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Isaiah 60

KJV · Chapter 60/66

1Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee.

2For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the Lord shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee.

3And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising.

4Lift up thine eyes round about, and see: all they gather themselves together, they come to thee: thy sons shall come from far, and thy daughters shall be nursed at thy side.

5Then thou shalt see, and flow together, and thine heart shall fear, and be enlarged; because the abundance of the sea shall be converted unto thee, the forces of the Gentiles shall come unto thee.

6The multitude of camels shall cover thee, the dromedaries of Midian and Ephah; all they from Sheba shall come: they shall bring gold and incense; and they shall shew forth the praises of the Lord.

7All 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.

8Who are these that fly as a cloud, and as the doves to their windows?

9Surely 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, unto the name of the Lord thy God, and to the Holy One of Israel, because he hath glorified thee.

10And the sons of strangers shall build up thy walls, and their kings shall minister unto thee: for in my wrath I smote thee, but in my favour have I had mercy on thee.

11Therefore thy gates shall be open continually; they shall not be shut day nor night; that men may bring unto thee the forces of the Gentiles, and that their kings may be brought.

12For the nation and kingdom that will not serve thee shall perish; yea, those nations shall be utterly wasted.

13The glory of Lebanon shall come unto thee, the fir tree, the pine tree, and the box together, to beautify the place of my sanctuary; and I will make the place of my feet glorious.

14The sons also 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 the Lord, The Zion of the Holy One of Israel.

15Whereas thou hast been forsaken and hated, so that no man went through thee, I will make thee an eternal excellency, a joy of many generations.

16Thou shalt also suck the milk of the Gentiles, and shalt suck the breast of kings: and thou shalt know that I the Lord am thy Saviour and thy Redeemer, the mighty One of Jacob.

17For 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.

18Violence shall no more be heard in thy land, wasting nor destruction within thy borders; but thou shalt call thy walls Salvation, and thy gates Praise.

19The sun shall be no more thy light by day; neither for brightness shall the moon give light unto thee: but the Lord shall be unto thee an everlasting light, and thy God thy glory.

20Thy sun shall no more go down; neither shall thy moon withdraw itself: for the Lord shall be thine everlasting light, and the days of thy mourning shall be ended.

21Thy 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.

22A little one shall become a thousand, and a small one a strong nation: I the Lord will hasten it in his time.

📖 Chapter study

Summary

A chapter of pure celebration: 'arise, shine, for thy light is come.' Jerusalem will be flooded with the wealth of all nations, her walls will be called 'Salvation' and her gates 'Praise,' and she will never again need the sun, for the Lord himself will be her everlasting light.

Explanation

This chapter forms a vivid and intentional contrast with the darkness described in the previous chapter: after the acknowledgment of sin (ch. 59) comes the promise of fully restored glory. The image of camels bringing gold and incense from Sheba and Midian foreshadows themes the Gospels later echo in the visit of the magi to Jesus (Matthew 2:11), offering gold and incense to the "newborn king." The declaration "the LORD shall be thine everlasting light... the days of thy mourning shall be ended" is quoted almost word for word in Revelation 21:23-25 in the description of the New Jerusalem, showing how this prophetic vision shaped the final Christian hope of eternity. The practical application today is that, however dark present times may seem, the biblical promise of complete restoration and permanent light is a legitimate source of lasting hope.

Fun facts

  • The scene of camels bringing "gold and incense" from distant lands (v.6) is seen by many scholars as direct background for the visit of the magi from the east to Jesus, recorded in Matthew 2, who brought gold, incense, and myrrh.
  • The phrase "the LORD shall be unto thee an everlasting light" is quoted almost word for word in Revelation 21:23 and 22:5 in the description of the eternal New Jerusalem, one of the most direct connections between the Old Testament and the final vision of the book of Revelation.

