Isaiah’s last two chapters make up a set of prophecies that are complementary to the first two chapters of Isaiah, making these four chapters very much like bookends to his works. Isaiah 65 and 66 reinforce each other as they speak of the forthcoming of the Lord’s judgment (65.1-16 andContinue Reading

Source: Margaret Barker, Restoring Solomon’s Temple This raises again the question of the sources of material found in later Hebrew and Aramaic texts. Were they simply later elaborations of the biblical stories, or were they remembered and included by the later storytellers? The most famous example is the story ofContinue Reading

Who or what was Lilith – לִילִית lîylîyth? Listen to the audio as I go through the text of Isaiah 30-39 here. Lilith is the most popular demon in Jewish tradition. In some sources, she is conceived of as the original woman, created even before Eve, and she is oftenContinue Reading

Nephi quotes Isaiah for much of the text of Second Nephi. Over the years, I have met many folks who say that they “like to skip Isaiah” because they do not understand it. Many wonder why Nephi quotes so much from Isaiah. The purpose of this post is to showContinue Reading

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! Thy watchmen shall lift up the voice; with the voice together shall they sing: for they shallContinue Reading

Elder McConkie shared 10 keys to understanding Isaiah, and I wanted to share them here. I am grateful to him for his work in teaching the scriptures to all of us! 1. Gain an overall knowledge of the plan of salvation and of God’s dealings with his earthly children. TheContinue Reading

In our classroom we have a “question box”.  I have found this to be a useful tool in the classroom.  When a student has a question that would take us far off topic, yet is still relevant to their lives, a teacher has a couple of options.  The teacher canContinue Reading

Isaiah 29 deals with a prophecy of a book that is sealed.  Isaiah speaks of a time when the eyes of prophets, rulers, and seers are “covered”. From the text of Isaiah 29 we read: And the vision of all is become unto you as the words of a abookContinue Reading

In Isaiah 5, Isaiah combines parable, warning, and promise together with poetry and irony in an effort to portray the Lord’s work with the children of Israel.  This chapter contains the themes reflected in the first four chapters of Isaiah and serves as a transition between chapters 1-4 and theContinue Reading

When teaching the Old Testament I find it useful to tie the teachings of these ancient prophets to the revelations of the restoration.  The Book of Mormon is an excellent key that can be used to unlock the Bible.  By teaching the words of Isaiah in concert with Nephi’s inspiredContinue Reading