Isaiah 54 carries a message of reassurance and joy, delivered to people who have endured trauma. When Jesus quoted this chapter, it must have resonated with his audience, who had just survived terrible tempests and floods. But He indicated to them that its complete fulfillment would come in the last days.
Reading Isaiah 53 with Abinadi and Alma
Abinadi and Alma both comment on the Song of the Suffering Servant in Isaiah 53. Abinadi teaches us that the servant is "God himself." Alma teaches us that His suffering empowered Him to both erase our sins and to succor us in our infirmities.
Isaiah 52: A Book of Mormon-Guided Reading
Isaiah 52 is pervasive in the Book of Mormon. Verses from the chapter are quoted or interpreted by Lehi, Nephi, Jacob, Abinadi, the Savior, Mormon, and Moroni. The fact that Moroni embeds references to Isaiah 52 in his final exhortation indicates that it is central to the Book of Mormon's invitation to come unto Christ.
Reading Isaiah 29 with Nephi
The overall shape of the prophecy contained in Isaiah 29 is drowsiness giving way to clarity because of a book. Nephi makes the prophecy more vivid by identifying the book as the Book of Mormon and by distinguishing between the learned, who reject the book, and the unlearned, who help God perform His marvelous work.
Isaiah’s Other Six Woes
Isaiah pronounced six woes in chapter 5 and then another six woes in chapters 28-33. After quoting some of them, Nephi offered some woes of his own in 2 Nephi 28. Undergirding these woes are two principles: We should open our minds to God's revelation, and we should trust God instead of worldly power.
A Marvellous Work and a Wonder
Isaiah pronounced a collection of "burdens," weighty prophecies of affliction, upon multiple nations. But among these burdens, he included messages of hope. Then he foretold a marvelous work which God would perform on behalf of all people. Nephi emphasized that work, seeing Isaiah's message as a hopeful assurance of God's blessings.
Nephi’s Isaiah Synthesis: 2 Nephi 30
In 2 Nephi 30, Nephi quotes an extended passage from Isaiah 11, which he quoted earlier, but this time, he provides context for Isaiah's words. Nephi's main message is that knowledge brings peace, so God will fill the earth with knowledge in order to fill the earth with peace.
Nephi’s Isaiah Synthesis: 2 Nephi 29
Nephi's message in 2 Nephi 29 is that the words of his family will one day be united with the testimonies of the Jews, as evidence that God speaks to all nations. His extensive use of Isaiah's words in this chapter serves as an example if this unifying process.
Nephi’s Isaiah Synthesis: 2 Nephi 28
In 2 Nephi 28, Nephi draws upon numerous quotations from the Old Testament, particularly the thirteen chapters from Isaiah he has just quoted, to teach the importance of prioritizing God's wisdom over human knowledge. He ends with the assurance that God's merciful arm is stretched out toward us "all the day long."
Finding Jesus in Isaiah 2-14
Nephi quotes thirteen chapters from the book of Isaiah in a row, saying that Isaiah saw his Redeemer. These chapters begin and end with a divinely appointed place of refuge, and they speak of a promised child who will bring stability and peace in a chaotic world. Nephi identifies that child as Jesus Christ.