In Hebrew the word holy "has the root meaning of temple...The group becomes holy because of the cleansing/purging process identified by Isaiah as the 'spirit of judgment' and the spirit of burning' (4:4)" (Parry, 1998 p. 48). Much of this chapter according to Parry (p. 48-49) is about the cleansing process of the temple and how the temple in the latter-days is a place of spiritual safety and refuge. The atonement is also significant in this chapter. "The filth of the children of Israel will be washed away by the ordinance of baptism and cleansed by the blood of Jesus, a process in which the Holy Ghost plays a prominent role. Joseph Smith taught that 'as the Holy Ghost falls upon one of the literal seed of Abraham, it is calm and serene; and his whole soul and body are only exercised by the spirit of intelligence; while the effect of the Holy Ghost upon a gentile, is to purge out the old blood, and make him actually of the seed of Abraham'...Jesus blood is able to purge and cleanse our souls from iniquity because of Jesus' innocence, sinlessness, and perfection."
Parry, D., Parry, J., Peterson, T. (1998) Understanding Isaiah. Salt Lake City, UT, Deseret Book Company.
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