How is Isaiah Organized?

Isaiah can be quite challenging. In a prior post, “How Should I Approach Isaiah,” I suggested several different strategies for approaching Isaiah. One of those was to simply read it, looking for passages that are meaningful and likening them to your life. But if you are interested in more of an in-depth study, one way to start is to know how Isaiah is organized.

The organization of Isaiah follows the historical timeline. Part 1 pertains to the Assyrian invasion in the 8th century B.C.; part 2 provides comfort to the Jews in Babylon after they were carried away from Jerusalem; and part 3 preaches repentance to the post-exile Jews in Jerusalem after they left Babylon. Knowing how the book of Isaiah fits into those time periods can help us find more symbolism in Isaiah’s writings.

There is value in looking for the story, or the big picture, of the scriptures. Elder David A. Bednar has talked about the difference between reading scriptures from beginning to end, studying them by topic, and searching for connections, patterns, and themes.¹ He emphasized the importance of simply reading:

Reading a book of scripture from beginning to end initiates the flow of living water into our lives by introducing us to important stories, gospel doctrines, and timeless principles. This approach also enables us to learn about major characters in the scriptures and the sequence, timing, and context of events and teachings. Reading the written word in this way exposes us to the breadth of a volume of scripture.²

There is an organization and structure to the book of Isaiah. There is a story that is told from chapter 1 through chapter 66. Learning that story, gaining an understanding of the big picture, and reading chapters and verses while thinking about the overall organization can help us gain greater insight into Isaiah.

The chronology of Isaiah

Isaiah’s organization follows a timeline without telling the story. Throughout his writings, he alludes to that story through symbolism. It’s helpful to know that his writings are focused on three distinct time periods (the Assyrian crisis, the Babylonian exile, and post-exile Jerusalem), because as we keep those time periods in mind, we will recognize how Isaiah’s references to people, places, and events are symbolic of spiritual things.³

• 1,000 B.C., David’s reign, and consolidation of the kingdom of Israel
• 970 B.C., Solomon’s reign, including the building of the temple and accumulation of riches
• 930 B.C., Solomon’s death, and the division of the northern and southern kingdoms
  • The northern 10 tribes were called Israel. Because the tribe of Ephraim was the instigator of the split, Isaiah often refers to the northern kingdom as Ephraim.
  • The southern 2 tribes were called Judah.
• 800 B.C., Assyria becomes the dominant military power, taking tribute from many nations, including the northern kingdom of Israel.
• 740 B.C., Isaiah’s ministry begins.
• 721 B.C., Assyria invades the northern kingdom of Israel and takes the 10 tribes into captivity.
• 715 B.C., Hezekiah becomes king of the kingdom of Judah (now the only kingdom, as the northern kingdom was destroyed by Assyria), and institutes reforms to restore the temple and the proper worship of Jehovah.
• 701 B.C., Assyria invades Judah and surrounds and sieges Jerusalem, but the Lord “smote the camp of the Assyrians,”⁴ and the Assyrians left.
• 700 B.C., Isaiah’s ministry ends.
• 610 B.C., Babylon conquers Assyria.
• 605 B.C., Babylon takes control of Judah and carries many to exile in Babylon.
• 597 B.C., A second wave of exiles is taken to Babylon.
• 586 B.C., King Zedekiah revolts, and Babylon invades Jerusalem, destroys the temple, and carries the majority of the remaining population of Jerusalem to Babylon.
• 539 B.C., Persia conquers Babylon, and King Cyrus of Persia orders the return of the Jews to Jerusalem to rebuild the temple. Zerubbabel leads the first wave of Jews out of Babylon to Jerusalem.
• 536 B.C., The building of the temple in Jerusalem is stalled due to opposition from locals who had not been carried to Babylon.
• 516 B.C., The temple is completed.
• 486-465 B.C., Persian king Ahasuerus, or Xerxes I, reigns, and the book of Esther takes place.
• 458 B.C., Ezra is authorized to lead a second wave of Babylonian Jews to return to Jerusalem.
• 445 B.C., Nehemiah is authorized to return to Jerusalem as governor and repairs the breaches in the wall around Jerusalem.

