Donald W. Parry on His New Translation of Isaiah

How does a premier Dead Sea Scrolls translator bridge the gap between ancient Hebrew manuscripts and modern Old Testament scripture study for Latter-day Saints? Donald W. Parry’s new translation of the book of Isaiah avoids early modern English archaisms in favor of contemporary clarity, while carefully preserving authentic Hebraisms and visually restoring over 1,000 instances of original prophetic, two-lined parallelistic poetry. By integrating textual variants from the Great Isaiah Scroll alongside insights from the Book of Mormon and the Joseph Smith Translation, this volume provides a specialized companion resource for analyzing complex biblical dialogues. In this interview, Donald W. Parry discusses how these ancient and Restoration texts harmonize to illuminate Isaiah’s witness of Jesus Christ.

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Cover of A New Translation of Isaiah: Based on Ancient Scrolls and Texts, by Donald W. Parry. — Donald W. Parry’s new translation of Isaiah.

What do you hope A New Translation of Isaiah: Based on Ancient Scrolls and Texts accomplishes for the everyday scripture study of Latter-day Saints and biblical scholars alike?

My chief objective, in all matters related to scripture, is to teach the Messiah, Jesus Christ! With regard specifically to the prophet and seer Isaiah, he wrote regarding the nature and character of God, as well as His awe-inspiring power and holiness. Isaiah also prophesied of Jesus Christ’s birth, ministry, Atonement, death, and Resurrection, Second Coming, and millennial reign.

Importantly, the book of Isaiah is quite singular because of its attentive focus on the LORD Jesus Christ; for example:

Isaiah was a special witness of Jesus Christ—he saw the Redeemer (see Isaiah 6; 2 Nephi 11:2)
Isaiah presents the direct speech (the actual words) of the LORD [Jehovah] throughout his book—the LORD speaks more than two hundred times in Isaiah!
Isaiah used the name LORD [Jehovah] 450 times in his book; additionally, there are literally hundreds of pronouns (he, you, I, your, his, and my) that refer to Him.
Several verses of Isaiah reveal that the LORD is our Savior and our Redeemer, e.g., Isaiah 43:3, 11; 45:21; 49:26; 60:16, plus others.
The book of Isaiah presents dozens of divine titles and names of the LORD, e.g., Holy One of Israel, Lord God, Rock, Stone, Judge, King, Lawgiver, Prince of Peace, Lamb, Lord of Hosts, plus others.
Nephi wrote: “That I might more fully persuade them to believe in the Lord their Redeemer I did read unto them that which was written by the prophet Isaiah” (1 Nephi 19:23).
As we read Isaiah, we “may learn and glorify the name of your God.” (2 Ne. 6:4)

In sum, Isaiah’s Prophecies of the Messiah are powerful, eloquent, and convincing.

Isaiah’s Prophecies of the Messiah are powerful, eloquent, and convincing.

My secondary objectives for writing a New Translation of Isaiah include:

To make Isaiah easier to comprehend and more readable
To help readers understand Isaiah’s magnificent poetry
To express Isaiah’s diverse and numerous figures of speech, and various literary techniques
To help each and all of us to delight in Isaiah’s words; as Nephi wrote: “I, Nephi, write more of the words of Isaiah⁠, for my soul delighteth in his words.” (2 Ne. 11:2)
Reading Isaiah provides us with a positive outlook for humankind: “now I write some of the words of Isaiah, that whoso of my people shall see these words may lift up their hearts and rejoice for all men” (2 Ne. 11:8).

Dead Sea Scrolls and Masoretic Text

— Dead Sea Scrolls translator Donald W. Parry explains how firsthand analysis of the 2,100-year-old Great Isaiah Scroll uncovers ancient scribal practices and key textual differences from the traditional Masoretic Text to resolve centuries-old biblical ambiguities.

As a longtime member of the international Dead Sea Scrolls translation team, how did your work with the Great Isaiah Scroll influence A New Translation of Isaiah?

