“A Young Cow and Two Sheep”

Brant Gardner

Taken in the context of the surrounding verses (20 above and 23-24) these verses are somewhat confusing. The surrounding verses speak of tremendous devastation, but these two verses appear to be rather nice things. A man will have a cow and two sheep - there will be an abundance of milk and butter. What is wrong with that?

The problem is that the abundance comes only because the population is so decimated that those few that are left have a greater portion of the goods of the land:

"The seriousness of the devastation in the land is expressed in verses 22-25. People will be able to retain only a fraction of their original herds and flocks (v. 22) yet the population will be so decimated that the limited livestock will provide plentiful milk and curds to the survivors. . .

The abundance of honey in these devastating circumstances comes from the large land areas that are left uncultivated and quickly turn to wild flowers, weeds, and other blossom-producing plants. Thus, ironically, the few who remain in the land will enjoy milk and money because of the relatively large numbers of food-producing animals They will still have problems and dangers, however, since they must fight off the weeds, thorny bushes, and wild animals. All in all, Isaiah describes serious conditions that will beset the people." (Ludlow, p. 146.)

Multidimensional Commentary on the Book of Mormon

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