The more details we understand about these events, the more symbolism we will recognize in Isaiah. However, even a basic understanding of this timeline and the overall structure of Isaiah can provide greater insight into his primary message.

The dualistic nature of Isaiah’s writings

Isaiah quite frequently references his people’s history, present, and future. However, Isaiah’s writings teach spiritual things. Through his writings, he teaches the gospel of Jesus Christ using people, places, and events as symbols.

Scholars teach about this “dualistic” nature of Isaiah’s writings:

As is often the case in prophetic declarations, some of Isaiah’s writings have a dual meaning. That is, they can apply to more than one situation or may be fulfilled at more than one time. He also at times combined dualistic phrases with terms that were intended for or understood by only a certain group. Such esoteric language brings to mind religious concepts that only those who have the proper religious background readily understand without further explanation.⁵

There is no question that Isaiah contains a significant number of allusions to his past, present, and future. However, the book of Isaiah is not a history. He teaches the doctrine of Christ. He testifies of Christ and what it means to enter into a covenant relationship with God. His writings tell us of temporal things, while at the same time teaching spiritual things.

Isaiah uses temporal symbolism to teach the greater spiritual message: “[T]hough your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land: But if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured with the sword: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.”⁶

The most important focus as we study Isaiah is on the spiritual. But because understanding the temporal will help provide greater insight into the spiritual, this post focuses on the temporal timeline. As you study this timeline and get a sense for the temporal, I invite you to look for the temporal symbols that teach of spiritual things.

Part 1 – the Assyrian Crisis, chapters 1-39

Chapters 1 through 39 of Isaiah take place within the devastation of the Assyrian invasion. This is one of the most significant periods in the history of Israel as a covenant people. We often talk about the “lost 10 tribes.” That loss took place during Isaiah’s ministry, when in 721 B.C., Assyria invaded and took the 10 tribes away. From that point, the northern kingdom of Israel disappeared, and “Judah” became the sole kingdom in the promised land. But Assyria wasn’t done. They remained the foreign overlords of Judah until Hezekiah rebelled, causing Assyria to lay siege to Jerusalem in 701 B.C. But Jerusalem was preserved by the Lord’s power, and after that point Judah and Jerusalem were relatively free from foreign invaders until they had to contend with Babylon.

• Chapters 1-12 are directed to Judah and Jerusalem. They focus on those living in Jerusalem, both before Assyria’s conquest of the northern 10 tribes in 722 B.C., and during and after Assyria’s siege of Jerusalem in 701 B.C.
  • Chapter 1 is Isaiah’s introduction to his work, explaining his primary message and the lessons he hopes we will learn.
  • Chapter 6 describes Isaiah’s call as a prophet, giving details of his vision and the message that the Lord wanted him to carry.
  • Chapters 7 through 10 set the stage for the Assyrian invasion of the northern 10 tribes. They talk about Syria’s and Israel’s (or Ephraim’s) alliance to fight against Assyria, and their threat to Judah to try and force Judah to join them.
  • Chapters 11-12 provide hope that although Syria and Ephraim will be destroyed, the Lord will preserve Judah from its enemies.
• Chapters 13-23 are the “burden” chapters, or the “oracles” of the Gentiles. They pronounce destruction or punishment against the wicked. The specific nations mentioned include Babylon, Moab, Damascus (or Syria), Egypt, and Tyre.
  • If Chapters 1-12 tell a story of the Assyrian invasion of Ephraim, what do these seemingly random chapters have to do with the story? It could be that Isaiah moves from showing that the Lord is God of Judah, then the burden chapters demonstrate that the Lord is also God of the Gentiles and they will receive their wages for their wickedness.⁷
• Chapters 24-27 are described as the “Isaiah Apocalypse.” The message moves from the destruction of the wicked in the burden chapters, to global judgment and the restoration of Israel.
• Chapters 28-35 are called the “woe” chapters, or the “Book of Woes.” The focus shifts back to Jerusalem, and in these chapters woes are pronounced for Judah’s wickedness. However, unlike the burden chapters, in these chapters the Lord says that He won’t abandon His people, and will provide for their redemption.
• Chapters 36-39 describe the Assyrian siege of Jerusalem in 701 B.C. These are taken almost word-for-word from 2 Kings 18-20. They are the most narrative-based of any Isaiah chapters. They detail the reign of Hezekiah, the blasphemous message of Rabshakeh, the emissary for the Assyrian king, and the Lord providing the ultimate victory when the Assyrians left without conquering Jerusalem.