Many scholars determine that the Dead Sea Scrolls are the most important archaeological finds of the twentieth century because they are texts rather than artifacts, and also because of the way in which they have increased our knowledge of the Bible, Second Temple Judaism (450 BC–AD 70), the Hebrew language, various religious texts, and much more. The scrolls feature the world’s oldest extant Hebrew Bible, which is more than 1,000 years older than the Masoretic Text (the Hebrew source of the King James Version and other Bibles).

It has been a distinctive opportunity to serve as a member of the International Team of Translators of the Dead Sea Scrolls since January 1994. I was first assigned to work on the Samuel scrolls; later, I worked on the 21 Isaiah scrolls. Additionally, for several years, I served as a member of the Board of Directors of the Dead Sea Scrolls Foundation.

Why Isn’t Ezra Mentioned in the Dead Sea Scrolls?

To your question, having access to the actual leather scrolls versus secondary images (e.g., photos or digital images) is vital to scholars. Reading the Great Isaiah Scroll in the Scrollery of the Shrine of the Book Museum, Jerusalem, was a crucial course of action in the process of translating Isaiah’s text from ancient Hebrew to English. This enhanced my entire experience as I engaged with a scroll that is 2,100 years old. I viewed several minuscule properties on the leather—creases, folds, guide and separation dots, horizontal and vertical rulings; and a multitude of scribal marks and features. Most significantly, the leather exhibited scores of paleographic elements that may be indiscernible on photographs; this is indispensable because a correct reading of letters and words is essential as one conducts his/her translational work.

What is the Masoretic Text?

The Masoretic Text (MT) is the authoritative text of the Hebrew Bible, consisting of 24 books—Genesis–Malachi. The MT is the benchmark or gold standard set of Hebrew texts because the Jews who transmitted and preserved the scriptures from generation to generation were meticulous in their work as they made copies of the scriptural books.

The MT is of utmost importance to both Judaism and Christianity! Christians affirm that the MT (or the Old Testament) is the foundational, authoritative, canonical scripture; it is also the foundational framework for understanding the Gospels and other New Testament writings, and for comprehending passages that prophesied of the coming of the Messiah (such as Psalm 22 and Isaiah 53). Additionally, members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints assert that the MT (or Old Testament) is the First Testament of Jesus Christ, that it is a foundational text for other canonical works such as the New Testament, the Book of Mormon, and other scriptural texts.

The MT was copied and preserved by Jewish copyists and scribes, who were called Masoretes, between the 6^th and 10^th centuries AD. Many of the Masoretes conducted their work from Tiberias in Galilee. The Masoretes maintained the purity of the text and carefully preserved the consonantal text of the Hebrew Bible—letter by letter and word by word throughout the MT; they also developed an elaborate system of vowels and accent marks to guide proper pronunciation and reading; and punctuation and a paragraphic system that included versification and chapters. Most translations of the Hebrew Bible—English and other languages—utilize the MT (specifically, Codex Leningrad B 19A, circa 1009 AD) and other medieval manuscripts as their major source text.

Regarding the Hebrew Bible and the MT, perhaps it would be well for all of us to recall the words of the Lord:

But thus saith the Lord God: O fools, they shall have a Bible; and it shall proceed forth from the Jews, mine ancient covenant people. And what thank they the Jews for the Bible which they receive from them? Yea, what do the Gentiles mean? Do they remember the travails, and the labors, and the pains of the Jews, and their diligence unto me, in bringing forth salvation unto the Gentiles?
2 Nephi 29:4

What are some of the most significant differences between the traditional Masoretic Text and the manuscripts found at Qumran?

Over the decades, since the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls (1947–1956), many translation committees of the Bible have paid special regard to the scrolls by incorporating significant new readings into their translations. According to Harold Scanlin, a translation adviser for the United Bible Societies, “every major Bible translation published since 1950 has claimed to have taken into account the textual evidence of the Dead Sea Scrolls.” (Harold P. Scanlin, The Dead Sea Scrolls and Modern Translations of the Old Testament [Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House, 1993], 27).

