I have never found an interpretation of Isaiah 4:1 that has satisfied me. I'm inviting your comments on this scripture.
--Update to this post: Reader "Tabi" has offered a really insightful interpretation! Read it in the comments below this post. It makes more sense to me than anything I've heard before. Thank you, Tabi!--
Here is the verse:
"And in that day seven women shall take hold of one man, saying, We will eat our own bread, and wear our own apparel: only let us be called by thy name, to take away our reproach."
The footnote to "seven" reads: "because of scarcity of men due to wars." The footnote to "reproach" reads: "the stigma of being unmarried and childless."
It would make more sense to me if it were the last verse of Chapter 3, which tells of the great devastation that will strike the daughters of Zion for their unfaithfulness. And this is a possibility, because, of course, the chapters and verses were decided by editors, not by the original authors. Parry, Parry and Peterson, in their book, Understanding Isaiah, agree with this placement.
In the Book of Mormon, these chapters and verses are arranged the same way that they are in Isaiah. If verse 1 should really be a part of Chapter 3, might not Joseph Smith have rearranged it, even though E.B. Grandin, the publisher, originally divided the book into chapter and verse?
Still, I can't see where this prophecy fits with our society today. Many women desire to keep their own names, and being unmarried and childless has a somewhat elevated status among the worldly, moreso in our day than in any other time on the earth.
But if it is really the first verse of Chapter 4, it is linked with the marvelous prophecy that "In that day shall the branch of the Lord be beautiful and glorious..." and those who are left in Zion will be the holy temple-goers, etc. How does it fit there?
Gary Bennett, CES instructor, interprets the "one man" to be Jesus Christ, who is the only one whose name can take away reproach. The number seven is symbolic of Christ's church or perfection, completion. It fits with the rest of the chapter, and it makes sense to me, except for the "eat our own bread and wear our own apparel" part. That doesn't seem to fit the imagery of Christ, or a temple-goer, or someone who has been covered by the Atonement. Also, Elder McConkie's footnote commentary, noted above, does not seem to lead to that idea.
You readers all have great ideas, and if you have any on this topic, I would love to hear them. Please leave your comments and theories below. I'm looking forward to reading them!
(If you're not techno-savvy, and don't know how to leave a comment, you just click on the words "0 Comments" [or however many comments it says] or "Post a Comment" [depending on whether you are viewing the single post or the entire blog]. A box will pop up, you type your comment in, choose below it whether to be anonymous or to leave your name, and click "Publish Comment." A box with squiggly letters may appear, sometime during the process, with a request for you to type out those letters. This is just to prove that you are a real human and not a computer sending spam. Type the letters, and you should be able to post your comment.)
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
25 comments:
The 7 women represent the 7 dispensations of this world and the one man is Christ. The relationship of Christ to his people is often expressed as a marriage with Him as the Bridegroom and his people as the bride. When he comes in the fulness of time to rule and rein; each dispensation will want to claim him as their 'husband' who will take away their reproach (sins) as he passes judgement.
I took a class in Isaiah from Daniel Ludlow at BYU more years ago than I want to admit and he pointed out that the "Inspired Version" of the Joseph Smith Translation moves 4:1 to 3:27, and suggested that the passage in 3:16-4:1 represents retribution upon the worldly pride of "the daughters of Israel" (and, I think by extension, all Israel, and even perhaps, all of the Lord's covenant people(s)), in contrast to the promise of 4:2-6. I do not recall, nor do my notes include, any different interpretation of the seven-women-to-one-man language of the verse. My personal view (subject of course to the caution of 2 Pet. 1:20 about "private interpretations") is that concern on the part of the still-wayward daughters of Zion is not really about righteous marriage (indeed, they advance a position that is contrary to the proper order of marriage under Mosaic law--see Exo. 21:10) but rather an additional evidence of their pride--concern for their outward appearance and their status in the world.
(By the way, the complete I.V., which does indeed have 4:1 moved to 3:27, is available online at the CenterPlace.org, an RLDS [sic]-related site).
I look forward to others' comments and insights.
That's interesting to know the Joseph Smith Translation moves it!
FYI for readers: You can also buy several different versions of the JST (or Inspired Version) at Deseret Book. See this blog entry for more information on available editions:
http://gospeldoctrineplus.blogspot.com/2010/04/joseph-smith-translation.html
(I added my comment and then deleted it because I think I needed to reword. Please, ignore the first comment and read this one...)
