2
Ne 19:1 he lightly afflicted the land of Zebulun,
and the land of Naphtali
This
verse continues the theme of the last chapter. The kingdom of Israel had been
suffering from spiritual darkness in their practice of seeking for those with
familiar spirits. This darkness would be overshadowed by the afflictions that
were to come upon them at the hand of the Assyrians, ‘In
the days of Pekah king of Israel came Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria, and took
Ijon, and Abel-beth-maachah, and Janoah, and Kedessh, and Hazor, and Gilead,
and Galilee, all the land of Naphtali, and carried them captive to
Assyria’ (2 Kings 15:29, italics added). The affliction got worse with a
second sacking which occurred 10 years later, ‘In
the ninth year of Hoshea the king of Assyria (Shalmaneser) took Samaria, and carried Israel away into Assyria’
(2 Kings 17:6).
2
Ne 19:2 The people that walked in darkness have seen
a great light
The
dimness and spiritual darkness of the kingdom of Israel is contrasted to the
great light that will be seen in the exact same geographic location when the
Lord begins His ministry. The land of Zebulun and Naphtali encompass what was
known in Christ’s day as Galilee. Compare the land of inheritance of Zebulun
and Naphtali with the region of Galilee where Jesus ministered (maps 5 & 14
in 1990 editions; maps 3 and 11 in newer 1999 edition of maps). It is apparent
that Isaiah is prophesying the location where the great light of Jesus Christ
will be made manifest to his people. It will be made manifest in Galilee, in
the towns of Cana, Capernaum, Nazareth, Chorazin, Gennesaret, etc. This
prophecy was referred to by Matthew who wrote:
‘And leaving Nazareth, he came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is
upon the sea coast, in the borders of Zabulon and Nephthalim:
That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the
prophet, saying,
The land of Zabulon, and the land of Nephthalim, by the
way of the sea, beyond Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles;
The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them
which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up.’ (Matt
4:13-16).
2
Ne 19:3-5 thou hast broken the yoke of his burden
Isaiah
is often hard to understand because he will switch time periods without
notifying the reader. Without the benefit of hindsight, we would not be able to
determine which of his prophecies had reference to Christ’s first coming and
which had reference to his second. Verses 3-5 speak of both time periods
simultaneously. They speak of the release of spiritual oppression (yoke of
Israel’s burden) that the mission and atonement of the Messiah will bring to
Israel. They also speak of the release from political oppression that the
Second Coming of the Messiah will bring to Israel.
When
Isaiah speaks of the ‘yoke of his burden,’ he
is also referring to a destruction which is to come upon the nation of Israel
in the last days (See verse 1 of Isaiah chapters 15, 17, 19, 21, 23). “In
biblical times, the staff and rod were used by taskmasters on slaves. A yoke
was a wooden frame designed to harness together beasts of burden. These three
items—the yoke, staff, and rod—signify oppression, or the burdens placed on
Israel by its neighbors” (Donald Parry, Visualizing Isaiah, 79) Just
when the weight of this heavy yoke is about to break the neck of Israel, the
Lord will come to destroy Israel’s enemies, and ‘this shall be with burning and fuel
of fire.’ In the great battle the Lord will confuse the enemies of
Israel and come with red apparel, or ‘garments
rolled in blood.’ As Isaiah had prophesied elsewhere, ‘their blood shall be sprinkled upon my garments, and I
will stain all my raiment. For the day of vengeance is in mine heart, and the
year of my redeemed is come’ (Isa. 63:3-4).
2
Ne. 19:3 thou hast…increased the joy
Notice
the difference between verse 3 in the Book of Mormon version and verse 3 in the
Isaiah version. The Book of Mormon version makes more sense and is more
consistent with the interpretation described above.
“In the King James Version this verse states
that the people would NOT increase their joy, but the Book of Mormon gives the
correct rendition. In fact, the King James translators inserted a marginal note
indicating there was some question about the word ‘not.’ The Revised Standard
Version leaves out the ‘not’ just as the Book of Mormon did nearly a century
earlier. The word ‘not’ obviously contradicts the next two phrases, which say
that the joy of the people will be so exuberant that it will be similar to the
happiness which always accompanies the gathering in of the harvest, or the
happiness of those occasions when the booty is about to be distributed after a
long, hard-fought campaign for victory.” (W. Cleon Skousen, Isaiah Speaks to
Modern Times, 222 as taken from
Commentaries on Isaiah in the Book of Mormon, ed. by K. Douglas Bassett, [American
Fork, UT: Covenant Publishing Co., 2003], 148)
2
Ne 19:6 For unto us a child is born
James E. Talmage
“Isaiah, whose prophetic office was
honored by the personal testimony of Christ and the apostles, manifested in
numerous passages the burden of his conviction relating to the great event of
the Savior's advent and ministry on earth. With the forcefulness of direct
revelation he told of the Virgin's divine maternity, whereof Immanuel should be
born, and his prediction was reiterated by the angel of the Lord, over seven
centuries later. Looking down through the ages the prophet saw the
accomplishment of the divine purposes as if already achieved, and sang in
triumph: ‘For unto us a child is born, unto us a son
is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be
called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince
of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end,
upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish
it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even forever.’