Verse-by-verse explanation

  1. Isaiah 60:1The call to arise and shine opens a sequence of chapters filled with hope, contrasting with the darkness of the previous chapter. The light dawning over Jerusalem signals that the time of exile and humiliation is over.
  2. Isaiah 60:2“The darkness shall cover the earth” describes the condition of the other nations, while Jerusalem receives a special light; the contrast between general darkness and local brightness drives the image that opens the chapter.
  3. Isaiah 60:3Nations walking by Jerusalem’s light and kings drawn by her brightness reverse the power dynamic of the exile: instead of Judah serving empires, it is now the empires that orient themselves by the restored city.
  4. Isaiah 60:4Lifting up your eyes and seeing sons and daughters returning from afar repeats the return-from-exile image already used in other chapters, here paired with the image of Jerusalem as a mother receiving her family back.
  5. Isaiah 60:5“Thine heart shall fear, and be enlarged” describes a physical reaction of positive astonishment, and “the abundance of the sea” and “the forces of the Gentiles” point to international trade turning toward the restored city.
  6. Isaiah 60:6Camels carrying gold and incense from Midian, Ephah, and Sheba describe real Arabian trade routes of that era. The image of foreign wealth arriving in Jerusalem marks the turn from a devastated city into a center that draws the world.
  7. Isaiah 60:7Kedar and Nebaioth were Arab tribes known for their flocks of sheep; their arrival at Jerusalem’s altar describes once-distant nations voluntarily joining the city’s worship.
  8. Isaiah 60:8The question about who flies “as a cloud” and “as the doves” describes ships or caravans approaching in great numbers, a visual image of crowds converging on the city seen from a distance.
  9. Isaiah 60:9Ships of Tarshish, a sea route associated with distant trade, appear bringing back sons, silver, and gold, a scene that combines the return of the exiles with material wealth arriving by the same route.
  10. Isaiah 60:10Foreigners’ children rebuilding the city’s walls recalls the actual historical process of rebuilding Jerusalem after the exile, though here described in broader, more voluntary terms.
  11. Isaiah 60:11Gates always open, day and night, contrast with the normal practice of walled cities in antiquity, which shut their gates at night for security; here, the constant openness symbolizes guaranteed peace and commercial flow.
  12. Isaiah 60:12The threat that nations who do not serve will perish is the one harsher warning amid so many promises of blessing in this chapter, reinforcing that submission to this new order is not optional.
  13. Isaiah 60:13The fine timber of Lebanon, already mentioned elsewhere in the book, is destined here to adorn the sanctuary, once again linking foreign wealth to the restored worship in Jerusalem.
  14. Isaiah 60:14The children of former oppressors bowing down and calling the city “The Zion of the Holy One of Israel” describes public acknowledgment, from those who once humiliated the people, of the city’s new position of honor.
  15. Isaiah 60:15Contrasting the past abandonment, when “no man went through thee,” with a future “eternal excellency” sums up the pattern of total reversal running through these closing chapters of the book.
  16. Isaiah 60:16“Thou shalt also suck the milk of the Gentiles” and “the breast of kings” are bold images of sustenance coming from powerful sources, adapting the maternal language already used for Jerusalem to also describe provision coming from outside.
  17. Isaiah 60:17Trading common metals for noble ones, brass for gold, iron for silver, describes a general upgrade of everything connected to the city, including even its own officials, now described as peaceful and righteous.
  18. Isaiah 60:18“Violence shall no more be heard” promises the definitive end of war and destruction, and calling the walls “Salvation” and the gates “Praise” gives symbolic names to the city’s own structures, a practice that reappears in chapter 62.
  19. Isaiah 60:19Saying the sun will no longer be needed to give light isn’t about astronomy: it’s a poetic way of saying God’s presence will be so constant that not even the natural cycle of day and night will matter.
  20. Isaiah 60:20“Thy sun shall no more go down” isn’t about astronomy, but about God’s constant presence replacing any need for natural light, and the end of mourning reinforces the end of any reason for sadness.
  21. Isaiah 60:21“The branch of my planting” repeats the agricultural growth image used elsewhere in the book, here applied to the whole people, described as righteous and permanently in possession of the land.
  22. Isaiah 60:22“A little one shall become a thousand” describes explosive population growth, and the guarantee that God will “hasten” it at the right time answers any doubt about when this promise will be fulfilled.

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