The Remnant Shall Return

The Hebrew word shaar (שָׁאַר) means “to remain” or “to be left over.” The noun form of this word, shear (שְׁאָר) is usually translated “remnant,” “the rest,” or sometimes “residue.” In other words, the part that’s left when everything else is gone.

Isaiah named one of his sons Shear-Jashub, which means “a remnant shall return.” (See 2 Nephi 17:3, Isaiah 7:3.) He also used the phrase several times while prophesying about the Assyrian captivity, in order to assure the people that all is not lost, even during those catastrophic events:

it shall come to pass in that day, that the remnant of Israel, and such as are escaped of the house of Jacob, shall no more again stay upon him that smote them, but shall stay upon the Lord, the Holy One of Israel, in truth.

The remnant shall return, yea, even the remnant of Jacob, unto the mighty God.

For though thy people Israel be as the sand of the sea, yet a remnant of them shall return

2 Nephi 20:20-22, Isaiah 10:20-22

It’s most intuitive to think about this as a physical return of a small number of Israelites to their homeland, and of course that’s one reasonable interpretation. But Isaiah specifically says in this passage that they will return unto God. He paints a picture of a group of people who had already turned away from God before being subjected to violence and captivity, who finally come to themselves and turn their hearts back to the Lord.

Isaiah subsequently lists a large number of places where the children of Israel will be gathered from:

And it shall come to pass in that day that the Lord shall set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant of his people which shall be left, from Assyria, and from Egypt, and from Pathros, and from Cush, and from Elam, and from Shinar, and from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea….

And there shall be a highway for the remnant of his people which shall be left, from Assyria, like as it was to Israel in the day that he came up out of the land of Egypt.

2 Nephi 21:11, 16; Isaiah 11:11, 16

The list of locations in all directions suggests that Israel will be scattered far and wide, particularly when he ends the list with “the islands of the sea.”

Lehi’s family traveled much further than any of the places on Isaiah’s list, and they sailed for many days across the ocean before arriving in their new home. No wonder both Nephi and his brother Jacob emphasized Isaiah’s assurance that God remembers even the people “on the isles of the sea.” (See 1 Nephi 19:16, 1 Nephi 22:4-7, 2 Nephi 10:8, 21, 2 Nephi 29:7.) The message is clear: No matter how far you are from home, you are not out of God’s sight. He is mindful of you and He will help you overcome every obstacle you face if you trust Him.

This concept of a “remnant” became very important to Book of Mormon authors:

• Lehi referred to the natural branches of the olive tree from Zenos’s allegory as “the remnants of the house of Israel” (1 Nephi 10:14).
• In Nephi‘s vision, the angel used the phrase “the remnant of the house of Israel” to refer to Lehi’s descendants. (See 1 Nephi 13:33-34, 38-39.) And Nephi later introduced the words of Isaiah to his brothers by saying, “Hear ye the words of the prophet, ye who are a remnant of the house of Israel, a branch who have been broken off” (1 Nephi 19:24).
• Captain Moroni urged his people to defend their liberty by saying, “Behold, we are a remnant of the seed of Jacob [Israel]” (Alma 46:23).
• When Jesus visited Lehi’s descendants, He referred to them repeatedly as “a remnant of the house of [Jacob/Israel/Joseph].” (See 3 Nephi 15:12, 3 Nephi 20:10-13, 16, 3 Nephi 21:2, 12, 22-23.)
• Mormon followed the Savior’s lead, emphasizing the importance of his people multiple times with the same title. (See 3 Nephi 5:23-24, 3 Nephi 29:8, 4 Nephi 1:49, Mormon 5:12, 24, Mormon 7:1, 10.)
• When Mormon’s son Moroni shared Ether’s prophecy that a New Jerusalem would be built in the America’s, he specifically said that Lehi’s descendants, who he called “a remnant of the seed of Joseph,” would build it (Ether 13:6-10). And Moroni opened Title Page of the Book of Mormon by indicating that this book was “written to the Lamanites, who are a remnant of the house of Israel.”

Certainly their ancestry is significant, and these prophets wanted Lehi’s descendants to recognize the promises they inherited. But I also think there is a message for all of us. If you ever feel “cast off,” if you ever feel like you don’t belong, if you feel sidelined, dismissed, or relegated to the islands of the sea, this book is for you. You are the remnant, and you can return to “that God who gave you life” (Alma 40:11). After all that you’ve been through, after all that you have lost, what’s left of you can come home. Your remnant shall return.

Today, I will remember that God is mindful of me. I will turn my heart to Him and be the remnant who returns and finds Him again.