Arise, shine! for thy light is come, and the glory of Jehovah is risen upon thee.
Commentary for this verse has not been generated yet.
For behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the peoples; but Jehovah will arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen on thee.
Isaiah 60 opens by telling a city — Zion, that is Jerusalem — to get up and shine. This second verse gives the reason, and it is startling: the world sinks into its blackest night at the very hour Jerusalem's morning breaks. Commentators read the verse as a deliberate contrast. Two things happen at once: darkness spreading over the earth, glory settling on one place.
The call to shine in verse 1 rests on the close of chapter 59, where a Redeemer comes to Zion. So the light is not Zion's own. It is a Person who has arrived.
At the end of the previous chapter it says the Redeemer will come to Zion, and on that basis comes the call: "Arise, shine, for your light" (the Redeemer) "has come, and the glory of the LORD has risen upon you." The light she now has in the person of the Redeemer, who dwells in Zion, is to be displayed. Notice too that this stands in contrast to the state of the whole earth. Jerusalem, lit up with the light of the glory of the Lord, shines in the middle of the dense moral darkness around.
The "but" in the middle of the verse is the hinge. Kelly rules out one reading first: this is not glory shining inside the heart, but a display on the earth. And since darkness and glory share one moment, he rejects the idea of a world growing steadily brighter until glory comes.
There is no thought here of God's glory revealed in the face of Christ on high and made known by the Spirit to the heart (2 Cor. 4:6); the earth itself is the stage of this divine display. Notice another point. Just before that time arrives, darkness will cover the earth, and gross darkness the peoples. So it is a false reading of prophecy to say that light will spread everywhere then — at the time when earthly glory for Israel, and heavenly glory for the church, dawns on the world.
Where the ESV says "thick darkness," older translations read "gross darkness." Grant treats that thickness as a clue to timing.
As a nation, Israel is an enemy of the gospel, and Israel will not come to salvation until the gospel stops going out. The prophet bears witness to this. It is when "darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the peoples, that the Lord shall arise upon" Israel, "and His glory shall be seen upon" her (Isa. 60:2). The light of the gospel must have gone from the earth for such gross darkness to exist.
This verse is not a stray promise. It sits in a chain that runs back through chapters 58 and 59, and the chain has a fixed order. "Jacob" below is a name for Israel.
The reader will notice how everything is connected with chapters 58-59. First comes the call to repentance. Then Jacob's sin is uncovered, then their confession, then Jehovah's answer: He appears in person. He deals with His adversaries and appears as Redeemer in Zion. Then the glory light breaks forth. It is the dawn of the morning. Gross darkness came before that morning — a worldwide turning away from God, and corruption. After the glory has broken forth the kingdom age begins.
The verse ends with glory seen upon Zion, and the next verse has nations walking toward it. Kelly reads that direction of travel as the reverse of how blessing flows today.
Again, in verse 3 there is a point of striking contrast to God's present dealings. Right now the fall of the Jews has meant riches for the world, and their loss riches for the Gentiles (Rom. 11:12). Here everything runs the other way. The Gentiles are blessed after Jehovah restores Israel to His favour. Indeed Rom. 11:15 teaches us that their reception will bring life from the dead to the world. So when Jehovah's glory shall be seen on Zion, the nations shall come to that light and kings to the brightness of its rising.
Commentators differ on how far the verse reaches. The writers above apply it to a future day for Israel. Boyd also holds it out for believers now, since a glory has already risen for those who belong to Christ.
Once we were darkness, but now we are light in the Lord, and if we walk as children of light we prove what is pleasing to the Lord... To Israel it will one day be said, "Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD has risen upon you" (Isa. 60:1). We anticipate that day; the glory of the exalted Saviour has risen upon us, and in the light of that glory His people shine throughout this world's dark night.
- Borrowed light — Zion has no shine of her own. The light is the Redeemer who comes to her, and shining means displaying Him.
- Deepest dark — that "thick" or "gross" darkness cannot exist while the gospel is still going out. It marks a world after that light has gone.
- Same hour — the earth's worst night and Zion's morning share one date. So the world does not simply grow brighter until glory comes.
- Fixed order — repentance, confession, the Redeemer appearing, then the glory, then the kingdom. The dawn follows the darkness; it does not clear it away first.
