Isaiah 8-9

Isaiah 8-9 Study Guide – to be discussed November 3
Day 1: Read Isaiah 8:1-4 (with footnotes 1c,d,3a)
1. What does the name “Maher-shalal-hash-baz” mean?


2. Maher-shalal-hash-baz has the distinction of being the longest name in the Bible. Why might Isaiah have written his son’s extensive name on a “great roll” (large scroll or tablet)?



3. Isaiah 1:4 explains why Isaiah gave his son this lengthy name. What would happen to the Northern Kingdom of Israel (Samaria) before the boy was old enough to say “Daddy” or “Momma”? About how much time did they have left?



Day 2: Read Isaiah 8:5-10 (with footnotes 7a, 8a,c, 9a, 10b), John 4:14, John 9:6-7
(NOTE: “Rezin” was the king of Syria; the “son of Remaliah” was Pekah, king of Israel.)
4. Read John 4:14 and John 9:6-7 to help explain what the “waters of Shiloah” represent.



5. Why do you think Isaiah compared the armies of Assyria with a strong river, over-flooding its banks?



6. Using footnotes 7a, 8a,c, 9a and 10b, rewrite Isaiah 8:9-10 in your own words.



Day 3: Read Isaiah 8:11-18 (with footnotes 11a, 12a, 13a, 14a)
7. What strong counsel did the Lord give Isaiah regarding the politics of his day?



8. Read the footnote to Isaiah 13a. What does it mean to “sanctify the Lord of hosts” and “let him be your fear… your dread”?



9. Read Isaiah 8:14-15 with Helaman 5:12 and Matthew 21:42-44. How is Christ a sanctuary to those who trust him? To whom might his life and example be a “rock of offense”?



Day 4: Read Isaiah 8:16-22 (with footnotes 16b, 18a, 19b,c, 20b, 21a, 22b), D&C 109:46
10. Read D&C 109:46 (from the dedicatory prayer for the Kirtland Temple). What do you think it means to “bind up the testimony” and “seal the law” (Isaiah 8:16)?



11. How were Isaiah and his two sons “signs” or symbols of prophecy to the people? (See footnote 18a.)

12. (NOTE: The term “hardly bestead” in Isaiah 8:21 could also be translated “poorly situated” or “embittered by hunger.”) What kind of people did Isaiah describe as having “no light in them”?



Day 5: Read Isaiah 9:1-7 (with footnotes 1, 2a,b, 3c, 4d,e, 5a,b), 3 Nephi 8:19-22, 3 Nephi 11:3-11, 2 Nephi 19:3
(NOTE: Isaiah 9:1 is the last verse of Isaiah 8 in the Hebrew Bible.)
13. Read Isaiah 9:1-2 with footnotes 1b, 2a,b, 3 Nephi 8:19-22 and 3 Nephi 11:3-11. Give examples of how we can step out of darkness and into the light today.



BONUS: Look up Matthew 4:12-16. How did Jesus’ teaching in Galilee fulfill Isaiah’s prophecy?



14. Compare Isaiah 9:3 with 2 Nephi 19:3. What word should be crossed out in Isaiah’s Old Testament text?


BONUS: How does the term “multiplied the nation” (v.3) imply blessings of the Abrahamic covenant?


15. List three reasons Judah will have increased “joy” and hope, from Isaiah 9:4-7.



Day 6: Read Isaiah 9:8-17 (with footnotes 8a, 12a,b,d, 15a)
16. Isaiah 9:8 through Isaiah 10:4 outlines four of the evils of Ephraim, by way of warning. What is the first evil, as described in Isaiah 9:9-12?



17. What is the second evil of Ephraim, as described in Isaiah 9:13-16? (NOTE: head = leaders; tail = false prophets; branch = victory; rush = common people.)



18. From Isaiah 9:17, how deep did the corruption go in Israel?


Day 7: Read Isaiah 9:18-21
19. What is the third evil of Ephraim, as described in Isaiah 9:18-21?



20. How is wickedness like a wildfire?



21. The phrase, “they shall eat every man the flesh of his own arm [or offspring]” may indicate that the wicked will turn on each other, even members of their own family. What relation was Ephraim to Manasseh? To Judah?

