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Isaiah 60

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Arise, Shine 1–3

1
Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of Jehovah is risen upon thee. ​
2
For, behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the peoples; but Jehovah will arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee. ​
3
And nations shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising. ​

The Ingathering of Exiles and Nations 4–9

4
Lift up thine eyes round about, and see: they all gather themselves together, they come to thee; thy sons shall come from far, and thy daughters shall be carried in the arms. ​
5
Then thou shalt see and be radiant, and thy heart shall thrill and be enlarged; because the abundance of the sea shall be turned unto thee, the wealth of the nations shall come unto thee. ​
6
The multitude of camels shall cover thee, the dromedaries of Midian and Ephah; all they from Sheba shall come; they shall bring gold and frankincense, and shall proclaim the praises of Jehovah. ​
7
All the flocks of Kedar shall be gathered together unto thee, the rams of Nebaioth shall minister unto thee; they shall come up with acceptance on mine altar; and I will glorify the house of my glory. ​
8
Who are these that fly as a cloud, and as the doves to their windows?
9
Surely the isles shall wait for me, and the ships of Tarshish first, to bring thy sons from far, their silver and their gold with them, for the name of Jehovah thy God, and for the Holy One of Israel, because he hath glorified thee. ​

Nations Serve and Rebuild Zion 10–14

10
And foreigners shall build up thy walls, and their kings shall minister unto thee: for in my wrath I smote thee, but in my favor have I had mercy on thee. ​
11
Thy gates also shall be open continually; they shall not be shut day nor night; that men may bring unto thee the wealth of the nations, and their kings led captive. ​
12
For that nation and kingdom that will not serve thee shall perish; yea, those nations shall be utterly wasted. ​
13
The glory of Lebanon shall come unto thee, the fir-tree, the pine, and the box-tree together, to beautify the place of my sanctuary; and I will make the place of my feet glorious. ​
14
And the sons of them that afflicted thee shall come bending unto thee; and all they that despised thee shall bow themselves down at the soles of thy feet; and they shall call thee The city of Jehovah, The Zion of the Holy One of Israel. ​

Eternal Transformation and Divine Light 15–22

15
Whereas thou hast been forsaken and hated, so that no man passed through thee, I will make thee an eternal excellency, a joy of many generations. ​
16
Thou shalt also suck the milk of the nations, and shalt suck the breast of kings; and thou shalt know that I, Jehovah, am thy Saviour, and thy Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob. ​
17
For brass I will bring gold, and for iron I will bring silver, and for wood brass, and for stones iron. I will also make thy officers peace, and thine exactors righteousness. ​
18
Violence shall no more be heard in thy land, desolation nor destruction within thy borders; but thou shalt call thy walls Salvation, and thy gates Praise. ​
19
The sun shall be no more thy light by day; neither for brightness shall the moon give light unto thee: but Jehovah will be unto thee an everlasting light, and thy God thy glory. ​
20
Thy sun shall no more go down, neither shall thy moon withdraw itself; for Jehovah will be thine everlasting light, and the days of thy mourning shall be ended.
21
Thy people also shall be all righteous; they shall inherit the land for ever, the branch of my planting, the work of my hands, that I may be glorified. ​
22
The little one shall become a thousand, and the small one a strong nation; I, Jehovah, will hasten it in its time. ​

Bible text: American Standard Version (1901) · Public domain

Study Notes for Isaiah 60

Verse 1

thy light is come — The light waited for in 59:9, 'we wait for light', now arrives. 'Is risen' is zarach, the verb of 'thy light rise in obscurity' (Isa 58:10), and 'glory' is the LORD's own. Christ says, 'I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness' (John 8:12).

Verse 2

gross darkness the people — Arafel, thick darkness, the word for the cloud 'where God was' at Sinai (Ex 20:21). It covers the nations while the LORD 'shall arise' (zarach) on Zion. The line recalls 'The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light' (Isa 9:2), which Matthew applies to Christ in Galilee (Matt 4:16).

Verse 3

the Gentiles shall come to thy light — 'Gentiles' is goyim, the nations, drawn by the light and the 'brightness' (nogah; its feminine form negohah is the 'brightness' of Isa 59:9) of Zion's 'rising'. Simeon calls Christ 'A light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel' (Luke 2:32), and Rev 21:24 says the nations 'shall walk in the light of it'.

Verse 4

Lift up thine eyes round about — The words of Isa 49:18, 'Lift up thine eyes round about, and behold: all these gather themselves together, and come to thee', where Zion asked 'Who hath begotten me these?' (Isa 49:21). 'Nursed' is aman, to support or foster; 'at thy side' recalls 'ye shall be borne upon her sides' (Isa 66:12).

Verse 5

flow together — Nahar, to flow like a river, the verb of 'all nations shall flow unto it' (Isa 2:2). 'Thine heart shall fear' (pachad, to tremble) 'and be enlarged' (rachav, made wide). 'Forces' is chayil, which means wealth as well as strength, so what comes to Zion is both people and treasure, as v.6 describes.

