Isaiah 60

God calls Zion to rise and shine, because His glory has dawned on her while the world lies in darkness. The nations stream in with their wealth, her scattered children come home, and her old shame turns to everlasting joy. In the end the LORD Himself becomes her light, and His people are righteous and secure.

Isaiah 60:1

God speaks to His people as if they were lying down in gloom. He tells them to get up, because the light has already arrived. They do not make this light. It is the LORD’s own glory dawning on them, and they shine because it shines on them.

BSA: light (“divine presence”): The light is more than brightness; it is God Himself drawing near to His people. Arise (“stand up, be lifted”): God calls His people up from the dust of discouragement into the place where His light can fall on them.

Hebrew: קוּמִי (qumi, H6965) — “rise up, get up.” It is a feminine command, spoken to Zion as a woman. It is the call you would give to someone lying down in sorrow or sleep.

See also: John 8:12; Ephesians 5:14.

Isaiah 60:2

Isaiah does not pretend the world is bright. Darkness covers the earth, and it is deep. But against that night the LORD Himself rises over His people like a sun, and His glory can be seen on them.

BSA: darkness (“thick, spiritual gloom”): The darkness is not only the lack of light but the moral and spiritual blindness of the nations.

Isaiah 60:3

The light draws people. Nations and even kings are pictured walking toward the dawn that has risen on God’s people. They come because they see something they do not have, not because they are forced.

BSA: Nations (“Gentiles, people-groups”): The promise reaches beyond Israel to the non-Jewish peoples of the world.

See also: Revelation 21:24.

Isaiah 60:4

Zion is told to look up and see the crowds coming. Her scattered sons and daughters are returning from far-off lands. The daughters are carried on the arm, like small children held safely by someone who cares for them.

BSA: carried (“nursed, supported”): The word suggests the tender care of a nurse for a child, so the returning daughters are held with affection.

See also: Isaiah 49:22.

Isaiah 60:5

When Zion sees it, her face will light up. The heart that trembled in fear and sorrow now swells with joy. The wealth of the sea and the nations is turned toward her and brought in as an offering, not taken by conquest.

BSA: radiant (“shine, sparkle, flow together”): Her face shines like water sparkling in the sun as joy pours out. swell (“be enlarged, grow wide”): The heart is made wider, with room for more joy than it ever held.

Isaiah 60:6

Isaiah pictures camel trains from the desert lands of Midian, Ephah and Sheba, so many that they cover the land. They bring gold and frankincense, which are costly gifts for worship. Best of all, they proclaim the LORD’s praises as they come.

BSA: frankincense (“a white resin, used for incense”): This is a gift for worship, so the visitors come as worshipers rather than as traders.

See also: Matthew 2:11; Psalm 72:10-11.

Isaiah 60:7

The flocks of Kedar and Nebaioth, Arabian tribes descended from Ishmael, are brought as sacrifices. God says He will accept them on His altar. Even peoples once outside the covenant are welcomed to worship, and the LORD makes His own house beautiful.

BSA: acceptance (“favor, delight”): God does not merely tolerate these offerings; He is pleased with them.

See also: Isaiah 56:6-7.

Isaiah 60:8

The prophet sees a stir on the horizon, like a cloud of birds in flight. The moving mass turns out to be returning people, hurrying home as doves fly to their nests. The question gives us the surprise of watching them arrive.

BSA: doves (“pigeons”): Doves know their way home, so the image shows people going eagerly to a place where they belong.

Isaiah 60:9

The distant coastlands wait on God, and ships of Tarshish lead the way. Tarshish was known for far-sailing trading ships. They carry Zion’s children home with their wealth, and the purpose is stated plainly: the honor of the LORD, who has glorified His people.

BSA: islands (“coastlands, distant shores”): These are the far edges of the known world, so even the most remote places are included. glorified (“made beautiful, bestowed honor upon”): Any beauty Zion has is a gift given by God.

Isaiah 60:10

Strangers once associated with conquest and ruin now rebuild Zion’s walls, and their kings serve her. God admits He struck His people in anger, but His last word is mercy. The favor He now shows is greater than the discipline He sent.

BSA: mercy (“compassion, love, pity”): The word points to deep, tender feeling, so God’s mercy is not cold forgiveness but warm compassion.

See also: Isaiah 54:7-8.

