2 Nephi 19:9-10

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Reference Search: 2 Nephi 19:9-10

9 And all the people shall know, even Ephraim and the inhabitants of Samaria, that say in the pride and stoutness of heart:

10 The bricks are fallen down, but we will build with hewn stones; the sycamores are cut down, but we will change them into cedars.

Quotes for Discussion

Bricks—Hewn Stones—Sycamores—Cedars

In Isaiah’s time, bricks were made of mud or clay mixed with sand, straw, or other material, and then baked in a kiln or dried by the sun. Bricks were inferior to hewn stone because bricks were more breakable. Additionally, hewn stone was more expensive to prepare….The sycamore is a fruit-bearing tree valued for its figs and lumber. The Egyptians used its wood to make coffins, but apparently sycamore wood was not as precious as that of a cedar (Isa. 9:10). The sycamore grows to a height of forty feet. Its branches spread widely from a short trunk.

Donald W. Parry, Visualizing Isaiah [Provo, Utah: The Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies, 2001], 11

The doors as well as windows were ordinarily built of sycamore wood. It was only for ornamental purposes of the wealthy that cedar wood was used.

Fred H. Wight, Manners and Customs of Bible Lands [Chicago: Moody Press, 1953], 25