- Outward reach — once the glory rests on Zion, nations and kings walk toward it. That is the reverse of how blessing travels now.
And the nations shall walk by thy light, and kings by the brightness of thy rising.
The verse speaks to Zion. It promises a day when nations and their kings travel toward a light shining on one restored people. Commentators read this as the age still to come. Two questions follow: whose light is it, and why do the nations come?
One writer meets the obvious objection: surely this light must be Christ's?
Take Isaiah 60:3 as an example. "And nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising." "But surely," says one of my readers, "isn't that Christ's light?" Not at all. Look at the context. It is Israel's light. Christ is the Light of Israel. So the first verse calls her to arise and shine, because her Light has come and the glory of the Lord has risen upon her.
So the light is Christ, and the shining is Israel's. One commentator traces how Israel first refused that light:
At His first coming Jesus came as the dawning of a new day, bringing light to those sitting in darkness, as we see in Luke 1:78-79. But the Jew rejected the light. As far as they were concerned, they put it out… His second coming will be in the day of His power, when His people will be willing, as Psalm 110 says. Then at last they will come into the full blaze of that light and reflect it, as the moon reflects the light of the sun.
Verse 2 sets the scene: the earth is dark at the very moment Zion begins to shine. That order rules out a popular reading of prophecy:
Here is another point to notice. Just before that time arrives, darkness will cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples. So it is clearly a false reading of prophecy to say that light will spread everywhere at that point. That is the time when earthly glory for Israel, and the heavenly glory of the church, dawns on the world. God visits Zion in mercy while the Gentile lands lie in the deepest ignorance of God.
The nations are not dragged; they are drawn. One writer says the nations are already waiting for this day without knowing it:
The nations are waiting and longing for this time without knowing it (see Haggai 2:7). They do not know that their blessing depends on the restoration of the despised race of Israel. Yet it is so. As soon as the Lord has returned to Zion, judged His enemies and founded His kingdom, the nations will be drawn to the scene of His power and glory. They will count it their highest honour to be enrolled among His people.
One writer marks out what the nations gain by coming, and what they never gain:
All this is said of Zion as she enjoys and reflects the light of Christ's presence, and as the centre of His rule. The Gentile is shown coming to her light to be blessed, and finding his blessing in serving her. Israel is to inherit the Gentiles (Isaiah 54:3); but the Gentile is not to inherit Israel (Isaiah 61:5).
People often read the wise men's visit to Bethlehem as the fulfilment of this chapter. One commentator tests that by the gifts they brought:
We read in Isaiah: "They shall bring gold and frankincense, and shall proclaim the praises of the Lord." We notice at once that Isaiah says nothing at all about myrrh. Why is there no myrrh in Isaiah, and why does Matthew mention myrrh? Isaiah is describing the coming of the Gentiles at a later time. By then the rejected King has come again in power and glory, and is King of kings. So there is no need of myrrh… In this chapter we find crowds coming. They do not seek a small humble house as the wise men did; they seek the house of glory.
Shining is never for its own sake. One writer asks who the shining points to, then turns that on the reader:
When the light shines — through Jerusalem, or through the believer, as it also shone through our blessed Lord and Saviour — it is a testimony. It is a powerful testimony to Him who has kindled it, yes, to Him whose glory is the light… While thinking about this blessed scene, it is worth reminding ourselves of something. God, in His grace, has set believers as lights in the middle of the darkness, in anticipation of that day.
- Source. The light is Christ, Israel's own Light; Zion shines only because her Light has come.
- Reflection. Zion makes no light of her own. She reflects it, as the moon reflects the sun — after once rejecting it.
- Contrast. Light shines on Zion while thick darkness still covers the earth. This is not the world slowly growing brighter.
- Attraction. A glory they waited for without knowing it draws nations and kings to Zion, where they find their blessing in serving her.
- Anticipation. God sets believers as lights in the darkness now, showing in advance what that day will display to all.
Lift up thine eyes round about, and see all they gather themselves together, they come to thee thy sons come from afar, and thy daughters are carried upon the side.
Isaiah 60 opens with a call to Zion: arise and shine, because her light has come and the glory of the Lord has risen on her. Verse 4 turns that call into a command to look. She lifts her eyes and sees her own children coming home from every direction.
The light in this chapter is Christ. But the one told to lift up her eyes is Zion, the city herself. One writer follows this through the chapter.
