2 Nephi 24 Commentary

Differences with the King James Version of Isaiah 14

2 And the people shall take them, and bring them to their place: yea, from far unto the ends of the earth: and they shall return to their lands of promise. (“yea, from far unto the ends of the earth: and they shall return to their lands of promise.” not in KJV) And the house of Israel shall possess them, and (“and” KJV uses “in“) the land of the Lord shall be for servants and handmaids: and they shall take them captives, unto whom they were captives;(“unto whom they were captives” KJV uses “whose captives they were“) and they shall rule over their oppressors.

4 And it shall come to pass in that day, (“And it shall come to pass in that day,” not in KJV) that thou shalt take up this proverb against the king of Babylon, and say, How hath the oppressor ceased, the golden city ceased!

8 Yea, the fir-trees rejoice at thee, and also (“also” not in KJV) the cedars of Lebanon, saying, Since thou art laid down, no feller is come up against us.

12 How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! (KJV adds “how“) Art thou cut down to the ground, which did weaken the nations!

16 They that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee, and shall consider thee, and shall say,(“and shall say” KJV uses “saying“) Is this the man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms,

17 (“and” KJV uses “that“) made the world as a wilderness, and destroyed the cities thereof, and (“and” KJV uses “that“) opened not the house of his prisoners?

18 All the kings of the nations, yea, (“yea” KJV uses “even“) all of them, lie in glory, every one of them(“of them” not in KJV) in his own house.

19 But thou art cast out of thy grave like an abominable branch, and the remnant (“the remnant” KJV uses “as the raiment”) of those that are slain, thrust through with a sword, that go down to the stones of the pit; as a carcass trodden under feet.

21 Prepare slaughter for his children for the iniquities (“iniquities” KJV uses “iniquity“) of their fathers; that they do not rise, nor possess the land, nor fill the face of the world with cities.

25 that I will bring (“bring” KJV uses “break“) the Assyrian in my land, and upon my mountains tread him under foot: then shall his yoke depart from off them, and his burden depart from off their shoulders.

32 What shall (KJV adds “one“) then answer the messengers of the nations (“nations” KJV uses “nation“)? That the Lord hath founded Zion, and the poor of his people shall trust in it.

Commentary

Isaiah is telling us that the Lord is not finished with Jacob or Isreal, and that they will be restored to their lands. After the Babylonian conquests, groups were allowed to return under the rule of King Cyrus about 538 BC. But this was only a partial fulfillment. The restoration of the Jews to Israel in modern times is the beginning of the fulfillment. Yet the prophecy here is about Israel, not just Judah. This chapter is for us today. Through preaching the Gospel with missionary work, we are starting its fulfillment. The physical returning of the ten tribes of Israel to the lands is a future event.

The strangers being joined to them is most likely a reference to the gentiles. At first, the gentiles help them establish the land. Eventually, it will refer to those who are converted to the gospel of Christ and they are now joined with them as Millennial reign takes shape.

“And the people shall take them, and bring them to their place: yea, from far unto the ends of the earth:” – This is the gathering of Israel taking place today as the gospel of Jesus Christ is being spread throughout the world. The time will come that this gathering of believers in Christ will turn into a gathering to the lands.

As this gathering continues, there are many changes that are to take place in Jerusalem. Today, it is a secular state for Jews. Eventually, Christ will rescue them from their enemies. From there, the Jews will believe in Christ and the trajectory of everything will change. As the wicked are overthrown, Israel will increase. They shall rule over their oppressors. They shall also rest from sorrow, fear, and bondage.

During the days of Isaiah, Babylon was a symbol of Idolatry and wickedness. The Kingdom of Babylon was the golden city. Isaiah knows that Babylon will eventually rise as a power and oppress Israel – just as the King of Assyria was prophesied to do. There may be partial fulfillments to this with the Babylon which Lehi and his family in the Book of Mormon were warned to flee from. But this prophesy receives true fulfillment in these latter-days. The latter-day Kingdom of Babylon will also be full of idolatry and wickedness, and will also rise in power. This kingdom of Babylon is synonymous with the Kingdom of Lucifer or Satan. This kingdom will fall. These verses coincide with Revelation 13:4 and Revelation 14:8.

Rev 13:4 And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him?

