A Study Guide Companion for The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ
VOCABULARY TIPS
& REVIEW
The vocabulary tips in this section are listed in chronological and conceptual order as listed by heading.
1 Nephi
1 NEPHI CHAPTERS 1-7
Concise means, “cut short or brief.”
Compact can mean, “Occupying a small volume by efficiently using space.” The Plates were difficult to make. It was necessary to use space in the most efficient way possible!
Concourse can mean, “a voluntary meeting or spontaneous coming together.”
Luster is, “a glow of light from within.”
Firmament is, “the vault or arch of the sky.”
Wo is, “sorrow, grief, or misery.”
Inhabitants are, “those who live in a particular place.”
Abominations are, “intensely detestable disgusting acts.”
Perish is, “to die or be destroyed, spiritually, physically, or both.”
Kill the messenger is, “a saying which comes from the practice in olden times for rulers to kill messengers who brought them news they did not want to hear.”
Negotiable referring to Lehi’s supplies and materials, refers to, “something that can be converted into something else of value.”
Provisions are, “needed materials or supplies.”
Murmur can mean, “serious complaints, sometimes leading to aggressive actions.”
A simile, “compares two seemingly unlike things, and then adds graphic meaning to one of the things as it identifies one or more commonalities between them, using a connective word such as like, as, seems, resembles, or defines.” Lehi’s hope for Laman was that he would be “like the river.” His hope for Lemuel was that he would be “like the valley.”
One meaning of dealings is, “manner of conduct.”
Sought is the past tense of seek and means, “try to find” or “to look for ways.”
Eldest means, “oldest.”
The word, stiff, has many meanings. Among these are, “rigid and inflexible,” “lacking in suppleness or responsiveness,” and “unyielding.”
Stiffnecked means, “rebellious and stubborn. It is a serious state, being a characteristic of Satan. When stiffnecked is used as a metaphor in the scriptures, it compares an unbending neck to people who are unresponsive to the Spirit of God, rebellious toward God, and unyielding in attempts to get them to repent and accept God’s love.”
Durst means, “dared.”
Frames referred to, “their bodies"
One meaning of mysteries of God is, “things that God has not yet revealed.” Smith & Sjodahl, p. 141 refer to mysteries of God as a term that means, “truths that cannot be known except through Divine revelation.”
To cry unto the Lord is, “to pray sincerely and fervently.” It is
praying—not just “saying prayers.”
To soften a heart is a metaphor with soften being the Lord’s intervention and an attitude compared to a heart. It means to prepare one to receive Heavenly inspiration or revelation. A heart that is softened is prepared to be responsive to the Spirit of God; it is opposite stiffnecked, which, being rebellious and stubborn, is not responsive to the Spirit of God.”
Two meanings of stature are, “a natural height in an upright position,” and “the quality of status gained by development, growth, and/or achievement. When Nephi said he was large in stature, he meant “large in size.” But Nephi also became “large in stature” in the second meaning—as he lived a life of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Manifest means, “make evident or certain through witness or revelation—or by showing or explaining.”
Hearken means, “to listen with respectful attention” and “to give heed to or take action on.”
Scourge means, “cause of widespread or great affliction.”
The protagonist is, “the main character (often the hero, leader in a cause, or champion) of a story.”
An antagonist in a story is, “the adversary or opponent to the protagonist.”
Tenses are, “language clues using verbs to indicate when actions, thoughts, or feelings occurred, are occurring, or will occur.” The most common tenses are past, present, and future.
Present tense means that, “actions, thoughts, or feelings are happening now.” Verbs of present tense (such as ‘wants,’ ‘is,’ ‘are,’ ‘comes,’ and ‘sees’) are clues to indicate immediacy.
Past tense means that, “actions, thoughts, or feelings have already occurred.” Verbs of past tense (such as ‘wanted,’ ‘was,’ ‘were,’ ‘came,’ and ‘saw’) are clues to indicate past action, feeling, thought, or being.
Future tense means that, “actions, thoughts, or feelings will occur in the future.” Verb phrases (such as ‘will want,’ ‘shall come,’ and ‘will see’) indicate future action, feelings, or being.
One meaning of apprehensive is, “viewing the future, distant or immediate, with anxiety or alarm.”
A lot is, “an object used as a counter to determine a question by chance.”
Cast lots means, “draw lots to determine a matter by chance.”
Two meanings of lust are, “to have an intense desire or need” and an “uncontrolled sexual desire.” In this case, Laban had an intense desire for Lehi’s property.
Slay means, “kill.”
Constrained means, “to force by imposed limits.”
