Comments on Isaiah 52 This chapter ends the ch. 48-52 block with the announcement that Zion is redeemed by the Lord. The imagery employed here is similar to that which appears in ch. 47 where Babylon is told to get off her throne and sit in the dust. In this case, Zion is told to rise up from the dust and sit on her throne. This chapter experiences a lot of usage in later scripture, for obvious reasons. Several verses from this chapter are quoted in 3 Ne. 20:32-41 in a rearranged order with some intervening material. The passage is aimed at natural Israel in the New World as the preceding verses comment specifically reference them. The song presented in D&C 84:99-102 also employs text that is derivative of themes and symbols from this chapter. As noted in the comments on the previous chapter, the first two verses of this chapter form the ending of a chiasm from that chapter. And v. 13-15 of this chapter are best grouped with ch. 53. The remaining v. 3-12 can be arranged as follows: A - (v. 3-5) Israel's captivity B - (v. 6) My people shall know Me C - (v. 7) Herald announces gospel D - (v. 8) Lord's return to Zion C - (v. 9) People rejoice B - (v. 10) All nations shall know Me A - (v. 11-12) Israel's Exodus v1-2 cp. 51:9, 17 for very similar statements. These verses quoted in 2 Ne. 8:24-25, 3 Ne. 20:36-37, and paraphrased in Moroni 10:31). The 3 Ne. 20 appearance adds an "again" in to render the first line "Awake, awake again, and put on they strength, O Zion. The meaning of these two verses in given in D&C 113:7-10, and cp. 82:14 for a similar statement. The general description of Zion adorning herself and dressing up also fits the tradition of attending the divinely instituted festivals at Jerusalem. v1e "the uncircumcised and the unclean", probably a reference to foreign invaders as opposed to any reference of ritual impurity or uncleanness as the remnants of the gentile nations are characterized as grafted into Israel, cf. 56:3-8. v3 This verse invokes the imagery of 45:13, 50:1 and 55:1. Israel was not formally divorced by the Lord and He is not concerned about material issues. Contrast this with v. 4 where Israel's oppressors are interested in material wealth. Israel will be redeemed only as an issue of honor and ethics on the Lord's part in order to keep his name from being profaned (v. 5) and to fulfill the covenants with Abraham (cp. 51:1-2). v5-6 The mocking of the Lord by the nations theme employed here is presented as one of the primary offenses of the king of Assyria in ch. 10, the king of Babylon in ch. 14, and the Rabshakeh in ch. 36. This theme is also presented by Ezekiel as Moab and Edom personified and mocking Israel after they have usurped their inheritance, cf. Ezek. 35:10-36:2. The Lord is saving Israel to keep His own name from being profaned, cp. 48:2, 9, 11. In the Exodus from Egypt the Lord established His Name among Israel and all the nations by the many mighty works performed. The Lord invested Israel with his Name, His Priesthood, in that they should serve Him. The Lord also has to preserve the sanctity of His Name in bringing about the covenants He made with Abraham wherein He swore by Himself that He would do accomplish it. Thus, His Name's sake is on the line in the fulfilling of His covenants and in redeeming Israel. v5 Paul paraphrases this verse in Romans 2:24, but he uses it in a different context. v6 presents a rather confrontational tone where the Lord insists that acts surrounding the redemption of Israel will be so powerful and unmistakable that there is no way that anyone could not understand that the Lord is the Redeemer and God of Israel. The "day" in reference is surely the Day of the Lord. v7-10 Paul quoted these verses in Romans 10:14-15. And Simeon in Luke 2:30 was probably paraphrasing v. 9-10 in his proclamation. Abinadi is questioned concerning the meaning of these verses, and comments on them at length in Mosiah 15:28-16:2. Abinidai presents a pre-millennial interpretation of judgement upon the righteous and the wicked. Overall, this section is quoted four times in the BofM, in Mosiah 12, Mosiah 15, 3 Ne. 16 and 3 Ne. 20 and all of them tend to favor the "Zion is not Jerusalem" position. v7-9 Presents a herald to Zion (v. 7), watchmen at Zion raising their voices (v. 8), and then Jerusalem being referred to as being in ruins (v. 9). This presents a paradox to the traditional Jerusalem=Zion equation as Zion is stated as existing but Jerusalem is ruined. This is one of the better Zion<>Jerusalem passages in Isaiah. However, in 51:3 Zion is stated to be in ruin as well. Thus, it is difficult to break the Jerusalem=Zion equation which LDS commentators are so eager to do in order to apply Isaiah's "Zion" references to the LDS Church when only using text from Isaiah. v7 Compare 40:1-9 and 41:27 where Zion is the herald announcing the redemption of Israel. It is safe to assume here that the herald is Zion. Note that the Greek "evanggelion", most literally interpreted "well-message", is translated "gospel" in the KJV. The herald here is proclaiming the good message, the good news, the gospel. This verse is paraphrased in D&C 19:29, 31:3 and 79:1 in reference to the missionaries sent out to preach the gospel. It is also paraphrased in 1 Ne. 13:37 where the reference to the feet is omitted. This verse is probably best known as a result of its appearance in Handel's _Messiah_. v7a-b "How welcome on the mountain/Are the footsteps of the herald", the NAS, WB, AB all render the phrase following the KJV "How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings". A similar statement is made in Nahum 1:15, but the welcome/beautiful language is omitted. The WB states, "Beautiful means something different in Hebrew thought than it does for us. The beautiful is something that comes about...the messenger's feet are not objectively beautiful. Their beauty consists in their intimation of the beauty of the coming of the tidings; and this is beautiful because it awakens jubilations." Thus, the JPS rendering is a paraphrase intended to accurately convey the intended meaning. Following either the JPS or the KJV reading one would develop an interpretation of the messenger delivering the good news of Zion's establishment and the