Latter-day Saints have an extraordinary advantage in reading Isaiah. The Restoration didn’t just quote Isaiah. It explained him, sometimes by revelation, and the first angel sent to Joseph Smith quoted him. This guide gathers that light.
Moroni quotes Isaiah 11
On the night of September 21, 1823, the angel Moroni visited the seventeen-year-old Joseph Smith. After quoting Malachi, Moroni “quoted the eleventh chapter of Isaiah, saying that it was about to be fulfilled” (JS—H 1:40). Isaiah 11 describes the stem and rod of Jesse, the Lord recovering His people “the second time,” and an ensign lifted to the nations. Of all the scripture he could have chosen, the angel who delivered the Book of Mormon chose an Isaiah chapter about the gathering of Israel.
Isaiah in the Book of Mormon
The Book of Mormon quotes or closely paraphrases about a third of Isaiah. The plates of brass that Lehi’s family carried from Jerusalem around 600 BC contained Isaiah’s writings (1 Ne. 19:22–23), and Nephi, Jacob, Abinadi, and the risen Savior all quote from them.
| Book of Mormon | Isaiah | Who and why |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Ne. 20–21 | Isa. 48–49 | Nephi, to help his brothers “liken” the scattering and gathering of Israel; explained in 1 Ne. 22 |
| 2 Ne. 6:6–7, 2 Ne. 6:16–18 | Isa. 49:22–26 | Jacob, on the Gentiles as “nursing fathers” who help gather Israel |
| 2 Ne. 7–8 | Isa. 50–51; Isa. 52:1–2 | Jacob, on the Lord’s power to redeem; explained in 2 Ne. 9–10 |
| 2 Ne. 9:50–51 | Isa. 55:1–2 | Jacob’s invitation to “come, buy wine and milk without money” |
| 2 Ne. 12–24 | Isa. 2–14 | Nephi’s long quotation, with his keys in 2 Ne. 25 |
| 2 Ne. 26–27 | Isa. 29 | Nephi’s expanded prophecy of the sealed book |
| 2 Ne. 30:9–15 | Isa. 11:4–9 | Nephi on the Millennium |
| Mosiah 12:20–24; Mosiah 15:13–18 | Isa. 52:7–10 | Abinadi on “how beautiful upon the mountains” |
| Mosiah 14 | Isa. 53 | Abinadi’s testimony of the suffering Messiah; explained in Mosiah 15 |
| 3 Ne. 16:18–20; 3 Ne. 20:32–45; 3 Ne. 21:8–10 | Isa. 52 | The Savior Himself, on the gathering of Israel |
| 3 Ne. 22 | Isa. 54 | The Savior, on Zion enlarging her tent |
| Moro. 10:31 | Isa. 52:1–2; Isa. 54:2 | Moroni’s final invitation: “Awake, and arise from the dust” |
After quoting Isaiah 54, the Savior said: “a commandment I give unto you that ye search these things diligently; for great are the words of Isaiah” (3 Ne. 23:1).
Where the Book of Mormon text differs
Most of the Book of Mormon’s Isaiah text is very close to the King James Version, but not all of it. Some differences are small clarifications; a few are striking.
- 2 Ne. 12:16 (Isa. 2:16). The Book of Mormon reads “upon all the ships of the sea, and upon all the ships of Tarshish.” The Hebrew text has only “ships of Tarshish,” and the ancient Greek Septuagint has only “ships of the sea.” The Book of Mormon has both, which suggests that each ancient text preserves half of an original line.
- 1 Ne. 20:1 (Isa. 48:1). Joseph Smith added “or out of the waters of baptism” to the 1840 edition, clarifying what it means to come “out of the waters of Judah.”
- 1 Ne. 21:1 (Isa. 49:1). The Book of Mormon opens the chapter with an extra passage addressed to the scattered house of Israel, “broken off and… driven out because of the wickedness of the pastors of my people.” It makes clear who the chapter is speaking to.
- 2 Ne. 7:1 (Isa. 50:1). The Lord asks, “Have I put thee away, or have I cast thee off forever?” The added question sharpens the answer: He has not.
- 2 Ne. 27 (Isa. 29). Nephi’s version greatly expands Isaiah’s prophecy of a sealed book. It speaks of a man who will not read it, the learned man who says “I cannot read a sealed book,” and three witnesses.
- 3 Ne. 20. The Savior rearranges the verses of Isaiah 52 and weaves them into His own prophecy of the gathering.
Donald W. Parry and John W. Welch’s Isaiah in the Book of Mormon treats these variants in detail.
The Doctrine and Covenants explains Isaiah
Section 113 is a set of questions and answers about Isaiah, given in March 1838:
- Who is the Stem of Jesse (Isa. 11:1)? Christ (D&C 113:1–2).
- What is the rod that comes out of the stem? “A servant in the hands of Christ,” a descendant of Jesse and of Ephraim, with much power (D&C 113:3–4).
- What is the root of Jesse (Isa. 11:10)? A descendant of Jesse and of Joseph, to whom rightly belong the priesthood and the keys of the kingdom, “for an ensign, and for the gathering of my people in the last days” (D&C 113:5–6).
- What does it mean for Zion to “put on thy strength” (Isa. 52:1)? To put on the authority of the priesthood, which she has a right to by lineage, to bring again Zion (D&C 113:7–8).
- What are the bands of her neck (Isa. 52:2)? The scattered remnants are to return to the Lord and loose themselves from the curses on them as a scattered people (D&C 113:9–10).
Many Latter-day Saint readers have seen Joseph Smith in the “rod” and the “root,” though the revelation doesn’t name anyone.
