The Lord Will Gather His People a Second Time

John W. Welch

Verse 11 states, "And it shall come to pass in that day that the Lord shall set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant of his people." The important words in this verse are "the second time." There would be a gathering, as Nephi said, when a remnant of Israel would be brought back from the first exile in Babylon. Nephi explains in 2 Nephi 25 that they would be brought back so that the Lord could appear to them in Jerusalem.

However, the House of Israel would be scattered again because of the hardness of their hearts and their rejection of Jesus. Here, Isaiah knew that the Lord would have to set his hand a second time to gather them "from Assyria, and from Egypt, and from Pathros, and from Cush, and from Elam, and from Shinar, and from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea." Nephi speaks of this gathering of Israel both in physical and also in spiritual terms.

Further Reading

Book of Mormon Central, "Where Did Joseph Smith Get His Ideas about the Physical and Spiritual Gathering of Israel? (2 Nephi 21:11)," KnoWhy 290 (March 22, 2017).

For what Isaiah says about the last days, see Nephi’s explanation in 2 Nephi 30 and also Book of Mormon Central, "What Do Nephi and Isaiah Say about the End Times? (2 Nephi 23:6)," KnoWhy 46 (March 3, 2016).

John W. Welch Notes

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