Shrunk is, “past tense of shrink.” One meaning of shrink is, “recoil instinctively as from something horrible or painful.”
Established concepts are, “either concrete or abstract pieces of knowledge settled in one’s own conceptual (thinking)—or schema—system.” Established concepts may or may not be valid.
Context clues are, “facts or assumptions given in the context of printed or spoken discourse.”
Inference is, “drawing conclusions based on context clues or established concepts.”
Inference is, “drawing conclusions based on context clues or established concepts.”
Seed, in context of verse 17, means, “children and other descendants.”
Synonyms are, “words that have nearly the same meaning.”
Dissension means, “disagreement and quarreling.”
Discord means, “active quarreling from lack of agreement.”
Conflict means, “action of forces against outlined duties.”
Contention comes from contend, which means, “to rival,” and further means, “to argue or struggle or debate or to be in a state of discord over a point of crucial disagreement.”
Antagonism means, “actively expressed hostility.”
Cease means, “to stop.”
Strife means, “a fight or struggle for superiority.”
Strive means, “to endeavor or to try to devote serious effort and energy to,” or, “to contend or struggle in opposition to.” Both meanings of strive are appropriate with the phrase, The Spirit of the Lord ceaseth soon to strive with them. It means, “The Holy Ghost would leave their midst. He would not strive (contend or struggle) any longer in order to endeavor to get the people to listen. The people would so harden their hearts and poison both their personal and surrounding atmosphere with their wickedness and devotion to Satan’s evil darkness that it could not contain the holy Light of Christ or the Holy Ghost’s pure Spirit.”
Wroth means, “very angry.”
Fratricide is, “killing one’s own brother or sister or one who is like a brother or sister of the killer.”
1 NEPHI CHAPTERS 8-10
Sedition means, “incitement of resistance to lawful authority.” The Lord saw Lehi’s two eldest sons spreading discontent and sedition, yet He gave them every opportunity to come into His fold.
Multitude refers to, “a great number” or, “an exceedingly great number of people.”
Senses are, “perceptions of what we see, hear, smell, touch, and taste.”
Imagery is, “description appealing to the senses.”
Cast their eyes about means, “looked around.”
In the context of verses 39 & 31, multitudes holding fast to the iron rod refers to, “an exceedingly great number of people. Multitudes can also mean simply a large number of anything.”
To heed is, “to pay attention” or, “to answer a call.”
Cast them off means, “They would not live forever with God.” Only pure and clean people can live in God’s Presence. Because none of us live completely clean and pure lives, the Savior paid for our sins so, if we repent, we may indeed return to live forever with God. The wicked do not accept Christ’s Atonement, so they will not live again with God. That is why they are cast off.
One meaning of ministry is, “a period of time or service given to religious duties.”
For the more part means, “mostly.”
Nefarious means, “evil.”
To thwart is, “to stop.”
Jehovah in the pre-Earth existence, known as Jesus Christ when He came to Earth, is referred to by several names and titles. Following are a few of these frequently used names and titles and their meanings:
Jesus Christ is, “the name that Heavenly Father gave to Jehovah and there is no other through which man can be saved. (D&C Section 18:23). It is the name in which those who have accepted Him and embraced His Gospel will be saved at that Last Day. (Mosiah 5:9). All people are to take this Holy name upon themselves by following His example and obeying His commandments—or they have no place in the Kingdom of God (D&C Section 18:25). “Thou shalt call His name JESUS: for He shall save His people from their sins (Matthew 1:21).”
Christ the Lord and Messiah denote that Christ, which means, “anointed,” unites all anointed offices in Himself. He is the anointed Lord. The Greek word Christ is the same as the Hebrew Messiah, from Hebrew mashiah (Mashiac; Messias) & Aram meshiha, meaning, “anointed.” —“He first findeth his own brother Simon, and saith unto him, We have found the Messias, which is, being interpreted, the Christ” (John 1:41) and “The woman saith unto Him, ‘I know that Messias cometh, which is called Christ: when He is come, He will tell us all things.’ Jesus saith unto her, ‘I that speak unto thee am He.’ ” (John 4:25 & 26). Jesus Christ was anointed by God the Father in the pre-Earth existence to be King and Deliverer of mankind and God of this and countless other worlds.
A prophet is, “one who utters Divinely inspired revelations and foretells future events.” Although Jesus Christ called many others to be prophets and prophetesses, He is the greatest Prophet of all.