“Immediately prior to its fulfillment,
the blessed promise was repeated by Gabriel, sent from the presence of God to
the Chosen Virgin of Nazareth. As made known to the prophet and by him
proclaimed, the coming Lord was the living Branch that should spring from the
undying root typified in the family of Jesse; the foundation Stone insuring the
stability of Zion; the Shepherd of the house of Israel; the Light of the world,
to Gentile as well as Jew; the Leader and Commander of His people…
“Isaiah was permitted to read the scroll
of futurity as to many distinguishing conditions to attend the Messiah's lowly
life and atoning death. In Him the prophet saw One who would be despised and
rejected of men, a Man of sorrows, acquainted with grief, One to be wounded and
bruised for the transgressions of the race, on whom would be laid the iniquity
of us all – a patient and willing Sacrifice, silent under affliction, as a lamb
brought to the slaughter. The Lord's dying with sinners, and His burial in the
tomb of the wealthy were likewise declared with prophetic certainty.” (Jesus
the Christ, pp. 46-7)
Oliver Cowdery
“From those ancient inspired men we
learn the fact, that, not only a Son was to be sent; but that that Son was to
be no less than an everlasting Father, a mighty God, a Prince of peace! that
from Bethlehem this illustrious personage was to come forth, and when he should
come forth, was to be lead as a sheep to the slaughter, be numbered with
transgressors, bear the sins of many, and be smitten for the children of men;
but suffer this affliction to make intercession for the transgressors.” (Messenger
and Advocate, vol 2, p. 270)
2
Ne 19:6 and the government shall be upon his
shoulder
Isaiah
is prolific in his writings about the Messiah. However, his prophecies are
often misunderstood because he does not always clarify the time period when the
prophecy will be fulfilled. In this verse we see a classic example. The phrases
“unto us a son is given” and “the government shall be upon his shoulder” are
juxtaposed as if they were temporally related. In reality, the Savior was not
to control the government of the earth or his people until the Second Coming.
That is not made clear in Isaiah’s prophecies. No wonder all the Jews of
Christ’s day expected him to free them from Roman authority. What else were
they to think given Isaiah’s writings?
Isaiah
would have been more plain and simple with the Jews if they were righteous
enough to deserve such plainness. Instead they sought for things which are hard
to understand. Isaiah accommodated them. ‘But
behold, the Jews were a stiffnecked people; and they despised the words of
plainness, and killed the prophets, and sought for things that they could not
understand’ (Jacob 4:14).
That
Jesus Christ will indeed rule both spiritually and politically is without
question. This political authority is his right by birth. He descended from the
royal line of David. But he did not seek political reign during his mortal
ministry, ‘My kingdom is not of this world: if my
kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be
delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence’ (Jn 18:36).
Although he prayed that his father’s kingdom would come on earth as it is in
heaven, that prayer will only be answered when he comes on earth to reign
during the Millenium.
‘And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom,
that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an
everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that
which shall not be destroyed.’ (Dan 7:14)
‘The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of
our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.’ (Rev 11:15)
‘For the Lord shall be in their midst, and his glory shall be
upon them, and he will be their king and their lawgiver.’ (DC 45:59)
“The fact that the government would
eventually be upon his shoulders affirms what all the world will one day
acknowledge—that he is Lord of lords and King of kings and will one day rule
over the earth and his Church in person….All can take comfort from the fact
that because the government—and the burdens thereof—will be upon his shoulders,
they will be lifted in great measure from our own. This is yet another
reference in Isaiah to the Atonement, the bearing away of our sins (or at very
least in this reference, our temporal burdens) on the shoulders of Christ.” (Christ
and the New Covenant, 80-81 as taken
from Commentaries on Isaiah in the Book of Mormon, ed. by K. Douglas
Bassett, [American Fork, UT: Covenant Publishing Co., 2003], 150)
2
Ne 19:6 The Everlasting Father
James E. Talmage
“Scriptures that refer to God in any
way as the Father of the heavens and the earth are to be understood as
signifying that God is the Maker, the Organizer, the Creator of the heavens and
the earth.
“With this meaning, as the context shows
in every case, Jehovah who is Jesus Christ the Son of Elohim, is called ‘the
Father,’ and even ‘the very eternal Father of heaven
and of earth’ (see passages before cited, and also Mosiah 16:15). With analogous meaning Jesus Christ is
called ‘The Everlasting Father’ (Isaiah 9:6;
compare 2 Nephi 19:6). The descriptive
titles ‘Everlasting’ and ‘Eternal’ in the foregoing texts are synonymous.
“That Jesus Christ, whom we also know
as Jehovah, was the executive of the Father, Elohim, in the work of creation is
set forth in the book Jesus the Christ, chapter 4. Jesus Christ, being the Creator, is
consistently called the Father of heaven and earth in the sense explained
above; and since His creations are of eternal quality He is very properly
called the Eternal Father of heaven and earth.” (Articles of Faith, p.