Isaiah 6-7

Isaiah 6-7 Study Guide – to be discussed October 27
Day 1: Read Isaiah 6:1-4 (with footnotes 1e,4a), D&C 77:4, Exodus 19:18
1. The “year that king Uzziah died” (v.1) was around 740 BC. This chapter contains Isaiah’s mission call. As the vision opens, where does Isaiah see the Lord? What might his “train” represent?



2. Read D&C 77:4. Although the question in Section 77 refers to symbolism in John’s revelation, it gives insight to the seraphim seem by Isaiah. What might their wings represent? Why might the seraphim cover their face and their feet?


3. Read Exodus 19:18. Why did Isaiah see smoke and feel the foundations of the temple tremble?


Day 2: Read Isaiah 6:5-8 (with footnotes 5a, 6a)
4. Why did Isaiah feel “undone” (literal translation: “I am destroyed” or “I am lost”)? Have other prophets felt this way?


5. What might the live coal from the altar represent? Why do you think it was placed on Isaiah’s lips?


6. How did the live coal prepare Isaiah for his mission? How did he respond to the question, “Whom shall I send…?”



Day 3: Read Isaiah 6:9-13 (with footnotes 10a,b, 11a, 13b), 2 Nephi 16:9
7. What was Isaiah called to preach? What does Isaiah 6:10 say about the condition of the people in 740 BC?* Read 2 Nephi 16:9. How does this translation help your understanding? (See also D&C 136:32-33, Matthew 13:13-15.)



8. How long was Isaiah’s mission to last?


9. Did the Lord give Isaiah any hope that his mission would bear fruit?


Day 4: Read Isaiah 7:1-9 (with footnotes 2a, 3a,b,c, 4a, 6a, 9b)
10. Read the chapter heading to Isaiah 7. Who were Ahaz, Rezin, and Pekah? Against whom were the Northern Kingdom of Israel and the nation of Syria allied?


11. What did the name of Isaiah’s son mean? Why do you think Isaiah (name = Jehovah is salvation) and his son went together to advise the king of Judah?



12. “Smoking firebrands” indicate a torch that is burned out. What was the message to the quaking king? (See also footnote 7:4a.)


Day 5: Read Isaiah 7:10-16 (with footnotes 12a, 14e, 15a, 16a), Matthew 1:20-23
13. Why do you think the Lord wanted to give Ahaz a sign?


14. Was Ahaz wise or foolish in not requesting a sign after it had been offered?


15. What sign would Judah eventually have? What comfort might this prophecy give during Isaiah’s day? How might this prophecy have blessed the descendants of Ahaz for years to come? (See also Matthew 1:20-23.)



NOTE: The term “the land that thou abhorest” in Isaiah 7:16 refers to the Northern Kingdom of Israel.
Day 6: Read Isaiah 7:11-20 (with footnotes 17a, 18a,b, 20a)
16. What country did the Lord say would be a bigger danger than the alliance between Israel and Syria?


17. Why would the Lord summon flies and bees? What images come to mind as you read Isaiah 7:19?



18. What “razor” would the Lord use to “shave” the land?


Day 7: Read Isaiah 7:21-25 (with footnotes 21a, 22a, 23a, 25a,b)
19. According to the footnotes for Isaiah 21a and 22a, how will the situation of Israel change after the invaders attack?


