2 Nephi 13

MDC Contents			2 Ne. 13:1 1 For behold, the Lord, the Lord of Hosts, doth take away from Jerusalem, and from Judah, the stay and the staff, the whole staff of bread, and the whole stay of water— Even though the modern Book of Mormon follows the tradition of creating a chapter break here, it is important to remember that there is no break in the 1830 version, and that these verses are part of a consistent unit in Isaiah. Thus the information in chapter 13 is the logical continuation of the material in chapter 12. This chapter will continue the description of the apocalyptic destruction of Jerusalem. The KJV language of "stay" and "staff" refer to means of support. "Stay" is the sustenance, and "staff" is the support. In the case of "staff" this type of support may be more related to the social structure as a support for the society. Note that in the next verse very specific social supports will be declared as removed from Jerusalem. "In ancient Hebrew, the words.. "stay" and "staff" … are the masculine and feminine forms of the same root, masen and masenah. By using both forms, Isaiah seems to suggest complete destruction - spiritual, social, and physical. Thus the prophet’s language and imagery carry many implications beyond the threat of physical famine. The threat of physical famine is most obvious. Removing the staff or support from a nation is analogous to suddenly taking away the props or stakes of a tent - the then collapses shapeless on the ground. "The whole supply of bread and the whole supply of water" might be taken literally, since at both the first and second desolations of Jerusalem, the city was besieged and was at the mercy of a devastating famine. Jeremiah records in the seventh century B.C. that "the famine was sore in the city, so that there was no bread for the people of the land." (Jer. 52:6). (Ludlow, Victor. Isaiah: Prophet, Seer, and Poet. p. 101.). 2 Ne. 13:2 2 The mighty man, and the man of war, the judge, and the prophet, and the prudent, and the ancient; 2 Ne. 13:3 3 The captain of fifty, and the honorable man, and the counselor, and the cunning artificer, and the eloquent orator. Verses 2 and 3 consist of examples delineating the nature of the removal of the "staff" from Jerusalem. Each of the types of people mentioned in verses 2 and 3 are leaders of the community, and all such will be removed. Each type of person mentioned provides some good service to the community, and all of these shall be removed. "The enumeration of various types of leaders suggests that Judah will be bereft of everyone who possesses any true leadership talent, whether it be military, social, or cultural. This is exactly what happened at the time of the Babylonian captivity. Josephus records that during the reign of Judah’s young twenty-five-year-old King Jehoiakim, Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, came against Jerusalem. At first Jehoiakim served Nebuchadnezzar to avoid violence, but he later rebelled, whereupon Nebuchadnezzar "slew such as were in the flower of their age, and such as were of the greatest dignity… He also took the principal persons in dignity for captives… among whom was the prophet Ezekial." (Antiquities of the Jews 10:6). After Jehoiakim’s death, his son Jehoiachim, age eighteen, ruled only three months before the Babylonians struck again. The result was much the same: "2 Kgs. 24:14 14 And he carried away all Jerusalem, and all the princes, and all the mighty men of valour, even ten thousand captives, and all the craftsmen and smiths: none remained, save the poorest sort of the people of the land." (Ludlow, p. 102-3). 2 Ne. 13:4 4 And I will give children unto them to be their princes, and babes shall rule over them. With the removal of all of the talented, leaving "the poorest sort of the people of the land" (2 Kngs. 24:14), Jerusalem is left with nothing better than figurative children and babes to rule over them. This is not necessarily referring to age (except where age conferred wisdom, and therefore those elderly wise were removed) but rather to the inexperience and ineffectiveness of those who would remain as their rulers. 2 Ne. 13:5 5 And the people shall be oppressed, every one by another, and every one by his neighbor; the child shall behave himself proudly against the ancient, and the base against the honorable. With the removal of the people and positions that order society, the social order becomes chaos, and in the vacuum of legitimate leadership, individuals attempt to create their own position by oppressing, or attempting dominance, of his neighbor. That this will be an undesirable and socially chaotic time is emphasized by noting the reversals of the normal order. The "child shall behave himself proudly against the ancient" is a clear reversal of expectation. Rather than polite deference, the child will exalt himself over those with more experience. Likewise, the "base against the honorable." Each of these examples reinforces the idea that the expected social structure will be thrown into total disarray. 2 Ne. 13:6 6 When a man shall take hold of his brother of the house of his father, and shall say: Thou hast clothing, be thou our ruler, and let not this ruin come under thy hand— 2 Ne. 13:7 7 In that day shall he swear, saying: I will not be a healer; for in my house there is neither bread nor clothing; make me not a ruler of the people. Verses 6 and 7 describe a situation flowing from the chaos of the land. The lack of leadership prompts the desire for some kind of leadership, and the point of these verses is to show both the lack of leadership, and the lack of leadership capability that will come. "That the man mentioned here should "lay hold of his brother in his father’s house" indicates, first of all, that the father has disappeared and left the family in upheaval, for the son (by custom, the eldest) refuses to fulfill the duty that is his by lineage. The cloak, or simlah, which is the brother’s so-called claim to power, is not a rich robe but is itself a sign of extreme poverty. In other words, the petitioner is saying, "You have at least some sort of cloak and the provisions necessary for physical sustenance, food and clothing." Without either physical or social "stays," it is no wonder that the brother declines a position for which he might otherwise be ambitious." (Ludlow, p. 103-4). The familial organization here stands for the community. The expected leadership comes from the traditional, and therefore the expectation of leadership in the family has its traditional order. That tradition includes the maintenance of the family, and the indication of these verses is that the familial order will also be disrupted to the point where the poverty will be of sufficient extreme that each will need to concentrate on his own immediate family rather than the extended family. Thus the breakdown becomes total. It effects not only the community at large, but even the built in organizational structures of the family. All will be torn apart. 