“Thou Art My Servant”

Brant Gardner

Ludow notes:

"These six verses [1-6] comprise one of the four recognized "servant songs" of isaiah (along with 42:1-4; 50:4-9; and 52:13-53:12). Various scholars offer numerous possible identities for this servant: Isaiah, the nation Israel, Jesus Christ, and even Joseph Smith" (Ludlow, 1982, p. 408).

In order to see anyone other than Isaiah as the servant, one must explain the difference between the narrator's first person and a possible future fulfiller of the function. Fortunately, this is not at all difficult as we have seen that the first person role need not always apply to the recorder/prophet. In addition, the malleability of prophecy provides ample interpretive ability to apply the verses to another, or even more than a single other person. As the redemption of Israel is part of a long process and not the result of a single action or person, the applicability of the verses to more than one person is quite permissible.

Multidimensional Commentary on the Book of Mormon

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