Christ is the Light of Israel. So in the first verse she is told to arise and shine, because her Light has come and the glory of Jehovah has risen upon her... In verse 4 it is not Christ but Zion who is invited to lift up the eyes and see. All are gathered to her, the abundance of the sea is turned to her, and the wealth of the Gentiles comes to her.
This is not a slow brightening of the world. One commentator shows what comes just before the light.
There is no thought here of God's glory revealed in the face of Christ on high and made known by the Spirit to the heart (2 Cor. 4:6); the earth itself is the stage for this divine display. Notice another point. Just before that time arrives, darkness will cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples. So it is a false reading of prophecy to say that light will spread everywhere when that day dawns on the world — the day of earthly glory for Israel and of heavenly glory for the church.
The sons come "from afar" and the daughters are carried. One writer sets this homecoming beside the return of Jews to the land in his own day.
Those who can be called "your sons" will come to Zion from afar, and "your daughters shall be carried on the hip." This will be a re-gathering of the true Israel in the land of God's choice. It will completely eclipse the migration of Jews to Palestine that we still see going on today. God will be behind the movement. His glory revealed in the once-rejected Servant, now the mighty delivering Arm, will be what draws them.
An older translation reads: "your daughters shall be nursed at your side."
Nobody in this verse walks home alone. Other hands carry the daughters. One writer links this with a search for scattered Israelites after the Lord has appeared.
Besides all this, it seems messengers will go out from the place where the Lord has appeared in glory and destroyed the enemies of His people. They will bring back any Israelites who may still be found among the nations. "And they shall bring all your brothers from all the nations as an offering to the Lord, on horses and in chariots and in litters ... to my holy mountain Jerusalem, says the Lord." (Isaiah 66:20.) It appears to be to this part of the subject that Isaiah 60:4-9, Isaiah 52:10-12, and Isaiah 49:22-23 refer.
The crowd is not only Israel's own children. The nations come too, in an age that has not yet arrived.
The Old Testament is full of promises for the Gentile nations. These promises speak of righteousness and peace, which the nations of the earth are to enjoy. But they all belong to the age which is yet to come. That age begins when the Lord appears visibly. At that time the people Israel will receive the place of headship among the nations. The Gentiles will join themselves to Israel, and Israel has the promise that the nations will seek the light and glory revealed among them.
The chapter looks to a future day. Yet one writer applies the same principle of shining light to believers now.
In principle this applies to us who are of the church while we wait for Him... those brought in from among the Gentiles were told, "at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord." Then came the added word, "walk as children of light." That is, their light was to shine out as a testimony to all around. Spiritual light is to shine from the saints of today, who form the church, while we wait for the shining out of the glory in a way that all can see.
- Light first. The light is Christ's; the glory of the Lord rises on her, and only then is she told to look up.
- Look next. The command is given to the city, not to Christ — she is the one who raises her eyes and sees the crowd coming to her.
- Home. Sons come from far, daughters are carried. One writer calls this a regathering that will dwarf every return so far, with God Himself behind it.
- Carried. They do not come by their own strength — messengers go out to bring back any Israelites still found among the nations.
- Shine. What Israel will do in that day, believers do now: walk as children of light while we wait for the glory all will see.
Then thou shalt see, and shalt be brightened, and thy heart shall throb, and be enlarged; for the abundance of the sea shall be turned unto thee, the wealth of the nations shall come unto thee.
Isaiah 60 pictures the glory of the Lord rising on Zion. Verse 5 describes what that light does inside her, and what it draws to her. Two questions run through the answer below: who is God speaking to, and what is this "abundance of the sea" that turns her way?
(The writers below quote an older translation. Where the ESV has "you shall see and be radiant; your heart shall thrill and exult," it reads "you shall see, and flow together, and your heart shall fear, and be enlarged.")
It is easy to read the "you" of this chapter as Christ. One writer insists the context forbids it. Everything the chapter promises arrives at Zion.
It is not Christ, but Zion who is invited, in verse 4, to lift up her eyes and see all gathered to her, the abundance of the sea turned to her, and the forces or wealth of the Gentiles coming to her. It is not Christ's, but Zion's walls that the sons of strangers are to build up.
The verse begins with sight. One writer traces three effects that follow.