2 Ne. 13:8 8 For Jerusalem is ruined, and Judah is fallen, because their tongues and their doings have been against the Lord, to provoke the eyes of his glory. "For Jerusalem is ruined, and Judah is fallen" is the clear conclusion to the calamities that have been listed. Isaiah concludes the detailing of the fall of Jerusalem and Judah with the clear declarative summary that they are indeed fallen. He now turns away from the results and toward the cause. Jerusalem and Judah will have fallen because they have turned away from their God. It is clear that their "doings" condemns their specific actions. What does having their "tongues… against the Lord" condemn? In this case, we should not suppose that they denigrated their God, but rather that the influence of the foreign nations had changed their perceptions and descriptions of the way things ought to be. In other words, they had developed a philosophy that justified their actions. It is that development of a way of justifying their departure from the way of the Lord that is being criticized. "To provoke the eyes of his glory" refers to the turning of the wrath of God upon the people. The "eyes" because he symbolically "sees" them in their sins. The glory of God is often used as a reference to God’s presence, and therefore person. 2 Ne. 13:9 9 The show of their countenance doth witness against them, and doth declare their sin to be even as Sodom, and they cannot hide it. Wo unto their souls, for they have rewarded evil unto themselves! As the "eyes of his glory" are turned upon Jerusalem and Judah, their sins are apparent to God - the "show of their countenance doth witness against them." The idea is that the face is the mirror of the soul, and that the heart may be seen in the witness of the face. Thus we have in Genesis: Gen. 31:5 5 And said unto them, I see your father's countenance, that it is not toward me as before; but the God of my father hath been with me. Likewise in the Book of Mormon we find: Alma 5:14 14 And now behold, I ask of you, my brethren of the church, have ye spiritually been born of God? Have ye received his image in your countenances? Have ye experienced this mighty change in your hearts? 2 Ne. 13:10 10 Say unto the righteous that it is well with them; for they shall eat the fruit of their doings. 2 Ne. 13:11 11 Wo unto the wicked, for they shall perish; for the reward of their hands shall be upon them! Literary analysis: Verses 10 and 11 are a paired set. Each describes a type of people, and a result that will come to them. This particular pairing is one of antithesis rather than similarity. Thus there is a contrast created between the people of the first and people of the second. Even among such destruction, the Lord comforts the righteous. The Lord understands that even as he is condemning Jerusalem and Judah as a whole that there will be in Jerusalem and Judah those individuals who remain righteous even in the face of the greater sin of the community. To those righteous the Lord speaks comfort. The reward listed is "for they shall eat the fruit of their doings." In the context of the passages of famine, the ability to "eat" and the generally positive connotation of "fruit" make this a positive blessing. Where the righteous of the first set are contrasted with the wicked in the next verse, the "rewards" of the two groups are remarkably similar. Both phrases of "reward" indicate that each will receive what they have worked to receive. In each, the "reward" phrase is the same, but the effect is totally different, due to the nature of what each group has earned. Thus the Lord not only highlights the difference between the righteous and the wicked, but notes that justice will supply to each the rewards of their actions. 2 Ne. 13:12 12 And my people, children are their oppressors, and women rule over them. O my people, they who lead thee cause thee to err and destroy the way of thy paths. Verses 12-14 form a parallel to the earlier verses discussing the reversal of rule, but have a possibly different context. Where the earlier verses clearly refer to the results of the Lord’s condemnation, verses 13 and 14 here are speaking of the judgement of the Lord that is to come. Thus there is a possible shift in the time emphasis of these verses. Where the earlier verses discuss the social upheaval to come, these verses should be seen in the context of the discussion of the sins that will cause the destruction. In this case, the literal leadership by "babes" becomes a figurative leadership by the inept (symbolized as children and women) and possibly refers to the current leadership of Jerusalem and Judah that is leading Israel on this path toward destruction. Note the very clear present tense of the statement "they who lead thee cause thee to err and destroy the way of thy paths." This is not the future, but the present. The actions of the present will lead to the calamities of the future, and for so leading, the current leaders are inept, using the symbolism of children and women (counter to the social expectations of leadership) as description of their ineptness in proper leadership. 2 Ne. 13:13 13 The Lord standeth up to plead, and standeth to judge the people. 