Holy One of Israel, reminds us of the great blessings God gave to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Israel) and that, “Christ is the Holy One, or God, who covenanted with all Israelites, both natural born into the tribes or adopted.” Isaiah frequently referred to Jehovah as The Holy One of Israel. Israel, or the House of Israel, will eventually include all of Christ’s followers.
One meaning of the word Lord is, “God.” This is the true meaning used when Jesus Christ is referred to as Lord, although some used it during His lifetime as a title of respect rather than of worship. In the KJV of the Bible, when using Lord when referring to God, all letters are capitalized (LORD).
Lord of Hosts is, “a name that signifies that Christ is the Lord of the righteous army that will vanquish evil.”
Savior is, “one who saves from danger or destruction.” Jesus Christ saved our spiritual souls from destruction; He saved us from permanent temporal death which would have made us subject to the devil; He gave His life to be resurrected so we will all be resurrected. His Atonement paid the price of our sins to satisfy justice; but to be saved to inherit Eternal Life, we must believe in Him and keep His commandments.”
As the Redeemer of the world, Jesus Christ, “bought back” or “redeemed our souls, freeing us from the consequences of our sins. He did this by taking our sins—and then the awful consequences or punishment for our sins—upon Himself.” Our part in accepting His Grace is to repent and obey His commandments.
Lamb of God refers to, “Jesus Christ in His role of Sacrifice for the sins of the world.”
Son of the Eternal Father and Son of God both emphasize the truth that, “Jesus Christ was the first born of all Heavenly Father’s spirit children and He is the only Spirit Child that is also the literal mortal Child of Heavenly Father.”
Son of Righteousness reminds us that “one of God the Eternal Father’s name-titles is ‘Righteousness.’ Jesus Christ is His only begotten Son—and is thus Son of Righteousness.”
Son of Man, refers to the fact that, “Jesus is the literal as well as the spiritual Son of Elohim, who is God, or Exalted Man (and our Heavenly spiritual Father).”
Eternal, Everlasting, and Endless are all, “names of God, the Father, and Jesus Christ.” These names remind us of a truth too profound for our finite minds—namely, “God always existed and will always exist with no beginning and no end.”
I AM; I AM HE when referred to the Lord means, “He is” or, “He exists.” “ ‘Am’ is the first person singular form of the verb ‘to be.’ Although when used as part of God’s name, it is used in the Bible for the first time when God identified Himself to Moses in the burning bush (Exodus 3:14), it is obvious that if the name had not been known to the Israelites, its value for identifying the Lord would have been useless. Correct identification was absolutely crucial to Moses in authenticating his call to the Israelites.
Etymologically, the title I AM is directly related to the most frequently used name of Deity in the Old Testament YHWH, which the translators often substituted for the title LORD or GOD” (from Old Testament: Genesis 2—Samuel (Religion 301) Student Manuel, p. 105). I AM; I AM HE is, “equivalent of Jehovah”—“[When] Christ revealed Himself in the Old Testament as “I AM,”—Hebrew ‘Ehyeh ‘asher ‘Ehyeh (Exodus 3:14), [it] implies that…He is, or exists, and is therefore different from all non-existing deities of merely human imagination; He is not an abstract existence without form or substance, but He is a real Being, manifesting Himself in history ever anew…” (Smith and Sjodahl, p. 86).
One meaning for Word is, “a name-title given to Jesus Christ. It was through Jesus Christ, or the Word, that Heavenly Father expressed His many creations” (John 1:1-3). The title, Word, reminds us that, “Jesus Christ was appointed by Heavenly Father to create all things, to speak to us for the Father, and that we pray and do all righteous things in the name of the Son.” Paul said, “It pleased the Father, that in Him (Jesus Christ) should all fullness dwell;” (Colossians 1:19), meaning that it was Heavenly Father’s will to share His Power and glory with His perfect first-born in the spirit Son—eons before Christ was born in the flesh. By this Power—or by the Power of Christ, the Word, all things were created.
King of kings and Lord of lords are titles affirming that, “Jesus Christ is the ultimate Ruler over all Earthly kings and lords, as well as Ruler over this and countless (to us) worlds throughout the universe.”
Alpha and Omega are, “the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet.” As figurative language, together the letters express Christ’s Eternal existence, “the Beginning and the End.” Christ was the firstborn spirit Son of Heavenly Father—perfect even then—and He came to Earth, performing His holy mission completely. He finally finished, or ended, the Father’s will for our sakes with His atoning Sacrifice, including His agony in the Garden of Gethsemane and during His crucifixion. Then He was able to perform the Resurrection, overcoming the bands of death, taking up His own body. Through fulfilling this great Plan, He made it possible for us to be resurrected, and to also repent and live again with God. He also ended the necessity for the Law of Moses when He fulfilled all things.
