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Throughout all the canonized works, symbols are an integral part of scripture. As Elder Jeffrey R. Holland has explained, “Jehovah used an abundance of archetypes and symbols. Indeed, these have always been a conspicuous characteristic of the Lord’s instruction to his children.”[1] One of the most prolific prophets when it came to symbolism was none other than Isaiah. The prophet Isaiah was singularly creative and artistic when he delivered his message and prophecies to his audiences, and he used a variety of symbols to add color, depth, and meaning to his words. In fact, he employed hundreds of symbols in his writings. On the one hand, each and every symbol constitutes a significant element that enlightens Isaiah’s sacred message. Once readers understand these symbols, they come to appreciate Isaiah’s text better, they increase their capability to read and study Isaiah, and they comprehend Isaiah at a significantly higher level. On the other hand, some of Isaiah’s symbols are difficult to comprehend, especially for modern audiences, who may not know how to interpret or understand his symbols. Without question, Isaiah’s symbols can present a genuine challenge for many readers. But with the help of the Holy Ghost and an abundance of study and effort, the careful reader can overcome this challenge.

What Are Symbols?

Stated simply, symbols are words or expressions that represent something beyond their literal meaning. For example, in Isaiah 64:8, the Lord is compared to a potter, and we (mortals) are likened to clay: “We are the clay, and thou [O Lord] our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand.” The Lord is not literally a potter (one who makes pottery), and we are not literally clay (an earthy substance that can be molded into pottery or ceramics). Rather, Isaiah is employing symbols that are beautifully instructive—just as a potter works clay into a beautiful, useful receptacle, God can mold us (his people) into functional vessels if we permit him to do so.

In a second example, the Lord compares humankind to grass: “All flesh is grass” (40:6). Humans are not literally grass (herbaceous plants or vegetation); rather, mortals (like grass) are so temporary that we dry up and wither away. We need God and his gift of living water in order to flourish and become useful.[2]

Why Symbols?

“Symbols are the most articulate of all languages. Indeed, symbols are the universal tongue. . . . Symbols bring color and strength to language, while deepening and enriching our understandings. Symbols enable us to give . . . emotions that may otherwise defy the power of words. They take us beyond words and grant us eloquence in the expression of feelings. Symbolic language conceals certain doctrinal truths from the wicked and thereby protects sacred things from possible ridicule. At the same time, symbols reveal truth to the spiritually alert.”[3] In short, symbols add great richness and beauty to Isaiah’s poetry!

Elder Orson F. Whitney explained the following significant teaching regarding symbols: “The Universe is built on symbols, lifting our thoughts from man to God, from earth to heaven, from time to eternity. . . . God teaches with symbols; it is his favorite way of teaching.”[4]

Symbols Add Color, Depth, and Meaning to Isaiah’s Words

In Isaiah 24:16–23, Isaiah prophesies that wicked people will not escape God’s divine punishments. Isaiah could have used plain words, such as “sinners will not escape God’s punishments.” Instead he used powerful, symbolic language—he compared the wicked to animals who were being hunted down and captured: “Fear, and the pit, and the snare, are upon thee, O inhabitant of the earth. And it shall come to pass, that he who fleeth from the noise of the fear shall fall into the pit; and he that cometh up out of the midst of the pit shall be taken in the snare” (24:17–18). Isaiah’s use of symbols adds richness to his words.

Isaiah employs two symbols in the above example: the pit and the snare. Both were ancient hunters’ methods to capture animals. In Isaiah’s language, the wicked would be seized because of their sins one way or another; if they were captured in the pit (symbolically, as a hunter captures a wild beast) and somehow escaped, they would “be taken in the snare” (another symbol). This drives home Isaiah’s point: unrepentant, wicked individuals will never fully escape God’s divine punishments. Isaiah’s symbolism adds color, meaning, and depth to his prophecies and to his message.

