Deutero-Isaiah

Deutero Isaiah is the theory that the biblical book of Isaiah was written by multiple people at different times. Some passages of Deutero-Isaiah are contained in the Book of Mormon which are thought to have been written after the time of Lehi. If the theory is true, it creates problems for the historicity of the Book of Mormon.

What is Deutero-Isaiah?

Deutero-Isaiah, which means "second Isaiah,"[1] is the theory that the book of Isaiah was written by multiple authors at different times, instead of by Isaiah alone.[2]

The majority of biblical scholars hold this theory.[3]

Are there more than two divisions in the book of Isaiah?

Yes. Since the late 1800s, some scholars have divided the book of Isaiah roughly into three parts.[4]

Chapters of Isaiah	Proposed Dating	Location in the Book of Mormon
1-39 (Proto-Isaiah)	Eighth Century BC[5]	2 Nephi 12-24 (Isaiah 2-14) 2 Nephi 27 (Isaiah 29)
40-55 (Deutero-Isaiah)	Sixth Century BC[6]	1 Nephi 20-21 (Isaiah 48-49) 2 Nephi 7-8 (Isaiah 50-52:2) Mosiah 14 (Isaiah 53) 3 Nephi 22 (Isaiah 54)
56-66 (Trito-Isaiah)	Sixth or Fifth Century BC[7]	N/A

What does multiple authorship in Isaiah have to do with the Book of Mormon?

The Book of Mormon contains passages of Isaiah that many scholars believe were not written until after the time of Lehi.[8] If this is true, it would mean that these Isaiah passages were not originally included in the scriptures that Lehi's family had and should not be present in the Book of Mormon.[9] This could imply that the Book of Mormon is not an authentic ancient text.[10]

Related Question

Are there anachronisms in the Book of Mormon?

Why do many biblical scholars believe that Isaiah was written by multiple people?

The primary reason is that some passages in Isaiah accurately reference people and events far in the future,[11] and secular scholars do not believe in predictive prophecy.[12]

However, there are some religious biblical scholars who disagree with the Deutero-Isaiah theory and believe that because Isaiah was a prophet, he was able to record events that would take place well into the future.[13]

Arguments for authorship of the book of Isaiah

Support for multiple authors

Support for a single author

Isaiah is named throughout chapters 1-39, but the remaining 26 chapters do not mention Isaiah, which suggests a break in authorship.[14]
Common phrases in the first 39 chapters of Isaiah do not appear in later chapters.[15]
There is a shift in focus from condemning wickedness in chapters 1-39 to emphasizing God's mercy and compassion in chapters 40-66.[16]
The book of Isaiah begins with concerns about Assyrian invasions,[17] but after chapter 39 the concern shifts to Babylonian.[18]
The text indicates that Jerusalem had already been destroyed after chapter 39, which is something that happened after the time of Isaiah.[19]
Cyrus the Great is named in Isaiah 44 and 45, who lived after the time of Isaiah.[20]
Some chapters in Isaiah 40-66 seem to be written as responses to prophets who lived after Isaiah.[21]

Isaiah is the only prophet referenced in the book of Isaiah.[22]
The Qumran community (the authors of the Dead Sea Scrolls) attribute all the chapters in the book of Isaiah to Isaiah.[23]
Many authors of the New Testament reference Isaiah as the author of Deutero-Isaiah chapters.[24]
The Hebrew is consistent throughout Isaiah.[25]
There are many repeated phrases found throughout all of Isaiah, suggesting a single author.[26]
Themes of condemnation and compassion are intermixed throughout the entirety of the book of Isaiah.[27]
The authors of the Book of Mormon cite Isaiah as the author of contested passages.[28]

Is there scholarly consensus on who wrote Isaiah?

Sort of. Scholars generally agree that some chapters in the book of Isaiah were likely written by at least one person after Isaiah's time because the chapters discuss events after the time of Isaiah.[29] However, there is no agreement among scholars about exactly how many different authors there might be or how to tell which parts were written by which author.[30]

Biblical scholars have noted that scholarly consensus can change over time and varies based on who is asked and when.[31]

How do Latter-day Saints reconcile Deutero-Isaiah with the Book of Mormon?

Latter-day Saint scholars have proposed various ways of reconciling the Book of Mormon with Deutero-Isaiah.[32] (See table below.)

Possible explanations for Deutero-Isaiah and the Book of Mormon

Assumption	Possible Explanation or Conclusion	Supporting Scholars
Consensus Biblical scholarship is correct and many parts of Isaiah were written after Lehi left Jerusalem.	Under inspiration, Nephi and other Book of Mormon prophets may have added the Deutero-Isaiah chapters to the Book of Mormon.	Nick Frederick[BIO] and Joseph Spencer[BIO][33]
	Under inspiration, Joseph Smith may have used the KJV of Isaiah, while the underlying text on the brass plates represented a more ancient version of Isaiah.	Blake Ostler[BIO][34]
Consensus Biblical scholarship is partially correct and many parts of Isaiah were not written by Isaiah himself.	The Book of Mormon shows that at least some of the Isaiah chapters from both Proto and Deutero-Isaiah were written and attributed to Isaiah before Lehi's family left Jerusalem.	Hugh Nibley[BIO][35] Kent Jackson[BIO][36]
	There may have been a prophet in Lehi's time whose writings were attributed to Isaiah.	William Hamblin[BIO][37]
Consensus Biblical scholarship is mistaken and Isaiah was only written by Isaiah.	The entirety of the book of Isaiah was written before the time of Lehi, and because of this, the inclusion of portions of Isaiah in the Book of Mormon is not inconsistent.	B. H. Roberts[BIO][38] Victor Ludlow[BIO][39] Avraham Gildeadi[BIO][40] John Tvedtnes[BIO][41] Don Parry[BIO][42] L. Lamar Adams[BIO] and Alvin Rencher[BIO][43]

Is Latter-day Saint scholarship on Isaiah generally acknowledged or cited in broader biblical studies?

No, not really. Latter-day Saint literature related to Isaiah is typically published by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,[44] Brigham Young University,[45] or Deseret Book[46][47] and is often concerned with teaching members of the Church rather than necessarily advancing scholarship.[48]

The Great Isaiah Scroll at Qumran has a visible break in the text. Is that break evidence for a division of authorship?

No. The break is in the middle of the scroll, following chapter 33.[49] Scholars don't divide authorship of the book of Isaiah at chapter 33.[50]

Image of two parts of an ancient scroll with Hebrew writing. The bottom left corner of the right scroll has a break in the text. — An image of the Qumran Great Isaiah Scroll from the Israel Museum shows the break in Isaiah 33.

Comparison of the KJV Isaiah, Isaiah from the Book of Mormon, and Qumran

Expand Table

If scholars think that quotes from Isaiah in later Bible books suggest Isaiah was written later, is it possible that later prophets are quoting an earlier Isaiah?

It's possible, but scholars disagree on whether biblical authors borrowed from each other, who borrowed from whom, or if both authors borrowed from other sources.[58]

So how does Deutero-Isaiah influence how the Book of Mormon was translated?