2 Ne. 13:14 14 The Lord will enter into judgment with the ancients of his people and the princes thereof; for ye have eaten up the vineyard and the spoil of the poor in your houses. Verse 13 continues the current condemnation by declaring the judgement of the Lord. Once again, the previous descriptions were the results of that judgement. In these verses Isaiah is discussing the events and causes of that judgement. Gileadi’s translation of verse 14 is: He will bring to trial the elders of his people And their rulers, and say to them, It is you who have devoured the vineyard; You fill your houses by depriving the needy. The intent of judgement is against those who have created a society that denies the precepts of the Lord. In this case, the elders have neglected their responsibilities to their own people by taking riches to themselves. The devouring of the vineyard is a reference not just to the symbolic consumption of the goods of Judah, but to the predicted famine. Thus the "devouring" of the elders will lead to the predicted famine. 2 Ne. 13:15 15 What mean ye? Ye beat my people to pieces, and grind the faces of the poor, saith the Lord God of Hosts. In addition to devouring the vineyards, the elders and leaders of the people oppress the common people in more than devouring the produce of the land. In all things, the condemnation is against the leaders for their oppression of the people. 2 Ne. 13:16 16 Moreover, the Lord saith: Because the daughters of Zion are haughty, and walk with stretched-forth necks and wanton eyes, walking and mincing as they go, and making a tinkling with their feet— Literary analysis: Verse 16 is the literary inverse of verse 17, and the complement to 18-23, which then inverses 24. In other words, 16 and 18-23 are parallel, 17 and 24 are parallel, and the sets 16/17 and 18-23/24 are parallel to each other. In each the contrast is between the current finery of the women as a symbol of the fascination with riches, and the coming judgement of the Lord that will rectify this excess. It should also be noted that the numbers of verses marked in the parallels is a function of the separation into verses, not the original themes. Thus there is no problem with verses 18-23 matching with the single verse 24, simply because someone decided to break up the list of 18-23 into separate verses, but left the list in 24 inside a single verse. 2 Ne. 13:17 17 Therefore the Lord will smite with a scab the crown of the head of the daughters of Zion, and the Lord will discover their secret parts. The cursing called down upon the daughters of Zion should not be seen as a condemnation of personal ornamentation, but rather as a condemnation of excessive ornamentation deriving from ostentation. These verses follow the condemnation of the elders for consuming the goods of Israel and the oppression of the common people. The condemnation of the women comes in that context. The excessive and ostentatious ornamentation is used as an example of the unnecessary use to which the substance of the people has been put. 2 Ne. 13:18 18 In that day the Lord will take away the bravery of their tinkling ornaments, and cauls, and round tires like the moon; 2 Ne. 13:19 19 The chains and the bracelets, and the mufflers; 2 Ne. 13:20 20 The bonnets, and the ornaments of the legs, and the headbands, and the tablets, and the ear-rings; 2 Ne. 13:21 21 The rings, and nose jewels; 2 Ne. 13:22 22 The changeable suits of apparel, and the mantles, and the wimples, and the crisping-pins; 2 Ne. 13:23 23 The glasses, and the fine linen, and hoods, and the veils. Literary analysis: While not formatted in a list, verses 18-23 are best read as lists of items. Each of these things is an example of the ostentation noted in verse 16. The literary function of the list is to compile complementary examples that by their number also indicates the excess. Thus the items are important not simply as specifics, but as a class of items. The repetition of the number of items from this class emphasizes the excessive nature. 2 Ne. 13:24 24 And it shall come to pass, instead of sweet smell there shall be stink; and instead of a girdle, a rent; and instead of well set hair, baldness; and instead of a stomacher, a girding of sackcloth; burning instead of beauty. Literary analysis: Contrasting with the list of excessive ornamentation is the cursing that is also a list of cursings. Thus the lists versified into 18-23 matches thematically and literarily with the list that is contained in the single verse 24. The meaning is still the same. The excess will lead to a cursing, and the list of cursings indicates that the cursing will be commensurate with the sin. 2 Ne. 13:25 25 Thy men shall fall by the sword and thy mighty in the war. 2 Ne. 13:26 26 And her gates shall lament and mourn; and she shall be desolate, and shall sit upon the ground. Verses 25 and 26 leave the theme of the cursing of the women for a more general desolation of Israel. War will come upon Israel, and her young men will die in war, and the war will destroy the city. The image of the gates in verse 26 is a standard reference that stands for the whole of the city. Anthropological note: In the ancient city, there were various circles of city life. The outskirts of the city were where agriculture occurred, and were the residence of the common and the poor. Closer in to the city would be more commercial locations. Central to the city was the walled portion, or the most secure part of the city. Those who lived inside the gates were the most important. The gates therefore represent not simply any town, but a walled city, and therefore an important location, in this case, Jerusalem. Just as the gates can stand for the walls in literary allusion, so they also stand for the city itself because the walled portion was such an important definition of an important city type. Literary analysis: Verse 25 and 26 do not appear to flow directly from verses 16-24 which precede them. In fact, they flow from the entire theme of the destruction of Israel that is the general theme of Isaiah’s message. It is the verses 16-24 that function as a specific example inside the larger theme, with verses 25 and 26 returning to that larger theme.
			by Brant Gardner. Copyright 1998