Rev 14:8 And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.

He refers to the fall of the modern day King of Babylon who represents Satan. The whole earth is at rest refers to the time when the terrible king of Babylon which is the kingdom of Satan is overthrown in preparation for the Millennium.

Fir-trees and cedars are God’s creations and represent people. They now rejoice as the King of Babylon has been cast down to hell. ^{[source 2 page 145]}

When the modern day King of Babylon is cast into Hell, all the former great ones of the earth will be moved to meet him. And they will see him as weak.

And in the grave, worms will eat the flesh of the King of Babylon.

Isaiah next turns from the King of Babylon and now refers to Satan being cast into Hell which happens when Christ has completed the process of ridding the earth of wickedness.

When the earth was created, Lucifer was considered the son of the morning. We don’t have a lot of details of this period. But we know that we were there as spirit children of our father. The presented plan was such that we would all be able to be born on the earth. We would have our agency to choose to follow God are reject God. As we all sin, we fall short of Gods glory and cannot return to the Father’s presence. Jesus would be born into the world and be the sacrificial lamb. He would suffer and pay the price for ours sins. If we would believe on him, we could be washed clean and be worthy to again enter God’s presence. Some would be lost.

Lucifer rebelled against this plan. He sought to remove agency from the equation. He would make certain no one is lost. But in so doing, none would reach their potential. In reality, all would be lost. And Lucifer, wanted the glory for his masterful yet greatly flawed plan.

The plan which involved Jesus Christ prevailed. A war took place. Lucifer and his followers which included one third of the hosts of heaven, lost in the war and were cast down to earth. They are here today striving to lead us away from Christ.

When Christ comes again in glory, and the wicked are destroyed from the earth, at this time, Lucifer who is Satan, will with his followers be cast into hell – to the sides of the pit.

Once in hell, the inhabitants of hell – those who chose not to accept Jesus as their Savior will see Satan for who he really is.

Isaiah switches from Satan back to the figurative King of Babylon. In general, the kings of the nations have magnificent tombs. But such shall not be the case for the King of Babylon. He shall not have a magnificent burial. But shall be as a carcass trodden under foot.

The Lord will destroy all followers of the King of Babylon which is synonymous with followers of Satan. The term to be cut off is the same as to be excommunicated.^{[source 2 page 152]} All of the followers of the King of Babylon which are also followers of Satan will be excommunicated from their inheritance with God.

Bittern is translated as owl, hedgehog, and waterfowl. ^{[source 2 page 152]} This verse may be referring to Babylon of old following the destruction of the original King of Babylon – Nebuchadnezzar II. This once paradise has been mostly barren now for about 2000 years.

Isaiah now turns back to closer to his time. Verse 24 is emphasizing that the words of God shall come to pass. In Verse 25, Isaiah is prophesying that Assyria will eventually fall.

David Ridges gives the following explanation which leads into verses 26 and 27:

Dual Meaning: the Assyrian downfall in Judah in 701 B.C.; the forces of the wicked will be destroyed at the Second Coming and again, after the final battle at the end of the Millennium, when Satan and his followers will be cast out permanently. ^{[source 6 page 51]}

The entire reason for everything is that we turn to the Lord. The Lord’s hand is stretched out to all who will receive it.

In the year the King Ahaz died, Isaiah received this revelation about Palestina which was later called Palestine.^{[source 5 page 221].} The Lord is telling not to rejoice over the change in leadership. Historically this is likely referring the serpents root – Shalmaneser V. The cockatrice which followed was Sennacharib.^{[source 5 page 221]}

This new leadership will not be kind to you and you will be dissolved as a nation. The smoke represents the burning cities destroyed by the Assyrian as they advanced southward toward Philistia.^{[source 2 page 155]} None shall be alone refers to there being no deserters in the armies of the Assyrians.^{[source 2 page 155]}

All nations need to know that they need to look to Zion. If they will trust in Zion, they will prosper.

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. Yet. Means, once more, for a second time. They will again be established in their own land, as when they came out of Egypt; but with this dif ference, that this time they will not be required to exterminate the strangers. The strangers will be joined with them and cleave to the house of Jacob.

