel and Judah has begun for a second time. All of which seems to me to point to the time in which we are now living, and the preparations now being made for the Millennium, through the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

VERSE 11. A Second Time. This gathering is, evidently, the one now going on. The Islands of the Sea. See 2 Ne. 10: 8, 20, 21.

VERSES 12-13. An Ensign. Is a banner, or flag, to guide a traveler, or mark a gathering place; in this case, the central camp of both Ephraim and Judah, when the two great divisions of Israel are united.

VERSE 14. They Shall Fly Upon. The context shows the meaning to be that the people united will dominate people to the west, where the Philistines lived at one time; as well as the people to the east.

VERSE 15. The Tongue of the Egyptian Sea. May refer to the construction of the Suez Canal. The River. The Euphrates.

VERSE 16. A Highway. The meaning of the verse is that there will be a highway for the remnant of his people left after the fall of what was once Assyria, as there was for the people that came out of Egypt.