The documentary record is unclear on the precise method of translation for the Book of Mormon.[59] Scholars differ in their views on the translation's nature, generally falling into three categories: those who believe it reflects the exact words on the plates ("tight translation"), those who think it conveys concepts in the translator's words ("loose translation"), and those who suggest added interpretations ("expansion translation").[60]

If there was one Isaiah author, it supports a tight translation;[61] if there are multiple authors, it supports a loose and expansion translation.[62]

Read More Difficult Questions

152 Primary Sources

Footnotes

BIONicholas J. Frederick
Nick Frederick is an associate professor at Brigham Young University. His research focuses primarily on the intertextual relationship between the text of the Bible and Latter-day Saint scripture, specifically the Book of Mormon. He co-authored Joseph Smith's Seer Stones, edited They Shall Grow Together: The Bible in the Book of Mormon, and has authored other chapters and articles.
BIOJoseph M. Spencer
Joseph M. Spencer received his PhD in philosophy and is a professor of ancient scripture at BYU. His work includes 1st Nephi: A Brief Theological Introduction and was an editor for Introductions to Mormon Thought. He is the editor of the Journal of Book of Mormon Studies.
BIOBlake T. Ostler
Blake Ostler (b. 1957) is a Utah lawyer who has published widely on Mormon philosophy in professional academic philosophy journals. He has also taught philosophy at Brigham Young University as an adjunct instructor.
BIOHugh W. Nibley
Hugh Winder Nibley (1910–2005) was an influential Latter-day Saint scholar known mostly for his historical and apologetic writings on Latter-day Saint scripture and doctrine. Nibley was born in Portland, Oregon and received a PhD in history from the University of California, Berkeley in 1938. After serving in United States Army during World War Two, Nibley was hired to teach at Brigham Young University in 1946, where he taught religion until 1975. He continued to work at BYU as an emeritus professor until 1994. Nibley is perhaps best known for his apologetic work on the Book of Mormon and the Book of Abraham. Nibley died in 2005 at age 94.
BIOKent P. Jackson
Kent Jackson (b. 1949) received a PhD in Near Eastern studies from the University of Michigan. He taught classes on the Old Testament, New Testament, and Pearl of Great Price at BYU from 1980-2017. He published numerous books, chapters, and articles on Biblical studies and Latter-day Saint history.
BIOWilliam J. Hamblin
William Hamblin (1954-2019) was a scholar who devoted his career to studying the ancient Near East and its connection to the scriptures. He was a professor of history at BYU and was a board member at FARMS. His works include Warfare in the Ancient Near East to 1600 BC, Solomon's Temple: Myth and History (co-authored with David Rolf Seely), and numerous articles in the Journal of Book of Mormon Studies and with the Interpreter Foundation.
BIOB. H. Roberts
Brigham Henry Roberts (1857-1933) was born in Warrington, Lancashire, England, to Benjamin Roberts and Ann Everington. Roberts emigrated from England in 1866 and crossed the plains to Salt Lake City. He was baptized in 1867 and settled in Bountiful. Roberts served a mission to Iowa and Nebraska, then was transferred to Tennessee in 1880. He served as president of the Eastern States Mission from 1922 to 1927 and as one of the seven Presidents of the Seventy from 1888 until his death. Roberts was an early and prolific writer on Mormonism, best known for A Comprehensive History of the Church and Studies of the Book of Mormon.
BIOVictor L. Ludlow
Victor L. Ludlow (b. 1943) is a Latter-day Saint scholar. He was born in Idaho and received degrees in Near Eastern studies from Harvard and Brandeis. He was a professor at Brigham Young University and has taught there for many years. His works include Isaiah: Prophet Seer and Poet and Unlocking Isaiah in the Book of Mormon.
BIOAvraham Gileadi
Avraham Gileadi (b. 1940) is a scholar of Hebrew and the Book of Isaiah. His works include The Book of Isaiah: A New Translation with Interpretive Keys from the Book of Mormon and Apocalyptic Commentary of the Book of Isaiah, Part One.
BIOJohn A. Tvedtnes
Jared Tvedtnes (1941-2018) was a Latter-day Saint scholar who spent many years studying the ancient world and its connection to the scriptures. He has written articles and books about ike the Book of Mormon and ancient Near Eastern studies (including The Church of the Old Testament, Testaments: Links Between the Book of Mormon and the Hebrew Bible). He worked with the Neal A. Maxwell Institute, Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies (FARMS), and the Interpreter Foundation.
BIODonald W. Parry
Donald W. Parry (b. 1953) is a professor of the Hebrew Bible at Brigham Young University. He is known for his work translating 1 Samuel and many of the Isaiah scrolls from the Dead Sea Scrolls. Donald Parry has also published many works on the book of Isaiah.
BIOL. Lamar Adams
Professor L. LaMar Adams, a retired educator from Brigham Young University, concluded his 32-year teaching career in 1990. Part of his work at BYU was in the Office of Institutional Research. He holds a PhD in ancient scripture from BYU and has also led visits to Israel, Egypt, and six other nations, while serving as the national president of the Sons of Utah Pioneers.
BIOAlvin C. Rencher
Alvin C. Rencher (b. 1934) received both BS and MA degrees from BYU and a PhD from the Virginia Polytechnic Institute. Most of his career was spent as a professor of statistics at Brigham Young University.
[1]↩︎
Deutero-Isaiah can be used interchangeably to refer to an author of a portion of the book of Isaiah or to mean a later section of the book of Isaiah.
Deutero comes from the Greek word for two: δεύτερος (deuteros). The term "Deutero-Isaiah" suggests a break in authorship with the first part of Isaiah.
Deutero-Isaiah should not be confused with Deuteronomy.
[2]↩︎
In the HarperCollins Study Bible, biblical scholar J. J. M. Roberts explained the argument for second Isaiah and the differences scholars have noted:
Chapters 40-55 presuppose an Israelite audience living in Babylon toward the end of the Babylonian exile (597-539 BCE). The prophet announces to his listeners that the end of their exile in Babylon is imminent. Babylon, not Assyria, is Israel's main enemy, and the burden of the prophet's message is the promise of deliverance, not the threat of judgment. Moreover, the prophet twice mentions the Persian ruler Cyrus (44.28; 45.1) as a figure who has come to the attention of his audience. Such notice certainly presupposes Cyrus's dethroning of his Median overlord Astyages (550) and perhaps Cyrus's defeat of the Lydian king Croesus (547/6) as well. Thus this anonymous prophet's work can probably be dated between 545 and 539 BCE.
Scholars Robert Cate and John D. Watts agree with this premise.
[3]↩︎
Old Testament scholar Gene Tucker explained that it is commonly accepted that there are multiple authors present in the book of Isaiah. He also explained that most scholars have moved past source criticism (attempting to determine who may have authored what parts of Isaiah). Biblical scholars John Watts and J. J. Roberts agree with this sentiment.
Additionally, scholar Christopher Hays has said:
The gap of nearly two centuries between the career of Isaiah ben Amoz and the context of 40–66 has been understood—by interpreters both ancient (Josephus, Ant. 11) and modern (Oswalt)—to reflect Isaiah ben Amoz's supernatural foreknowledge. However, the idea that it instead reflects the book's long history of composition and compilation is one of the most widely accepted conclusions of critical biblical scholarship.
[4]↩︎
These three parts include Proto-Isaiah, Deutero-Isaiah, and Trito-Isaiah.
[5]↩︎
In the Anchor Bible Dictionary's entry for the book of Isaiah it notes that there is some evidence for an eighth century setting for Proto-Isaiah including references to Judahite kings including Ahaz (Isaiah 7) and Hezekiah (Isaiah 38). It also notes that there is evidence of editorial additions to chapters 1-39.
Additionally, the narrative found in Isaiah 36-39 appears to allude to the story of Assyria's invasion of Judah found in 2 Kings 18-20, which is also supported by the Lachish reliefs found in Sennacherib's palace in Nineveh.
[6]↩︎
Scholar J. J. M. Roberts explained:
Chapters 40-55 presuppose an Israelite audience living in Babylon toward the end of the Babylonian exile (597-539 BCE). The prophet announces to his listeners that the end of their exile in Babylon is imminent. Babylon, not Assyria, is Israel's main enemy, and the burden of the prophet's message is the promise of deliverance, not the threat of judgment. Moreover, the prophet twice mentions the Persian ruler Cyrus (44.28; 45.1) as a figure who has come to the attention of his audience. Such notice certainly presupposes Cyrus's dethroning of his Median overlord Astyages (550) and perhaps Cyrus's defeat of the Lydian king Croesus (547/6) as well. Thus this anonymous prophet's work can probably be dated between 545 and 539 BCE.