Immanuel means, “God is with us.” Although used by the Children of Israel when they saw the glory of God in a cloud and fire and many physical manifestations as they traveled with Moses, it is good for us to remember that we also can stretch out our hands to grasp the welcoming Hand of Christ—and He will be with us.
1 NEPHI CHAPTERS
11-15
11.
Spirit of the Lord is, “one of the names for the Holy Ghost,” but sometimes the
term, Spirit of the Lord, refers to, “the Power and influence dispersed by the
Holy Ghost.” It is important to consider the context to tell if a particular reference
means the Holy Ghost Himself or the influence He disperses.
James E. Talmage wrote that in Nephi’s vision the Holy Ghost manifested
Himself in the form and figure of a man. Then later in the vision another
messenger, referred to as an angel of the Lord, came to Nephi.
Hosanna is, “a cry of praise and adoration.”
The Lord’s condescensions refer to: “(1) the condescension of God [the
Father] which consists in the fact that though He is an exalted, perfected,
glorified Personage, He became the personal and literal Father of a mortal
Offspring born to a mortal woman…” (Bruce R. McConkie quoted in Book of
Mormon student manual, religion 121-122); (2) “When Jesus Christ, who was
already the great God, Jehovah, voluntarily was born of a mortal mother and chose to live the life of a mortal, coming to Earth in the most humble of
circumstances for our sakes, was baptized sinlessly to ‘fulfill all righteousness and obey all of Heavenly Father’s commandments,’ and to willingly perform His Atonement, suffering in indescribable agony and giving up His life for us, is also the condescension of God.”
Mother of the Son of God, after the manner of the flesh is, “The Son of God’s
Earthly mother, Mary.”
Personification is a category of figurative language that, “compares an animal or thing to a person, giving it one or more human characteristic(s).”
Hypostatization is a category of figurative language that “compares an
abstract concept (such as love) to a person, giving it one or more human
characteristic(s).” The scripture says the “love of God sheds abroad in the hearts
of man.” Literally, Jesus Christ, shedding His love on all of us, came into the
world to live, suffer, and die for us so we can live Eternally with Him and with Heavenly Father. And Jesus Christ, who brought the opportunity of Eternal Life,
is the greatest Gift of Heavenly Father.
The word of God means, “revelations, spoken or written as scripture, from
God, either given in Person (such as when He lived His mortal life) or through His prophets (i. e. “We believe the Bible to be the word of God as far as it is
translated correctly; we also believe The Book of Mormon to be the word of
God.”—Eighth Article of Faith).
Another definition for the Word of God is, “Jesus Christ.” It is by this Word that all things were created (John 1:3). The Word of God, Christ, imparts to us
words of God, or His teachings, so that we may understand and live the Plan of
Salvation.
12.
Rent in the context of verse 4 is, “the past tense of rend,” which means, “to split or tear apart by violence.”
Garments are, “clothing.” Garments, or clothing, are often symbolic representations of inner commitment. Having garments cleansed and made white through the blood of Christ is a metaphor that compares “a clean soul to those who have done their part by repenting and keeping baptismal and other covenants made with Christ to cross the bridge to perfection. He offered this ‘bridge’ when He took the punishment for our sins.”
The simile, garments were white even like unto the Lamb of God, compares, “the people who lived righteously, seeking to follow the example and life of the Savior to the white light of the Savior Himself.”
To pass away in righteousness means, “to live righteous lives then die.” (This is what we all hope to do, so we can return to live with Heavenly Father and Jesus Eternally.)
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One meaning of Gentiles is, “of the same clan or race.” Conversely, another early meaning of Gentiles is, “outsiders.” In Genesis (10:1-5) Gentiles refers to, “descendants of Noah’s son, Japath.” In Abraham’s time, Gentiles meant, “everyone not descended from Abraham.” In Jacob’s time, Gentiles meant, “everyone not descended from Jacob, or those not born into the House of Israel (Israel is another name for Jacob.).” Today it is also usually thought to mean, “people who are not born into the House of Israel.”
Webster’s Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary gives a definition of Gentiles as, “non-Mormons.” After the people of the Kingdom of Israel were carried away into captivity, Gentiles meant, “everyone not part of the Kingdom of Judah.”
Because all of Christ’s followers will be eventually grafted into the House of Israel, one meaning of Gentiles is, “those who have not yet been converted to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.”
One meaning of great is, “large. Although great is sometimes used as a synonym for good, great can actually refer to good or bad things, ideas, accomplishments, people, or events.”