467)
Neal A. Maxwell
“Jesus is even described as the Father,
because he is the Father-Creator of this and other worlds. Furthermore, he is
the Father of all who are born again spiritually. When we take upon ourselves
his name and covenant to keep his commandments, we then become his sons and
daughters, ‘the children of Christ.’
Additionally, since he and the Father are one in attributes and in purpose,
Jesus acts for the Father through divine investiture, sometimes speaking as the
Father.” (Mosiah, Salvation Only Through Christ, ed. By Nyman and Tate,
pp. 5-6 as taken from Latter-day Commentary on the Book of Mormon
compiled by K. Douglas Bassett, p. 62)
2 Ne 19:6 The Prince of Peace
J. Reuben Clark, Jr.
“Modern man sometimes vainly thinks
that Jesus’ mission was to wipe out war; and scoffers have cried that since war
still curses the earth, Christ’s mission has failed and Christianity is a
blight…
“Christ did proclaim a peace—the peace
of everlasting righteousness, which is the eternal and mortal enemy of sin.
Between righteousness and sin, in whatever form, there can only be unceasing
war, whether in one man, among the people, or between nations in armed
conflict. This war is the sword of Christ; whatever its form this war cannot
end until sin is crushed and Christ brings all flesh under his dominion.
Righteousness is peace wherever it abides; sin in itself is war wherever it is found.”
(Conference Report, Apr. 1939, pp. 104-5 as taken from the Old Testament
Institute Manual, p. 147)
2
Ne 19:9-10 The bricks are fallen down, but we will
build with hewn stones
Isaiah
switches back to his day—again without notifying the reader. The rest of the
chapter deals with the immediate destruction of the northern kingdom.
Accordingly, when the proud of the kingdom of Israel begin to see their
downfall, they boast that they will rebuild with greater materials. The truth
is that the Lord will bring upon them greater destructions which ‘shall devour Israel with open mouth’ (v. 12).
2
Ne 19:12 For all this his anger is not turned away,
but his hand is stretched out still
This
is a fairly common prophetic phrase. Figuratively speaking, the Lord has an arm
of justice and an arm of mercy. When the scriptures say that ‘his hand is stretched out still,’ it can mean that
the Lord plans to be even more merciful or punitive, depending on which arm is
stretched out. In this instance, it means that the Lord’s hand of justice is ‘stretched out still’—that He has more punishments
planned for the wicked in Israel. These other punishments are described in
later verses and in chapter 20.
2
Ne 19:16 the leaders of this people cause them to
err
Righteousness
begins with the leadership of any group of people. The kingdom of Israel had
been led by wicked kings ever since breaking from the tribe of Judah over 200
years prior. The priests had become corrupt and false prophets had led many
astray. They had begun to follow the idolatrous practices of those who
inhabited the land in the days of Joshua. Therefore, they were ripe for
destruction.
2
Ne 19:18 For wickedness burneth…It shall devour the
briers and thorns
The
destruction promised to the kingdom of Israel is a type for the destruction of
the wicked in the last days. ‘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’
(Mal 4:1).
‘As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so
shall it be in the end of this world.
The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall
gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity;
And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be
wailing and gnashing of teeth.’ (Matt 13:40-42)
2
Ne 19:20 they shall eat every man the flesh of his
own arm
Cannibalism
is the pinnacle of depravity. This deplorable condition was also prophesied by
Moses. When Moses was about to bring the people into the land of Canaan, he
repeated the promises of the Lord to the people. He also repeated the
punishments that they would suffer if they rejected the Lord. These curses are
contained in Deuteronomy 28 and very closely reflect the prophecies of
destruction that Isaiah has been proclaiming.
‘The Lord shall smite thee with a
consumption…and with an extreme burning, and with the sword…
The Lord shall cause thee to be smitten
before thine enemies…and shalt be removed into all the kingdoms of the earth….
Thou shalt become an astonishment, a
proverb, and a byword…
The Lord shall bring a nation against thee
from far, from the end of the earth…a nation whose tongue thou shalt not
understand;
A nation of fierce countenance, which shall
not regard the person of the old, nor shew favour to the young…
And thou shalt eat the fruit of thine own
body, the flesh of thy sons and of thy daughters’ (Deut
28:22,25,37,49-50,53)
“Jesus
Christ was crucified, the Apostles were put to death, and most every man who
bore the Priesthood was slain, excepting John the Revelator… These men laid
down their lives, and the judgments of God overtook the Jewish nation, in fulfillment
of the predictions of the Savior and the Prophets. Moses told them in his day, ‘And thou shalt eat the fruit of thine own body, the flesh
of thy sons and of thy daughters, which the Lord thy God hath given thee, in
the siege, and in the straitness, wherewith thine enemies shall distress thee.’
All this came to pass, and the kingdom was taken from the earth, the holy
Priesthood was taken up to God, who gave it, and the Church went into the
wilderness, and there remained until the day set for its restoration to the
world.” (Brian H. Stuy, ed., Collected Discourses, 5 vols. [Burbank, Calif.,
and Woodland Hills, Ut.: B.H.S. Publishing, 1987-1992], vol. 3, Oct. 9, 1892)