Old Testament Prophets

Isaiah

“Isaiah is by every standard the messianic prophet of the Old Testament and as such is the most penetrating prophetic voice in that record.”¹ —Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles

The Prophet Isaiah Foretells Christ’s Birth, by Harry Anderson

I am the son of Amoz, and my name means “the Lord is salvation.”² I labored as a prophet in Jerusalem for 40 years, from 740–701 b.c. I prophesied in Jerusalem during the reigns of four kings, and I was the chief adviser to King Hezekiah, which gave me great religious influence.³

I not only prophesied of events relevant to my own time and people but also prophesied about future events affecting the whole human family. I foretold of the Savior’s birth: “Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.”⁴ I proclaimed that Jehovah was anointed “to preach good tidings unto the meek; … to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound.”⁵ I also prophesied that after His Second Coming, “the Lord of hosts shall reign in mount Zion, and in Jerusalem, and before his ancients gloriously.”⁶

My use of symbolism and poetry veils my teachings from those who are not prepared to understand or follow them. However, those who diligently study my teachings with the aid of the Holy Ghost can understand my prophecies.⁷

I was the last of the major prophets to teach the Israelite tribes before they began to be scattered from the Holy Land.

Notes

1. Jeffrey R. Holland, Christ and the New Covenant: The Messianic Message of the Book of Mormon (1997), 75.

2. Bible Dictionary, “Isaiah.”

3. See Guide to the Scriptures, “Isaiah”; scriptures.lds.org.

4. Isaiah 7:14.

5. Isaiah 61:1; see also Luke 4:16–21.

6. Isaiah 24:23.

7. See Old Testament Student Manual: 1 Kings−Malachi, 3rd ed. (Church Educational System manual, 2003), 131−35.

8. See Old Testament Student Manual, 131.

9. See Boyd K. Packer, “The Things of My Soul,” Ensign, May 1986, 61.

10. See Old Testament Student Manual, 131.

11. Joseph Smith—History 1:40.

A Prophet’s Prophet

In scripture, Isaiah is the most frequently quoted of all the ancient prophets.

• Thirty-two percent of the book of Isaiah is quoted in the Book of Mormon; another three percent is paraphrased.⁸

• The Savior quotes Isaiah in the New Testament at least 7 times and the Apostles quote Isaiah at least 40 times.⁹

• The Doctrine and Covenants makes at least 100 references to the writings of Isaiah;¹⁰ sections 113 and 133 offer interpretations and clarifications of some of Isaiah’s prophecies.

• Moroni appeared to Joseph Smith on September 21, 1823, and quoted Isaiah chapter 11, “saying that it was about to be fulfilled.”¹¹

Isaiah 6:6–9

The Prophet Isaiah Foretells Christ’s Birth, by Harry Anderson; scroll by bubaone/iStock/Thinkstock; background by forplayday/iStock/Thinkstock