Captivity can mean, “physical captivity or Earthly slavery,” or it can mean, “to convert mortals to wickedness so they would be in bondage to the devil.” The saints of God are sometimes tortured and made captive and even killed on Earth, but they will have Eternal Salvation. Conversely, those converted to wickedness are in captivity of the devil.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is, “the Restored Church of Jesus Christ on Earth, built upon His holy Gospel; as well as preparing the children of God for Eternal Life, it is to prepare for the Kingdom of Heaven on Earth, when Jesus Christ Himself will personally rule and reign.”
Persevere means, “to keep doing something notwithstanding difficulties.”
The church of the devil means, “the kingdom of the devil on Earth.” This abominable kingdom includes all people, practices, and organizations living contrary to and fighting against Christ and His goodness.” The members of the abominable church, with violence and force, and with slyness, lies, and guile, proclaim their message to the world in ragged and distorted imitation of the missionary proclamation of the true Gospel of Christ to the world.
Proceedeth is from proceed, which comes both from, “pro,” which means, “forward,” and from, “cedere,” which means, “to go more.” When the angel said that the words proceeded from [the] mouth of a Jew, it was symbolic language meaning it was, “written by Jewish people.” Jewish followers of God wrote the Bible.
Covenant means, “a formal and solemn binding agreement or pledge.”
A metaphor is a type of symbolic language that, “compares two seemingly unlike things, and then adds graphic meaning to one of the things as it identifies one or more commonalities between them.” Usually at least one of the things being compared is familiar—such as a “rock.”
Rock means, “a support or refuge, firm and solid.” In scripture, rock is often used as a metaphor of “something that is a firm and solid refuge. Jesus Christ is often compared to, a Rock. Revelation is sometimes referred to as the rock of revelation. In D&C Section 11:24, the Lord calls His Gospel—which was then being restored through revelation—His Rock. The Lord’s Rock means, everything Christ teaches us, either revealed directly or through His chosen messengers.”
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Omission is, from omit, which means, “to leave out or leave unmentioned.”
The term, stumbling blocks is a metaphor comparing, “errors in translations of the Bible, because of content that has been deliberately or accidentally misinterpreted or left out of it to causing people to misunderstand the original meanings causing them to spiritually stumble.” The Lord took away stumbling blocks when He restored The Book of Mormon, because it makes clear the Plan of Salvation and witnesses plainly of the Savior and His mission.
Sow means, “to plant seeds.”
To reap means, “to gather the harvest—after it grows from the seeds you have planted.”
Great and marvelous work refers to, “the Restoration of the Gospel.”
In addition to meaning, “involvement in sexual sin, whore, means to pursue faithless, unworthy, or idolatrous desire. In the context of verse 10, whore is a metaphor that represents, the devil’s evil organization that promotes and encompasses all wicked things.”
Chaos is, “a state of utter confusion.” Chaos, or confusion, is the mixed-up state that is exactly opposite to God’s ordered environment, Plan, and Purpose. Everything God does is in order, not confusion—(D&C 132:8). In chaos, peoples’ minds and hearts, and their physical environment are in utter confusion. Satan wants us in a confused spiritual and mental state so he can more easily control what we do; he lies to our souls, presenting and encouraging evil, part of the terrible confusion, as something desirable (examples of this in Moroni 9:18).
Subvert means, “to pervert or corrupt by undermining morals, allegiance, or faith.”
One meaning of church is, “organization.”
Carnal means, “giving in to the base wants, lusts, and desires of the body over the spirit.”
The great and abominable church refers to, “the evil organization, or ‘kingdom’ of the devil.” In context of verse 9, great means, “extremely large,” not good! This abominable kingdom includes all people, practices, and organizations living contrary to and fighting against Christ and His goodness.” Members of the abominable church, with violence and force, and with slyness, lies, and guile, proclaim their message to the world in ragged and distorted imitation of the missionary proclamation of the true Gospel of Christ to the world.
Upon all the face of the Earth is personification. The Earth does not literally have a face. The phrase means, “in all nations throughout the whole Earth.” Because evil does not literally sit, the whore who sat upon many waters is hypostatization. It means, “evil influence, thoughts, and acts are apparent throughout the whole world.”
Abominations are, “intensely detestable, evil, and disgusting acts.”
The term, great mother of abominations, is hypostatization. It gives the devil’s church, which is an abstract concept (although it is very real!), a human characteristic. The devil’s church is referred to as a “mother” because, “from the devil’s church, all abominations are born.”
One meaning of harlot is, “to be devoted to corrupt purposes.”
