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Study Resources for the Book of Isaiah
When Jesus Christ visited the people of the Book of Mormon, he expressed his appreciation for the prophecies recorded by Isaiah, called his words “great,” and commanded the people to diligently study them (see 3 Nephi 23:1). As we move into studying the Book of Isaiah in the coming weeks for the Come, Follow Me curriculum, Book of Mormon Central is pleased to share many resources that will help Latter-day Saints’ study Isaiah and better appreciate his prophetic witness of Jesus Christ.
ScripturePlus Tools
The free ScripturePlus app allows users to read the book of Isaiah as poetry, since the King James Version has been reformatted into poetic lines. Commentary on the entire book of Isaiah is provided by biblical scholar Donald W. Parry, to help readers dive into the context and meaning of Isaiah passages. Donald Parry has also provided several charts that can help readers see Jesus Christ in the book of Isaiah. Donald Parry's new translation of Isaiah will be published serially over the next few weeks in conjunction with the 2022 Come Follow Me curriculum.
Taylor D. Halverson, General Editor
Download the Free ScripturePlus App
Reading Plan on Isaiah and the Book of Mormon
A brand new, custom Reading Plan on Isaiah and the Book of Mormon help readers to see connections between the prophet and the keystone of our religion. Any study of the book of Isaiah can be enhanced by studying how Book of Mormon prophets—including the Savior Himself—quoted, commented on, and “likened” many of Isaiah’s most profound passages. This 4-week reading plan brings together key scripture passages from both Isaiah and the Book of Mormon, and combines them with dozens of Book of Mormon Central’s signature KnoWhys that illuminate the words of Isaiah from a Restoration perspective. Use this study plan to supplement and enhance your study of Isaiah through scholarship and the Restoration.
Isaiah and the Book of Mormon Reading Plan
September 5–11: Isaiah 1–12
September 5: Study Tips from Nephi
- 2 Nephi 25:1–8
- Book of Mormon Central, “How Does Nephi Help Us Understand Isaiah? (2 Nephi 25:4),” KnoWhy 47 (March 4, 2016).
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Dive Deeper:
- Donald W. Parry, “Nephi’s Keys to Understanding Isaiah (2 Nephi 25:1–8),” in Isaiah in the Book of Mormon, ed. Donald W. Parry and John W. Welch (Provo, UT: FARMS, 1998), 47–65.
September 6: Multiple Fulfillments
- Isaiah 2:2–4
- Book of Mormon Central, “Has the Prophecy of the Lord's House Established in the Mountains been Fulfilled? (2 Nephi 12:2; Isaiah 2:2),” KnoWhy 41 (February 25, 2016).
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Dive Deeper:
- Jeffrey R. Chadwick, “The Great Jerusalem Temple Prophecy: Latter-day Context and Likening Unto Us,” in Ascending the Mountain of the Lord: Temple, Praise, and Worship in the Old Testament, ed. David R. Seely, Jeffrey R. Chadwick, and Matthew J. Grey (Salt Lake City and Provo, UT: Deseret Book and Religioius Studies Center, 2011), 367–383.
September 7: Warnings against Pride
- Isaiah 3:15
- Isaiah 5:21
- 2 Nephi 26:20
- Book of Mormon Central, “How Does Nephi Use Isaiah to Teach Us to Avoid Pride? (2 Nephi 15:21; Isaiah 5:21),” KnoWhy 48 (March 7, 2016).
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Dive Deeper:
- David Rolph Seely, “Nephi’s Use of Isaiah 2–14 in 2 Nephi 12–30,” in Isaiah in the Book of Mormon, ed. Donald W. Parry and John W. Welch (Provo, UT: FARMS, 1998), 151–169.
September 8: The Lord’s Stretched Out Hand
- Isaiah 5:25
- Isaiah 9:12, 17, 21
- Isaiah 10:4
- Book of Mormon Central, “Why is the Lord's Hand "Stretched Out Still"? (2 Nephi 19:12; Isaiah 9:12),” KnoWhy 49 (March 8, 2016).
September 9: How the Lord Call’s Prophets
- Isaiah 6:1–13
- 1 Nephi 1:4–15
- Book of Mormon Central, “How Did God Call His Prophets in Ancient Times? (1 Nephi 15:8),” KnoWhy 17 (January 22, 2016).
