How a Dead Sea Scrolls Translator Reads Isaiah

Jesus told us to search Isaiah diligently—so why does it so often feel like a closed book? What if the passages that confuse us most are actually some of the most carefully crafted poetry in all of scripture? Jasmin Rappleye, Neal Rappleye, and Stephen Smoot sit down with Dr. Donald W. Parry—professor of Hebrew Bible and the Dead Sea Scrolls at BYU, a member of the international team of Dead Sea Scrolls translators since 1994, and one of the few scholars with his depth of expertise on the Great Isaiah Scroll (and Jasmin and Stephen's former Hebrew professor!). Drawing on his paper "Unlocking Isaiah's Closed Book," published in Steadfast in Defense of Faith: Essays in Honor of Daniel C. Peterson (Interpreter Foundation), and his new translation of Isaiah, Don walks through the three barriers that keep readers out of Isaiah—and the keys that let them in. A perfect companion for studying Isaiah in Come, Follow Me. ===Informed Saints Credits=== Produced by The Ancient America Foundation Producer: Spencer Clark Hosts: Stephen Smoot, Neal Rappleye, Jasmin Rappleye In this episode: • The 3 barriers to reading Isaiah: poetry, about 60 different speakers, and figures of speech • Hebrew parallelism 101—1,100+ examples in Isaiah (Isaiah 1:3; 65:14; 54:7) • Why Mark Twain mocked the Book of Mormon's repetition—and why it's great Hebrew • Plural amplification: why the Book of Mormon says "bloodsheds" • Lady Zion and the nursing mother (Isaiah 49:14–15) • Isaiah's rare rhymes: mishpat/mispach and tsedaqah/tse'aqah (Isaiah 5:7) • Gendered-noun patterns (Isaiah 43:16), "eat or be eaten" with the Hebrew verb 'akal (Isaiah 1:19–20), and the Lord as attorney and judge (rîb, Isaiah 3:13) • Chiasmus: 100+ in Isaiah (Isaiah 6:10; 60:1–3) and 300+ in the Book of Mormon (1 Nephi 4:33–35; 15:25) • Qumi ori ("arise, shine")—and a speculative thought on the name Cumorah • 44 figures of speech: "as scarlet… white as snow" (Isaiah 1:18), "Holy, holy, holy" (Isaiah 6:3), exclamations, metonymy, personification, and rhetorical questions • Prophetic past tense in Isaiah 53—and how Abinadi explains it (Mosiah 16:6) • Why Isaiah is a Jehovah-focused book: the divine name about 450 times and 200+ direct quotations • Joseph Smith's Hebrew studies with Joshua Seixas—and how to start learning biblical Hebrew yourself Go deeper with Don's work: → A New Translation of Isaiah: Based on Ancient Scrolls and Texts (FAIR): https://fairlatterdaysaints.org/store/product/a-new-translation-of-isaiah-based-on-ancient-scrolls-and-texts/ → "Unlocking Isaiah's Closed Book" (Interpreter Foundation): https://interpreterfoundation.org/reprint-unlocking-isaiahs-closed-book → Poetic Parallelisms in the Book of Mormon (Maxwell Institute): https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/mi/61 → Learn biblical Hebrew with Don (textbook + online courses): https://hebrew.byu.edu → Jesus Christ in Scripture with Don Parry & Tammy Uzelac Hall: https://www.youtube.com/@JesusChristinScripture Study deeply, believe boldly. ===Discover=== If any of our thoughts resonated with you, consider learning more about the single most influential book in our lives. https://www.discoverbookofmormon.org/ ===Content Disclaimer=== The views expressed represent ours alone and do not necessarily reflect the official position of The Church of Jesus Christ of... ### Chapters - (00:00:00) - Introducing Dr. Don Perry and His Dead Sea Scrolls Career - (00:03:18) - Barriers to Understanding Isaiah: Poetry, Speakers, Figures of Speech - (00:04:26) - Synonymous and Antithetical Parallelism Examples - (00:08:33) - Plural Amplification and Hebraisms in the Book of Mormon - (00:10:08) - Dialogue and Emblematic Figures of Speech - (00:11:43) - Similes, Metaphors, and Personification in Isaiah - (00:15:32) - Grammatical and Phonological Parallelisms - (00:17:53) - Gendered Nouns and Grammatical Mood Contrasts - (00:19:45) - Wordplay, Progression, and Legal Language in Isaiah - (00:21:50) - Chiasmus in Isaiah and the Book of Mormon - (00:27:42) - Complexity of Book of Mormon Chiasmus as Evidence - (00:29:25) - Why Isaiah Used Parallelisms - (00:30:30) - Isaiah's 44 Literary Devices and Similes Revisited - (00:34:17) - Duplication, Exclamation, and Exaltation in Isaiah - (00:38:45) - Metonymy, Motive Clauses, and Prophetic Past Tense - (00:42:43) - Personification and Rhetorical Questions Continued - (00:44:06) - Isaiah as a Book About Jesus Christ (Jehovah) - (00:48:20) - Reverence for the Name Jehovah and Sacred Space - (00:50:54) - Learning Biblical Hebrew Today and Joseph Smith's Example