Mother of harlots means, “the source from which this evil comes or is born—in this case, the devil’s wicked church.”
Wrath is, “anger.”
Commence means, “begin.”
Covenant means, “a formal and solemn binding agreement or pledge.”
15.
When the olive tree is compared to the House of Israel, it is a double metaphor. The story of the olive tree is symbolic. Nephi explained the meaning of the symbols to his brothers. He explained that some “branches” of the olive tree would be broken off. Lehi’s company was one of the broken-off branches.
To exhort is, “to make an urgent appeal.”
A simile, “compares two seemingly unlike things, and then adds graphic meaning to one of the things as it identifies one or more commonalities between them, using a connective word, such as like, as, seems, resembles, or defines.”
1 NEPHI CHAPTERS 18 - 22
18
Making merry suggests, “uninhibited joviality or drunkenness.”
Uninhibited in the context of verse 9, means, “boisterously informal.”
Meanings of rudeness that seem to apply in verse 9 are, “offensive in manner or action; coarse or vulgar.”
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Naught means, “nothing.”
To speak in other words, in verse 7 means, “to give the literal, or the actual, meaning to figurative language.”
There are different kinds of irony. One kind is situational irony—where, “what happens is the opposite of what one would expect, usually in a twisted kind of way.” If there is irony in a situation, we say it is ironic.
Isles of the sea refers to, “any land not part of Africa or Asia.”
Rend can mean, “split or tear apart by violence.”
Personification is a category of figurative language that, “compares an animal or thing to a person, giving it one or more human characteristic(s).” Zenos used the personification, “groanings of the Earth,” to show the miserable state to which people of the Earth (remembering that the Lord made both the Earth and the bodies of the inhabitants of the Earth from the elements of the Earth) would sink to—that they would kill their God; also it describes the ultimate misery and agony the Lord went through to atone for the people of the Earth and people everywhere.
One meaning of wrought is, “deeply stirred.”
Scourge, in verse 13, means, “to drive, like with blows of a whip.”
Turn hearts aside means, “to close their spirits to the Spirit of God.”
Wander in the flesh meant that, “they would no longer have a homeland until it was dedicated after the Restoration in the last dispensation.”
A hiss in this context is, “a sharp snake-like sound, uttered to express disapproval.” To become a hiss is a metaphor meaning, “The Jews would embody everything disapproved of by the rest of the world.”
By-word is an expression meaning, “to become widely and unfavorably known.” To become a by-word is a metaphor meaning, “The Jews would become widely and unfavorably known.”
Scatter means, “to separate or disperse widely” or, “to vanish.”
The scattering of Israel refers temporally to, “descendants of Jacob who voluntarily or involuntarily left their homeland,” or spiritually to, “God’s chosen covenant people who separated themselves from God.”
Gather means, “coming together from a spread out or scattered state.”
The gathering of Israel refers to a temporal state, “when the dispersed descendants of Jacob are again brought together in the land of their inheritance,” and a spiritual state, “when the chosen people of the Lord recognize, accept, follow, and worship Him, and are brought into His holy fold; it refers to both blood Israel and to all other of Christ’s sons and daughters who are adopted into the House of Israel and become partakers of the Abrahamic covenant.”
One meaning of the House of Israel is, “all of those who accept the Lord and are born into, grafted into, or adopted into Abraham’s heritage.”
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Symbol; symbolism is, “a representation of something else.” It may be an object, a color, a song, an event, an action, an idea, or even a person (such as Isaac being a symbol for the Savior when, as a young man, he allowed his old revered father, Abraham, to use him to obey God’s commandments, pre-enacting the infinite Sacrifice—even though the Lord stopped Abraham’s sacrifice before it was complete).”
Symbolism in language is, “representative language, where literary devices are used to represent deeper or hidden meanings; the literal language, spoken or written, stands for something else.” Just as letters in the alphabet stand for sounds, figurative language represents deeper meanings, usually through comparisons.
Symbolism in the scriptures uses symbolism in language, or symbolic language to, “ultimately represent Jesus Christ, including His life before, during, and after this Earth life, His relationship with Heavenly Father and with us, His example, His characteristics, His creations, His Atonement, including His suffering in the Garden and His suffering and Sacrifice on the cross, His Resurrection, His Gospel, and His fight against evil. Symbolisms in the scriptures may embody righteous signs for us to follow or may symbolize evil things that Christ warns will keep us from following Him into God’s Holy Kingdom.”
Parallelism is, “repeating the same thought, or intensities of thought, or examples of a thought, or contrasting thoughts.”
