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.)