“Standing Betwixt Them and Justice”

Brant Gardner

Isaiah 53:10 hinted at the resurrection. Abinadi states it clearly. With this piece in place he is now dealing with the resurrected Messiah, the one who returns to the realm where he is known as the Father. This is the prelude to the way that Abinadi moves his exposition of Isaiah and the atoning Messiah into an answer of the question asked about Isaiah 52:7-10.

Isaiah briefly mentions the atoning Messiah as an intercessor for transgressors (Isaiah 53:12). Abinadi clarifies that text by explicitly describing Christ's position as the judge, "standing betwixt [the children of men] and justice…"

Textual: While this exposition makes sense in Abinadi's explanation, it does not follow the order of verses in Isaiah. This explanation expands Isaiah 53:12, and the following verse expands on Isaiah 53:10. This expansion without dedicated order merely highlights the nature of Abinadi's discourse. The intent is not a commentary as much as a restatement. Abinadi artfully uses the phrases in Isaiah as a touchstone for the message he is delivering. This is not commentary on Isaiah, but commentary on the priests of Noah, using Isaiah as a base text.

Multidimensional Commentary on the Book of Mormon

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