Commentary on Isaiah 52:7 by S.K. Neumiller Isaiah 52:7 How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth! (KJV) How welcome on the mountain Are the footsteps of the herald Announcing happines, Heralding good fortune, Announcing victory, Telling Zion, "Your God is King!" (JPS Tanakh) Isaiah 52:7 is a frequently quoted verse (Romans 10:15; Mosiah 12:21; Mosiah 15:15-18; 3 Nephi 20:40; D&C 128:19), but difficult to understand because of the imagery the author uses. Isaiah uses the term "mountains" to represent literal mountains, the nations of the earth , the cities of the earth, the city Zion and the temple of the Lord (compare 2:2 [2 Ne. 12:14]; 2:14; 10:32; 11:9; 13:2; 13:4; 40:4; 40:9; 64:1-3). And, frequently his usage of the term "mountain" can be legitimately interpreted to mean more than one of the above. In the case of 52:7 "mountain(s)" can safely be interpreted to represent both the city Zion and the temple of the Lord. Similar references to feet are found in other places in the OT, but are never fully explained. This is because the concept here was one so well known to the Jews that its explanation was never committed to print. Pesach (Passover), Shavuot (Weeks/Pentecost) and Sukkot (Tabernacles) are divinely instituted feasts where all of the faithful were to gather in to the temple at Jerusalem. These feasts are known as "regalim" in Hebrew, or "feasts of pilgrims" translated into English. The term "regalim" is from the Hebrew word "regel", which means "feet", and represents the pilgrimage the faithful would make to keep the feast. Thus, Isaiah's reference to feet/footsteps draws on the concept of them that are faithful in keeping the Sabbaths (all holy days of the Jewish festival cycle are considered Sabbaths as well as Saturday) of the Lord, which is considered the epitome of worship and is symbolic of all of Israel's covenants with the Lord (Isa. 56:2-5; 58:13-14). Since the festival cycle was, and still is, such a prevelant part of Jewish culture, this interpretation is so obvious to the Jew, no Jewish prophetic author ever wrote it down. The herald who brings good tidings and publishes peace is easily interpreted to represent the faithful worshippers who proclaim the gospel, which literally interpreted from greek is "good news", of the Lord. The ultimate fulfilment of this scripture is at the beginning of the millenial reign, as is established by 52:1-6, when the faithful who have proclaimed the gospel will be rewarded for their good works.