As previously mentioned, these chapters form a pattern and a natural narrative. However, they should not only be read to understand their temporal meaning. These chapters drip with symbolism, but I am convinced that it is easier to see that symbolism if we can get a sense for the historical context in which they take place.

Part 2 – the Babylonian Exile, or the Book of Comfort, chapters 40-55

These are perhaps the most beautiful and comforting in all of Isaiah. They begin, “Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God.”⁸ We can find greater meaning when we understand the historical context.

These chapters focus on the Jews in exile in Babylon. In other words, it takes place somewhere after Babylon captured Jerusalem and took all the Jews back to Babylon, but before Persia conquered Babylon and King Cyrus ordered the return and the building of the temple.

These chapters are glorious, promising a great future for the Jews. After the conquest by foreign nations and the captivity in Babylon, they provide hope and comfort to a broken and downhearted people.

The sentiment of the Jews in Babylon is perhaps best described in Psalm 137: “By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, yea, we wept, when we remembered Zion.” Isaiah 40-55 address these broken-hearted people, and give them great promises.

One of the major themes throughout Isaiah 40-55 is the “New Exodus,” comparing the exodus out of Egypt to the promised new exodus out of Babylon and back to Jerusalem. Consider the following examples:

• 43:16-17, “Thus saith the Lord, which maketh a way in the sea, and a path in the mighty waters; Which bringeth forth the chariot and horse, the army and the power; they shall lie down together, they shall not rise: they are extinct, they are quenched as tow.”
  • Compare Exodus 14:16, 21-22, 26-28.
• 48:21, “And they thirsted not when he led them through the deserts: he caused the waters to flow out of the rock for them: he clave the rock also, and the waters gushed out.”
  • Compare Exodus 17:6.
• 52:11–12, “Depart ye, depart ye, go ye out from thence, touch no unclean thing; go ye out of the midst of her; be ye clean, that bear the vessels of the Lord. For ye shall not go out with haste, nor go by flight: for the Lord will go before you; and the God of Israel will be your rearward.”
  • Contrast this with the command to “eat it in haste” in Exodus 12:11.

These beautiful chapters provide comfort to a despondent people in Babylon, promising them that they will return to Jerusalem.

Part 3 – Jerusalem, the post-exile crisis, chapters 56-66

These chapters provide quite a dramatic shift from the Book of Comfort. Instead, they criticize the Jews in Jerusalem for their wickedness. A theme of this part could be from 58:1, “shew my people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins.”

The setting for this part is much further into Isaiah’s future, taking place after the Jews’ return from Babylon to Jerusalem, likely after the temple is completed, but before Nehemiah returns and repairs the wall. The social and cultural context is complicated. The returned Jews found a broken city and opposition from the people who were living there. Despite the consequences of their prior sins, they once again turned to the idols and culture of the non-Israelites.

In chapters 56-66, Isaiah testifies of their wickedness. He chastises their hypocrisy and their poor treatment of the non-Jews. These ending chapters have a very similar tone to the beginning of Isaiah. He condemns the wickedness of the Lord’s covenant people, calling them to repentance, and warning them of destruction. However, He also promises them a glorious future led by the Messiah.

The organization of Isaiah matches the chronology of the history of Israel. He begins with the Assyrian conflict, he talks about the Assyrian invasion and the loss of the 10 tribes, he includes historical chapters of the siege of Jerusalem by Assyria, he addresses the Jews in Babylonian exile, and finally the Jews back in Jerusalem after they returned from Babylon. Isaiah can be better understood when we locate his writings within the timeline of the history of Israel.