Isaiah 60:11

City gates were normally shut at night for safety. Here they stand open all day and night because there is no danger to guard against. The nations may come in at any hour, and their kings come in a procession.

See also: Revelation 21:25-26.

Isaiah 60:12

This is a stern verse. Any nation that sets itself against God’s purpose for His people will not last. Christians read it as a warning that opposing what God is doing leads only to ruin, while joining it brings blessing.

BSA: perish (“be destroyed, lost”): The word means final loss, so the nations that resist are said to be lost completely.

Isaiah 60:13

The finest timber of Lebanon, including cypress, elm and boxwood, is brought to beautify the sanctuary. God calls the temple the place of His feet, as if He rested His feet there like a king. He promises to glorify that spot.

BSA: glorify (“honor, make weighty”): To glorify is to give weight, so God makes the place seem important and honored.

Hebrew: רַגְלַי (raglay, H7272) — “My feet.” It is a picture of God as a king whose footstool is the earthly sanctuary, a place where heaven touches earth.

See also: Psalm 132:7.

Isaiah 60:14

The reversal is complete. The children of those who oppressed and scorned God’s people now bow low before them. They give her names of honor, City of the LORD and Zion of the Holy One of Israel. The honor belongs to the God who dwells there.

BSA: oppressors (“those who afflicted thee, persecuted you”): The enemies are those who caused real suffering, so the reversal is deeply personal.

See also: Revelation 3:9.

Isaiah 60:15

Zion has known abandonment. Her roads were empty and her people hated. God says He will turn that around and make her a lasting source of pride and joy for every generation. Her shame is not the final word.

BSA: forsaken (“abandoned, left behind”): It names the loneliness of being left behind, which God directly answers.

See also: Isaiah 62:4.

Isaiah 60:16

Zion is pictured as an infant nursed by the nations and their kings. They provide for her richly, and through this she learns who her real provider is. The LORD is Savior, Redeemer and the Mighty One of Jacob.

BSA: Redeemer (“kinsman, buying back your freedom”): A redeemer was a close relative who paid to rescue a family member, so God acts as Zion’s family protector.

Hebrew: גֹּאֲלֵךְ (go’alekh, H1350) — “your redeemer.” This was the name for a kinsman who bought back a relative from debt or slavery. God takes that role for His people.

See also: Isaiah 49:23; Ruth 4:14.

Isaiah 60:17

God promises an upgrade in everything, with gold for bronze, silver for iron, and so on. Even the rulers change. Peace and righteousness themselves become Zion’s governors, so the city is run by goodness and not by force.

BSA: peace (“shalom, completeness and wellness”): Peace here means wholeness in every part of life, not only the absence of war. righteousness (“justice and morality”): Right living and fair dealing become the rule over the city.

Isaiah 60:18

The sounds of a broken world, violence, ruin and destruction, will be gone from the land. The city’s protective walls and its gates are renamed. They are called Salvation and Praise, since the safety within comes from God and the response to it is thanks.

BSA: Salvation (“deliverance, victory”): The walls are not defended by strength but named for what God has done. Praise (“thanksgiving, adoration”): The gates, where people enter, become places of thankfulness.

Isaiah 60:19-20

In the new age, natural lights are no longer needed, because the LORD Himself is the everlasting light. His presence never sets or fades, and sorrow ends. The New Testament picks up this very picture of the final city lit by God’s glory.

BSA: everlasting (“eternal, forever”): This light has no evening, so the joy it brings has no end. sorrow (“mourning, grief”): The days of grief are not softened but brought to a complete end.

See also: Revelation 21:23; Revelation 22:5.

Isaiah 60:21

God’s people are made righteous, and they hold the land for good. They are like a branch God planted Himself and the work of His own hands. The final purpose is not their praise but that He be glorified.

BSA: branch (“sprout, descendant”): The people are living growth from God’s own planting, so their life comes from Him. righteous (“just, upright, having God’s nature”): The goodness of God’s people is a likeness to Him that He gives them.

See also: Isaiah 61:3.

Isaiah 60:22

Even the smallest and weakest among God’s people will grow into a thousand, a mighty nation. The chapter ends with God’s own guarantee. He is the LORD, and when the right time comes He will carry it out swiftly.

BSA: quickly (“hasten, make haste, with eagerness and excitement”): God is not reluctant; He moves eagerly once the proper time arrives.

See also: Habakkuk 2:3.