These readings are generally incorporated into the actual translation of the Old Testament or are identified in footnotes or endnotes. The following English Bibles, for example, have integrated variant readings from the Dead Sea Scrolls:

New International Version
Today’s English Version
Revised Standard Version
New Revised Standard Version
New English Bible
New American Bible
New King James Version
Tanakh: The Holy Scriptures

The twenty-one Isaiah Scrolls (most of them fragmented), too, have greatly influenced our understanding of the textual history of the Bible. They, too, are written in Hebrew, the language of the ancient prophets. These scrolls enlighten us concerning ancient scribal practices, including paragraphing, scribal corrections, and other various marks and notes in the text. The Great Isaiah Scroll (technically called 1QIsa^a) is the world’s oldest complete book of Isaiah (23 feet 6 inches long). Jesus Christ, in the synagogue in Nazareth, read from the book of Isaiah (see Luke 4:16-22); many scholars maintain that this Isaiah scroll in the synagogue would have looked like the Great Isaiah Scroll.

Here are examples of differences between the Masoretic Text (MT) of Isaiah and the Great Isaiah Scroll (1QIsa^a) (differences highlighted in bolded text):

MT: “Your hands are full of blood” (1:15)

1QIsa^a: “Your hands are full of blood, your fingers with iniquity.” (1:15)

–

MT: “How hath the oppressor ceased! the golden city ceased!” (14:4)

1QIsa^a: “How has the oppressor ceased, the onslaught ceased!” (14:4)

–

MT: “The City of Destruction” (19:18)

1QIsa^a: “The City of the Sun” (19:18)

–

MT: “And he cried, a lion, my Lord, I stand continually upon the watchtower all day, and I am stationed at my post all night.” (21:8)

1QIsa^a: “And the seer cried, My Lord, I stand continually upon the watchtower all day, and I am stationed at my post all night.” (21:8)

–

MT: “covenants are broken, cities are despised” (33:8)

1QIsa^a: “covenants are broken, witnesses are despised” (33:8)

–

MT: “The sun will no longer be your light by day, nor will the brightness of the moon give light to you” (60:19)

1QIsa^a: “The sun will no longer be your light by day, nor will the brightness of the moon give light to you by night” (60:19)

How do the Dead Sea Scrolls help scholars and everyday readers resolve historical and textual ambiguities that have puzzled biblical translators for centuries?

The Dead Sea Scrolls, at times, have textual variants that help to resolve historical and textual ambiguities. For example, MT 1 Samuel 1:24 states that Hannah took three bulls to the Tabernacle of Moses in Shiloh for sacrificial offerings. A sacrifice of “three” bulls would have been highly irregular for a single family. The DSS book of Samuel clarifies that it was a three-year-old bull. Examples from the book of Isaiah are listed in the previous question and answer.

Integrating the Book of Mormon and the Joseph Smith Translation

— Donald W. Parry details how his translation integrates textual insights from the Book of Mormon and the Joseph Smith Translation to clarify ancient dialogues and enhance modern comprehension of Isaiah’s writings.

Your book merges ancient Hebrew manuscripts with insights from the Book of Mormon and the Joseph Smith Translation. How do these Restoration texts interact with the writings of Isaiah?

There are several textual variant readings in the Book of Mormon citations of Isaiah and in the Joseph Smith Translation (JST) of Isaiah. Major readings (and many minor readings) are incorporated into my New Translation of Isaiah. I have utilized brackets [ ] to indicate readings from the JST and Book of Mormon and added appropriate footnotes. Here are two examples of readings that provide greater comprehension of Isaiah’s text:

In the dialogue between the Lord and Lady Zion (see Isaiah 49:13-21), the words [“O house of Israel”] (see 1 Nephi 21:18) make it evident that Lady Zion is none other than the house of Israel. This Book of Mormon reading greatly enhances our understanding of this dialogue
Isaiah’s prayer to the Lord is made explicit with the words [“O Lord”] in Isaiah 2:6 (from the JST, 2 Nephi 12:6). Again, this reading magnifies our comprehension of the text.

