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The Prophets · Old Testament

Isaiah 60

Isaiah 60: arise, shine, for thy light is come

General context

A feminine figure is told to arise and shine because her light has come and the Lord's glory has risen on her. Darkness covers the earth and its peoples, but the Lord rises on her, and Gentiles and kings come to her light. Her sons come from far and her daughters are nursed at her side, and the forces of the Gentiles come to her. Camels from Midian and Ephah and people from Sheba bring gold and incense; the flocks of Kedar and rams of Nebaioth come up on the Lord's altar. A question asks who these are that fly like doves to their windows; the ships of Tarshish bring her sons from far with silver and gold. Sons of strangers will build her walls and their kings serve her, for the Lord smote her in wrath but shows mercy in favour. Her gates stay open day and night, and the nation that will not serve her will perish. Lebanon's trees will beautify the sanctuary. The sons of her afflicters will come bending, and those who despised her will bow at her feet and call her The city of the Lord, The Zion of the Holy One of Israel. Once forsaken and hated, she will be an eternal excellency and will know the Lord as her Saviour. Gold replaces brass and silver iron; her officers will be peace and her exactors righteousness. Violence and destruction will no longer be heard in her land; her walls will be called Salvation and her gates Praise. The Lord, not the sun or moon, will be her everlasting light, and her mourning will end. Her people will all be righteous, a little one will become a thousand, and the Lord will hasten it in his time.

Cited passages: Isaiah 60:1, Isaiah 60:2, Isaiah 60:3, Isaiah 60:4, Isaiah 60:5, Isaiah 60:6, Isaiah 60:7, Isaiah 60:8, Isaiah 60:9, Isaiah 60:10, Isaiah 60:11, Isaiah 60:12, Isaiah 60:13, Isaiah 60:14, Isaiah 60:15, Isaiah 60:16, Isaiah 60:17, Isaiah 60:18, Isaiah 60:19, Isaiah 60:20, Isaiah 60:21, Isaiah 60:22

Isaiah 60 (KJV)

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.

This page shows the King James Version. In the app, reading opens in the Berean Standard Bible unless you have chosen another translation. The reader includes five translations: the Berean Standard Bible (BSB), the King James Version (KJV), the World English Bible (WEB), the Bible in Basic English (BBE), and the American Standard Version (ASV). Search covers three of them: Berean Standard, King James, and World English. Basic English and American Standard readers search the King James words.

Historical context

The one addressed is a feminine thou with sons, daughters, walls, gates, land and borders, and the chapter withholds her name until verse 14, where those who despised her will call her The city of the Lord, The Zion of the Holy One of Israel. The speaker is the Lord, who says in my wrath I smote thee and my sanctuary, my altar, the place of my feet. Several peoples and places are named as bringers of goods: Midian, Ephah and Sheba with camels, gold and incense; Kedar and Nebaioth with flocks and rams; Tarshish with ships; Lebanon with trees. The text describes what they bring and does not locate them or explain who they are. The Gentiles and their kings are said to come, serve, build walls and be led, and the text also states plainly that the nation and kingdom that will not serve her will perish and be utterly wasted. The chapter states that she was forsaken and hated with no one passing through her, and that the Lord himself smote her, without narrating when or how. No date or ruler is given. The promise of a light that replaces sun and moon is stated as the Lord being her everlasting light, and the closing line leaves the timing with the Lord, in his time.

Cited passages: Isaiah 60:14, Isaiah 60:10, Isaiah 60:13, Isaiah 60:6, Isaiah 60:7, Isaiah 60:9, Isaiah 60:11, Isaiah 60:12, Isaiah 60:15, Isaiah 60:19, Isaiah 60:22

Literary context

The chapter is framed by light. It opens with arise, shine and thy light is come, sets that light against gross darkness over the peoples, and closes by retiring the sun and moon in favour of the Lord as an everlasting light. Between the two, the movement is inward: everything comes to her, sons and daughters, camels, flocks, ships, trees, kings, and the verbs are come, gather, bring, minister, build, bow. The question who are these that fly as a cloud, and as the doves to their windows breaks the list to register wonder, and answers itself with ships. Reversals are stated as pairs: smitten in wrath, shown mercy in favour; forsaken and hated, an eternal excellency; the sons of afflicters bending, the despisers bowing. Verse 17 replaces four materials with better ones and then replaces officers with peace and exactors with righteousness, so that the substitution moves from metal to government. Her walls and gates, mentioned as built and open, are finally renamed Salvation and Praise. The last verse compresses the whole chapter into a little one becoming a thousand. The exultation follows directly on the confession and armour of chapter 59, and its command to arise picks up the awake, awake of earlier chapters.

Cited passages: Isaiah 60:1, Isaiah 60:2, Isaiah 60:19, Isaiah 60:4, Isaiah 60:8, Isaiah 60:9, Isaiah 60:10, Isaiah 60:15, Isaiah 60:14, Isaiah 60:17, Isaiah 60:18, Isaiah 60:22, Isaiah 59:17, Isaiah 52:1

Key moments

  1. Arise, shine (Isaiah 60:1). The city is told to rise because her light has come and the Lord's glory is on her.
  2. Gentiles come to the light (Isaiah 60:3). Nations and kings are drawn to the brightness of her rising.
  3. Camels of Midian, gold of Sheba (Isaiah 60:6). Caravans arrive bringing gold and incense and praising the Lord.
  4. Gates open day and night (Isaiah 60:11). The gates stay open so the wealth and kings of the nations can be brought in.
  5. Called the city of the Lord (Isaiah 60:14). Those who despised her bow at her feet and name her the Zion of the Holy One of Israel.
  6. Walls named Salvation, gates Praise (Isaiah 60:18). Violence ends in her land and her walls and gates receive new names.
  7. The Lord an everlasting light (Isaiah 60:19). Sun and moon give way to the Lord as her light, and her mourning ends.

For reflection

The city's officers are to be peace and her exactors righteousness, and violence will no longer be heard in her land. What would a community look like in which the people who collect and enforce were themselves the guarantee of peace, and what stands in the way of that now?

People in this chapter

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