VERSE 2. People shall Take them and Bring them to their Place. In this paragraph and the following the promise is made that the nations of the earth will help the Children of Israel to return home and settle down. Strangers will gladly serve them, not, indeed as slaves that are bought and sold, but as “servants and hand maids” ( v. 2 ) -members of the household. There was no slavery among the Hebrews, as practiced among the Egyptians and Romans, for instance. The servants were protected by law, equally with the masters.

VERSES 4-23. This song of Babylon is considered an excellent specimen of Hebrew poetry. It may be divided thus:

VERSES 4-8. The Earth at Rest. The oppressor being removed, there is no longer any disturber of the peace. The nations are singing for joy; even nature partakes of the rest.

VERSES 9-15. Commotion in Hell. The reception of the tyrant among the dead in Sheol is described with vivid imagination. There is excitement and commotion, as there would be in any great center of population in the Orient, waiting for the arrival of a great potentate; only, this time they are expecting one whom they hated in life. Kings rise from their thrones and taunt him with questions, sneeringly: “Art thou become weak as we?” ( v. 10 ) Where is thy music ? Look at the worms all over you! ( v. 10 ) The king of Babylon is next compared to Lucifer, the son of the morning, who fell because of pride. “For thou hast said in thy heart I will ascend into heaven… I will be like the Most High. Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell.” ( v. 15 )

VERSES 16-21. The Corpse of the King Unburied on the Battlefield. Other kings lie in their tombs “in glory,” but the king of Babylon is cast out of his grave as a rotten limb of a tree, and, as a carcass trodden under feet. ( v. 19 ) Thrust through with a Sword. This became literally true. Nabonadius, the last king of Babylonia, fled to Borsippa, after having been defeated in battle by Cyrus, and left his son, Belshazzar, in Babylon to look after the affairs of state. The young prince was surprised by the invaders, in the midst of revelry, and slain in the confusion, at the gate of his magnificent palace, “thrust through with a sword”; whereupon Nabonadius, his father, crushed in body and spirit by his losses, surrendered to the conquerer. Thou hast Destroyed thy Land and Slain thy People. Through the incessant war expeditions. Even “successful” wars are a curse to a country.

VERSES 22-23. Pools of Water. At the beginning of our era, Babylon was still partly inhabited and the surrounding country was cultivated. In the second century, the walls were still standing. During the fourth century they served as an enclosure for wild animals, and Persian monarchs went there to amuse themselves hunting. By and by the location was lost sight of and forgotten. More modern writers – Dr. Alexander Keith, among others – note the utter desolation of the once famous city. From the place where once the temple of Bel and the royal palaces rose in majestic heights, to the streets, everything has been reduced to gravel hills. Some are large; others are smaller. One who sees the innumerable parallel hills and the depressions between them does not know whether they are remnants of streets or canals. Babylon is fallen. Its foundations could not have been brought lower. Its “pomp has been brought down to the grave.” It has literally become “pools of water.” For laborers have made innumerable excavations to get gravel, or clay, for industrial purposes, and when the Euphrates overflows its banks, its water fills these hollows forming pools, or swamps. Such was the glory of Babylon less than a century ago. ( Comp. Jer. 51:42 ) Bittern. The Hebrew is “kippod,” a word that occurs only in three places in the Bible: here, Is. 34:11, and Zeph. 2:14. Opinions differ concerning the meaning of it. Gensenius derives it from “kappad,” to “shorten,” or “contract” one oneself, and translates it, “leech” ( Grm. “Igel” ). Our accepted translation, “bittern” is a species of heron, a bird with long feathers on the breast and neck, and a strong, pointed bill, which is known to frequent the marshes and rivers of western Asia and eastern Europe. Concerning the desolation of the place that once was Babylon, Dr. Keith says there was no trace of vegetation. The ground looked as if it had been washed again and again by the rising and falling river, until every vestige of good soil had been swept away. Yet, the higher located sections had not been reached by the overflow and were therefore dry and parched as a desert, while the lower land was a swamp.

VERSE 24. As I have Thought. Note that God’s thoughts are realities. “As I have thought, so shall it come to pass.” Also, his purposes “stand.” They are perfect, as God is perfect. Any change in his thoughts or purposes would be from perfection to imperfection, and that is unthinkable.

