“As a Sheep”

K. Douglas Bassett

(Isa. 53:7; refer to Latter-day Commentary on the New Testament, Pinegar–Bassett–Earl, 47–48.)

Isaiah uses two similes to describe Jesus Christ’s atoning sacrifice: “as a lamb” and “as a sheep.” Not only is Christ the Good Shepherd (John 10:14), but he is also the sacrificial lamb, who went without protest or resistance to his death. This contrasts with mankind, the sheep that willfully went astray (Isa. 53:6). The sacrifice of an unblemished lamb under the law of Moses prefigured the atoning sacrifice of Christ (Gen. 22:7–8; Ex. 12:3). The Atonement fulfills the symbolism of the lamb.

(Donald W. Parry, Visualizing Isaiah [Provo, Utah: The Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies, 2001], 93.)

Commentaries on Isaiah: In the Book or Mormon

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