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Dive Deeper:
- Stephen D. Ricks, “Heavenly Visions and Prophetic Calls in Isaiah 6 (2 Nephi 16), the Book of Mormon, and the Revelation of John,” in Isaiah in the Book of Mormon, ed. Donald W. Parry and John W. Welch (Provo, UT: FARMS, 1998), 171–190.
September 10: Prophecies of Christ’s Birth
- Isaiah 7:14
- Isaiah 9:6
- 1 Nephi 11:15–22
- Mosiah 3:5–8
- Book of Mormon Central, “How Did Nephi Read Isaiah as a Witness of Christ’s Coming? (2 Nephi 17:14; Isaiah 7:14),” KnoWhy 40 (February 24, 2016).
- Book of Mormon Central, “Why Did Benjamin Give Multiple Names for Jesus at the Coronation of his Son Mosiah? (Mosiah 3:8),” KnoWhy 536 (October 17, 2019).
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Dive Deeper:
- Donald W. Parry, “Isaiah’s Prophecies of the Mortal Messiah,” in The Jesus Christ Focused Old Testament: Making Sense of a Monumental Book (Springville, UT: Book of Mormon Central, 2022), 34–36.
September 11: Joseph and the Restoration
- Isaiah 11:10–11
- Isaiah 29:14
- Joseph Smith—History 1:40
- 2 Nephi 25:17–21
- Book of Mormon Central, “Why Did Moroni Quote Isaiah 11 to Joseph Smith? (2 Nephi 21:10; Isaiah 11:10),” KnoWhy 50 (March 9, 2016).
- Book of Mormon Central, “Why Did Nephi Connect Isaiah’s Prophecies with Joseph Who Was Sold into Egypt? (2 Nephi 25:17),” KnoWhy 375 (October 24, 2017).
September 12–18: Isaiah 13–14, 24–30, 35
September 12: The End Times
- Isaiah 13:1–6, 9–13
- 1 Nephi 14:3–7
- Book of Mormon Central, “What Do Nephi and Isaiah Say about the End Times? (2 Nephi 23:6; Isaiah 13:6),” KnoWhy 46 (March 3, 2016).
September 13: The Fallen Angel
- Isaiah 14:12–15
- 2 Nephi 2:17–18
- Book of Mormon Central, “Why Did Lehi "Suppose" the Existence of Satan? (2 Nephi 24:12; Isaiah 14:12),” KnoWhy 43 (February 29, 2016).
September 14: The Familiar Spirit
- Isaiah 29:3–4
- 2 Nephi 15–16
- Book of Mormon Central, “How Are the Words of the Book of Mormon Like “One That Hath a Familiar Spirit”? (2 Nephi 26:16),” KnoWhy 491 (December 6, 2018).
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Dive Deeper:
- Amanda Colleen Brown, “Out of the Dust: An Examination of Necromancy as a Literary Construct in the Book of Mormon,” Studia Antiqua 14, no. 2 (2016): 27–37.
September 15: Nephi Likens Isaiah 29
- Isaiah 29:3–10
- 2 Nephi 26:14–19; 27:1–5
- Book of Mormon Central, “Why Does Nephi Use Isaiah 29 as Part of His Own Prophecy? (2 Nephi 26:16; cf. Isaiah 29:4),” KnoWhy 52 (March 11, 2016).
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Dive Deeper:
- Robert A. Cloward, “Isaiah 29 and the Book of Mormon,” in Isaiah in the Book of Mormon, ed. Donald W. Parry and John W. Welch (Provo, UT: FARMS, 1998), 191–247.
September 16: The Sealed Book
- Isaiah 29:11–14
- 2 Nephi 27:6–26
- Book of Mormon Central, “Why Would a Book Be Sealed? (2 Nephi 27:10),” KnoWhy 53 (March 14, 2016).
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Dive Deeper:
- John W. Welch, “Doubled, Sealed, Witnessed Documents: From the Ancient World to the Book of Mormon,” in Mormons, Scripture, and the Ancient World Studies in Honor of John L. Sorenson, ed. Davis Bitton (Provo, UT: FARMS, 1998), 391–444.