The Book of Mormon: Academic and Devotional Insights

Translations

— Donald W. Parry outlines how his translation serves as a supplementary companion to the King James Version by modernizing archaic phrasing while introducing unique structural features, including capitalized divine pronouns, labeled speakers, and visually reformatted poetic parallelisms.

How would you reassure Latter-day Saints who worry that your translation differs from the King James Version?

I consider the King James Version to be a majestic, beautiful, and powerful translation of scripture. Its literary eloquence is perhaps unsurpassed among English translations. On page 17 of A New Translation of Isaiah, I wrote the following subtitle in caps: “THIS NEW TRANSLATION DOES NOT REPLACE THE KING JAMES VERSION.” Why this subtitle and the paragraph that follows? Because I want to make it clear that my new translation is not designed to replace the King James Version. Rather, I want readers to consider my new translation, with its many helpful aids and resources, to be a study aid and a resource that is designed to help individuals better comprehend the writings of Isaiah. In fact, this new translation should not be considered authoritative, official, or even semiofficial in any way. It is merely a resource for students of Isaiah, no more and no less.

It is merely a resource for students of Isaiah, no more and no less.

Could you share an example of a verse in which your translation clarifies antiquated verbiage from a traditional KJV Bible?

The King James Version sets forth thousands of English archaic words, e.g., astonied, beseech, besom, cauls, mirth, mufflers, rereward, stomacher, tabret, tow, and wimples. The KJV also dispenses hundreds of archaic phrases and expressions, including the following: (note the modern translation in parentheses): “hardly bestead and hungry” (“distressed and hungry,” 8:21), “dimness of anguish” (“gloom of anguish,” 8:22), “bewray not him that wandereth” (“do not betray the fugitives,” 16:3), “for the extortioner is at an end, the spoiler ceaseth” (“when the oppressor exists no more, destruction ceases,” 16:4), “they prevented with their bread him that fled” (“bring bread to the fugitives,” 21:14), “bunches of camels” (“humps of camels,” 30:5), and “ear the ground” (“plow the ground,” 30:24). Such examples could be multiplied.

A King James Vocabulary Lesson

In my New Translation of Isaiah, I have avoided most archaisms that were used in Early Modern English. I have, however, retained many of the Hebraisms and Hebrew-like expressions to give readers a feel for the ancient Hebrew. These include the following: “and it came to pass,” the many “ands,” the construct form “House of the Lord” instead of “Lord’s House” (there are hundreds of these), idea-amplifying plurals, and other ancient idiomatic expressions that are derived from ancient Hebrew. Hebraisms and archaisms are two different concepts, and they should not be confused.

What are some of the ways that your New Translation of Isaiah is unique?

The New Translation of Isaiah is unique in several ways, including the following:

Providing titles for smaller literary units. To make this volume more manageable and Isaiah’s words easier to comprehend, I have divided Isaiah’s sixty-six chapters into scores of smaller literary units (which scholars call pericopes). I have provided titles for each of these smaller literary units. For example, I have labeled Isaiah 2:6–9 as “Isaiah’s Address (Prayer) to the LORD”; Isaiah 3:1–12 as “Woe to the Wicked! Hope for the Righteous!”; and Isaiah 5:1–7 as “The Song of the Vineyard.”
Formatted Two-Lined Parallelisms. So that readers can easily recognize Isaiah’s poetry, I have formatted approximately 1,000 instances of poetic parallelisms into two-lined units.
Pronouns that Refer to God. I have capitalized all pronouns that refer to God (Me, My, You, Your, He, Him) in order to (a) reverence Him with the highest regard, by separating Him from all other characters in the text, and (b) to help the reader know when God is the speaker, thus making the text easier to comprehend.
Multiple “Speakers” in the Book of Isaiah. In the book of Isaiah, many different speakers, or individuals, express words. Time after time, Isaiah (as God’s prophet, spokesman, and messenger) served as the speaker, narrator, and relater of history (see, for example, Isaiah 36–39); Isaiah also had the important role of introducing other speakers. In the New Translation of Isaiah, I offer suggestions (throughout this new translation in the left-hand column, in bold letters) regarding who the speakers are, but my suggestions are tentative and provisional, because we are not always certain who the speaker is.
Readings from the Joseph Smith Translation and Book of Mormon. There are dozens of variant readings of Isaiah in the Joseph Smith Translation and Book of Mormon. Major readings (and many minor readings) are incorporated into this volume. I have utilized brackets ([ ]) to indicate readings from the JST and Book of Mormon.