Isaiah Drew upon Everyday Life to Produce Symbols

Isaiah was masterful at creating symbols as he prophesied of eternally significant themes—Jesus Christ and his Atonement, the Restoration of the gospel, Zion in the last days, the Millennium, the devastation of the wicked, and much more. Through revelation, Isaiah drew upon his social, cultural, religious, and political background to produce hundreds of different symbols. He used items that deal with common aspects of everyday life—such as plants, animals, architectural elements, colors, family and social relationships, foods, persons, occupations, common objects, places—to illustrate prophecies and eternal truths.

The following symbols from the book of Isaiah, briefly presented, are set forward (1) to demonstrate how Isaiah regularly drew upon common aspects of life as he prophesied and taught so many eternal truths, and (2) to show that each of us, with diligent searching and pondering, can comprehend symbols. Each entry below consists of three items: the symbol (in bold font); all or part of the verse from Isaiah; and a possible explanation of the meaning of the symbol.

Trees blowing in the wind. “And his [Ahaz’s] heart was moved, and the heart of his people, as the trees of the wood are moved with the wind” (7:2). In the face of an impending war, the king and his subjects possess an unsettling fear, which Isaiah compares to trees blowing in the wind.

Mire. “I [the Lord] will send him [Assyria] against an hypocritical nation . . . to tread them down like the mire of the streets” (10:6). The Lord will send Assyria’s army against his people, who are wicked, and the army will tread them down as if they are mud (mire) in the streets.

Grains of sand. “Thy people Israel be as the sand of the sea” (10:22). The Lord’s covenant people will become as numerous as the grains of sand on the ocean’s beaches. Isaiah’s words here recall the Abrahamic covenant (see Genesis 22:17; Abraham 3:14).

Ocean’s waters. “For the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea” (11:9). During the Millennium, the sacred knowledge of God will be extensive, just “as the waters cover the sea.” Nephi also cites this passage and explains that “all things which have been revealed unto the children of men shall at that day be revealed” (2 Nephi 30:18).

Hunted gazelles. “And [the people] shall be as the chased roe” (13:14). The wicked of Babylon will flee like roes (gazelles) who are being hunted.

Sodom and Gomorrah. “And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, the beauty of the Chaldees’ excellency, shall be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah” (13:19). Because of its gross wickedness, the once glorious and powerful kingdom of Babylon will be completely demolished, similar to the destroyed cites of Sodom and Gomorrah.

Figure 8.1. Isaiah used many symbols from the natural world, including birds (see Isaiah 16:2). (Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons)

Bird. “For it shall be, that, as a wandering bird cast out of the nest, so the daughters of Moab shall be” (16:2). The fleeing Moabites are like birds cast out of their nest, helpless and confused.

Chaff and a tumbleweed. “The nations shall rush like the rushing of many waters: but God shall rebuke them, and they shall flee far off, and shall be chased as the chaff of the mountains before the wind, and like a rolling thing before the whirlwind” (17:13). Isaiah describes the awful condition of the nations that, over the decades and centuries, have plotted, plundered, and conquered ancient Israel. He compares them to chaff blowing in the wind and tumbleweeds before the whirlwind—unstable plants without roots that won’t be able to withstand the great force of Jehovah’s return.

Figure 8.2. Isaiah used the drunken man as a symbol in Isaiah 19:14 (Print by Alfred Crowquill. “A Great Fall—In Liquor.” Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons)

A drunk man. “As a drunken man staggereth in his vomit” (19:14). When the Lord sends his judgments against ancient Egypt (see vv. 14–17), Egypt will be similar to a drunk man who wobbles in his own vomit. Perhaps some of the inhabitants of Egypt have lost control of their senses, faculties, and better judgment—similar to drunken individuals—as they have worshipped idols and fought among themselves (see vv. 1–2).

Woman in labor. “Therefore are my loins filled with pain: pangs have taken hold upon me, as the pangs of a woman that travaileth: I was bowed down at the hearing of it; I was dismayed at the seeing of it” (21:3). Isaiah beheld a hard and difficult vision, so much so that his body reacted physically. In fact, he compares his pains to those of a woman who is in labor.

Ball. “He will surely violently turn and toss thee like a ball into a large country: there shalt thou die” (22:18). The Lord has rebuked Shebna for his pride and for building a great tomb for himself (see v. 16). Therefore, the Lord will hurl him, like one throws a ball, away into captivity, and there Shebna will die in shame (see v. 18).

