Isaiah is speaking of greedy landowners who would displace the poor from their homes by purchasing their land. As Micah prophesied, ’they covet fields, and take them by violence; and houses, and take them away: so they oppress a man and his house, even a man and his heritage’ (Micah 2:2).
“This judgment falls upon wealthy landowners who buy up all the property then can until their lands border one another. This results in a monopoly of property that should be divided among others, especially the poor. This practice violates the spirit of the Law of Jubilee, the property law of ancient Israel, which states that ’the land shall not be sold forever.’ (LEV. 25:33) Instead, land was to remain within families and clans as a perpetual inheritance…The hoarding of land described in verse 8 was in violation of this law, for when all property was purchased by a few wealthy individuals, there was no place for the original families to dwell. Having no homeland, they were forced to move to the cities or live on the property of the owner as indentured servants or slaves.” (Isaiah: Prophet, Seer, and Poet, by Victor L. Ludlow, p. 117)
“Property acquired for selfish purposes is not a blessing. Greed is never satisfied. Ownership of property is not condemned. The only question is, how did the owner get it, and to what use does he put it?” (Reynolds and Sjodahl, Commentary on the Book of Mormon, vol. 1, p. 334)
“The surplus property of this community, as poor as we are, has done more real mischief than everything else besides…A man has no right to property,…[when the property doesn’t] do good to himself and his fellow-man…If the people of this community feel as though they wanted the whole world to themselves…and would hoard up their property, and place it is a situation where it would not benefit either themselves or the community, they are just as guilty as the man who steals my property.” (Journal of Discourses, 1:252, 255 as taken from Commentaries on Isaiah in the Book of Mormon, ed. by K. Douglas Bassett, [American Fork, UT: Covenant Publishing Co., 2003], 102)
James E. Faust
“It is frequently astounding to see the dereliction of people in keeping the standards of ordinary fairness and justice….It is sometimes evident in commercial transactions, as well as in private contacts….This unfairness and injustice results principally from one person seeking an advantage or an edge over another. Those who follow such a practice demean themselves greatly. How can those of us who do not practice ordinary fairness and justice have serious claim on the blessings of a just and a fair God? Do some of us seek to justify our taking of shortcuts and advantage of others by indulging in the twin sophistries, ‘There isn’t any justice‘ and ’Everybody does it’?” (Ensign, Nov. 1986, p. 10 as taken from Latter-day Commentary on the Book of Mormon compiled by K. Douglas Bassett, p. 136)
Spencer W. Kimball
“Woe unto them who will rationalize, who will explain away their errors in these matters, who justify their oppressions. Farm hands, domestic help, and unprotected people are often oppressed, when economic circumstances place them in the position where they must accept what is offered or remain unemployed. And we sometimes justify ourselves in underpaying and even boast about it.” (Conference Report, Oct. 1, 1953, p. 53)