The scholarly dilemma of Isaiah authorship

The discussion of the three parts of Isaiah requires a brief discussion about the issue of Isaiah’s authorship. Because these three sections (1-39, 40-55, and 56-66) so clearly address distinct time periods, many scholars believe that Isaiah was not written by a singular person, but that they were written by two or three different people. However, I believe that Isaiah was one person. There are two reasons for this.

We believe in prophecy

Prophets, seers, and revelators can see the future. God calls prophets, gives them revelation to help them know what is to come, and calls them to teach and warn. Isaiah himself used this as a significant theme in the Book of Comfort: “I am the Lord: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images. Behold, the former things are come to pass, and new things do I declare: before they spring forth I tell you of them.⁹

In other words, the Lord calls prophets who prophesy, who declare things before they happen, and one reason for this is to prove that the Lord is their God, and so they cannot say “mine idol hath done them.”¹⁰

Because prophets testify of things to come, Isaiah could have written chapters 40-66 with the spirit of prophecy.

The Book of Mormon contains writings from Isaiah 40-66

As told in the Book of Mormon, Lehi and his family left Jerusalem in about 600 B.C. They took with them Brass Plates, which contained “the prophecies of the holy prophets.”¹¹ There are many writings from the Old Testament that are quoted or referenced in the Book of Mormon, and these were available to them because they had the Brass Plates.

The following chapters or passages from Isaiah 40-66 appear in the Book of Mormon:

The Savior himself seems to state that Isaiah was a single person: “great are the words of Isaiah.”¹² He said this after quoting Isaiah 54. If that had been written by someone other than Isaiah, would the Savior have referenced him as Isaiah?

Because these passages appear in the Book of Mormon, and because we believe in prophecy and revelation, we believe that Isaiah was written by one prophet.

Learn to find the spiritual through the temporal symbols

Nephi read Isaiah to his brothers so that he “might more fully persuade them to believe in the Lord their Redeemer.”¹³ Isaiah powerfully testifies of Jesus Christ, and frankly, you can hear that testimony without understanding the context. However, as we more deeply engage with Isaiah, we begin to see symbolism that teaches more fully about the Lord. In my opinion, the way to begin to see the temporal symbolism is to look for the big picture of how Isaiah is organized, and how his writings fit in the temporal chronology.

In the hands of a teacher like Isaiah, and considering Isaiah was a prophet inspired by the Savior who Himself was the master teacher, these temporal events become symbols. Because to the Lord, all things are spiritual:

Wherefore, verily I say unto you that all things unto me are spiritual, and not at any time have I given unto you a law which was temporal; neither any man, nor the children of men; neither Adam, your father, whom I created.¹⁴

The spiritual message of Isaiah is evident. As we read, we will find that verse after verse testifies of the Savior. However, as we learn the temporal context, we glean greater insights into the symbols that teach us more about the gospel of Jesus Christ. As you understand more about the times in which Isaiah lived and wrote, the symbols in Isaiah’s writings will be more evident, and you will learn more about Jesus Christ.

References

1. David A. Bednar, “A Reservoir of Living Water,” BYU Speeches, February 4, 2007, https://speeches.byu.edu/talks/david-a-bednar/reservoir-living-water/. ↩︎
2. Bednar, “A Reservoir of Living Water.” ↩︎
3. The years presented in this chronology are estimates. Dating these events is challenging, and so many of the years are not precise. However, this is intended just as a general overview and is not intended to be precise. ↩︎
4. Isaiah 37:36. ↩︎
5. Old Testament Institute Student Manual Kings-Malachi, “Understanding Isaiah,” E-5 Understand the Manner of Prophesying of the Jews, 132, https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/old-testament-student-manual-kings-malachi/enrichment-e?lang=eng&id=p26#p26. ↩︎
6. Isaiah 1:18-20. ↩︎
7. Isaiah 13:11, “I will punish the world for their evil, and the wicked for their iniquity.” ↩︎
8. Isaiah 40:1. ↩︎
9. Isaiah 42:8-9. ↩︎
10. Isaiah 48:5. ↩︎
11. 1 Nephi 5:10-13. ↩︎
12. 3 Nephi 23:1. ↩︎
13. 1 Nephi 19:23. ↩︎
14. Doctrine and Covenants 29:34-35. ↩︎