Harlot. “After the end of seventy years shall Tyre sing as an harlot” (23:15). The city of Tyre is compared to a harlot who sings to draw attention to herself. Tyre attempts to rebuild her image as a significant city, attractive and alluring to merchants, traders, and others—but in the end she is still wicked, as is a harlot.

Refuge and shadow. “For thou hast been a . . . refuge from the storm, a shadow from the heat, when the blast of the terrible ones is as a storm against the wall” (25:4). God protects his people from “terrible ones.” He is compared to a refuge from the storm and a shadow from the heat.

Straw. “Moab shall be trodden down under him, even as straw is trodden down for the dunghill” (25:10). The Lord’s feet will tread on Moab as easily “as straw is trodden down,” which straw would be mixed with dung and eventually used as a fertilizer. Isaiah’s imagery expresses the great moral decay of Moab (symbolizing the wicked), which is as polluted as filthy dung.

Pregnant woman. “Like as a woman with child, that draweth near the time of her delivery, is in pain, and crieth out in her pangs; so have we been in thy sight, O LORD” (26:17). God’s covenant people compare themselves to a pregnant woman who is about to give birth.

Hail, storm, and flood of waters. “Behold, the Lord hath a mighty and strong one, which as a tempest of hail and a destroying storm, as a flood of mighty waters overflowing, shall cast down to the earth with the hand” (28:2). A “mighty and strong one” will destroy the Northern Kingdom of Israel as easily as hail, a storm, or a flood demolishes whatever is in its path.

Dust and chaff. “Moreover the multitude of thy strangers shall be like small dust, and the multitude of the terrible ones shall be as chaff that passeth away” (29:5). “Multitude,” mentioned twice in this verse, refers to the nations that fought against Ariel (see v. 7). But the nations are now long gone. They are “like small dust” and blown chaff, meaning they have gone the way of the earth.

Hungry person’s dream. “It shall even be as when an hungry man dreameth, and, behold, he eateth; but he awaketh, and his soul is empty: or as when a thirsty man dreameth, and, behold, he drinketh; but he awaketh, and, behold, he is faint, and his soul hath appetite: so shall the multitude of all the nations be, that fight against mount Zion” (29:8). The nations who fight against Jerusalem will have no more lasting gratification than does a hungry person who dreams only of eating, yet is still hungry when he wakes up.

Menstrual cloth. “Ye shall defile also the covering of thy graven images of silver, and the ornament of thy molten images of gold: thou shalt cast them away as a menstruous cloth; thou shalt say unto it, Get thee hence” (30:22). Throughout their history, both the kingdoms of Israel and Judah had defiled themselves with idolatry, but Isaiah prophesies that in a future day, the Lord’s people will defile their idols and “cast them away as menstruous cloth,” or as unclean fabric that needs to be thrown away.[5]

Figure 8.3. An artist portrays the Shepherd carrying a lamb, recalling Isaiah 40:11 (Pencil drawing by Joseph Ritter von Führich. “The Good Shepherd.” Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons)

Shepherd. “He [the Lord] shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young” (40:11). The Lord is the shepherd who protects, feeds, and provides water for his flock, meaning his followers (see Psalms 23; 28:9; Jeremiah 23:3).

Threshing instrument. “Behold, I will make thee a new sharp threshing instrument having teeth: thou shalt thresh the mountains, and beat them small, and shalt make the hills as chaff” (41:15). Covenant Israel is compared to a threshing instrument, which “threshes” the nations to “find the precious grains,” or in other words, searches the people to find righteous souls.

Figure 8.6. Man stands on threshing sledge, pulled by two oxen. (John H. Bishop Vincent, “Traditional threshing with a threshing-sledge [or threshing-board] of Middle Orient”; Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons)

Smith, or metal worker. “Behold, I [the Lord] have refined thee, but not with silver; I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction” (48:10). Just as a hot furnace refines metals and burns off gross elements and impurities, God is symbolically a smith who refines his people “in the furnace of affliction.” Importantly, God himself is the refiner (see Zechariah 13:9; Malachi 3:2–3).