20. What kind of harvest might one expect from briars and thorns?


21. How popular a missionary do you think Isaiah was if this was his message?



From the Institute Manual:
*(13-37) Isaiah 6:9–13 . Prophecy of the Rejection of Spiritual Things
The words the prophet Isaiah was commissioned to deliver were in part to bring the people to a full accountability for their choices, so that they would be left without excuse. The Book of Mormon rendering of verse 9 shows that the Lord was telling Isaiah the people would for the most part reject his words: “And he said: Go and tell this people—Hear ye indeed, but they understood not; and see ye indeed, but they perceived not” ( 2 Nephi 16:9 ; emphasis indicates differences from the King James Version).
The people claimed to hear and see, but they did not understand the spirit of the message.
The command to “make the heart of this people fat, . . . their ears heavy, and shut their eyes” is used to describe the process of making the people accountable. The command, of course, refers to “their spiritual sight, spiritual hearing, and spiritual feeling.” (Keil and Delitzsch, Commentary, 7:1:200). “There is a self-hardening in evil. . . . Sin from its very nature bears its own punishment. . . . An evil act in itself is the result of self-determination proceeding from a man’s own will.” (Keil and Delitzsch, Commentary, 7:1:201). An individual cannot resist or reject the truth without eventually becoming spiritually hardened (see History of the Church, 4:264). Isaiah’s indictment of the kingdom of Judah was cited again in the New Testament to show that the people of that time were no different. The inability of many to understand the parables is a fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy (see Matthew 13:10–17 ; Luke 8:9–10 ). The significance of many of the miracles was also misunderstood (see John 12:37–41 ). The testimony of the Messiah and His Sonship was understood, at least in part, by the disciples, but it was rejected by others (see Luke 10:21–24 ).

Isaiah 4-5

Isaiah 4-5 Study Guide – to be discussed October 22

Day 1: Review Isaiah 3:24-26, Read Isaiah 4:1-4 (with footnotes 1a,d,2c,d,4a)
1. The Joseph Smith Translation and the Hebrew Bible put the text we have as Isaiah 4:1 at the end of Isaiah 3. Putting Isaiah 4:1 in this context, and using footnote 1a, why might seven women lay hold on one man?


2. Isaiah 4:2 starts a new topic. According to the chapter heading, what day is meant by the phrase, “In that day,” which begins Isaiah 4:2?


3. From Isaiah 4:2-4, describe conditions among those who remain “in that day.”



Day 2: Read Isaiah 4:5-6, D&C 45:66-69, Bible Dictionary entry, “Shechinah”
NOTE: Moroni quoted Isaiah 4:5-6 to Joseph Smith in reference to the last days. See Messenger and Advocate, Ap.1835.
4. Read the Bible Dictionary entry, “Shechinah.” What does the “cloud” by day and the “fire” by night represent? What will every home have during the Millennium?*


5. List ways we can recognize or invite the presence of the Lord in our homes today.



6. Read D&C 45:66-69. How can the glory of the Lord and the terror of the Lord reside in one place? How do these two gifts contribute to the New Jerusalem being a place of refuge?


Day 3: Read Isaiah 5:1-7 (with footnotes 1b, d, 4a, 7b,c)
7. Read Isaiah 5:1 with Isaiah 5:7. What is the vineyard of the Lord? According to the footnote to Isaiah 5:1b, what does Isaiah’s “song” or parable show?


8. What did the Lord do to protect and support his vineyard? What did he expect from it?


9. What kind of harvest did the Lord realize? What will he do, or stop doing, as a result?


Day 4. Read Isaiah 5:8-12 (with footnotes 8c, 12a,b), Micah 2:2, Amos 8:11-12
10. Read Micah 2:2 with Isaiah 5:8 and footnote 8c. What does it mean to “join house to house” or “lay field to field”?


11. A “bath” equals about 8 ¼ US gallons; an homer is 6 ½ bushels of seed; an ephah is about ½ bushel of harvest. What is the ultimate result of social injustice? See also Amos 8:11-12.


12. The harp, viol (lyre), tabret (drum) and pipe were instruments associated with worship. List one sin from Isaiah 5:11, and one sin from Isaiah 5:12, that kept Israel from knowing the Lord.



Day 5: Read Isaiah 5:13-19 (with footnotes 13b, 14a, 15a, 18a,c, 19d), 2 Peter 3:3-4
13. Why will the Lord’s people go into captivity? Why will hell need to be expanded?


14. Read the footnote to Isaiah 5:18c. How do we become tied to our sins?


15. Read the footnote to Isaiah 5:19d and 2 Peter 3:3-4. Why will some people in the last days lack faith?


Day 6: Read Isaiah 5:20-25 (with footnote 23c)
16. Give an example of how people today call evil good and good evil. (No proper names, please!)