redemption of Israel and so forth. Considering this herald would be shortly after the downfall of Babylon and the destruction of wicked, the people left over would be happy about the message of the Lord's arrival at Mt. Zion. That the messenger is upon the mountains represents his being established upon the heights, or being set above his enemies, cf. 2 Sam. 22:34, Hab. 3:19; also cp. Ps. 125 (see also 58:14. and Deut. 32:13 for additional refs. to man being placed on the heights; Amos 4:13 and Micah 1:3 for the Lord standing upon the heights). The 1 Ne. 21:13 addition (on 49:13) of "For the feet of those who are in the east are established" supports this general reading, as does D&C 59:3 who accounts those whose feet are established in Zion as blessed (also cp. D&C 78:16). Following the KJV reading and assuming a more Western concept of beauty (as it is possible that Isaiah was referring to the objective beauty of the feet), we wonder what the symbolism of the feet and their being beautiful would mean. In the Hebrew tradition the feet were the lowest part of the body, both figuratively and literally (cf. 1:5-6, also cp. 10:14-15). None but a slave was allowed to bathe another's feet because of the lowly nature of the task, and rabbi's were expressly forbidden from having/allowing their disciples wash their feet because it was too demeaning (cf. John 1:27). When considering the climate and lifestyle of these people, we recall that they largely wore sandals and walked whenever they traveled. The typical custom of hospitality upon welcoming people into your house was to offer them water so they could wash their feet (hence the "dusting off the feet as a testimony" as the people rejected them rudely, cf. Matt. 10:14). From these cultural practices we may assume that the feet were generally regarded as pretty filthy. For Isaiah here to call them "beautiful", then seems rather odd. However, in Ezekiel 1:7 the four cherubim are described as having feet like burnished bronzed and a similar statement is made describing the Son in Rev. 2:18. In both of these cases the persons being described are obviously exalted. In this case the beauty of their feet may be a reference contrasting the exalted condition of the resurrected and glorified body where even the feet are magnificently lustrous. Thus, Isaiah's reference to the feet of the herald of Zion may be a prediction of the exalted position they are due to inherit. As for who the herald/messenger is, Abinidai presents any believer who evangelizes as being one of them, cf. Mosiah 15:10-18. Alma also characterizes Jesus Christ as heralding salvation to his people in Alma 39:15. v7f "Your God is King!", note the close connection between this pronouncement and Temple worship, cp. Ps. 93:1-5, 96:10-13, 99:1-9. v8 The watchmen proclaim the events, but now the very events are fulfilled in the people's sight. The testimony and the predictions of the prophets are finally fulfilled. Note all of the wicked sign-seekers are disposed of at this point though, only the faithful have survived to see the Lord's return to Zion. v8b "Your watchmen", for the watchmen at Zion, cf. Ezek. 33. v8c-d This may be an allusion to the events described in Zech. 14:7. v9 The ruined people and lands that are summoned to shout are the barren wife and the wastelands (cf. 49:18-22). With the return of the Lord to Zion comes the redemption of natural Israel and the conversion of wastelands to a Millennial Eden (cf. 51:3). v10 The Lord reveals His arm (i.e. a Hebraism for "show forth His power") by redeeming His people in a miraculous manner in the sight of all nations. This passage indicates how geographically far reaching the events surrounding the Day of the Lord will be. v11-12 The historical exodus from Babylon under Cyrus is predicted (cp. v. 11c-d with 2 Chron. 36:7, 10, 18) as well as the eschatological one (cp. 48:20-21). The events predicted here are similar to the events of the ancient exodus from Egypt (cp. Exod. 12:11 and 13:21, Deut. 1:30-33 and 16:13), but have some curious differences. They appear to be arranged in an alternating A-B fashion: A - (v. 11a-b) Different B - (v. 11c-d) Same A - (v. 12a-b) Different B - (v. 12c-d) Same The AB states, "The language recalls the Exodus. Different conditions obtain, however. The Israelites shall take nothing from Babylon--unclean because Yahweh has cursed it--except the vessels of Yahweh, the vessels of the temple; their ancestors took goods from Egypt (Exod. 12:31-36). The Israelites shall not leave in haste, as their ancestors left Egypt; the word 'hippazon', translated 'haste', appears only here and in Exod. 12:11 and Deut 16:3, which concern the earlier departure. But, Yahweh will protect the van and rear of the Israelite column, as he had done before (Exod. 14:19)." Thus, we have an exodus from Babylon that is similar to the Exodus from Egypt, but a more spiritual interpretation is presented where material goods are not taken as they are "unclean", and the people are to "be clean" and "bear the [Temple] vessels of the Lord". This figures in well with Isaiah's more behavior based approached to identifying groups of people rather than using lineage, culture or nationality. v11 Quoted in 2 Cor. 6:17. v11c-d "vessels", while the primary contextual interpretation is that of the temple ritual vessels (cf. Ezra 1:7-8 and 5:14-15), one could develop a more figurative interpretation where the "vessels" are the remnants of Israel gathered in to Jerusalem by the nations, cf. 49:22-23. This would be supported by the Lord is a potter who makes pots (i.e. people) imagery, cf. 29:16 and the 22:24 reference to Eliakim being a peg that the vessels are supported by. v12 Compare 58:8 for a similar statement. The BofM presents a verbatim quote of the KJV in 3 Ne. 20:42, but the D&C presents a paraphrased quote with some additional material in D&C 133:15. The D&C paraphrase and addition tends to present the events contemporary with that revelation as perhaps a type but not as a fulfillment of Isaiah's original. The D&C paraphrase also uses imagery from the story of Lot's departure from Sodom and Gomorrah. v13-15 are best grouped by subject with chapter 53 and will be treated with the comments on that chapter.