The thing will be obvious to every eye, and the result will be threefold. They will "flow together"; so the drift will be in the direction of unity, and the old divisions that have marred the nation will disappear. Then they will fear, and experience how true it is that "the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom" (Prov. 9:10). As a result of this they will "be enlarged."
The same writer asks what is enlarged, and what the sea stands for.
We venture to think that this enlargement will take place not only in material things but also in mind and heart. It will take place in a material way, as the rest of verse 5 shows, but the verse plainly says the enlargement is of the heart. The verse mentions the "abundance of the sea," and that figure often stands for the masses of mankind. The statement does not mean that Israel will be well supplied with fish. Evil men, far away from God, are like the troubled sea that cannot rest. But in the coming age the spared nations will be like a calm sea, yielding its abundant treasures and turning them especially toward Israel.
Another writer points to what the moving wealth means for the nations who bring it.
The world's wealth and possessions are seen here brought into subjection to the Lord of Glory. It will be a wonderful turning to God from idols.
Where does the wealth end up? One writer answers by pointing to a scene at Christ's birth.
When Christ was born into the world, wise men from the east came and laid their costly gifts at His feet. In the same way, the Gentiles in a future day will come and offer their treasures to the Lord in His temple at Jerusalem. Christ, the desire of all nations, will be the object of their homage. They will delight to present their desirable things for the adornment and service of His house, as well as for the glory of His name. By doing so they will confess that the silver and the gold are His.
The sea itself marks the timing. One writer uses it to tell this scene apart from the final new heavens and new earth.
When the New Testament prophet sees the new heavens and earth, we are told the old have passed away, and the sea no longer exists. Not so in Isaiah's prophecy... In the Revelation "there was no more sea." In the Old Testament, on the contrary, we read, "the abundance of the sea shall be turned to you... Surely the coastlands shall wait for me, and the ships of Tarshish first." (Isaiah 60.) There can be no real doubt that this chapter speaks of the same time as Isaiah 65.
The traffic is not one-way. What comes into Zion does not stop with her.
So it will be when the abundance of the sea is turned to Zion. Think what the effect will be when all Israel is saved! "If their trespass means riches for the world, and if their failure means riches for the Gentiles, how much more will their full inclusion mean!... What will their acceptance mean but life from the dead?" (Rom. 11:12, 15.) ...Israel will be not only the instrument of divine vengeance on their enemies, but of God's mercy and blessing to all the families of the earth.
- Light — The glory rises on Zion, and she is the one addressed throughout the chapter, not Christ.
- Sight — Seeing comes first; from it flow unity, the fear of the Lord, and an enlarged heart.
- Sea — The restless sea of the nations grows calm and yields its treasures. Wealth turning toward Zion is the nations turning to God from idols.
- Gifts — The nations lay what they bring at Christ's feet, as the wise men once did, confessing that the silver and the gold are His.
- Overflow — What flows in does not stop there; through a restored Israel, mercy reaches all the families of the earth.
A multitude of camels shall cover thee, young camels of Midian and Ephah; all they from Sheba shall come they shall bring gold and incense; and they shall publish the praises of Jehovah.
Isaiah 60 opens with light breaking over a nation long in the dark, and by verse 6 the roads into Jerusalem are crowded with caravans from the desert. Two questions follow: when could this happen, and why do these travellers bring gold and frankincense with their praise?
This scene belongs to the earth, not to heaven. It comes at the world's darkest hour, not after a slow improvement.
There is no thought here of God's glory revealed in the face of Christ on high and made known by the Spirit to the heart (2 Cor. 4:6); the earth itself is the stage of this divine display. Another point to notice is that just before that time comes, darkness will cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples. So it is a false reading of prophecy to say that light will spread over the whole world when the time of earthly glory for Israel, and the heavenly glory of the church, dawns on the world. God will visit Zion in His mercy while the Gentile lands are wrapped in the deepest ignorance of God.
The names in this verse are not random. Ephah's line runs back to Abraham.
Ephah was the son of Midian, who was the son of Abraham and Keturah. Isaiah refers to him as the head of a tribe. Gen. 25:4; 1 Chr. 1:33; Isa. 60:6.
The next verse names Kedar and Nebaioth.
