2 Nephi 19:13-17

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Reference Search: 2 Nephi 19:13-17

13 For the people turneth not unto him that smiteth them, neither do they seek the Lord of Hosts.

14 Therefore will the Lord cut off from Israel head and tail, branch and rush in one day.

15 The ancient, he is the head; and the prophet that teacheth lies, he is the tail.

16 For the leaders of this people cause them to err; and they that are led of them are destroyed.

17 Therefore the Lord shall have no joy in their young men, neither shall have mercy on their fatherless and widows; for every one of them is a hypocrite and an evildoer, and every mouth speaketh folly. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still.

Quote for Discussion

The Head and the Tail

The second evil to bring the destructive judgments of God upon Israel is her wicked leaders, both the political and the religious leaders. The “head” (government) and the “tail” (false prophets) are identified in verse 15. The phrase “and honourable” is not given in the Book of Mormon as characteristic of the head. Under the government of Israel, the Lord’s prophet was to instruct the king or the government leaders (for example, Isaiah taught Ahaz, as Nathan had taught David), but Israel’s future prophets will cause her to err. The entire people will be hypocrites. The Book of Mormon phrase “of them” in verse 17, identifying the young men and the fatherless and widows specifically as hypocrites, points out the justice of God in not showing mercy to them.

Monte S. Nyman, Great Are the Words of Isaiah [salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1980], 69