Figure 8.7. The Lord, symbolically, is like a metal worker or smith, who prepares and refines his people. (“A Blacksmith’s Forge.” Image courtesy of Wellcome Collection)

Sand and gravel. “Thy seed also had been as the sand, and the offspring of thy bowels like the gravel thereof; his name should not have been cut off nor destroyed from before me” (48:19). God’s covenant people are so numerous that they are compared to sand and gravel. This imagery recalls the Abrahamic covenant (see Genesis 22:17–18; Doctrine and Covenants 132:30).

River and sea’s waves. “O that thou hadst hearkened to my commandments! then had thy peace been as a river, and thy righteousness as the waves of the sea” (48:18). Those who keep the Lord’s commandments will have peace, similar to a continually flowing river, which brings life to peoples and communities. And when we obey God’s commandments, our righteous­ness will be unstoppable, similar to the waves of the sea. In addition, our righteousness will be subject to the pull of the heavens, just as the waves are subject to the pull of the moon.

Garden of Eden. “For the LORD shall comfort Zion: he will comfort all her waste places; and he will make her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of the LORD” (51:3). The Lord will change the lands of promise for his covenant people so that the lands are like the garden of Eden, a blessed place of peace and plenty.

Smoke and clothing. “For the heavens shall vanish away like smoke, and the earth shall wax old like a garment, and they that dwell therein shall die in like manner: but my salvation shall be for ever, and my righteousness shall not be abolished” (51:6). The Lord poetically provides assurance that his salvation and righteousness are forever!

Sheep. “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way” (53:6). Those who do not follow the Shepherd (the Lord; see Psalms 23:1) are like sheep who have gone astray and are therefore subject to danger (wolves or other predators). Peter once cited this prophecy: “For ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd” (1 Peter 2:25).

Figure 8.8. Isaiah taught, “All we like sheep have gone astray.” (Photo by John Wrightson. “Black-faced Ram.” Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons)

Husband. “For thy Maker is thine husband; the Lord of hosts is his name; and thy Redeemer the Holy One of Israel; The God of the whole earth shall he be called” (54:5). Symbolically, Zion’s husband is the Lord. Just as a righteous husband loves his wife and demonstrates tender care for her, Jehovah loves and cares for his covenant people perfectly—because he is their God, Maker, and Redeemer.

Troubled sea. “But the wicked are like the troubled sea, when it cannot rest, whose waters cast up mire and dirt” (57:20). The Lord compares the wicked to the sea, which is continually restless and, in tossing to and fro, also tosses up muck.

Figure 8.9. Isaiah compares the wicked to the troubled sea. Ivan Konstantinovich Aivazovsky, “Stormy Sea.” (Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons)

Trumpet. “Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet” (58:1). The Lord commands Isaiah to raise his voice in loudness and clarity, like he is blowing a ram’s horn (compare Alma 29:1–2).

Watered garden and spring of water. “And thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not” (58:11). Those who fast according to God’s law are compared to a watered garden and spring of water, both of which are of great value to mortals, who require food and water to survive.

Filthy rags. “For we have sinned . . . we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags” (64:5–6). Sinners are compared to unclean things and filthy rags.

Conclusion

Many of the symbols Isaiah uses can form a barrier to understanding his words. However, as each of us diligently search out the meaning of his symbols—with careful study and the assistance of the Holy Ghost—we will better comprehend Isaiah’s important message to each of us.

In chapter 9 of this volume, we will look at several symbols that teach us of eternally significant truths, including the Savior’s Atonement, the gathering of Israel, the establishment of Zion, and the Millennium.

Notes

[1] Holland, Christ and the New Covenant, 137.

[2] In chapter 11, we will specifically examine the figures of speech that deal directly with symbols—namely simile, metaphor, synecdoche, metonymy, personification, and implication.

[3] McConkie and Parry, Guide to Scriptural Symbols, 1.

[4] Whitney, “Latter-day Saint Ideals,” 861.

[5] In Old Testament Mosaic law, menstruation was connected with ceremonial uncleanliness, so this symbol was often used to represent that which was considered unclean. For more on this law, see Leviticus 15:33; 20:18.