Verse 6

they shall bring gold and incense — Midian is a son of Abraham by Keturah, and Ephah a son of Midian (Gen 25:2–4). 'Incense' is levonah, frankincense, which the wise men brought with 'gold' (Matt 2:11); 'the kings of Sheba and Seba shall offer gifts' (Ps 72:10). The gifts end in 'the praises of the LORD'.

Verse 7

the rams of Nebaioth shall minister unto thee — Nebaioth and Kedar are sons of Ishmael (Gen 25:13). 'Minister' is sharat, the priests' word, as in Isa 56:6, and 'come up with acceptance on mine altar' repeats 'accepted upon mine altar' (Isa 56:7). 'Glorify' (pa'ar) is the verb of Isa 55:5.

Verse 9

the isles shall wait for me — Qavah, to wait in expectation, the verb of 'we wait for light' (Isa 59:9) and of 'the isles shall wait upon me' (Isa 51:5). The 'ships of Tarshish' are those that brought 'gold, and silver' to Solomon (1 Kgs 10:22). 'Because he hath glorified thee' repeats Isa 55:5.

Verse 10

the sons of strangers shall build up thy walls — The 'sons of the stranger' who 'join themselves to the LORD' in Isa 56:6 now build, and their kings 'minister' (sharat, v.7). 'Favour' is ratson, acceptance (v.7). The reversal is the one in Isa 54:8: 'In a little wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment; but with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee'.

Verse 11

thy gates shall be open continually — Rev 21:25 says the same of the new Jerusalem: 'the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day: for there shall be no night there', and v.26 adds, 'they shall bring the glory and honour of the nations into it'. 'Forces' (chayil) is the wealth of v.5, and 'brought' (nahag) is led or driven.

Verse 12

will not serve thee shall perish — The service is the worship paid to the LORD in Zion: 'whoso will not come up of all the families of the earth unto Jerusalem to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, even upon them shall be no rain' (Zech 14:17). 'Utterly wasted' doubles the verb charab, to lay waste.

Verse 13

the glory of Lebanon — Lebanon's cedar and fir were what Hiram supplied for the first temple (1 Kgs 5:8). The fir, pine and box are the three the LORD sets together 'in the desert' in Isa 41:19. 'The place of my feet' is the footstool of the ark (Ps 132:7; 1 Chr 28:2).

Verse 14

The city of the LORD, The Zion of the Holy One of Israel — The names are given by those who once despised her. 'Bow themselves down' is shachah, to bow in homage; Christ promises the church in Philadelphia, 'I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee' (Rev 3:9). See Heb 12:22.

Verse 15

forsaken and hated — Azab, forsaken, is the verb of Zion's complaint, 'The LORD hath forsaken me' (Isa 49:14), and the answer is 'Thou shalt no more be termed Forsaken' (Isa 62:4). 'Excellency' is ga'on, majesty, the word of 'the excellency of Jacob whom he loved' (Ps 47:4); 'many generations' is literally 'generation and generation'.

Verse 16

suck the milk of the Gentiles — The picture of nursing is that of Isa 49:23, 'kings shall be thy nursing fathers', and Isa 66:11, 'suck, and be satisfied with the breasts of her consolations'. The closing title is the one in Isa 49:26, 'thy Saviour and thy Redeemer, the mighty One of Jacob'; go'el is the Redeemer of Isa 59:20.

Verse 17

thine exactors righteousness — Nagas is the verb of the 'taskmasters' of Egypt (Ex 3:7) and of 'exact all your labours' (Isa 58:3); here the drivers themselves are righteousness. 'Officers' (pequddah) are those set in oversight. The rulers are restored 'as at the first' (Isa 1:26).

Verse 18

thy walls Salvation, and thy gates Praise — 'Salvation will God appoint for walls and bulwarks' (Isa 26:1). 'Praise' is tehillah, the word of 'the praises of the LORD' in v.6. 'Violence' (chamas) is what was 'in their hands' in Isa 59:6; here it is no more heard in the land.

Verse 19

an everlasting light — 'Glory' is tiph'ereth, beauty, the word of 'the house of my glory' in v.7. Rev 21:23 gives the same: 'the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it'. See Ps 36:9, 'in thy light shall we see light'.

Verse 21

the branch of my planting — Netser, a shoot, the word of 'a Branch shall grow out of his roots' (Isa 11:1). The people are the LORD's planting: 'trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified' (Isa 61:3). 'All righteous' is tsaddiqim; they inherit the land as the meek do in Ps 37:11.

Verse 22

A little one shall become a thousand — The smallest is made a nation, as Abraham, called 'alone', was 'increased' (Isa 51:2). 'Hasten' is chush, to make speed, said of the LORD, who yet keeps to 'his time' ('eth); compare 'though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry' (Hab 2:3).