Today, I'll focus on the symbols contained in this verse:
8 And an highway shall be there, and a way, and it shall be called The way of holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it; but it shall be for those: the wayfaring men, though fools, shall not err therein. (Isaiah 35)
I had a hard time understanding these words, so I went to the Hebrew and looked into the roots of the words that I colored above. Here is what I found:
Highway: This comes from the Hebrew word 'maslul' (a highway) which only appears once in the whole bible, in this verse. This root originates from another root 'salal' (to lift up, cast up) which indicates to me that a 'maslul' is a special type of way -- raised up and made straight.
a way: This comes from a much more commonly used root 'derek' (way, road, distance, journey, manner).
The way of holiness: this phrase is translated from two roots, the first is 'derek' and the second is 'qodesh' (apartness, sacredness).
So in this verse we have two unique names for this "derek", both of which have clear connection to covenant/Temple. Here is how the Expanded Bible renders the verse:
A road (derek) will be there;
this highway (maslul) will be called “The ·Road to Being Holy [L Way/Highway of Holiness].” (derek haqqodes)
·Evil people [The unclean; C ritually] will not be allowed to walk on that road;
only good people [C those who walk in the Way of Holiness] will walk on it.
No fools [C the morally corrupt who disregard God] will go on it. (source)
Taking the time to study these roots opens up meaning in other scriptures which make reference to "the highway," including Isaiah passages from the Book of Mormon that talk about the latter-day gathering of Israel. It now seems abundantly clear to me that this highway -- "the Road to Being Holy" -- is found in our covenants and the temple.
In the next post we'll look at more of these highway verses in Isaiah and find related symbols and their meaning.