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<p style="text-align: justify;">In sermons and writings, Jacob twice quotes the prophecy of Isaiah 11:11 (&ldquo;the Lord [ʾădōnāy] shall set his hand again [yôsı̂p] the second time to gather the remnant of his people&rdquo;). In 2 Nephi 6:14 and Jacob 6:2, Jacob uses Isaiah 11:11 as a lens through which he interprets much lengthier prophetic texts that detail the restoration, redemption, and gathering of Israel: namely, Isaiah 49:22&ndash;52:2 and Zenos&rsquo;s Allegory of the Olive Trees (Jacob 5). In using Isaiah 11:11 in 2 Nephi 6:14, Jacob, consistent with the teaching of his father Lehi (2 Nephi 2:6), identifies ʾădōnāy (&ldquo;the Lord&rdquo;) in Isaiah 11:11 as &ldquo;the Messiah&rdquo; and the one who will &ldquo;set himself again the second time to recover&rdquo; his people (both Israel and the righteous Gentiles who &ldquo;believe in him&rdquo;) and &ldquo;manifest himself unto them in great glory.&rdquo; This recovery and restoration will be so thoroughgoing as to include the resurrection of the dead (see 2 Nephi 9:1&ndash;2, 12&ndash;13). In Jacob 6:2, Jacob equates the image of the Lord &ldquo;set[ting] his hand again [yôsı̂p] the second time to recover his people&rdquo; (Isaiah 11:11) to the Lord of the vineyard&rsquo;s &ldquo;labor[ing] in&rdquo; and &ldquo;nourish[ing] again&rdquo; the vineyard to &ldquo;bring forth again&rdquo; (cf. Hebrew yôsı̂p) the natural fruit (Jacob 5:29&ndash;33, 51&ndash;77) into the vineyard. All of this suggests that Jacob saw Isaiah 49:22&ndash;52:2 and Zenos&rsquo;s allegory (Jacob 5) as telling essentially the same story. For Jacob, the prophetic declaration of Isaiah 11:11 concisely summed up this story, describing divine initiative and iterative action to &ldquo;recover&rdquo; or gather Israel in terms of the verb yôsı̂p. Jacob, foresaw this the divine action as being accomplished through the &ldquo;servant&rdquo; and &ldquo;servants&rdquo; in Isaiah 49&ndash;52, &ldquo;servants&rdquo; analogous to those described by Zenos in his allegory. For Jacob, the idiomatic use of yôsı̂p in Isaiah 11:11 as he quotes it in 2 Nephi 6:14 and Jacob 6:2 and as repeated throughout Zenos&rsquo;s allegory (Jacob 5) reinforces the patriarch Joseph&rsquo;s statement preserved in 2 Nephi 3 that this figure would be a &ldquo;Joseph&rdquo; (yôsēp).</p>


“The Messiah Will Set Himself Again”: Jacob’s Use of Isaiah 11:11 in 2 Nephi 6:14 and Jacob 6:2

Title

“The Messiah Will Set Himself Again”: Jacob’s Use of Isaiah 11:11 in 2 Nephi 6:14 and Jacob 6:2

Publication Type

Journal Collection

Year of Publication

2021

Authors

Bowen, Matthew L. (Primary)

Pagination

287-306

Volume

44

URL

https://journal.interpreterfoundation.org/the-messiah-will-set-himself-again-jacobs-use-of-isaiah-1111-in-2-nephi-614-and-jacob-62/

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