Section 133, the “Appendix” to the Doctrine and Covenants, is soaked in Isaiah. It quotes his prayer to “rend the heavens” (D&C 133:40–45; Isa. 64:1–4) and his vision of the Lord coming in red apparel from Edom (D&C 133:46–53; Isa. 63:1–9). It also borrows his highway, his parched ground, and his pools of living water (D&C 133:26–29; Isa. 35).
Other places where modern revelation echoes Isaiah:
- Stakes. Isaiah told Zion to “lengthen thy cords, and strengthen thy stakes” (Isa. 54:2). The Lord adopted the image for the Church’s geographic units (D&C 82:14; D&C 101:21; D&C 115:6).
- A defense and a refuge. Isaiah promised Zion “a place of refuge, and for a covert from storm” (Isa. 4:6). The Lord says the stakes of Zion are “for a defense, and for a refuge from the storm” (D&C 115:6).
- Arise and shine. “Arise, shine; for thy light is come” (Isa. 60:1) becomes “Arise and shine forth, that thy light may be a standard for the nations” (D&C 115:5).
- Be ye clean. “Be ye clean, that bear the vessels of the LORD” (Isa. 52:11; D&C 133:5; D&C 38:42).
- Prepare ye the way. “The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness” (Isa. 40:3) is echoed in D&C 65:1–3, D&C 33:10, and D&C 88:66.
- The willing and obedient. Isa. 1:19 is repeated in D&C 64:34.
- The Millennium. Isaiah’s peaceable kingdom (Isa. 11:6–9; Isa. 65:17–25) is expanded in D&C 101:23–34.
- Redemption of the dead. Isaiah’s promise to “proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound” (Isa. 61:1) is applied to the spirit world in D&C 138:42. See also Isa. 24:22 and Isa. 42:7.
Isaiah 29 and the Book of Mormon
Isaiah 29 speaks of a people who “speak out of the ground,” a sealed book delivered to one who is learned and another who is not, and “a marvellous work and a wonder.” Nephi’s expanded version (2 Ne. 27) and Joseph Smith’s own history make the connection explicit. In 1828 Martin Harris took a transcript of characters from the plates to Professor Charles Anthon in New York. According to Harris, Anthon first certified the translation, then tore up his certificate when he learned an angel was involved and said, “I cannot read a sealed book” (JS—H 1:63–65; compare Isa. 29:11–12).
Elder LeGrand Richards took the title of his famous missionary book, A Marvelous Work and a Wonder (1950), from Isa. 29:14.
Latter-day events Isaiah foresaw
Latter-day Saints read these themes in Isaiah as prophecies of the Restoration and the last days. The chapter notes explore each one.
- The mountain of the Lord’s house established “in the top of the mountains,” with all nations flowing to it (Isa. 2:2–3). The hymn “High on the Mountain Top” applies this to the gathering to the Rocky Mountains.
- An ensign to the nations, lifted up to gather Israel (Isa. 5:26; Isa. 11:12; Isa. 49:22). Compare D&C 45:9: the everlasting covenant is “a standard for my people.”
- The gathering “the second time” (Isa. 11:11; 2 Ne. 25:17; 2 Ne. 29:1), whose keys Moses restored in the Kirtland Temple (D&C 110:11).
- A voice from the dust: the Book of Mormon (Isa. 29:4; 2 Ne. 26:16).
- A marvelous work and a wonder (Isa. 29:14; D&C 4:1).
- The desert blossoming as the rose (Isa. 35:1).
- Gentile nursing fathers and mothers helping to gather Israel (Isa. 49:22–23; 1 Ne. 22:6–9).
- Zion enlarging her tent until her stakes fill the earth (Isa. 54:2–3; 3 Ne. 22:2–3).
President Russell M. Nelson has taught that the gathering of scattered Israel, which Isaiah describes again and again, is the most important work taking place on earth today, and he has invited the youth of the Church to enlist in it.
A caution about over-reading
Isaiah is so rich in latter-day imagery that it’s easy to find “fulfillments” everywhere. Some Latter-day Saint interpretations are grounded in revelation, like D&C 113, JS—H 1:40, and 2 Nephi 27. Others are thoughtful applications by Church leaders or scholars. An example is Elder LeGrand Richards’s suggestion that Isa. 5:26–29 (“they shall come with speed swiftly… their wheels like a whirlwind”) describes modern trains and airplanes carrying the gathered Saints. The chapter notes try to label the difference clearly. Nephi’s counsel is the safest guide: “liken” the scriptures, and keep the testimony of Jesus at the center.
Sources & further reading
- Donald W. Parry and John W. Welch, eds., Isaiah in the Book of Mormon, Provo, UT: FARMS, 1998.
- Jeffrey R. Holland, Christ and the New Covenant: The Messianic Message of the Book of Mormon, Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1997.
- Bruce R. McConkie, “Ten Keys to Understanding Isaiah”, Ensign, Oct. 1973.
- “Joseph Smith Translation (JST)”, Bible Dictionary.
- Joseph Smith Translation, Isaiah 29, Gospel Library.
- Joseph Smith Translation, Isaiah 42, Gospel Library.
- Russell M. Nelson, “The Gathering of Scattered Israel”, general conference, Oct. 2006.
- Russell M. Nelson and Wendy W. Nelson, “Hope of Israel”, worldwide youth devotional, June 3, 2018.
- LeGrand Richards, A Marvelous Work and a Wonder, Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1950.
- “Stake”, Guide to the Scriptures.
- “Ensign”, Guide to the Scriptures.