Isaiah with Training Wheels – chapter 29

The Prophet Nephi applied this chapter to the Book of Mormon, and that is it’s best and most significant fulfillment. But I would also suggest a wider interpretation also. This chapter is about rediscovering the scriptures (v. 1-14), and how the Holy Scriptures will transform the world (v. 15-24).

Nephi expands on this chapter, in 2nd Nephi 27, but I will leave that alone for now. But this is important for understanding. I used the Book of Mormon text and JST here, with textual clarifications. Nephi’s recording should be used with caution, because his explanation is clearly interpolating. What he says is true and important, but not all of it is the original text.

1 Woe to Ariel, to Ariel, the city where David dwelt!

[continue year after year; let the yearly festivals recur]

2 Yet I will distress Ariel, and there shall be heaviness and sorrow; for thus hath the Lord said unto me, It shall be unto Ariel;

3 That I the Lord will camp against her round about, and will lay siege against her with a mount, and I will raise forts against her.

4 And she shall be brought down, and shall speak out of the ground, and her speech shall be low out of the dust;

and her voice shall be as of one that hath a familiar spirit, out of the ground, and her speech shall whisper out of the dust.

5 Moreover the multitude of her [foreign enemies] shall be like small dust, and the multitude of the [ruthless enemies] shall be as chaff [blown] away; yea, it shall be at an instant suddenly.

6 For they shall be visited of the Lord of hosts with thunder, and with earthquake, and great noise, with storm and tempest, and the flame of devouring fire.

7 And the multitude of all the nations that fight against Ariel, even all that fight against her and her munition, and that distress her, shall be as a dream of a night vision.

8 Yea, it shall be unto them even as unto a hungry man who dreameth, and behold, he eateth, but he awaketh and his soul is empty;

or like unto a thirsty man who dreameth, and behold, he drinketh, but he awaketh, and behold, he is faint, and his soul hath appetite.

Yea, even so shall the multitude of all the nations be that fight against mount Zion.

9 ¶ For behold, all ye that doeth iniquity, [pause] yourselves, and wonder; for ye shall willfully blind yourselves]: for ye shall be drunken, but not with wine; ye shall stagger, but not with strong drink.

10 For behold, the Lord hath poured out upon you the spirit of deep sleep. For behold, ye have closed your eyes, and ye have rejected the prophets; and your rulers, and the seers hath he covered because of your iniquity.

11 And the vision of all is become unto you as the words of a book that is sealed, which men deliver to one that is learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee: and he saith, I cannot; for it is sealed:

12 And the book is delivered to him that is not learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee: and he saith, [I can not read].

13 ¶ Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near unto me with their mouth, and with their lips do honor me, but have removed their hearts far from me, and their fear towards me is [based on man-made rules they have been taught]:

14 Therefore, I will proceed to do a marvelous work among this people, yea, a marvelous work and a wonder, for the wisdom of their wise and learned shall perish, and the understanding of their prudent shall be hid.

15 And wo unto them that seek deep to hide their counsel from the Lord! And their works are in the dark; and they say: Who seeth us, and who knoweth us?

16 And they also say: Surely, your turning of things upside down shall be esteemed as the potter’s clay. But behold, I will show unto them, saith the Lord of Hosts, that I know all their works. For shall the work say of him that made it, he made me not? Or shall the thing framed say of him that framed it, he had no understanding?

17 But behold, saith the Lord of Hosts: I will show unto the children of men that [in a very short time] Lebanon shall be turned into a fruitful field; and the fruitful field shall be esteemed as a forest.

18 And in that day shall the deaf hear the words of the book, and the eyes of the blind shall see out of obscurity and out of darkness.

19 And the meek also shall increase, and their joy shall be in the Lord, and the poor among men shall rejoice in the Holy One of Israel.

20 For assuredly as the Lord liveth they shall see that the terrible one is brought to naught, and the scorner is consumed, and all that watch for iniquity are cut off;

21 And they that make a man an offender for a word, and lay a snare for him that reproveth in the gate, and turn aside the just for a thing of naught.

22 Therefore, thus saith the Lord, who redeemed Abraham, concerning the house of Jacob: Jacob shall not now be ashamed, neither shall his face now wax pale.

23 But when he seeth his children, the work of my hands, in the midst of him, they shall sanctify my name, and sanctify the Holy One of Jacob, and shall fear the God of Israel.

24 They also that erred in spirit shall come to understanding, and they that murmured shall learn doctrine.

Notes:

Verses 1-8 have multiple overlapping chaismi. I wish I had a better way to show this graphically. Perhaps I should include A, B, C… with the different layers. That might help.

In addition to the ones shown in the text above, there is:

v. 1-5 Destruction of Jerusalem’s enemies

v. 6 The Lord visits Jerusalem with Destruction

v. 7-8 Destruction of Jerusalem’s enemies

The center of the chiasmus is the what is the emphasis of the chaismus — Jerusalem’s enemies will be destroyed and everything they thought they had accomplished will be illusory. How? Jerusalem was also destroyed. Notice, this is a subtle change in the Book of Mormon; in v. 6 it is Jerusalem’s enemies that are destroyed. We see how in v. 9-14 and in v. 15-24.

It is tempting to apply this solely to the Assyrians, but that is far too narrow an interpretation. It should also include the Babylonians, Greeks and Romans among others. Nephi also applies it to his people being destroyed, the city of Zarahemla and the entire Nephite nation.

v. 1-2 Ariel can be translated Lion of God (reflecting the dominance of the Tribe of Judah) or as an Altar Hearth (reflecting the dominance of the Temple Altar at Jerusalem). In either case, this means Jerusalem. The end of verse 2 can also be read, that Jerusalem will be like the hearth of an altar – full of ashes.

9-14 The Vision of All, a book of scripture, is revealed (or if we take the broader view, rediscovered) to the people in a day of apostacy and spiritual blindness. It is revealed to the learned, and to the ignorant and they both reject it. God condemns their indolence and indifference. Therefore, in v. 14, God performs “marvelous work and a wonder”, which leads into the next section. Verse 15 begins a new section entirely devoted to showing how the scriptures, and the Book of Mormon in particular, will transform society.

I was under the impression, and I think it is a widespread misconception, that the unlearned in verse 12 is Joseph Smith. This is not correct. This is showing the rejection of God’s word from the highest to the lowest segments of society.

The wonders of verse 14, are linked with 28:29 and are explained in the next section, v. 15-24.

The Scriptures bring Spiritual Transformation (29:15-24)

Here we see the details of the “marvelous work and a wonder”, as three transformations. There is more structure here, with links in the first two sections leading to the final transformation section, but this suffices for now.

First Transformation: Superceding human wisdom (v. 15-17)

Second Transformation: World Reversal and Renewal (v. 18-21)

Third  Transformation: Israel Blessed (v. 22-24)

v. 18-21 This transformation is Spiritual (18-19), Social (20), and Legal (21).