Robert Alter has noted that “hesed” is a tricky word to translate. How did you approach that word in Isaiah?

The Hebrew term “hesed,” which occurs some 250 times in the Hebrew Bible, is one of five different Hebrew terms that denote “love”; hence some translations render hesed as “loving kindness,” “steadfast love,” or they often employ similar terms. In the Hebrew Bible, hesed refers to an individual’s love for one another, as the following two examples demonstrate:

Absalom said to Hushai, “Is this your [hesed] steadfast love to your friend?” (2 Sam. 16:17)
Abraham to Sarah: “This is your [hesed] steadfast love which you will show me” (Gen. 20:13)

Hesed also refers to God’s love for people. When translating Hebrew words into the English language, it is vital to utilize the resources of lexicographers; with this in mind, note that the Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (pages 338-339), presents the following five categories of God’s hesed “in condescending to the needs of his creatures”:

“in redemption from enemies and troubles” (Gen. 19:19, 39:21; Exod. 15:13; Jer. 31:3; Ezra 7:28, 9:9; Psalm 21:8, 31:17, 31:22, 32:10, 33:22, 36:8, 36:11, 42:9, 44:27, 48:10, 59:17, 66:20, 85:8, 90:14, 94:18, 107:8, 107:15, 107:21, 107:31, 143:8, 143:12; Job 37:13; Ruth 1:8, 2:20)
“in preservation of life from death” (Psalm 6:5, 86:13; Job 10:12)
“in quickening of spiritual life” (Psalm 109:26, 119:41, 119:76, 119:88, 119:124, 119:149, 119:159)
“in redemption from sin” (Psalm 25:7, 51:3)
“in keeping the covenants” with Abraham, Micah 7:20; with Moses and Israel, keepeth the covenant and the lovingkindness, Deut. 7:9, 7:12; 1 Kings 8:23 = 2 Chron. 6:14; Neh. 1:5, 9:32; Dan. 9:4; with David and his dynasty 2 Sam. 7:15 = 1 Chron. 17:13; 2 Sam. 22:51 = Psalm 18:51; 1 Kings 3:6 = 2 Chron. 1:8; Psalm 89:29, 89:34; with the wife Zion Isa. 54:10.

All five categories are significant, and all five provide understanding regarding how God demonstrates hesed to mortal beings.

What Is the Meaning of Hesed in the Bible?

For a New Translation of Isaiah, I chose to translate hesed as “loving kindness.” This English expression encapsulates the essence of this Hebrew term. Sometimes Isaiah used the plural form of hesed (as examples of plural amplification); in these instances, I used the plural “loving kindnesses,” as the following two examples demonstrate:

“I will make an everlasting covenant with you—the sure loving-kindnesses of David” (Isa. 55:3)
“I will recount the loving-kindnesses of the LORD” (Isa. 63:7)

I personally find it fascinating that the Hebrew term hesed (in its root form) is used in proper names, for the word “stork,” and as an adjective:

son of Hesed (“son of steadfast love”) proper name, an officer of Solomon (1 Kings 4:10)
Hasadiah (“Jehovah is Hesed/ steadfast love”) proper name, a son of Zerubbabel (1 Chron. 3:20)
hasidah חֲסִידָה stork (6 times in the Hebrew Bible); “so called as kind and affectionate to its young” (Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament, 339)
hasid חָסִיד adjective/noun) “pious, godly” (one who practices hesed)-refers to either the Lord or to humankind

The Book of Isaiah is famous for its complex poetic structures like chiasmus and parallelism. How does A New Translation of Isaiah visually restore these formats to make the prophecies easier to understand?

