Who was Babylon and what was its “burden”?

Thomas R. Valletta

“‘Burden’ is used to translate Hebrew massa, which means something lifted up, an ‘oracle’ or ‘message.’ …

“Although Assyria was the superpower in Isaiah’s time, through the spirit of prophecy he foresaw that mighty, wicked Babylon would threaten his homeland. These two are the only chapters of Isaiah 13–23 quoted in the Book of Mormon, which says something about their relative value… .

“‘Babylon’ is [also] a type of the whole wicked world (Revelation 14:8; D&C 133:14; see also Revelation 16:19; 17:5; 18:2–4, 10, 21; D&C 1:16; 35:11; 64:24; 86:3; 133:5, 7)” (Ogden and Skinner, Book of Mormon, 1:213).

The Book of Mormon Study Guide: Start to Finish

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