- J. J. M. Roberts provides an explanation of Second Isaiah.
[7]↩︎
Old Testament scholar Brooks Schramm described some of the views of the possible dating of Trito-Isaiah:
At this point in the history of the discussion of Third Isaiah there were three major alternatives. Duhm saw Isaiah 56-66 as a literary unity dating to the mid-fifth century; with Duhm, Eliiger also viewed the chapters as a unity, but assigned them to the early restoration period, c. 520 BCE; Volz rejected the unity of the chapters and spread the oracles over a period of some five centuries. The only other alternative was to deny the basic thesis of Duhm and argue that there is no Third Isaiah. Obviously, if one accepts either Duhm or Volz, then Second Isaiah could not have composed chs. 56-66. On the other hand, Elliger's claim that the chapters date to the early restoration period makes possible the argument that Second Isaiah could have written them.
In spite of all the controversy over 'Einheit', the most difficult problem in the study of Third Isaiah is that of when to date the various oracles. The material is notorious for its lack of any sort of concrete historical reference. Neither foreign nor native Judean rulers are mentioned. Coupled with our general lack of knowledge of the historical events that took place in the late sixth and early fifth centuries in Judah, the problem is compounded.
- J. J. M. Roberts provides an explantion of Third Isaiah.
- Old Testament scholar Brooks Schramm describes the history of Third Isaiah explanations.
[8]↩︎
The Isaiah chapters thought to be written after 600 BC found in the Book of Mormon are Isaiah 48-54.
Scholar J. J. M. Roberts explained:
Chapters 40-55 presuppose an Israelite audience living in Babylon toward the end of the Babylonian exile (597-539 BCE). The prophet announces to his listeners that the end of their exile in Babylon is imminent. Babylon, not Assyria, is Israel's main enemy, and the burden of the prophet's message is the promise of deliverance, not the threat of judgment. Moreover, the prophet twice mentions the Persian ruler Cyrus (44.28; 45.1) as a figure who has come to the attention of his audience. Such notice certainly presupposes Cyrus's dethroning of his Median overlord Astyages (550) and perhaps Cyrus's defeat of the Lydian king Croesus (547/6) as well. Thus this anonymous prophet's work can probably be dated between 545 and 539 BCE.
[9]↩︎
Scholar David Bokovoy summarized this issue about second Isaiah and the Book of Mormon:
Since the 20th century, all mainstream scholars have held the position that chapters 40-66 were written after the Jewish exile into Babylon (c.a. 586 BCE). . . For Latter-day Saints, this presents a direct challenge for traditionally held paradigms concerning the Book of Mormon, since some of this material is not only attributed to Isaiah, it has had a significant impact upon the Book of Mormon. If mainstream scholars are correct then this material would not have been available to Lehi’s family as something they could have taken with them to America.
George D. Smith also noted this difficulty in a 1983 issue of the journal Dialogue.
- George D. Smith explains the difficulties Deutero-Isaiah raises for the Book of Mormon.
- David Bokovoy responds to Kent P. Jackson's chapter in the book A Reason for Faith on Deutero-Isaiah.
[10]↩︎
Biblical scholar and former Latter-day Saint, David P. Wright argues that this is the case in his chapter "Isaiah in the Book of Mormon: Or Joseph Smith in Isaiah." He noted:
For the most part, [the Book of Mormon] reinterprets the [Isaiah] passages to apply to the time of Joseph Smith and the course of Jewish and Christian history up to his time. This reflects the compositional horizon of the book, just as various passages in Second Isaiah (noted above) reflects that work’s compositional horizon. Indeed, the course of history that the BoM lays out in its interpretation is clear and defined up to the time of the appearance of the BoM but quite indefinite thereafter, just as Second Isaiah is indefinite about events after about 540 BCE. Furthermore, the BoM shares perceptions about the meaning of Isaiah and methods of prophetic interpretation that were extant among students and readers in the decades just before the BoM came forth. This chronological horizon and these interpretive views are evidence that the interpretation of the BoM is the work of Smith himself.
David Bokovoy also argued that the presence of some of these chapters in the Book of Mormon is an anachronism.
- David P. Wright argues that Isaiah in the Book of Mormon represents a double anachronism: (1) Deutero-Isaiah and (2) a 19th-century interpretation of Isaiah passages.
- David Bokovoy summarizes the evidence for Isaiah 40-66 being written during/after the exile; argues the presence of some of these chapters in the Book of Mormon is an anachronism.
[11]↩︎
According to Bible scholar John D. W. Watts, scholars cannot accept that Isaiah prophesied hundreds of years into the future:
Who wrote Isaiah? The text never claims that Isaiah son of Amoz wrote anything. (The reference in 8:16 is ambiguous on this point.) He is mentioned in the titles in 1:1, 2:1, and 13:1. He is the subject of narratives in 7:1—16, 20:1—6, and chaps. 36—39... Early readers took Isaiah son of Amoz as the writer of the entire book. But scholars and readers, especially in the last two centuries, have had difficulties with this assumption because the book deals with some historical events at least two centuries after the time of Isaiah son of Amoz.
Additionally, according to Brent A. Strawn, most Bible scholars believe that the prophets' role as God's spokesmen does not mean that they necessarily prophesy.
- John D. W. Watts gives the basic premise for the multiple-Isaiah hypothesis.
- Brent A. Strawn describes the common interpretations of Isaiah authorship.
[12]↩︎
The debate over the single authorship of the Book of Isaiah is closely linked to the complexities of studying biblical prophecies. As scholars Bart Ehrman, David Deming, and Avi Loeb have noted, prophecies, like miracles such as the feeding of the five thousand, cannot be proven empirically. Other challenges for scholars include ambiguity and unfulfilled predictions.
[13]↩︎
For example, Biblical scholar and Methodist minister John Oswalt argues for the unity of Isaiah:
Another evidence of the single authorship of the book is the absence of specific historical references for the exilic and postexilic periods. When the book of Isaiah is compared to Ezekiel or to Malachi, these differences become obvious. Whereas it is typical among the Hebrew prophets to root their oracles in specific events and circumstances, and whereas this feature is present in chapters 6-39 of Isaiah, there is almost none of this kind of material in chapters 40-66.
Theologian M. E. Baloyi stated:
Evidence from Isaiah’s days, Isaiah’s activities, the book Isaiah, the other prophetic books, the New Testament, the nature of prophecy and tradition, as discussed in this article, together suggest that the book Isaiah is most probably a unity or that its final form suggests that the final editor intended it to be a unity.
Scholar R. E. Clements argued that there is a unity of theme in Isaiah, but not a unity of authorship.
[14]↩︎
Isaiah is named in:
- Isaiah 1:1
- Isiah 2:1
- Isaiah 7:3
- Isaiah 13:1
- Isaiah 20:3
- Isaiah 37:2
- Isaiah 37: 5-6
- Isaiah 37:21
- Isaiah 38:1
- Isaiah 38:4
- Isaiah 38:21
- Isaiah 39:3-8
There are two chapters where Isaiah is not mentioned but the prophecies are written from a first-person perspective:
- Isaiah 6
- Isaiah 8
By contrast, the chapters assigned to Deutero and Trito-Isaiah (Isaiah 40-66) do not mention Isaiah and none are written in the first person.
[15]↩︎
According to Old Testament scholar Robert Cate, two major differences in phrases include:
- 'The Lord, God of Hosts' appears frequently in chapters 1-39 but not in 40-66.
- The word 'redeem' occurs over twenty times in chapters 40-66, but is found only once in chapters 1-39.
- Robert L. Cate's introduction to Isaiah in Mercer Dictionary of the Bible.
[16]↩︎
Scholar Robert Cate explained:
The first part of the book, i.e., Isa 1-39, being concerned with confrontation and rebuke, while the latter half deals with comfort and assurance. The mood of the first part is gloom while the mood of the second part is hope and light.
There are examples of mercy and compassion that appear before Isaiah 40, but some scholars (such as Joseph Blenkinsopp) argue that these are examples of later interpolations by another author or editor.