September 17: Line Upon Line
- Isaiah 28:10
- 2 Nephi 28:30
- Book of Mormon Central, “Why Did Nephi Say That People Had to Learn Things Line Upon Line? (2 Nephi 28:30),” KnoWhy 292 (March 27, 2017).
September 18: Fire and Brimstone
- Isaiah 30:27–33
- 2 Nephi 9:16
- Book of Mormon Central, “Why Does the Book of Mormon Warn that a Lake of Fire and Brimstone Awaits Sinners in the Afterlife? (2 Nephi 9:16),” KnoWhy 446 (July 3, 2018).
September 19–25: Isaiah 40–49
September 19: New Testament and Book of Mormon Quotations
- Isaiah 40:3
- Matthew 3:2–3
- Alma 7:9
- Alma 9:28
- Book of Mormon Central, “Why Do New Testament Words and Phrases Show up in the Book of Mormon? Part 3: Revelations to Nephite Prophets as a Source (Part A) (Alma 7:9),” KnoWhy 529 (August 29, 2019).
September 20: Prophecies of the Redeemer
- Isaiah 47:4
- Isaiah 48:17
- 1 Nephi 10:17
- Book of Mormon Central, “Did Pre-Christian Prophets Know About Christ? (1 Nephi 10:17),” KnoWhy 12 (January 15, 2016).
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Dive Deeper:
- Donald W. Parry, “Isaiah’s Prophecies of the Mortal Messiah,” in The Jesus Christ Focused Old Testament: Making Sense of a Monumental Book (Springville, UT: Book of Mormon Central, 2022), 34–36.
September 21: The Scattering of the Jews
- Isaiah 5:13, 25
- Isaiah 48:9–10
- 2 Nephi 25:15–16
- Book of Mormon Central, “Why Do Early Nephite Prophets Speak about the Scattering of the Jews? (2 Nephi 15:13, 25; Isaiah 5:13, 25),” KnoWhy 42 (February 26, 2016).
September 22: The Day of the Gentiles
- Isaiah 49:22
- Book of Mormon Central, “What is the Day of the Gentiles? (1 Nephi 21:22),” KnoWhy 44 (March 1, 2016).
September 23: Likening Isaiah 48–49 to Lehi’s Family
- Isaiah 48:2, 4, 18
- 1 Nephi 1:13, 18–19
- 1 Nephi 2:9–11, 18
- Book of Mormon Central, “How Might Isaiah 48-49 be "Likened" to Lehi's Family? (1 Nephi 19:23),” KnoWhy 23 (February 1, 2016).
September 24: Joseph Smith as the Servant
- Isaiah 49:1–9
- Book of Mormon Central, “Who is the Servant of Isaiah 49/1 Nephi 21? (1 Nephi 21:3; Isaiah 48:3),” KnoWhy 24 (February 2, 2016).
September 25: The Daughter of Zion
- Isaiah 3:16–23
- Isaiah 10:32
- Isaiah 52:2
- Book of Mormon Central, “Why Does Isaiah Prophesy of the Daughter of Zion? (2 Nephi 13:16–17),” KnoWhy 550 (February 18, 2020).
September 26–October 2: Isaiah 50–57
September 26: Abinadi Explains Isaiah to Noah’s Priests
- Isaiah 52:7–10
- Mosiah 15:11–17
- Book of Mormon Central, “Why Would Noah’s Priests Quiz Abinadi on Isaiah? (Mosiah 12:20–21; cf. Isaiah 52:7),” KnoWhy 89 (April 29, 2016).
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Dive Deeper:
- John W. Welch, “Isaiah 53, Mosiah 14, and the Book of Mormon,” in Isaiah in the Book of Mormon, ed. Donald W. Parry and John W. Welch (Provo, UT: FARMS, 1998), 293–312.
September 27: The Meaning of Nauvoo
- Isaiah 52:7
- Book of Mormon Central, “Where Does the Name Nauvoo Come From? (3 Nephi 20:40),” KnoWhy 342 (July 21, 2017).
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Dive Deeper:
- Dana M. Pike, “‘How Beautiful upon the Mountains’: The Imagery of Isaiah 52:7–10 and its Occurrences in the Book of Mormon” in Isaiah in the Book of Mormon, ed. Donald W. Parry and John W. Welch (Provo, UT: FARMS, 1998), 249–291.
