1 ^aLISTEN, O isles, unto me; and hearken, [ Hebrew "Shema" is translated here as hearken which means to "listen" and "obey". ] , ye people, from far; The LORD hath called me [ Israel, Cyrus, the Messiah, Joseph Smith all ful this prophecy] from the womb; [ represented as the child since it is in the womb , were called from birth to fulfill the Lord’s work in the last days; see also Jeremiah 1:5.] from the bowels of my mother hath he made mention of my name.

BofM
And again, Hearken, O ye house of Israel, all ye that are driven out, because of the wickedness of the pastors of my people; yea, all ye that are broken off, that are scattered abroad, who are of my people, O house of Israel.Listen, O isles, unto me; and hearken, ye people, from far; The Lord hath called me from the womb; from the bowels of my mother hath he made mention of my name. See 1 Ne. 22:1-5 and 2 Ne. 10:20-22 from Nephi's and Jacob's comments on those who are scattered upon the isles of the sea.

2 And he hath made my mouth [ a voice, spokesman, messenger, compare 6:7, Jer. 1:9 ] like a sharp sword; [ sharp indicates truth, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, it divides between two, sharp knives cut smoother and faster with less force, so the power in essence is in the message not in the delivery. The Israel spoken of here posses the word of God to give to the nations of the earth (see Ephesians 6:17; Revelation 1:16; 2:12; D&C 6:2; 33:1). ] in the shadow of his hand hath he hid me, [ Symbolic that the Lord has been protecting Israel cp. 4:6, 25:4, 31:5, 32:2 and Hosea 14:7. This is clarified in the Doctrine and Covenants, where the Lord declares that the priesthood holders of this last dispensation are ‘lawful heirs, according to the flesh, and have been hid from the world with Christ in God’ (D&C 86:8–9).] and made me a polished shaft; [a polished shaft of an arrow will allow the arrow to travel faster, it is also balanced so that it will travel straight. It will hit it's target. The best arrows are reserved for the best shots -the most important shots, the kill shots.

“The ‘polished shaft’ hidden in the Lord’s quiver may be a direct reference to Joseph Smith. As the ‘choice seer’ of the latter day, he was to be the Lord’s servant in a special sense (see 2 Nephi 3:6; 3 Nephi 21:10).The Prophet Joseph’s description of himself is interesting in this light: “‘I am like a huge, rough stone rolling down from a high mountain; and the only polishing I get is when some corner gets rubbed off by coming in contact with something else, striking with accelerated force against religious bigotry, priestcraft, lawyer-craft, doctor-craft, lying editors, suborned judges and jurors, and the authority of perjured executives, backed by mobs, blasphemers, licentious and corrupt men and women—all hell knocking off a corner here and a corner there. Thus I will become a smooth and polished shaft in the quiver of the Almighty, who will give me dominion over all and every one of them, when their refuge of lies shall fail, and their hiding place shall be destroyed, while these smooth-polished stones with which I come in contact become marred.’ (TPJS, p. 304.)] in his quiver hath he hid me; [the Lord has choosen to hold this arrow back for later use. Indication that this arrow; this people have a special furture purpose. ]

3 And said unto me, [ Israel herself ] Thou art my servant, O Israel, [ the Lord has called Israel to perform a work as the Lords servant] in whom I will be glorified. [ How does the Lord get his glory? Moses 1:39 For behold, this is my work and my glory—to bring to pass the immortality and eternal elife of man.]

4 Then I said, I have laboured in vain, [ was not able to complete the assigned work - hence it was in vain. Israel could not save herself - there would need to be called someone else to save her - a Savior - who would atone for her sins and do what she could not! ] I have spent my strength for nought, and in vain: yet surely my judgment is with the LORD, [ so as with Israel her works will be judged by the Lord, and the decision is left to the Lord only; but just because she was not perfect she is not excused from the covenantal obligations that she has made with the Lord ] and my work with my God.

5 ¶ And now, saith the LORD that formed me from the womb to be his servant, to bring Jacob again to him, [ the servant has a mission from the Lord- to bring Jacob back to the Lord] Though Israel be not gathered, yet shall I be glorious in the eyes of the LORD, and my God shall be my strength.

6 And he said, It is a light thing that thou shouldest be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel: I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation unto the end of the earth. [ The Lord has asked his servants to raise up and restore the remnant of Israel and to be a light to the Gentiles. In this way we can help bring salvation to the ends of the earth; see also D&C 86:8–11. ]

7 Thus saith the LORD, the Redeemer of Israel, and his Holy One, to him whom man despiseth, to him whom the nation abhorreth, to a servant of rulers, Kings shall see and arise, princes also shall worship, because of the LORD that is faithful, and the Holy One of Israel, and he shall choose thee.

8 Thus saith the LORD, In an acceptable time have I heard thee, and in a day of salvation have I helped thee: and I will preserve thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, to establish the earth, to cause to inherit the desolate heritages;

9 That thou mayest say to the prisoners, Go forth; to them that are in darkness, Shew yourselves. They shall feed in the ways, and their pastures shall be in all high places.

