Today's Favorite Verse: Isaiah 6:9

Today's Favorite Verse: Isaiah 6:9

"And he said, Go, and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not."

One thing that is interesting about reading Isaiah in the Old Testament and the Isaiah chapters in the Book of Mormon is seeing small but important variations, like this one.

"And he said: Go and tell this people—Hear ye indeed, but they understood not; and see ye indeed, but they perceived not."

(2 Nephi 16:9)

One sounds like his words are meant to be hard to understand, and the other shows me its the state of the people that make them not understand. That gives me hope that with the right spirit I can have ears that hear and eyes that see and understand.

I also find in Isaiah in the Old Testament there are more footnotes than in the Book of Mormon. At times it can be hard deciding where to add my notes, so I have to check both places. Here is one that I added that helps me understand why "they" in these verses is so important.

"Isaiah was commissioned to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ even though the people were “hard of hearing” and failed to “see” the truth of the gospel. He was advised that his preaching to a wayward people would generally not be received. Their hearts would “fatten” against the truth and their ears would be “heavy,” not willing to accept the gospel as preached in clarity. Isaiah was not commissioned to make the people resistant to the truth; rather, he was advised of the difficulty of his mission. Even so, in answer to Isaiah’s query of “how long?” (2 Nephi 16:11), the Lord answered that the people should have the opportunity to accept the gospel until “the land be utterly desolate.” The Lord will graciously continue His mission of salvation through His servants “so long as time shall last, or the earth shall stand, or there shall be one man upon the face thereof to be saved” (Moroni 7:36)."

(Book of Mormon Student Manual, "Chapter 10: 2 Nephi 11-16", 2 Nephi 16:9-12)

Day 2844