September 28: Isaiah and Micah
- Isaiah 52:7–10
- Micah 4:12–13
- Micah 5:8–9
- 3 Nephi 20: 15–20, 39–43
- Book of Mormon Central, “Why Did Jesus Mix Together Micah and Isaiah? (3 Nephi 20:25),” KnoWhy 214 (October 21, 2016).
September 29: The Book of Mormon as the Servant
- Isaiah 52:13–15
- 3 Nephi 21:10
- Book of Mormon Central, “Who is the Servant Spoken of by Christ? (3 Nephi 21:10),” KnoWhy 215 (October 24, 2016).
September 30: Abinadi, Alma, and the Suffering Servant
- Isaiah 53:3–5
- Mosiah 17:13
- Alma 7:11
- Book of Mormon Central, “Why Did Abinadi Talk About the Suffering Messiah? (Mosiah 14:4; Isaiah 53:4),” KnoWhy 91 (May 3, 2016).
- Book of Mormon Central, “Whose “Word” Was Fulfilled by Christ’s Suffering “Pains and Sicknesses”? (Alma 7:11),” KnoWhy 564 (June 2, 2020).
October 1: Christ’s Likening of Isaiah 54
- Isaiah 54:10–11
- Book of Mormon Central, “Why Did Jesus Quote All of Isaiah 54? (3 Nephi 22:5; Isaiah 54:5),” KnoWhy 216 (October 25, 2016).
October 2: Great are the Words of Isaiah
- 3 Nephi 23:1
- Book of Mormon Central, “Why Would Jesus Call Isaiah’s Words Great? (3 Nephi 23:1),” KnoWhy 217 (October 26, 2016).
Bible Central
Many new and important study tools for Isaiah will be published on our sister site, Bible Central. In addition to the book and chapter guides to help readers navigate Isaiah, biblical scholar Donald Parry has provided a new translation and commentary of Isaiah for Latter-day Saints. This translation incorporates the Isaiah variants in both the Book of Mormon and the Joseph Smith Translation of the Bible, and makes some of the most up-to-date scholarship accessible through his commentary. Donald Parry has also offered insights to Isaiah’s prophecies of the mortal Messiah and significant themes in Isaiah 53 in his book The Jesus Christ Focused Old Testament: Making Sense of a Monumental Book, also published on Bible Central.
KnoWhys
New KnoWhys will continue to be published once a week regarding the Book of Isaiah for the five weeks that we will cover these chapters in the Come, Follow Me schedule. In addition to these upcoming KnoWhys, Book of Mormon Central has previously published many KnoWhy articles that discuss Isaiah. Many of the topics previously discussed include:
- Nephi’s use of Isaiah and the Nephite prophetic worldview
- Jesus’s use of Isaiah in the Book of Mormon
- Isaiah’s prophecy of a sealed book
- the divine calling of prophets to their ministries
- Abinadi’s sermon regarding the suffering Messiah.
See All KnoWhy Articles on Isaiah
Archive
Many significant works on Isaiah are included in Book of Mormon Central’s Archive. For instance, a collection of in-depth studies regarding the use of Isaiah by Nephite authors can be found in the book Isaiah in the Book of Mormon. The papers included in this book offer thoughts from many Latter-day Saint scholars on topics such as Isaiah’s witness of Christ’s ministry, textual variants of Isaiah in the Book of Mormon, and the authorship of Isaiah. Other journal papers and book chapters that deal with Isaiah are available.
See All Archive Items on Isaiah
Conclusion
Some find Isaiah’s teachings and prophecies hard to read or difficult to understand. The above resources are designed to help people at all levels of gospel learning—from beginners to veterans—get more out of their study of Isaiah. As readers strive to follow the Savior’s commission in the Book of Mormon to “search … diligently” the words of Isaiah (3 Nephi 23:1), making use of these various study aids can enhance their experience and deepen their appreciation for this ancient prophetic text that is still important for our day. Furthermore, we hope that those who use these resources will find them helpful in strengthening their faith in Jesus Christ, and lead to a better understanding of why He would call Isaiah’s words “great.”
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