VERSE 25. I Will Bring the Assyrian. These paragraphs can be read to advantage as part of 2 Ne. 20, where the destruction of the army of Sennacherib is foretold. God brought the Assyrian to the mountains of Judah, for his defeat and destruction, and the liberation of his people. But the prophetic word does not finish the history of Assyria, nor of Egypt, with descriptions of destruction. The Prophet Isaiah unveils this view of the future: “And the Lord shall smite Egypt; he shall smite and heal it, and they shall return even to the Lord, and he shall be intreated of them, and shall heal them. In that day shall there be a highway out of Egypt to Assyria, and the Assyrian shall come into Egypt, and the Egyptian into Assyria, and the Egyptians shall serve with the Assyrians. In that day shall Israel be the third with Egypt and with Assyria, even a blessing in the midst of the land: Whom the Lord of Hosts shall bless, saying, Blessed be Egypt my people, and Assyria, the work of my hands, and Israel mine inheritance. ” ( Is. 19: 22-25 ) If we read “Mesopotamia,” or, “Irak,” instead of “Assyria,” and remember that Palestine was recognized as the homeland of the Jews; that Egypt obtained a liberal measure of political freedom, and that a considerable portion of ancient Assyria, under the name of Irak, or, Mesopotamia, was created an independent state, by the treaty of Versailles June 28, 1919, all under the mandate of Great Britain, we may be justified in looking forward to further developments along the lines here indicated. God recognizes, in this prophecy, the Egyptians as his people, in its resurrected existence, as his creation, and Israel as his inheritance.

VERSE 28. In the Year that King Ahaz Died. 728 B. C. The Philistines revolted and took several cities in Judah. The Prophet warned them not to exult too soon.

VERSE 29. “Because the Rod of him that Smote thee is Broken,” For the Lord had a fiery, flying serpent ready to sink his fangs into them, instead; referring to the Assyrian invader, Sargon. ( Is. 20: 1 ) Palestina. Here and in verse 31 means Philistia, the country of the Philistines ( Heb. Peleshet ), the southern part of the coast plain of Canaan. This country was once one of the most flourishing, and, consequently, one of the most important and wealthy in Syria. Its cities, particularly Gaza, Askelon and Ashdod, were famous in the Old World, when the prophets predicted their destruction. Even long after their doom was proclaimed, they continued to prosper. Alexander the Great, the conqueror of the Persian army, was halted outside Gaza and delayed for two months. Askelon was famous for its flourishing vineyards, which made it an important commercial center. Ashdod was a strongly fortified city, strong enough to hold the Egyptian conquerors at bay for twenty years. It was demolished by the Turks in 1270 A. D., and Ibrahim Pasha carried away a considerable part of the ruins, to use for building material elsewhere. The surrounding country was fertile enough for many years. Wheat, peas, beans, fig trees, almonds and pomegranates were produced in abundance, but gradually the curse seemed to settle upon the soil. It became barren, and the few inhabitants who survived eked out a precarious existence by taking care of a few sheep and goats. Gaza was destroyed by Alexander the Great, 333 B. C. Strabo, at the beginning of our era, refers to it as a “desert.” That is the very expression the angel of the Lord used when he sent Philip to go and meet the Ethiopian. He said “rise and go… unto the way that goeth down from Jerusalem unto Gaza, which is desert.” ( Acts 8:26 ) True, Constantine rebuilt Gaza, and established an ecclesiastic see there, but not on the old site but some distance from it. It was the new Gaza, known as “Ghuzze,” which figured in the world war and fell into the hands of General Sir Henry Allenby, Nov. 6, 1917.

VERSE 30. The Firstborn of the Poor. The Jews shall prosper, while the Philistines were destroyed by famine and war.

VERSE 31. There shall Come from the North a Smoke. Referring to the Assyrians.

VERSE 32. What to Answer the Messengers of the Nations. This is a remarkable verse. The implication is that when the descendants of Abraham are being gathered for the last time, the nations of the world will be in commotion on account of war and war rumors. They will then send ambassadors to Palestine, or to the leading Jews, wherever they dwell, and ask them how they are getting along. The Prophet here, at least ( see date in verse 28 ) 2265 years ago, formulated the correct answer to that question: “The Lord hath founded Zion, and the poor of his people shall trust in it.” In other words, “All is well with Zion. God has founded it.”