10 They shall not hunger nor thirst; neither shall the heat nor sun smite them: for he that hath mercy on them shall lead them, even by the springs of water shall he guide them.

11 And I will make all my mountains a way, and my highways shall be exalted.

12 Behold, these shall come from far: and, lo, these from the north and from the west; and these from the land of Sinim.

13 ¶ Sing, O heavens; and be joyful, O earth; and break forth into singing, O mountains: for the LORD hath comforted his people, and will have mercy upon his afflicted.

14 But Zion said, The LORD hath forsaken me, and my Lord hath forgotten me.

15 Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee.

16 Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me.

17 Thy children [ In the latter days. ] shall make haste; [ Gain strength. ] thy [ Ancient. ] destroyers and they that made thee waste [ Anciently. ]  shall [ In the latter days. ] go forth of thee. [ Even a limited understanding of modern history and the present situation in the Middle East shows the literal fulfillment of this promise. Descendants of ancient powers which surround Israel today-Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt, Iran and Iraq (to name but a few)-respect Israel’s military might, even though they find it difficult to accept. And from whence has Israel’s might and power come? From a mighty Gentile father, even that nation among whom Isaiah prophesied the Lord would set up his “standard.” ]

18 ¶ Lift up thine eyes [ Look tp the heavens. Does this suggest that we will be able to see the great gathering of the ten tribes from looking to the sky? Or look up and see Israel coming to you in a miraculous way, one that will cause the kings to shut their mouths. ] round about, and behold: all these gather themselves together, [ As indicated in the chapter heading, "Israel shall be gathered in the last days." Isaiah 66:8. ] and come to thee. As I live, saith the LORD, thou shalt surely clothe thee with them all, [ Implies he has the power to care and provide for them. ] as with an ornament, and bind them on thee, as a bride doeth. [ In other words these will be your family and you will be sealed to these people. ]

19 For thy waste and thy desolate places, and the land of thy destruction, shall even now be too narrow by reason of the inhabitants, and they that swallowed thee up shall be far away.

20 The children which thou shalt have, after thou hast lost the other, shall say again in thine ears, The place is too strait for me: give place to me that I may dwell.

21 Then shalt thou say in thine heart, Who hath begotten me these, seeing I have lost my children, and am desolate, a captive, and removing to and fro? [ In other words something incredible will happen in the restoration of this final group(the ten tribes). ] and who hath brought up these? Behold, I was left alone; these, where had they been?

22 [ vs 22-23 Nephi, a Book of Mormon prophet, quoted these two verses of Isaiah to his people and then provided an inspired commentary on the meaning of this prophecy. (See 2 Ne. 6:4-15 ] Thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, I will lift up mine hand to the Gentiles, and set up my standard [ The word from which ensign was translated here is nês. Nês is translated multiple ways in the KJV. In Isaiah alone it’s translated 3 different ways as: ensign, banner, and standard. Verses from Isaiah that translate the word "nez" (Isaiah 5:26; 11:10,12; 13:2; 18:3; 30:17; 31:9; 49:22; and 62:10). Orson Pratt has explained the meaning of "my standard": "(The Standard is) the same as an ensign -- an ensign that is to be lifted up upon the mountains, upon a land afar off. It is the standard of the Almighty." (JD 16:85.) The restoration of the gospel. Brigham Young and Heber C Kimball went to ensign peak and symbollically raised the banner symbolic fulfillment of this prophecy. ] to the people: and they shall bring thy sons in their arms, and thy daughters shall be carried upon their shoulders. [ (2 Ne. 6:6) So what is the timing of this event? After the Lord has set forth his standard. The Lord’s standard has been variously interpreted to mean the Church, the Book of Mormon, the gospel, or as the Doctrine and Covenants puts it, the “everlasting covenant” (D&C 45:9). ]

23 And kings shall be thy nursing fathers, and their queens thy nursing mothers: they shall bow down to thee with their face toward the earth, and lick up the dust of thy feet; and thou shalt know that I am the LORD: for they shall not be ashamed that wait [ The Hebrew word for "wait" is “entwined”. Imagine two ropes being braided into each other, so that in the end, you don't know where one starts and the other one ends. Greek/Hebrew Definitions. Strong's #6960: qavah (pronounced kaw-vaw') a primitive root; to bind together (perhaps by twisting), i.e. collect; (figuratively) to expect:--gather (together), look, patiently, tarry, wait (for, on, upon). ] for me.

24 ¶ Shall the prey be taken from the mighty, or the lawful captive delivered?

25 But thus saith the LORD, Even the captives of the mighty shall be taken away, and the prey of the terrible shall be delivered: for I will contend with him that contendeth with thee, and I will save thy children. [ The Joseph Smith Translation adds the words in italics: "For the mighty God shall deliver his covenant people. For thus saith the Lord, I will contend with them." ]

26 And I will feed them that oppress thee with their own flesh; and they shall be drunken with their own blood, as with sweet wine: and all flesh shall know that I the LORD am thy Saviour and thy Redeemer, the mighty One of Jacob.