Most of Isaiah’s book is composed of ancient poetry, which consists of parallelisms and other blocks of scripture. Like numerous examples of modern poetry, Isaiah’s poetry displays qualities of beauty as well as a power to influence our emotions and sensibilities. In the book of Isaiah, there are about 1,100 parallelisms, including approximately one hundred instances of chiasmus, which is also a form of parallelism. Note that A New Translation of Isaiah presents more than one-hundred examples of chiasmus in an appendix. As we gain an appreciation of the concept of parallelism in Isaiah’s writings, we will better understand his message and prophecies.

To assist the reader in locating, identifying, and comprehending Isaiah’s difficult poetry, I have formatted his writings into two-lined parallelisms and, where applicable, three- or four-line parallelisms. Each parallelism is followed by a space. A New Translation of Isaiah Based on Ancient Scrolls and Texts does indeed visually lay out the poetic parallelisms, thus making Isaiah’s poetry more readable and understandable. Here are examples from Isaiah 1:2-5 (together with a section heading and the identification of the speakers, in bold, to the left of the verses):

Donald W. Parry Isaiah translation text layout of Isaiah 1 showing two-lined poetic parallelisms and bold speaker markers. — Poetic parallelisms and speaker markers in *A New Translation of Isaiah* demonstrating Donald Parry’s unique layout.

Understanding the Prophetic Message and Legacy of Isaiah

— Donald W. Parry explains how his new translation serves as a study aid to clarify the dozens of Old Testament citations and allusions used by New Testament figures, ultimately illuminating how ancient figures understood Isaiah’s prophecies of Jesus Christ.

Isaiah’s prophecies are heavily quoted by Jesus Christ and New Testament authors. How does a clearer translation enhance our understanding of Jesus Christ and the New Testament?

Six New Testament individuals—Jesus Christ, John the Baptist, Matthew, Luke, John, and Paul—utilized twenty-one explicit citation formulas when they quoted Isaiah. The formulas include: “that was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah, saying” (Matt. 3:3; 4:14; 8:17; 12:17); “the prophecy of Isaiah” (Matt. 13:14); “well did Isaiah prophesy of you, saying” (Matt. 15:7; Mark 7:6); “Isaiah said” (John 12:39, 41; Rom. 9:29; 10:16; 15:12); “Well spake the Holy Ghost by Isaiah the prophet” (Acts 28:25), plus others. In addition to the explicit citation formulas, there are dozens of allusions to Isaiah’s words in the New Testament.

The import of explicit quotation formulas cannot be understated—they are significant because they clearly and plainly name the source of the quotation; the cited words from Isaiah are also significant, because they provide us with an understanding of how the six individuals understood the passage from Isaiah. A New Translation of Isaiah, when used as a study aid, helps us to understand both explicit citation formulas as well as the allusions of Isaiah’s text. Examples include Matthew 4:14–15, citing Isaiah 9:1–2; Romans 9:27, citing Isaiah 10:22–23; Matthew 12:17–20, citing Isaiah 42:1–3; and Acts 8:28, citing Isaiah 53:7–8.

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About the Scholar

Dr. Donald W. Parry is a professor of Hebrew Bible and Dead Sea Scrolls at Brigham Young University, where he holds the Abraham O. Smoot Endowed Professorship. His academic specialization centers on Old Testament textual criticism, ancient Near Eastern languages, and the translation of ancient prophetic literature. Dr. Parry’s extensive publication record features over forty books, including The Dead Sea Scrolls Reader and Exploring the Isaiah Scrolls. His institutional credibility is anchored by his role on the Board of Trustees for the Dead Sea Scrolls Foundation and his tenure on the International Team of Translators of the Dead Sea Scrolls since 1994. This archival expertise provides the foundational authority behind the Donald W. Parry Isaiah Translation, uniquely positioning him to analyze the intersection of ancient biblical manuscripts and restoration scripture.