As we continue reading through Nephi’s quotations of Isaiah, we reach a point in 2 Nephi 19 where we see a common refrain:

“For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still.”

These words come in the context of the Lord ’s anger at Israel’s arrogance, and often comes at the tail end of a stanza that describes the plagues, calamities and judgments that will befall an unrepentant Israel. Yet the words are often interpreted as “even though God is angry, his hand of mercy is still extended to Israel.” We see this interpretation in the CES Book of Mormon student manual:

“Isaiah prophesied that Israel would refuse to heed the Lord. Yet, in spite of Israel’s rejection of the Lord, ‘his hand is stretched out still’” (Link)

While the scriptures make amply clear that God’s mercy is accessible to even the vilest of sinners, there is substantial reason to doubt that this is the message of this “hand is stretched out still” chorus.

The Book of Mormon’s original source text is unavailable, but we are able to consult Hebrew texts when dealing with some of the brass plate passages that have survived through the Bible. Nephi’s Isaiah quotation in this instance can be found in Isaiah 9, specifically verse 21.

The King James version is identical to the Book of Mormon rendering:

“For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still.”

We do indeed have the original Hebrew text that this is translated from, which reads:

“וְהָעָ֥ם לֹא־שָׁ֖ב עַד־הַמַּכֵּ֑הוּ וְאֶת־יְהוָ֥ה צְבָאֹ֖ות לֹ֥א דָרָֽשׁוּ׃”

Unfortunately, most people don’t speak Hebrew, making these original texts fairly useless. However, if we consider that the KJV is not the only English translation derived directly from Hebrew, we can look at alternative translations that also consulted the original Hebrew in their making. Let’s sample Isaiah 9:21 through the lens of a variety of translations, and see if helps illuminate the actual meaning of the original.

The Message Bible

“But even after that, he was still angry,his fist still raised, ready to hit them again.”

New Living Translation

“But even then the Lord’s anger will not be satisfied. His fist is still poised to strike.”

Contemporary English Version

“But even this did not stop him from being angry, so he kept on punishing them.”

Holman Christian Standard Bible

“In all this, His anger is not removed, and His hand is still raised to strike.”

New International Reader’s Version

“Even then, the Lord is still angry. His hand is still raised against them.”

New International Version

“Yet for all this, his anger is not turned away, his hand is still upraised.”

Additional translation comparisons are available here.

Given that these translations all looked to the original Hebrew for their meaning, it seems very doubtful that Isaiah penned this as a message of mercy towards Israel. Again, merciful themes are expressed in multitudes of other passages, but this “hand is stretched out still” reference appears to actually be an articulation of God’s continued displeasure with Israel’s rebellion.