Synonymous parallelism is, “a repetition of the same thought, often using different words.” (i.e. “Israel went out of Egypt; the House of Jacob from a people of strange language”—Psalms114:1)
Antithetic parallelism is, “repetition of contrasting thought.” (i.e. “he looked for judgment [or justice]; and behold opposition.”—From 2 Nephi 15:7)
Synthetic parallelism is, “building an idea thought by thought.” (i.e. “Wo unto them that rise up early in the morning, that they may follow strong drink, that continue until night, and wine inflame them!”—2 Nephi 15:1.)
Chiasmus or inverted parallelism “in its simplest rendition could be two lines with inverted elements (i.e. ‘Old King Cole was a merry old soul, a merry old soul was he.’) In its more completed form means, the parallelism lines start with a thought and build—then in the middle, it goes back to the first thought. Usually the second part of the chiasmus is more intense than the first part, and it may take several verses to complete the parallelism.” (Adapted from Old Testament: Genesis – 2 Samuel Student Manual for Religion 301)
Stay themselves means, “commit themselves.”
Thy neck is an iron sinew is a metaphor which compares, “the necks of stubborn listeners to the attitudes and spirit of these listeners, meaning, their attitudes and spirit are as unbendable as iron.”
A brow is, “a forehead” and brass is, “metal.” Thy brow brass is a metaphor that compares being stubborn to having a brass forehead.” (Today we might use the figurative expression, “hardheaded.”)
One meaning of pleasure is, “will or judgment.”
In the phrase, The Lord will do His pleasure [on Babylon, or all wicked people], Isaiah is telling us that, “because the people are wicked, the Lord will execute judgment upon them.”
[God’s] Arm in verse 14 means, “His Power and judgment.”
Saying, [God’s] Arm shall come upon the Chaldeans [or all the wicked], Isaiah means, “the Power and judgment of God will come upon wicked people.”
His servant Jacob in verse 20, means, “the House of Israel.
The House of Israel, in its broadest sense means, “all those who have joined God’s Kingdom.” Isaiah meant that the Lord redeems all who sincerely join His Kingdom and keep their covenants by obeying His commandments.
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Point-of-view means, “the perspective from which a narrative is told,” or “the role of the speaker or narrator.” There are two common narrative point-of-view styles, namely, first person and third person point-of-view. However, scriptures and some other writings incorporate second person point-of-view.
first person point-of-view: “The narrator’s personal perspective is indicated as he or she uses pronouns such as ‘I, my, we, etc.’ ”
third person point-of-view: “The narrator is outside the context and then describes or comments on characters, actions, and/or events in the text. The third person point-of-view is sometimes omniscient, or ‘all knowing,’ which perspective includes the narrator’s knowledge of how characters think and feel and may include reasons why events occur or express reasons and/or knowledge of future occurrences.
second person point-of-view: “The narrator directly speaks to or admonishes the reader as though speaking face-to-face.”
Sometimes a point-of view is referred to as a vantage point. Scripture (or other writing) can be written from the first, third, or second point-of-view, but in context, the vantage point—“which is related to the word, ‘advantage,’ is the overall perspective from which something is written.”
Shadow refers to, “a place of shelter or protection.”
Shadow of His Hand is a metaphor comparing “a safe place of shelter or the shadow of the Lord’s Hand to protection or safety from evil when we live in His holy Light.” What could be a more wonderful place of safety than the Lord’s shelter? This does not necessarily mean a place of safety in the temporal sense. Servants of God have often put themselves in physical danger by either proclaiming the message or by refusing to deny the truth. The Lord’s shelter lasts throughout Eternity.
Polished means, “the Lord prepared him [or them] to perform a particular task”—sometimes through adversity, perhaps with wisdom and understanding, almost certainly by instilling courage and by filling prophets with the holy Witness of Christ— the Holy Ghost, to carry out the great mission.”
One meaning of shaft is, “a spear.”
Made me a polished shaft is a metaphor which, “compares the servant of God to a spear,” and literally means, the Lord designed and prepared His servant as a sacred tool to pierce the intentional lack of awareness—or ‘hardness of the hearts’ of the wicked.”
Quiver is, “a place to keep weapons.” The literal meaning of the metaphor, in His quiver hath He hid me, could be, “the Lord is keeping His servants out of sight, or protected, from persecutors,—but more likely it means, the Lord is reserving His servants as weapons of righteousness to fight evil.”
The first light in verse 6 (It is a light thing.) seems to mean that, “it is without weight in comparison.”
The second light in verse 6 (a light unto the Gentiles) means, “a guiding beacon…leading people to Christ.”