17. List the three “woes” in Isaiah 5:20-22. How does each of these woes cause spiritual blindness?



18. Give one warning and one promise to those who rebel against the Lord?


Day 7: Read Isaiah 5:26-30 (with footnotes 26b, 30b), D&C 45:8-10, Moroni 10:27-28,1 Corinthians 14:8-9
19. Read Isaiah 5:26 with D&C 45:8-10. What is the “ensign” which has been raised in the latter days? Why is it critical to the success of the plan of salvation?


20. What descriptive phrases did Isaiah use to indicate the speed of people gathering to the ensign in the latter days?



21. Ezra Taft Benson said, “We, the members of the Church, and particularly the missionaries, have to be the “hissers,” or the tellers and testifiers, of the Book of Mormon unto the ends of the earth.” (Ensign, May 1975.) Give one example of how we can “hiss” or signal to our neighbors the need to gather for safety. See also Moroni 10:27-28.


BONUS: Read 1 Corinthians 14:8-9. Why is it important we all whistle the same tune?



*(13-26) Isaiah 4:5–6 . Zion to Be a Place of Refuge. In Doctrine and Covenants 45:66–72 , the sacred and protected status of “Zion” for the gathered Israel in the latter days is described. Doctrine and Covenants 105:31–32 speaks of how the glory of Zion shall be her defense. Isaiah compared the protecting divine influence with that experienced by Moses (see Exodus 14:19–20 ; Deuteronomy 1:33 ). Elder Orson Pratt suggested that the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy would be literal:
“The time is to come when God will meet with all the congregation of his Saints, and to show his approval, and that he does love them, he will work a miracle by covering them in the cloud of his glory. I do not mean something that is invisible, but I mean that same order of things which once existed on the earth so far as the tabernacle of Moses was concerned, which was carried in the midst of the children of Israel as they journeyed in the wilderness. . . . But in the latter days there will be people so pure in Mount Zion, with a house established upon the tops of the mountains, that God will manifest himself, not only in their Temple and upon all their assemblies, with a visible cloud during the day, but when the night shall come, if they shall be assembled for worship, God will meet with them by his pillar of fire; and when they retire to their habitations, behold each habitation will be lighted up by the glory of God,—a pillar of flaming fire by night.
“Did you ever hear of any city that was thus favored and blessed since the day that Isaiah delivered this prophecy? No, it is a latter-day work, one that God must consummate in the latter times when he begins to reveal himself, and show forth his power among the nations.” (In Journal of Discourses, 16:82.)

Isaiah 2-3

Isaiah 2-3 Study guide – to be discussed October 13
Day 1: Read Isaiah 2:1-5 (with footnotes 1a,b, 3f), Mosiah 6:6, D&C 25:2, D&C 84:45
1. According to footnote 1b in Isaiah 2, how did Isaiah receive his message? What do you “envision” when you read the term “the mountain of the Lord’s house”? In what way is your mental image like a mountain? Like a house?


2. How has “the law” come out of Zion? How has ‘the word” come out of Jerusalem? (See also footnote 3f.)


3. What time frame is Isaiah looking forward to in Isaiah 2:4-5? (See chapter heading.) How can we learn to walk in the light of the Lord? (See also Mosiah 6:6, D&C 25:2, D&C 84:45.)



BONUS: Read 2 Nephi 12:5. What phrase is included here that is not included in Isaiah?


Day 2: Read Isaiah 2:6-9 (with footnotes 6a,c, 9a), 2 Nephi 12:9, 2 Nephi 25:9-10, Bible Dictionary entry “Soothsayer,” D&C 82:10
4. Use the footnotes to help explain why the Lord was willing to forsake the house of Jacob. See also 2 Nephi 25:9-10.


5. Compare Isaiah 2:9 with 2 Nephi 12:9. What word, used twice in 2 Nephi, helps clarify the meaning of this verse?



6. The Assyrians were more barbaric and godless than the people of Israel. Why did the Lord allow the Assyrians to conquer his covenant people? (See also D&C 82:10.)



Day 3: Read Isaiah 2:10-16 (with footnote 16a)
7. What kind of men did Isaiah suggest should hide in caves at the Lord’s Second Coming? What are “lofty looks”?