- Robert L. Cate's introduction to Isaiah in Mercer Dictionary of the Bible.
- Anchor Bible commentary on Isaiah 14.
[17]↩︎
Bible scholar J. J. M. Roberts explained:
Chapters 40-55 presuppose an Israelite audience living in Babylon toward the end of the Babylonian exile (597-539 BCE). The prophet announces to his listeners that the end of their exile in Babylon is imminent. Babylon, not Assyria, is Israel's main enemy, and the burden of the prophet's message is the promise of deliverance, not the threat of judgment.
- J. J. M. Roberts provides an explanation of Second Isaiah.
[18]↩︎
In the book of Isaiah, there are prophecies relating to different nations surrounding Judah. These prophecies include some directed towards Babylon.
However, concerns about Assyria and their invasion of Judah dominate the narrative of Isaiah until chapter 39, and after that point, the focus shifts to Babylon and the impending exile.
- A table of oracles against nations in the prophetic books of the Old Testament (including Isaiah).
[19]↩︎
References to the destruction of Jerusalem:
- Isaiah 40:1-2: These verses mention that Jerusalem has received punishment for her sins.
- Isaiah 44:26-28: Jerusalem is referenced as a city that will be inhabited in the future and that Cyrus will allow to be rebuilt.
- Isaiah 49:14-21: Zion (Jerusalem) describes being forsaken and the Lord promises that it will become crowded.
- Isaiah 52:9: Refers to the ruins of Jerusalem.
- Isaiah 60: This appears to be a prophecy of the future glory of Jerusalem.
- Isaiah 62: Another prophecy which appears to describe the future glory of Jerusalem.
- Isaiah 63:18: The Lord's sanctuary (i.e., the temple) is described as destroyed.
- Isaiah 64:10-12: Jerusalem is a desolation and the temple has been burned.
[20]↩︎
Another example of a specific prophecy in the Old Testament is in the book of Kings which records a prophesy of King Josiah 300 years before his reign in Judah (1 Kings 13:1-2).
It's possible that the name of Cyrus was added by someone else who handled Isaiah's prophecies after he wrote them. The Qumran community that produced the Dead Sea Scrolls was known to modify scripture to make it specifically about their situation.
For example, they changed a section of the Book of Habakkuk that spoke about the earlier Chaldeans and made it refer to the Romans.
- Prophecy of King Josiah in 1 Kings 13:1-2.
- Qumran scribes adapted ("likened") OT scripture to reflect their time.
[21]↩︎
Old Testament scholar Dr. Lena-Sophia stated:
Isa 40–55 actively interacts with and sometimes also reverses statements in Lamentations. This phenomenon points not only to the direction of the allusions but also suggests actual dependency of Isa 40–55 upon Lamentations. In fact, although running the risk of circularity, more than one scholar use the allusions to Lamentations in Isa 40-55 as a tool for determining the terminus ad quem of Lamentations. Finally, given the likely liturgical use of Lamentations (cf. Zech 7:3, 5), it is reasonable to assume that the author of Isa 40–55 had access to Lamentations, although not necessarily in its final form.
Additionally, Dr. Benjamin Sommer states that a common belief is that multiple chapters from Isaiah allude to Jeremiah:
The influence of the Book of Jeremiah on Isaiah 40-66 and Isaiah 34-35 has long been noted, and scholars have collected many examples of parallels they attribute to the use of the former by the author or authors of the latter. In order to bring such parallels to bear on questions relating to Jeremiah's composition, however, one must be reasonably certain that one has collected all the relevant parallels. Moreover, one must distinguish between parallels that constitute genuine literary allusions and parallels that result from some other cause or from coincidence.
- Dr. Tiemeyer argues that Isaiah 40-55 was written after Lamentations.
- Benjamin Sommer argues that there are many allusions to Jeremiah in Deutero-Isaiah.
[22]↩︎
Isaiah is named in:
- Isaiah 1:1
- Isiah 2:1
- Isaiah 7:3
- Isaiah 13:1
- Isaiah 20:3
- Isaiah 37:2
- Isaiah 37: 5-6
- Isaiah 37:21
- Isaiah 38:1
- Isaiah 38:4
- Isaiah 38:21
- Isaiah 39:3-8
There are two chapters where Isaiah is not mentioned but the prophecies are written from a first-person perspective:
- Isaiah 6
- Isaiah 8
[23]↩︎
In the Dead Sea Scrolls, there are examples of commentaries on scripture in which scribes attributed some disputed passages directly to Isaiah. Old Testament scholar Emanuel Tov explained:
Not all scholars accept these critical assumptions, and when the Dead Sea scrolls were found, there were great expectations that an answer to this vexed dispute would be found. However, no evidence has been found in any of the scrolls either to prove or disprove the composite nature of Isaiah. These scrolls are simply too late in order to show any evidence.
- Seulgi L. Byun provides examples of Qumran texts attributing disputed passages to Isaiah.
- Scholar Emanuel Tov notes that the Dead Sea Scrolls do not prove single or multiple authorship of Isaiah.
[24]↩︎
Specific references to Isaiah followed by a quotation found in the New Testament are:
- Matthew 3:3
- Matthew 4:14-16
- Matthew 8:17
- Matthew 12:17-21
- Matthew 13:14-15
- Matthew 15:7-8
- Mark 7:6
- Luke 3:4-6
- Luke 4:17-19
- John 1:23
- John 12:38-41
- Acts 8:30-33
- Acts 28:25-27
- Romans 9:27-29
- Romans 10:16, 20-21
[25]↩︎
Old Testament scholar Martin Ehrensvärd argues that Early Biblical Hebrew (pre-Exilic Hebrew) can be found in parts of the Old Testament traditionally associated with post-Exilic literature. He said:
It is clear that EBH [Early Biblical Hebrew] was in use in post-exilic times: most scholars date the books of Isaiah 40–66, Joel, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi to (very late exilic/) post-exilic times, even though complete consensus [on dating] pertains to Haggai and Zechariah 1–8 only.
- Martin Ehrensvärd says that post-Exilic Old Testament books show evidence of early Hebrew.
[26]↩︎
In the first chapter of her monograph on the unity of Isaiah, Jewish writer Rachel Margalioth said:
Apart from the usual designations of God we frequently encounter in Scripture, such as "the Lord," "the Lord God," "the Lord of hosts," "the Lord God of hosts," and the like, we may find designations and attributes for God peculiar to one prophet and not to be found in the words of other prophets. The introduction has mentioned such phrases as "the source of living waters," "the portion of Jacob," "the hope of Israel" as attributes employed only by Jeremiah.
- Rachel Margalioth lists arguments for linguistic unity of Isaiah.
[27]↩︎
Some explanations for multiple authorship (such as Robert Cate's explanation in Mercer Dictionary of the Bible) of Isaiah make the claim that the first portion of the book is focused on condemning wickedness and that themes of mercy do not appear until later in the book (and from a different author). However, there are chapters in Isaiah 1-39 (for example, Isaiah 12 and 14) that speak of God's compassion rather than condemnation of wickedness.
[28]↩︎
In the Book of Mormon Nephi, Abinadi, and Jesus all refer to chapters from Deutero-Isaiah (Isaiah 48-49, 53, and 54 respectively) as authored by Isaiah.
[29]↩︎
Isaiah's ministry was from about 740 BC until 687 BC. Here are some examples of verses in Isaiah that reference events in the future:
- Isaiah 47 and 43:14: Describes the destruction of Babylon which happened approximately 539 BC.
- Isaiah 44:26-28: References the Persian king Cyrus the Great who lived in the sixth century BC.
- Isaiah 48:20: Depicts the Judahites exiled to Babylon are told to return to Judea. Cyrus gave the Judeans permission to return in approximately 539 BC.
- Isaiah 52:9-12: Describes Jerusalem being rebuilt and Judahites returning from Babylon in about 539 BC.
[30]↩︎
For example, these authors have different opinions on how many authors or which parts were written by which author:
- Scholar Benjamin Sommer argued that there are only two authors present in Isaiah.
- Dr. Lena-Sophia Tiemeyer refuted claims that chapters designated as Deutero-Isaiah were influenced by Babylonian documents like the Cyrus Cylinder, but that they could have been written in the seventh century BC (before the traditional dating of Deutero-Isaiah).
- Bible scholar Margaret Barker proposed that Isaiah 53 should be considered part of Proto-Isaiah.
- Old Testament scholar J. J. M. Roberts noted that there is some unity across Isaiah but rejects the possibility of a single redactor.
- Theologian Gerard Van Groningen argued that Isaiah should be read as a unified book with actual prophecy of the future.
[31]↩︎
For example, Mark Goodacre explained that scholarly consensus is a subjective claim and does not necessarily mean a majority of scholars:
A given consensus emerges over time and is something that is the result of the combined force of monographs by experts, the introductory level text books, websites, the passing comments in conference papers, conversations over a beer etc. I am not being facetious about the importance of the latter -- it is in the casual discussions that one begins to feel the existence of a consensus, or the lack of one. Of course there is some relationship between consensus and majority view -- I cannot imagine a consensus that is not also the majority view -- but consensus is about much more than just a count of heads.
And Joel S. Baden has argued that the word "consensus" is sometimes used to describe one side of an argument and to dismiss opposing views.
Additionally, New Testament scholar Bart Ehrman notes that scholars come to a consensus through studying evidence, but that consensus should not be confused with evidence.
[32]↩︎
In 2022, BYU professor Joshua Sears contributed a chapter about Isaiah authorship and Latter-day Saint scholarship to the book They Shall Grow Together: The Bible in the Book of Mormon. His chapter summarizes Latter-day Saint views and proposes four categories into which these views fit.
- Joshua Sears summarizes Latter-day Saint approaces to Isaiah authorship and the Book of Mormon.
[33]↩︎
In their article "The Book of Mormon and the Academy" Scholars Nicholas Frederick and Joseph Spencer say that we can't be certain what parts of Isaiah Nephi had access to, as the original plates are unavailable. They wrote:
Perhaps God wished modern readers of the Book of Mormon to have a fuller Isaiah text than was available to Nephi on the brass plates. Because we don’t have access to the gold plates from which the Book of Mormon was translated or the brass plates from which Nephi claims to have drawn his Isaiah text, we don’t know how exactly the English text of the Book of Mormon is meant to reproduce the ancient sources.
- Nicholas Frederick and Joseph Spencer propose that God could have revealed Deutero-Isaiah to Book of Mormon prophets.
[34]↩︎
While he does not address Isaiah specifically, Blake Ostler argued that there is evidence of antiquity in the Book of Mormon as well as inspired interpolations from Joseph Smith. This would allow Deutero-Isaiah chapters to exist in the Book of Mormon without being anachronisms because they would be examples of "human experiences" that influenced Joseph Smith's translation of the ancient texts.
- Blake T. Ostler argues that the Book of Mormon is an ancient record with nineteenth century expansions.
[35]↩︎
Hugh Nibley stated that because the dating of Deutero-Isaiah is inconclusive and lacks expert consensus, it can't be used as definitive evidence against the Book of Mormon. He said:
The dating of either the whole or any part of the Deutero-Isaiah must remain uncertain as long as there is no agreement among the experts as to the relationship of the parts to each other or as to the nature, authorship, or background of the whole. And as long as no one has produced or can produce irrefutable proof that any single Isaiah verse quoted in the Book of Mormon could not have been written before 600 B.C., or indeed has not been defended by reputable scholars as the product of a much earlier time, the chronological question remains wide open.
- Hugh Nibley discusses the authorship of Isaiah.
[36]↩︎
In his chapter "Isaiah in the Book of Mormon" BYU professor Kent P. Jackson concludes that Lehi and his family had some of the book of Isaiah (both Proto and Deutero-Isaiah).
Latter-day Saints who accept the evidence from the Book of Mormon and believe that prophets can see beyond their own time should have no difficulty accepting the idea that the Isaiah chapters in the Book of Mormon were compiled before 600 BC. But this does not mean that all our questions have been answered. . . . What we do know is that Lehi and his sons had at least part of the book with them when they left Jerusalem and that Isaiah’s words are “great” because “all things that he spake have been and shall be, even according to the words which he spake.”
- Kent P. Jackson discusses the authorship of Isaiah.
[37]↩︎
In an article for Dialogue: Journal of Mormon Thought, BYU scholar William J. Hamblin proposed that Deutero-Isaiah was the work of a prophetic contemporary of Isaiah. He wrote:
One can accept most of the scholarly arguments in favor of Deutero-Isaiah, except that of dating. The Book of Mormon indicates that Lehi's group left after King Zedekiah ascended in 597 B.C. . . . They might have obtained the brass plates as late as 595 or 594 B.C. 1 Nephi 1:4 mentions "many prophets prophesying." Could one of these have been Deutero-Isaiah? It's plausible he began his prophecies after the first deportation and added to them over time. . . . Lehi might have known Deutero-Isaiah and received his prophecies directly.
- William J. Hamblin responds to George D. Smith's argument that questions around Isaiah authorship refute the historicity of the Book of Mormon.
[38]↩︎
B. H. Roberts is the earliest known Latter-day Saint to respond to Deutero-Isaiah scholarship. He believed that the Book of Mormon was sufficient evidence for the singular authorship of Isaiah:
Believers in the Book of Mormon have no occasion of uneasiness because passages from the latter part of Isaiah's book are found transcribed into the Nephite record. . . . And after the overwhelming evidences for the truth of the Book of Mormon are taken into account; and it is found that on the plates of Nephi there were transcripts from the latter part of Isaiah's writings, taken from a copy of his prophecies carried by a colony of Jews from Jerusalem to the western hemisphere, six hundred years before Christ— men will discern in this discovery new evidence for the Isaiah authorship of the whole book of Isaiah.
- B. H. Roberts addresses the theory of multiple authorship of Isaiah in 1909: argues that the evidence from the New Testament and Book of Mormon supports the unity of Isaiah.
[39]↩︎
Victor Ludlow believed that the Latter-day Saint belief in revelation and the Book of Mormon proved that Isaiah was written by one author:
However, LDS belief in revelation and the seership of prophets, along with the quotations from Isaiah in the Book of Mormon and its admonitions to study his writings, have reinforced Latter-day Saints in the traditional view concerning the date and authorship of Isaiah.
- Victor L. Ludlow explains the authorship of Isaiah.
[40]↩︎
Avraham Gileadi is an Isaiah scholar who has written extensively on the book and has produced his own translation. He argues that scholarship arguing for multiple authorship is flawed. In The Apocalyptic Book of Isaiah, Avraham Gileadi said:
The briefest survey [of contemporary Isaiah scholarship] would show that the tendency among scholars to fragment the text has resulted in a serious oversight: failure to consider basic literary structures and patterns that tie together all parts of the book. The very nature of the two chief methods of biblical criticism. . . . seems to discount a view of the Book of Isaiah as a whole. . . . Only recently have schools of biblical criticism taken seriously the idea of the Book of Isaiah as a literary unity-not as a result of their methods, but as an intuitive reach of what lies beyond their scope.
- Avraham Gileadi argues for the unity of Isaiah.
[41]↩︎
In his study notes on the book of Isaiah, Jared Tvedtnes argued that arguments for multiple Isaiah authorship have been refuted. He said:
A number of subsequent studies have refuted the idea of multiple authorship for Isaiah. Some of these have been computer-assisted and all have used the Hebrew style of the book as a basis for their judgment on the matter. . . . The higher critic has tended to be biased from the beginning by his lack of belief in prophecy.
- John Tvedtnes addresses Deutero-Isaiah and the Book of Mormon.
[42]↩︎
In the introduction of a commentary on Isaiah, Don Parry gives a biography of Isaiah without recognizing that some scholars believe that there is more than one author of the book. He implicitly stated his belief in single authorship by stating "all of the prophecies of Isaiah concerning our day will be fulfilled; not one will fail."
- Don Parry introduces Isaiah presuming a traditional setting.
[43]↩︎
In the conclusion to their computer analysis of Isaiah, BYU professors L. Lamar Adams and Alvin Rencher stated:
The statistical results in this study do not support the divisionist claim that little or no evidence exists for unity of the book of Isaiah. To the contrary, results form the statistical analyses over a wide range of types and numbers of stylistic variables unique to Isaiah chapters 1-39 and chapters 40-66. These elements include function prefixes, marker words, prepositions and conjunctions, certain word families, first letter, and last consonantal letter of the Hebrew words, and repetition rates of certain types of phrases.