Naught means, “nothing.”
Judgment means, “justice.
Judgment is with the Lord means, “the Lord will be the final Judge of us all and will judge us with perfect justice.” He knows the final outcome because He knows us so well.
Faithful, in the context of verse 7, means, “keeps the faith or promises.” The Lord certainly keeps all His promises and covenants.
High places could refer to, “temples—where the literal and adopted members of the House of Israel may receive a spiritual feast of sacred covenants and promises.”
I have graven thee upon the palms of my Hands, reminds us that, “nails were hammered into the Lord’s palms, then into His wrists as He was crucified.” He was crucified for the love of His brothers and sisters. This love and feeling is never gone from Him.
Thy walls are continually before Me, refers to, “the city walls of Jerusalem.” Just as the people of Jerusalem are always in mind of the city walls, the Lord is always in mind of the people.
The (simile) bride in verse 18 represents, “the House of Israel. The House of Israel is often referred to as a bride in scripture. The bride in Jewish custom, would wait for the bridegroom. The Bridegroom for whom the bride awaits is, the Lord Himself.”
In verse 18, the metaphor, clothe, and the simile, ornaments both compare, “the additional numbers of people which Israel is to bind onto itself to raiment and accessories that will make the bride more beautiful.”
Bind, in this verse, may refer to, “sealing as in the temple.” It may also refer to, “the binding adoption of Christ’s sons and daughters as they all become part of the House of Israel.”
Hypostatization is a category of figurative language that, “compares an abstract concept (such as Israel) to a person, giving it one or more human characteristic(s).” When Israel in the abstract is called a bride, it is hypostatization.
Swallowed thee up is hypostatization on a temporal level as it refers to, “those nations who would yet conquer Israel.” On a spiritual level, it is a metaphor meaning, “Satan and his evil organization have overcome Israel, submerging it in apostasy.”
Standard is from Old French estandard, which means, “rallying point,” and Old English standan, which means, “to stand and point to.” In this context, standard means, “the Gospel, which is the will of the Lord, around which all righteous will ‘rally around’ and ‘point to.’ ”
Sons in their arms and daughters carried upon their shoulders are metaphors, comparing “parents carrying children to the fact that Gentiles will bring the Israelites temporal safety—as well as spiritual safety as they are brought to understand the Gospel of Jesus Christ.”
Nursing fathers and mothers is a metaphor comparing, “those who look out for or take care of the Israelites in a temporal and/or spiritual way to mothers nursing their children.”
Prey is a metaphor comparing, “captured Israel that has been temporally captured by nations and spiritually captured by Satan to hunted or captured animals.”
The term, lawful captives, temporally, refers to, “the prevailing ‘law of the conqueror,’ who took slaves and servants.” Spiritually, it means, “those who are captives of Satan through their own sins.”
Contention comes from contend, meaning, “to rival,” or, “to argue or struggle or debate or to be in a state of discord over a point of crucial disagreement.” When the Lord rivals, or contends, with evil, there is no doubt of the outcome.
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Manifest in verse 2 means, “revealed.”
Children of men means, “all of mankind.”
According to the flesh means, “while living in mortality.”
Nursed by the Gentiles is a metaphor that compares, “on a temporal level, a nursing mother to Gentiles nations helping Jews, and on a spiritual level it compares a nursing mother to Gentiles sharing the Gospel.
Stubble means, “the stalk or straw left after the edible part of a plant has been harvested.” Often stubble is burned after the harvest so soil can be cultivated to plant new seeds. The simile, burned as stubble, is appropriate for us to visualize what will happen, “to clear out the wicked.”
Bare His Arm is a metaphor comparing, “the Lord baring His Arm as soldiers did in war to effectively fight to the Lord showing His Power and judgment.” Nephi prophesied that in the last days, the Lord would show His great Power throughout the world.
In the eyes of the nations is hypostatization, giving the abstract concept, “nations,” the human characteristic of “eyes.” It literally means that, “people throughout the world will see the Lord’s Power.”
Churches are, “organizations.” Any organizations that promote evil are the devil’s churches, or part of the kingdom of the devil.
Calves are brought into a stall for food and shelter. The righteous must be led up as calves of the stall is a metaphor that compares “calves safely housed in their stall to the Lord spiritually feeding and sheltering the righteous.”
He numbereth His sheep, and they know Him; and there shall be one fold and one Shepherd; and He shall feed His sheep, and in Him they shall find pasture is a metaphor comparing Christ to a Shepherd and His righteous followers to sheep. It reminds us that Christ has prepared a place for the righteous in His Eternal Kingdom.”