8. Are cedar trees inherently bad? What qualities of a “cedar of Lebanon” would make it a bad role model?*


9. Who builds high towers, fenced walls and fast ships? What kind of protection do these offer?


Day 4: Read Isaiah 2:17-22, Mosiah 27:31, D&C 88:104
10. Read Isaiah 2:17 with Mosiah 27:31 and D&C 88:104. How and when will men’s loftiness or pride be made low?


11. Where do moles and bats live? Why would they want idols of silver and gold?


12. Rewrite Isaiah 2:22 in your own words.**


Day 5: Read Isaiah 3:1-8 (with footnotes 2a, 3a,b, 7a)
NOTE: Isaiah 3:1-8 is written in a form of Hebrew poetry called “chiasmus.” The form of this kind of poetry is inverted parallelism, or in other words, a list of ideas repeated in reverse order. Parallelism was used as a memory aid and for emphasis. The main point of a chiastic verse is in the middle.
13. Read Isaiah 3:1-2 with Isaiah 3:7-8. What main ideas do these two passages have in common?


14. Read Isaiah 3:3-4 with Isaiah 3:5-6. What concepts do these passages share? What is the central idea?


15. What did Isaiah say about political leaders in a fallen Jerusalem?


Day 6: Read Isaiah 3:9-15 (with footnotes 11b, 13a, 14b,c,d,e)
16. What do you think Isaiah meant when he prophesied that the wicked “rewarded evil unto themselves”?


17. Do the Lord’s people sound weak or strong in Isaiah 3:12-13? How did they get that way?


18. To whom is the Lord speaking in Isaiah 3:14? What is his message regarding their treatment of the poor?


Day 7: Read Isaiah 3:16-26 (with footnotes 16e, 17a, 18a,b, 19a, 22a, 23a,c,d, 26d)
19. Describe the daughters of Zion in modern terms. (See especially note 23a and notes from the manual below.)***


20. What will happen to these people at the Second Coming? (Note: Baldness, “rent” or ropes, and branding may imply slavery.)


21. List warnings from Isaiah 2-3 which may apply to our day.



From the Institute Manual:
*(13-14) Isaiah 2:13. What Were the “Cedars of Lebanon” and the “Oaks of Bashan”?
They were the loftiest and most impressive trees in the ancient Middle East. They therefore symbolized not only the great beauty of the land that would be destroyed but also the proud and lofty people of the earth (see Keil and Delitzsch, Commentary, 7:1:122–23).

**(13-16) Isaiah 2:22. “Cease Ye from Man”
This expression is a warning about the weaknesses of trusting merely in man (see also 2 Nephi 4:34; 2 Nephi 28:31; Topical Guide, s.v. “trust not in the arm of flesh”).

***(13-21) Isaiah 3:16-24. Difficult Idioms and Archaic Expressions
The following explanations may be helpful in understanding the power of Isaiah’s condemnation of the women’s apostasy. Verse 16. “Stretched forth necks” is an idiom describing haughtiness—pride in self and scorn toward others (see Young, Book of Isaiah, 1:162).
Verse 16. “Mincing . . . and making a tinkling with their feet.” The women wore costly ornamental chains connecting rings about the ankles. These were often adorned with bells. (See Keil and Delitzsch, Commentary, 7:1:143.)
Verse 17. “Discover their secret parts” is an idiom meaning that they would be put to shame (see Isaiah 3:17a).
Verse 18. “Cauls . . . round tires like the moon” were ornamental jewelry in the shape of suns and moons according to the fashions of that day (see Young, Book of Isaiah, 1:165).
Verses 19–23. These terms describe fashions that were popular among the worldly women in Isaiah’s day: “muffler”—veil; “bonnet”—headdress; “tablets”—perfume boxes; “earrings”—charms or amulets; “nose jewels”—nose rings; “changeable suits of apparel”—clothing for festivals only; “mantle”— overcloak; “wimples”—a type of shawl or veil worn over the head; “crisping pins”—erroneously rendered as hair curling implements. The Hebrew suggests a bag, like modern purses or handbags; “glasses”—most authorities translate as a metal mirror, although some suggest transparent clothing, “hoods”—turbans, head cover wrapped by hand. (See Young, Book of Isaiah, 1:165–66; Keil and Delitzsch, Commentary, 7:1:144–47.)