To me, this verse makes much more sense if seen as the last verse of Isaiah 3. (Coincidentally, that's what the professors that present the BYU Roundtable Discussions put forward, as well.)
When I read it, I get something completely different from the comments by others I've read. In brief, to me it is referring to the "women's rights movement" and how women want to be treated exactly the same as men instead of celebrating the virtues and differences associated with womanhood as discussed in Jacob 2:7 "And also it grieveth me that I must use so much boldness of speech concerning you, before your wives and your children, many of whose feelings are exceedingly tender and chaste and delicate before God, which thing is pleasing unto God." In other words, these characteristics of women's natures are pleasing unto God.
Women seeking equality with men without acknowledging the natural differences between men and women can have a tendency to "throw the baby out with the bathwater" in that some women seek to take on the base and more negative characteristics of men. They seek to make their own way in the world to the exclusion of men and the God-ordained relationship between men and women. For example, they seek to have the same "sexual freedom" that men in the world have without being looked down on or disapproved of -- "only let us be called by thy name (or seen in the same way as men), to take away our reproach" - reproach meaning, "The expression of disapproval or disappointment."
I read a very interesting (and shocking, in parts) article on this very subject in Good Housekeeping or an equivalent magazine several years ago. I'll have to see if I can dig it out for you, Nancy. To me this scripture is talking about this topic exactly.
I know this can be a very controversial subject and I hope I have expressed myself clearly. I have nothing against women's rights when it seeks to celebrate the intelligence, introspect and characteristics of both men and women. I think this scripture instead is referring to the demeaning of women that is so prevalent in our day.
Great comments, everyone.
I really like your angle, April. It makes sense with what is happening in many places today.
Very likely, this is another place in Isaiah where there is dualism, and more than one viewpoint can be correct.
If any others have thoughts, please share them!
While studying Isaiah 4:2, I thought of a multi-level meaning. Most commentary refers to Isaiah 4 as relating "Millennial day". The chapter heading states "Zion and her daughters shall be redeemed and cleansed in the Millennial day".
When I read verse 1, I thought "in that day" could also mean Book of Mormon Lehi's time. When Lehi left Jerusalem, most of the leadership, etc were already taken captive and Judah was essentially in a state of war. In the state of war, there would be little eligible men to marry.
"4:1 And in that day seven women shall take hold of one man, saying, We will eat our own bread, and wear our own apparel: only let us be called by thy name, to take away our reproach."
The trigger to my thought was in verse 2 "escaped of Israel". "4:2 In that day shall the branch of the Lord be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the earth shall be excellent and comely for them that are escaped of Israel."
When one reads 1st Nephi, it is a record of essentially the escape of Lehi's family to the promised land. Several times in the Book of Mormon such as 1st Nephi 2:20, it states
"20 And inasmuch as ye shall keep my commandments, ye shall prosper, and shall be led to a land of promise; yea, even a land which I have prepared for you; yea, a land which is choice above all other lands."
remember Isa 4:1 and the seven women statement is in Isa 4 in the original manuscript of the JST the RLDS church moved it into chapter 3 when the printed the JST. Joseph did not.
Hi, the number seven denotes perfection or fullness. The woman is used symbolically to denote a church - a virtuous woman represents a holy church and a vile one an apostate church - therefore the seven women refer to churches and the One Man is Jesus Christ. Now these seven women take hold of the man JC and spell out their own terms which to me depicts the state of utter wickedness and confusion all done in the name of Jesus Christ by a variety of churches that wear their own clothes ie have their own idea of righteousness (remember the robe of Christ's Righteousness) and buy their own food ie teach their own doctrine (remember Jesus is the bread of life, the word). So in a nutshell all these people hold onto the name of Jesus but do not worship in Spirit and Truth, they take His name but do not accept His Lordship over them. They follow in name but not in deed and with their mouths and appearance seem to believe but in reality seek their own means.
It is important to also npote that many of the prophecies in Isaiah pointed to the immediate future and the end of time ie the time we are living in today. Some of the prophecies had a dual kind of application and also mirror the circumstances prevailing at the end of time when just like the Kingdom of Judah was about to be destroyed, the earth is also about to come to an end at the coming of Jesus Christ the second time.