- Adams and Rencher conduct a computer analysis of language in Isaiah, the results of which "bear witness that the author of Isaiah has a literary unity characteristic of a single author."
[44]↩︎
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has published material in the Seminary manual, Bible Dictionary, and Guide to the Scriptures about Isaiah.
[45]↩︎
Brigham Young University has published numerous articles in journals and books on the topic of Isaiah and Isaiah scholarship. These publications are generally more academic in nature.
[46]↩︎
Materials published by Deseret Book are often targeted towards everyday Latter-day Saints who may be less interested in material on Deutero-Isaiah.
[47]↩︎
Other publishers include Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies (FARMS), Hebraeus Publisher, Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought, and Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship.
[48]↩︎
Recent materials published by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints which introduce Isaiah do not acknowledge that there are questions about the authorship of the book of Isaiah.
For example, in the 2022 Old Testament Come, Follow Me manual, the book of Isaiah is introduced as being produced for "the Israelites living between 740 and 701 BC." Additionally, the Latter-day Saint "Guide to the Scriptures" attributes chapters from Proto-, Duetero-, and Trito-Isaiah to the prophet Isaiah.
- The 2022 Come, Follow Me manual provides an introduction to the book of Isaiah.
- LDS Guide to the Scriptures entry for Isaiah.
[49]↩︎
The Israel Museum-Jerusalem has published an image of the Great Isaiah scroll on their website The Digital Dead Sea Scrolls.
- Picture of the break in the Great Isaiah Scroll at Qumran.
[50]↩︎
Scholars have long divided the authorship of Isaiah at chapters 1-39, 40-55, and 56-66. The Great Isaiah Scroll has 54 columns of text, and the break is in the middle after column 27, which is the end of chapter 33 in the scroll text. Scholar Emanuel Tov argues that this is not evidence for multiple authors but rather evidence of multiple scribes. Bible scholar George Brooke has noted that some scholars believe that the break after Isaiah 33 was a purposeful indication of a change in the text.
- Scholar Emanuel Tov notes that the Dead Sea Scrolls do not prove single or multiple authorship of Isaiah.
- George J. Brooke describes the break in the Great Isaiah scroll.
[51]↩︎
Qumran is the location of the caves near the Dead Sea where a large number of scrolls from a Jewish community were found beginning in 1947. Collectively these scrolls are known as the Dead Sea Scrolls.
- Dr. Adolfo Roitman gives an introduction and summary of the Dead Sea Scrolls.
[52]↩︎
Isaiah 48 is found in 1 Nephi 20.
- Nephi quotes Isaiah 48 in 1 Nephi 20.
[53]↩︎
Isaiah 49 is found in 1 Nephi 21.
- Nephi quotes Isaiah 49.
[54]↩︎
Found in 2 Nephi 7.
- Jacob reads Isaiah 50 during a sermon.
[55]↩︎
Isaiah 51-52:2 is found in 2 Nephi 8.
- Jacob reads Isaiah 51-52:2 during a sermon.
[56]↩︎
Isaiah 53 is found in Mosiah 14.
- Abinadi reads Isaiah 53 to the priests of Noah.
[57]↩︎
In 3 Nephi 22, Jesus quotes Isaiah 54.
- Jesus quotes Isaiah 54 to the Nephites.
[58]↩︎
For example, biblical scholars, such as Lena-Sophia Tiemeyer and Benjamin Sommer, have recognized similarities between Isaiah and other prophetic books (e.g., Lamentations and Jeremiah). They have argued that some Deutero-Isaiah chapters were quoting or alluding to the other material, not vice versa.
And Bible scholar Richard L. Schultz noted that trying to identify borrowing between prophetic texts is a subjective activity:
As the polemics of the late nineteenth-century illustrate, most criteria are extremely flexible, able to be used persuasively by either side: did the quoter expand or abbreviate borrowed material? Did he gather together multiple fragments from his predecessor and build them into a new composite oracle or did he break up the longer saying of a predecessor into seed-thoughts to be scattered wherever appropriate through his oracles? Did he carefully adapt a borrowed saying so that it fitted more perfectly into its new setting than in its original location or is an awkward contextual fit evidence that he sought to preserve the saying exactly as he found it? Although such criteria are essential, their application is almost unavoidably subjective.
[59]↩︎
Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery described the Book of Mormon being translated with the aid of the Urim and Thummim. Emma Smith also said that the Urim and Thummim were used for part of the translation, but that Joseph also used a "dark stone."
Later reminisces by Martin Harris and David Whitmer described Joseph placing a seer stone in a hat in order to translate the Book of Mormon.
[60]↩︎
Royal Skousen proposed three possible methods of translation:
1. Loose control: Ideas were revealed to Joseph Smith, and he put those ideas into his own language (a theory advocated by many Book of Mormon scholars over the years); 2. Tight control: Joseph saw specific words written out in English and read them off to the scribe-the accuracy of the resulting text depending on the carefulness of Joseph and his scribe; 3. Iron-clad control: Joseph (or the interpreters themselves) would not allow any scribal error to remain (including the misspelling of common words).
Richard Bushman suggested:
The varying explanations of the perplexing process [of translation] fall roughly into two categories: composition and transcription. The first holds that Joseph was the author of the book. He composed it out of knowledge and imaginings collected in his own mind, perhaps aided by inspiration... The transcription theory has Joseph Smith "seeing" the Book of Mormon text in the seerstone or the Urim and Thummim. He saw the words in the stone as he had seen lost objects or treasure and dictated them to his secretary.
Additionally, as mentioned above, Blake Ostler argued that the Book of Mormon can be considered an ancient record with nineteenth-century expansions:
All expressions of revelation must be communicated within their author's framework of thought, a framework limited by its assumptions. Nor does it follow that if the book derives from the revelation of an ancient source it must be explained exclusively in ancient terms.
[61]↩︎
In an article about Isaiah in the Book of Mormon, B. H. Roberts raises a significant issue related to the Book of Mormon. He argues that if chapters 40-66 of the Book of Isaiah were written during the Babylonian captivity, it would be impossible for Lehi, a character in the Book of Mormon, to have taken these chapters with him from Jerusalem to America, as he left Jerusalem 600 years before Christ.
Roberts, however, defended the Book of Mormon, asserting that modern critics' theories haven't undermined the integrity of the Book of Isaiah and that the presence of these Isaiah passages in the Nephite record actually supports the belief in Isaiah's authorship of the entire book.
- B. H. Roberts addresses the theory of multiple authorship of Isaiah in 1909: argues that the evidence from the New Testament and Book of Mormon supports the unity of Isaiah.
[62]↩︎
For example, it has been noted that there are similarities in the language of Isaiah chapters in the Book of Mormon, particularly 2 Nephi 12-24, and the King James Version of the Bible. Some scholars, such as Blake Ostler and Brant Gardner, have suggested that this is because Joseph Smith adapted or added to the quotations of Isaiah found in the Book of Mormon.
If this is the case, then it allows for the possibility that there is more than one author of the book of Isaiah.
- Blake T. Ostler argues that the Book of Mormon is an ancient record with nineteenth century expansions.
- Brant A. Gardner addresses Isaiah authorship in the Book of Mormon.
[63]↩︎
Material from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints that introduces the book of Isaiah takes single authorship for granted. For example, the LDS Bible Dictionary reads:
Some notable references are the following: Isa. 1, which is a prologue to the rest of the book; 7:14; 9:6–7; 11:1–5; 53; and 61:1–3, which foreshadow the mission of the Savior; Isa. 2, 11, 12, and 35, which deal with events in the latter day, when the gospel is restored, Israel is gathered, and the thirsty land blossoms as the rose; Isa. 29, an exposition of the coming forth of the Book of Mormon (see also 2 Ne. 27); and Isa. 40–46, which extols the superiority of Jehovah as the true God over the idol gods of the pagan worshippers. The remaining chapters, 47–66, deal with events in the final restoration of Israel, the cleansing of the earth, and the establishment of Zion, with the Lord dwelling among His people.

