“In Mighty Power Upon the Face of the Earth”

Thus Isaiah is giving this citation from Isaiah particularly as an example of a prophet who has foretold the coming of the mortal mission of the Messiah. Once again, our modern perspective obscures the potential theological differences that Abinadi would face. While the priests might preach a triumphant Messiah at the end of time, they are denying the mortal mission of the Messiah. In other words, there are two future “comings” of the Messiah, the first and the second. While we know the first as firmly in the past and now await the second, in Abinadi’s time they were both in the future. As two different future events involving the same figure, on triumphant and one crucified, it is not surprising that some (such as Noah’s priests) would have troubles reconciling the picture of the triumphant Messiah of the second coming with the scorned and rejected Messiah of the first.

Abinadi begins his argument with the first verse of Isaiah chapter 53. As Welch notes:

“Although some scholars have wondered whether the song of the suffering servant should begin at Isaiah 53:1 or 52:13, the fact that Abinadi began quoting at Isaiah 53:1 implies that he and the ancient Nephites understood that a poetical unit began at Isaiah 53:1, as it does today in the traditional chapter divisions in the Bible, not as Isaiah 52:13, as has been suggested by such scholars as Dion and Clines. Indeed, other biblicists, including Orlinsky and Whybray, have argued in favor of commencing the unit at 53:1, the traditional starting point.” (Welch, John W. “Isaiah 53, Mosiah 14, and the Book of Mormon.” In: Isaiah in the Book of Mormon. FARMS, 1999, p. 295).

Regardless of the technical reasons for seeing a beginning point at one place or another, there is another reason why Abinadi might choose this particular starting point. To understand this, we must first deal with Welch’s implicit assumption that Abinadi must start at the “beginning” of a poetical unit. Certainly Nephi and Jacob did this in their citations, but Abinadi does not appear to be so constrained in his citations. In this particular case, the important aspect of verse one is that it begins with a question, a question which asks; “ Who hath believed our report…?” If one assumes that 52:13 is the beginning point, then this is a question that refers to the beginning of the “report” which discusses the “servant.” If one assumes that 53:1 is a beginning point, then the question must refer to the coming answer, rather than a previous text.

In either case, it is the question that is most important. For Abinadi, he is using it as a text that looks back to the previous statements, and in this case, his own. He has declared that multiple prophets have predicted this suffering Messiah, and now he begins with “Who hath believed our report…?” While Isaiah’s reference was general, Abinadi’s is very directed. This verse is a loaded gun pointed straight at the priests of Noah. Abinadi has declared that there will be a suffering Messiah, a first coming Messiah, and claims prophetic support. The priests of Noah do not believe, and Abinadi is pointing out that it is they who are in conflict with the scriptures rather than Abinadi (as the priests set out to prove). As an aside, Victor Ludlow sees Isaiah 53:1 in precisely the way Abinadi uses it, as a declaration that other prophets have declared the Savior (Ludlow, Victor L. Isaiah: Prophet, Seer, and Poet. Deseret Book Company. 1982, p. 447).

“Isaiah asks a second question at the beginning over verse 1: ”In whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?“ He implies that the servant will be revealed by the ”arm" or power of the Lord. (See Isa. 52:10; John 12:37-38; 1 Ne. 22:10-11; D&C 45:47.) Isaiah spends the rest of the chapter answering this second question.

The servant to be revealed by the Lord’ power is not named, but both the prophet Abinadi and the evangelist Philip identify him as Jesus Christ. (Mosiah 15: Acts 8:26-35.) In addition, Matthew, Peter, and Paul apply various verses of Isaiah 53 to Christ. (Matt. 8:17; 1 Pet. 2:24-25; Rom. 4:25.)" (Ludlow, Victor L. 1982, p. 448).