Isaiah is very particular in the meaning of his words. It has been firmly established that the bride of Christ is also the church of Christ. While he does not call the seven women brides, they state that they wish to take his name. That is a married action. Therefore, we can conclude that they are asking to become his churches, or join his church as married wives. They don't want his clothing or bread. Clothing is a symbol of authority or power (probably saying they want to be called his, but don't want to accept revelations of the spirit or possibly priesthood power and authority over them). Bread is doctrine or commandments. Remember, he is the bread of life. Man does not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. Isaiah often uses events from his day to illustrate our day. He uses names and things from his time as symbols of events in the latter days. If we pray and ponder on the meaning he gives to words, such as calling churches women. We can begin to translate those words into our modern language. Line upon line, we can begin to understand. I hope this helps.
Tabi again... The doctrine he is referring to is from his mouth, meaning personal revelation, as opposed to just reading something written by past prophets. They are rejecting gifts of the spirit and personal revelation. I believe this will help clarify some vagueness in y previous answer.
Isaiah is very particular in the meaning of his words. It has been firmly established that the bride of Christ is also the church of Christ. While he does not call the seven women brides, they state that they wish to take his name. That is a married action. Therefore, we can conclude that they are asking (in fact, demanding since they took hold of him, and he did not seek them as bridgrooms do) to become his churches, or join his church as married wives. They don't want his clothing or bread. Clothing is a symbol of authority or power (probably saying they want to be called his, but don't want to accept revelations of the spirit or possibly priesthood power and authority over them). Bread is doctrine or commandments. Remember, he is the bread of life. Man does not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. Isaiah often uses events from his day to illustrate our day. He uses names and things from his time as symbols of events in the latter days. If we pray and ponder on the meaning he gives to words, such as calling churches women. We can begin to translate those words into our modern language. Line upon line, we can begin to understand. I hope this helps.
Tabi! This is my favorite interpretation of this scripture EVER! Thank you! This actually makes sense to me! I'm altering my post to direct readers to your comment.
Very interesting I feel most at peace with your explanatin. May I ask how you came to this answer?
Very interesting I feel most at peace with your explanatin. May I ask how you came to this answer?
Melanie, I am not sure if you are speaking about my answer or about Tabi's answer in the comments, but the best way to interpret any scripture is by using other scriptures. The symbols in the scriptures tend to be very consistent, coming as they do from Hebrew culture. If you can find a related symbol that is explained elsewhere, it is likely going to be a good clue. Brides, numbers, names, bread and clothing are all highly symbolic in the Bible. Tabi did a great job using those symbols as they have been used elsewhere in the scriptures, although I'm still confused by the number seven in this scripture, since it means "godly perfection." If you want to ask specific questions about this scripture, please feel free. I don't know if I have any answers but questions sometimes bring answers.
The seven brides, or churches, seem consistent with the seven candlesticks (or churches) of the Book of Revelation. These seven candlesticks still provided light, they were still golden, the Lord gave praise to many of their good deeds, but he also pointed out their failings. Latter-day Christianity behaves in much the same ways, wanting to live in Grace (forgiveness), take on the name of Christ, at least as far as appearances and for the sake of taking a away the sense of reproach, but anxious to provide their own bread (Doctrine), drawing near with their lips, so to speak. The want to adorn themselves in worldly apparel (as discussed in Isaiah 3) and not put on the whole armor of God, nor the robes of righteousness.
Sorry for the above deletes. I needed to revise my thoughts. I also must apologize for I look at things deeper and sometimes as I relate it ... (our children say) like a firehouse ... if that is how it comes out I am sorry. I often attempt to relate topics I do not understand to me and my family. I do this so I might read things I may not see if I just look at it as speaking of someone or something else. For this scripture I view it as warning to me so that we will not be separated when Christ (the bridegroom) shuts the door.
Here is/are my thoughts:
The Lord loves his people so this scripture of 4:1 must hurt. Ephesians 5:25 “Husbands love your wives even as Christ so loved the church and gave himself for it;” Here is two meanings for me one Christ went through everything to protect his church (his Woman/ to be bride per-say) and through all the pain and tribulation never failed her and always treated her with respect. The Church was delicate and not treated as well. But has remained the true “bride”and proper teacher as a mother should be to her children. Therefore to see a church or a (Woman) go totally against Christ and say I do not want your bread (commandments/gospel words) or your apparel (authority) I just want this glorious fruit as 4:2 says. This must hurt Jesus Christ (especially for who He is and what He did for them). They have indeed placed themselves on the wrong side of the door when the bridegroom comes and He tells them “I know thee not” and shuts the door leaving them out of the wedding service.