King James Version	The Book of Mormon	The Great Isaiah Scroll (Qumran)[51]
48:1 Hear ye this, O house of Jacob, which are called by the name of Israel, and are come forth out of the waters of Judah, which swear by the name of the Lord, and make mention of the God of Israel, but not in truth, nor in righteousness.	48:1 Hearken and hear this, O house of Jacob, who are called by the name of Israel, and are come forth out of the waters of Judah, or out of the waters of baptism, who swear by the name of the Lord, and make mention of the God of Israel, yet they swear not in truth nor in righteousness.[52]	6. (Chapter 48:1) Hear this, O house of Jacob, who are called by the name of Israel, and of the waters of Judah you came out, who swear by the name of 7. YHWH and in the God of Israel you remember, not in truth, nor in righteousness.
48:2 For they call themselves of the holy city, and stay themselves upon the God of Israel; The Lord of hosts is his name.	2 Nevertheless, they call themselves of the holy city, but they do not stay themselves upon the God of Israel, who is the Lord of Hosts; yea, the Lord of Hosts is his name.	(2.) because from the holy city they are called, and upon 8. the God of Israel they lean; YHWH of Hosts is his name.
48:3 I have declared the former things from the beginning; and they went forth out of my mouth, and I shewed them; I did them suddenly, and they came to pass.	48:3 Behold, I have declared the former things from the beginning; and they went forth out of my mouth, and I showed them. I did show them suddenly.	(48:3.) The beginning things from then I have told them and from my mouth they have gone out, 9. and I declared them; I did them suddenly, and they came to pass.
48:4 Because I knew that thou art obstinate, and thy neck is an iron sinew, and thy brow brass;	48:4 And I did it because I knew that thou art obstinate, and thy neck is an iron sinew, and thy brow brass;	(48:4.) On account of that {& &} I knew that you are hard, and your neck is an iron sinew, [+h] 10. and your brow brass;
48:5 I have even from the beginning declared it to thee; before it came to pass I shewed it thee: lest thou shouldest say, Mine idol hath done them, and my graven image, and my molten image, hath commanded them.	48:5 And I have even from the beginning declared to thee; before it came to pass I showed them thee; and I showed them for fear lest thou shouldst say—Mine idol hath done them, and my graven image, and my molten image hath commanded them.	(48:5.) I told you, from then, before it came I declared it to you: lest you should say, My idol has done them, 11. and my graven image, and my molten image, commanded them.
48:6 Thou hast heard, see all this; and will not ye declare it? I have shewed thee new things from this time, even hidden things, and thou didst not know them.	48:6 Thou hast seen and heard all this; and will ye not declare them? And that I have showed thee new things from this time, even hidden things, and thou didst not know them.	(48:6.) You heard, all of this and have you not told them ? I have caused you to hear new things from this time, 12. even Nazareth, which you did not know.
48:7 They are created now, and not from the beginning; even before the day when thou heardest them not; lest thou shouldest say, Behold, I knew them.	48:7 They are created now, and not from the beginning, even before the day when thou heardest them not they were declared unto thee, lest thou shouldst say—Behold I knew them.	(48:7.) They are created now, and not from then; and before the day you did not hear of them; lest you should say, Behold, 13.1 already knew them.
48:8 Yea, thou heardest not; yea, thou knewest not; yea, from that time that thine ear was not opened: for I knew that thou wouldest deal very treacherously, and wast called a transgressor from the womb.	48:8 Yea, and thou heardest not; yea, thou knewest not; yea, from that time thine ear was not opened; for I knew that thou wouldst deal very treacherously, and wast called a transgressor from the womb.	(48:8.) And also, you did not hear; also, you did not know; also your ear was not open from then: for I knew that 14. you would be very treacherous and were called a transgressor from the womb.
48:9 ¶ For my name’s sake will I defer mine anger, and for my praise will I refrain for thee, that I cut thee not off.	48:9 Nevertheless, for my name’s sake will I defer mine anger, and for my praise will I refrain from thee, that I cut thee not off.	(48:9.). For the sake of my name I will put afar off my anger, and I will restrain my praise for you, so as not to 15. cut you off.
48:10 Behold, I have refined thee, but not with silver; I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction.	48:10 For, behold, I have refined thee, I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction.	(48:10.) Behold, I have refined you, but not with silver; [Q = when I showed mercy to you] [m = I have chosen you] in the furnace of affliction.
48:11 For mine own sake, even for mine own sake, will I do it: for how should my name be polluted? and I will not give my glory unto another.	48:11 For mine own sake, yea, for mine own sake will I do this, for I will not suffer my name to be polluted, and I will not give my glory unto another.	(48:11.) For my own sake, even for my own sake, 16. 1 will do it: {&because&} how can I profane it [m..+name]? and I will not give my glory to another. (PP)
48:12 ¶ Hearken unto me, O Jacob and Israel, my called; I am he; I am the first, I also am the last.	48:12 Hearken unto me, O Jacob, and Israel my called, for I am he; I am the first, and I am also the last.	17. (48:12.) Listen to this, Jacob and Israel, my called; I am he; I am the first, even I am the last.
48:13 Mine hand also hath laid the foundation of the earth, and my right hand hath spanned the heavens: when I call unto them, they stand up together.	48:13 Mine hand hath also laid the foundation of the earth, and my right hand hath spanned the heavens. I call unto them and they stand up together.	(48:13.) Yes. My hand also has laid the foundation of 18. the earth, and my right hand has spanned the heavens: I call to them, they stand up together.
48:14 All ye, assemble yourselves, and hear; which among them hath declared these things? The Lord hath loved him: he will do his pleasure on Babylon, and his arm shall be on the Chaldeans.	48:14 All ye, assemble yourselves, and hear; who among them hath declared these things unto them? The Lord hath loved him; yea, and he will fulfil his word which he hath declared by them; and he will do his pleasure on Babylon, and his arm shall come upon the Chaldeans.	(48:14.) All of them gather together and they hear; 19. who is among them and has declared these things? YHWH loved him: he will do my desires on {&waw&} Babylon, and his arm shall be on the Chaldeans.
48:15 I, even I, have spoken; yea, I have called him: I have brought him, and he shall make his way prosperous.	48:15 Also, saith the Lord; I the Lord, yea, I have spoken; yea, I have called him to declare, I have brought him, and he shall make his way prosperous.	(48:15.) I, even I, 20. have spoken; yes, I have called him: I have brought him, and he shall make his way prosperous.
48:16 ¶ Come ye near unto me, hear ye this; I have not spoken in secret from the beginning; from the time that it was, there am I: and now the Lord God, and his Spirit, hath sent me.	48:16 Come ye near unto me; I have not spoken in secret; from the beginning, from the time that it was declared have I spoken; and the Lord God, and his Spirit, hath sent me.	(48:16.) Draw near to me, [+erasure+] hear this; 21.1 have not spoken in secret from the beginning; from the time that it was, I was there: and now the Lord YHWH, and his Spirit, has sent me. [Read my comments on this important verse](PP) [*]
48:17 Thus saith the Lord, thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel; I am the Lord thy God which teacheth thee to profit, which leadeth thee by the way that thou shouldest go.	48:17 And thus saith the Lord, thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel; I have sent him, the Lord thy God who teacheth thee to profit, who leadeth thee by the way thou shouldst go, hath done it.	22. (48:17) Thus says YHWH your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel; I am YHWH your God your teacher for profit, 23. [Aramaic] the One who leads you by the way that you should go in it.
48:18 O that thou hadst hearkened to my commandments! then had thy peace been as a river, and thy righteousness as the waves of the sea:	48:18 O that thou hadst hearkened to my commandments—then had thy peace been as a river, and thy righteousness as the waves of the sea.	(48:18.) And you did not listen to my commandments! then would your peace be as a river, and your righteousness 24. as the waves of the sea:
48:19 Thy seed also had been as the sand, and the offspring of thy bowels like the gravel thereof; his name should not have been cut off nor destroyed from before me.	48:19 Thy seed also had been as the sand; the offspring of thy bowels like the gravel thereof; his name should not have been cut off nor destroyed from before me.	(48:19.) Your seed also would have been as the sand, and the offspring like the gravel of it; their name should not have been cut off nor destroyed .from before me. (PP) [*]
48:20 ¶ Go ye forth of Babylon, flee ye from the Chaldeans, with a voice of singing declare ye, tell this, utter it even to the end of the earth; say ye, The Lord hath redeemed his servant Jacob.	48:20 Go ye forth of Babylon, flee ye from the Chaldeans, with a voice of singing declare ye, tell this, utter to the end of the earth; say ye: The Lord hath redeemed his servant Jacob.	25. (48:20.) Go out of Babylon, flee from the Chaldeans, with a voice of singing declare it, tell this [m..+letitgo out+] to the end of the earth; 26. say, The LORD has redeemed his servant Jacob.
