Teachings of Isaiah

Note to the reader

Below is the table of contents for my commentary on the book of Isaiah. My sole purpose in writing this book is to express a few thoughts about Isaiah and what he means to me. Hence, you get a lot of quotations from the Brethren, Book of Mormon prophets, etc., that relate to but aren’t direct interpretations of Isaiah. They represent thoughts that occur to me during my personal study of Isaiah. In short, I’m trying to bring the message of Isaiah home.

For example, in one chapter, I compare AI to idol worship if taken too far in the wrong direction, following Elder Gong’s lead in a recent Church News report. Not everyone has to agree with my approach to Isaiah. That’s not the purpose of the book. I want you, my friend, to know that you can be technically incorrect in your interpretation of an Isaiah passage and still gain valuable insights from a message that will enrich your life. My hope is that you will engage in a personal study of Isaiah without feeling the need to understand every word in every passage, or getting discouraged because you don’t. You can hear the message without having to know everything about it, and that’s the point, and what I think the Savior intended when He said we “ought” to study the words of Isaiah!

Active chapters are presented in green below. Click to open. From there, you can download the PDF file to your computer (if you want). Feel free to pass it around. Feedback is appreciated. And FYI, this is first-draft material, which is subject to change based on feedback.

Table of Contents

1. Preface

1. Ten Keys to Understanding Isaiah
2. Nephi’s witness
3. The Spirit of Prophecy
4. Literary Techniques
5. Isaiah’s Old Testament Context
6. Isaiah’s Vision and Call
7. Isaiah 6:8–10 (Here am I; Send Me)
8. Isaiah 7:10–17 (The House of David)
9. Isaiah 8:13–17 (A Stone of stumbling)
10. Isaiah 9:1–7 (Unto us a Child is born)
11. Isaiah 11:1–5 (The Stem of Jesse)
12. Isaiah 16:4–5 (The Tabernacle of David)
13. Isaiah 22:21–25 (The Crucifixion of Christ)
14. Isaiah 25:8–9 (Christ’s victory over death)
15. Isaiah 28:16 (A Precious Corner Stone)
16. Isaiah 32:1–4 (The King-Messiah)
17. Isaiah 40:1–11 (Israel’s God is incomparably great)
18. Isaiah 41:25–27 (One that bringeth good tidings)
19. Isaiah 42:1–8, 16 (The Messiah shall not fail)
20. Isaiah 45:18–25 (Israel’s Two Saviors)
21. Isaiah 50:1–7 (The persecuted Messiah)
22. Isaiah 52:13–15 (Servant of the Lord)
23. Isaiah 53 (Christ bears all things)
24. Isaiah 61:1–3 (The Promised Messiah)