I look at this scripture in far more detail as ... how am I as a husband. A wife could ask how am I as a teacher to our children. And both husband and wife how are we at respecting each other and striving to set the example as Jesus did for his woman and children (us).
I believe the apostasy was a big deal to this falling apart and I believe the beautiful and glorious fruit is now what we have today. I also believe if I do not honor the priesthood, my wife and our children (and vise versa). I will place myself and therefore my family outside of a door that the Master (bridegroom) will not know us.
As you can see... I could call it just to the Churches however, if I do not relate it to myself somehow I could in fact be lost by the worlds views and miss the mark without knowing it.
Reproach - Having said you would do something and not having done it you would be in a state of reproach. Perhaps this could be compared to the person who was given one talent. So reproach would be a person in a state where they are found wanting. Wanting here could also be treated as 'lacking'. If my larder is empty, it lacks food, this food cannot be obtained by purchase, refer to the parable of the virgins. Christ in his interaction with the rich man stated- 'one thing thou lackest'. Virgins refer to those who are clean and pure those who have conducted their lives correctly, as had the rich young man, both of which we now find are lacking 'one thing'. Adam/Eve recognised that in order to obtain that 'one thing' they needed to have children. Now with reference to the readers and students of this verse/words one can never put the scriptures in a box and close it saying 'we now know it, we have reached perfection', the box must always have a lid which can be opened so that more can be put it.
Alternatively:
My understanding on the requirements for marriage are that the Priesthood is to make themselves worthy and presentable to womanhood and if womanhood cannot find a priesthood holder worthy of marriage she does not have to accept any such proposal, she is not 'condemned' for not marrying. If a Priesthood holder does not make himself worthy and presentable in every nuance of the word he does stand condemned for not marrying.
I am sure the above statement may draw alternate views and also 'but what if.....' comments, however taking the principal of what has been stated, the scripture in Isaiah could be an accusation against men in that women do not want to marry them because of the type of person that they are they would rather feed and clothe themselves.
Reviewing the time period then or if you wish the current time period there are many men whom woman would not want to marry.
So this scripture can be read and understood both ways but in both cases it is the women who find themselves 'reproached'.
The book of Jacob in the book of Mormon describes a situation where the 'tender feelings and hearts' of women hood are offended.
This scripture is referring to feminism, where 7 women will leach the resources of one man through the government and yet call themselves independent. They want to be called by a man's name to assume the honor and respectability of men so as to cover their own transgressions and not take accountability for their own decisions.
When I taught Gospel Doctrine some years ago, I pondered on the meaning of Isaiah 4:1 and I received confirmation that this verse speaks primarily to the state of latter-day Christian churches as describe above by Tabi and anonymous. It is as close as I have ever come to “direct” revelation regarding something “new”.
The Holy Scriptures
Inspired Version
Joseph Smith, Jr.
1991 Edition,
has this scripture as Isaiah 3:27.
This makes sense to me.
Please see this link that provides prophetic teachings about this subject & verse. Scroll past the scripture contents & the first section will provide teachings on Isaiah 4:1. There are teachings of the prophets & apostles that expound on these matters, if we will just search for them. I am familiar with some of these from the original sources & they provide strong evidence of what the Lord is preparing to bless all of His children, no matter our current circumstances.
https://www.gospeldoctrine.com/old-testament/isaiah/isaiah-4
POLYGYNY.
It seems very obvious.
It is a celestial and Godly principle.
We don't know much about Heavenly Mother because mankind in general would use this knowledge to justify atrocious and abominable sins.
Welcome to 2024 where the above verse is about to be fulfilled. Men don't want to marry women for a myriad of reasons. Divorce, social media, feminism, sexual immorality 'women have been passed around so much' just to name a few. Hence more men don't want to marry women & this has led to women now chasing after men . Soon women will begin proposing to men as men will wake up and won't want to pursue what the modern woman has become.
Post a Comment