48:21 And they thirsted not when he led them through the deserts: he caused the waters to flow out of the rock for them: he clave the rock also, and the waters gushed out.	48:21 And they thirsted not; he led them through the deserts; he caused the waters to flow out of the rock for them; he clave the rock also and the waters gushed out.	(48:21.) And they did not thirst in the deserts when he led them : he caused the waters [Q= to gush out] [m.. to flow out] from the rock for them: 27. he split the rock, and the waters gushed out.
48:22 There is no peace, saith the Lord, unto the wicked.	48:22 And notwithstanding he hath done all this, and greater also, there is no peace, saith the Lord, unto the wicked.	(48:22.) There is no peace, says YHWH, for the wicked. (PP) [*]
49:1 Listen, O isles, unto me; and hearken, ye people, from far; The Lord hath called me from the womb; from the bowels of my mother hath he made mention of my name.	49:1 And again: Hearken, O ye house of Israel, all ye that are broken off and are driven out because of the wickedness of the pastors of my people; yea, all ye that are broken off, that are scattered abroad, who are of my people, O house of Israel. Listen, O isles, unto me, and hearken ye people from far; the Lord hath called me from the womb; from the bowels of my mother hath he made mention of my name.[53]	28. (Chapter 49:1) Hear me, O islands, and listen peoples, from afar; YHWH called me from the womb; from my mother's belly 29. He caused my name to be remembered.
49:2 And he hath made my mouth like a sharp sword; in the shadow of his hand hath he hid me, and made me a polished shaft; in his quiver hath he hid me;	49:2 And he hath made my mouth like a sharp sword; in the shadow of his hand hath he hid me, and made me a polished shaft; in his quiver hath he hid me;	(49:2.) And he has put my mouth {&as&} a sharp sword; in the shadow of his hand He hid me, and made me [+a lamed-kaph overwrite+] as a polished arrow [partial erased "be'ash"] 30. in his quiver he hid me;
49:3 And said unto me, Thou art my servant, O Israel, in whom I will be glorified.	49:3 And said unto me: Thou art my servant, O Israel, in whom I will be glorified.	(49:3.) And He said to me, You are my servant Israel, in whom I will be glorified. (PP)[*]
49:4 Then I said, I have laboured in vain, I have spent my strength for nought, and in vain: yet surely my judgment is with the Lord, and my work with my God.	49:4 Then I said, I have labored in vain, I have spent my strength for naught and in vain; surely my judgment is with the Lord, and my work with my God.	31. (49:4.) Then I said, for emptiness I have toiled, my strength for a void and a vapor I have spent surely my judgment is with YHWH and my work 1.[*] with my God.
49:5 ¶ And now, saith the Lord that formed me from the womb to be his servant, to bring Jacob again to him, Though Israel be not gathered, yet shall I be glorious in the eyes of the Lord, and my God shall be my strength.	49:5 And now, saith the Lord—that formed me from the womb that I should be his servant, to bring Jacob again to him—though Israel be not gathered, yet shall I be glorious in the eyes of the Lord, and my God shall be my strength.	(49:5.) And now, says YHWH who formed you from the womb to serve him, to return Jacob to him, 2. and to gather Israel to him, and I shall be glorious in the eyes of YHWH, and my God shall be my strength.
49:6 And he said, It is a light thing that thou shouldest be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel: I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation unto the end of the earth.	49:6 And he said: It is a light thing that thou shouldst be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel. I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation unto the ends of the earth.	(49:6.) And he said, Is it a light thing from your being to me 3. a servant to {&waw&} raise up the tribes of Israel [m,,Jacob,] and to restore the Nazarenes of Jacob [m..Israel]: I will also give you for a light to the Gentiles, to be 4. my salvation {Yeshua] to the end of the earth. (PP)
49:7 Thus saith the Lord, the Redeemer of Israel, and his Holy One, to him whom man despiseth, to him whom the nation abhorreth, to a servant of rulers, Kings shall see and arise, princes also shall worship, because of the Lord that is faithful, and the Holy One of Israel, and he shall choose thee.	49:7 Thus saith the Lord, the Redeemer of Israel, his Holy One, to him whom man despiseth, to him whom the nations abhorreth, to servant of rulers: Kings shall see and arise, princes also shall worship, because of the Lord that is faithful.	5. [] (49:7.). Thus says the Lord YHWH your Redeemer of Israel, and his Holy One, to those despising his soul, to him who the nation counts an abomination, to a servant of rulers, 6. Kings shall see and arise, princes shall worship, for the sake of YHWH who is faithful, the Holy One of Israel, shall choose you. (PP) []
49:8 Thus saith the Lord, In an acceptable time have I heard thee, and in a day of salvation have I helped thee: and I will preserve thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, to establish the earth, to cause to inherit the desolate heritages;	49:8 Thus saith the Lord: In an acceptable time have I heard thee, O isles of the sea, and in a day of salvation have I helped thee; and I will preserve thee, and give thee my servant for a covenant of the people, to establish the earth, to cause to inherit the desolate heritages;	7. (49:8.) Thus says YHWH, In an excellent time have I heard you, and in a day of salvation [Yeshua] I helped you: and I will {&dot&} preserve [make Nazarene] you, and I will give you for a covenant of 8. the people, to raise up the earth, to cause them to inherit heritages of desolation;
49:9 That thou mayest say to the prisoners, Go forth; to them that are in darkness, Shew yourselves. They shall feed in the ways, and their pastures shall be in all high places.	49:9 That thou mayest say to the prisoners: Go forth; to them that sit in darkness: Show yourselves. They shall feed in the ways, and their pastures shall be in all high places.	(49:9.) saying to the prisoners, Go out; to those who are in darkness, reveal yourselves. 9. upon [+all+] the mountains [m..roadways] they shall feed, and in all the high places of their pastures.
49:10 They shall not hunger nor thirst; neither shall the heat nor sun smite them: for he that hath mercy on them shall lead them, even by the springs of water shall he guide them.	49:10 They shall not hunger nor thirst, neither shall the heat nor the sun smite them; for he that hath mercy on them shall lead them, even by the springs of water shall he guide them.	(49:10.) They shall not hunger nor thirst; neither shall it strike them the heat 10. nor the sun : for he has mercy on them shall lead them, and onto the springs of water he guides them.
49:11 And I will make all my mountains a way, and my highways shall be exalted.	49:11 And I will make all my mountains a way, and my highways shall be exalted.	(49:11.) And I will set all my mountains as a roadway [+u-mes a redundancy], 11. and my highways shall be exalted.
49:12 Behold, these shall come from far: and, lo, these from the north and from the west; and these from the land of Sinim.	49:12 And then, O house of Israel, behold, these shall come from far; and lo, these from the north and from the west; and these from the land of Sinim.	(49:12.) Behold, these shall come from far: and behold, these from the north and west; and these from the land 12. of China [m..Sinim].
49:13 ¶ Sing, O heavens; and be joyful, O earth; and break forth into singing, O mountains: for the Lord hath comforted his people, and will have mercy upon his afflicted.	49:13 Sing, O heavens; and be joyful, O earth; for the feet of those who are in the east shall be established; and break forth into singing, O mountains; for they shall be smitten no more; for the Lord hath comforted his people, and will have mercy upon his afflicted.	(49:13.). Sing, O heavens; and rejoice, O earth; and break out into singing, O mountains: because YHWH has comforted his people, 13. and on the afflicted He will have mercy. (PP)
49:14 But Zion said, The Lord hath forsaken me, and my Lord hath forgotten me.	49:14 But, behold, Zion hath said: The Lord hath forsaken me, and my Lord hath forgotten me—but he will show that he hath not.	14. (49:14.) But Zion said, YHWH has forsaken me, and my Lord {&my God&} has forgotten me.
49:15 Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee.	49:15 For can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? Yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee, O house of Israel.	(49:15.) Can a woman forget her sucking child, from having mercy on the son of her womb? 15. also they can forget, but I will not forget.
49:16 Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me.	49:16 Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me.	(49:16.) Behold, I have inscribed you upon the hands; your walls 16. are before me continually.
49:17 Thy children shall make haste; thy destroyers and they that made thee waste shall go forth of thee.	49:17 Thy children shall make haste against thy destroyers; and they that made thee waste shall go forth of thee.	(49:17.) Your sons shall hurry; your destroyers and your desolators shall go out from you.