For instance, in Isaiah 60 we have Nebaioth and Kedar mentioned (verse 7). The number twelve, twelve princes, links Ishmael closely with Israel. When Israel is blessed in the future and receives the promised Land as his glorious possession, the descendants of Ishmael will not be forgotten.
Sheba once sent a queen to Jerusalem with gold and spices, and she went home praising Solomon. The prophecy redirects that praise.
Isaiah 60 gives in much detail, from verse 6 on, the abundance of earthly blessings that will be poured into Israel. That verse mentions Sheba, the land the Queen came from who visited Solomon with much gold and spices. When she arrived, as 1 Kings 10 tells us, she declared the praises of Solomon. In the day this chapter looks at, they "shall bring good news, the praises of the LORD."
Wealth pours into Zion, yet the King never burdens His people to get it.
But the Lord Jesus has this unique source and supply of grace in Himself, and His kingdom will be marked by it. So He will not burden Israel or drain the world of its wealth to support Himself. The Lord Jesus Christ will still hold the place of the blessed and only Ruler, even when the earth owns Him as King. It will be a day when all burdens are taken away and the earth yields her increase. No doubt man's heart will be opened.
The gifts do not stop at the city gate. The next verse brings the flocks of Kedar up to God's altar.
The nations of the earth will also pay tribute to the Lord, coming up to Jerusalem, God's earthly centre of worship and government, just as it is written: "the flocks of Kedar … the rams of Nebaioth will minister to you: they will come up with acceptance on My altar" (Isa. 60:1-7).
Wise men once brought gifts to the child at Bethlehem. Commentators differ on how that visit relates to this verse. Some read it as an early sample of the promised day.
The blessing to the Gentiles in the coming day of Christ's glory is set out in this same symbolic language (Isa. 60:6). The visit of the wise men to the holy child at Bethlehem was a foreshadowing of this blessed time. It is telling that their gifts included the gold of His divine glory, the frankincense of His excellence, and the myrrh, which foretold His death (Matt. 2:11).
Others say the two scenes must not be merged. They point to the one gift Isaiah leaves out.
We are often told that this was a fulfilment of Isaiah 60:6. But when we look at that passage, we find that the wise men could not be spoken of there. Isaiah says nothing at all about myrrh. Why is there no myrrh in Isaiah, and why does Matthew mention it? The passage in Isaiah refers to the coming of the Gentiles at the time when the rejected King has come again in power and glory, and is King of kings. So there is no need of myrrh… They do not seek a small, humble house as the wise men did. They seek the house of glory, and there they meet the King of Glory in His beauty.
- Darkness first. The glory rises on Zion when the nations are at their darkest. This is not a picture of the world slowly improving.
- Family restored. Midian, Ephah, Kedar and Nebaioth trace back to Abraham through Keturah and Ishmael. The separated branches of the family come home.
- Praise redirected. Sheba once carried gold to Solomon and praised him. In that day the same road carries gold to Jerusalem, and the praise goes to the Lord.
- Given, not taken. The King does not drain the earth to fund His throne. Hearts are opened, the wealth comes freely, and it ends at the altar as worship.
- No myrrh. Gold and frankincense, but no myrrh — that is the difference between the child at Bethlehem and the King in the house of His glory.
All the flocks of Kedar shall be gathered unto thee, the rams of Nebaioth shall serve thee they shall come up with acceptance on mine altar, and I will beautify the house of my magnificence.
Isaiah 60 pictures a day when Zion's light has come and the nations stream toward it. Verse 7 brings desert tribes and their flocks right up to God's altar. So who are Kedar and Nebaioth? And what altar and sacrifice can there be after the cross?
The glory here is not the inward light Christians know now. One writer draws the line, and adds that the world will be at its darkest just before that day dawns.
There is no thought here of God's glory revealed in the face of Christ on high, made known by the Spirit to the heart (2 Corinthians 4:6). The earth itself is the stage of this divine display. Notice another point. Just before that time arrives, darkness will cover the earth, and thick darkness will cover the peoples. So it is a false interpretation of prophecy to say that light will spread everywhere when that time dawns on the world. It is the time of earthly glory for Israel, and of heavenly glory for the church.
Kedar and Nebaioth come from Ishmael's line. One writer links their names to Ishmael's place in Israel's future.
These names appear elsewhere in Scripture. Isaiah 60 is the great chapter of the thousand-year kingdom, and it mentions Nebaioth and Kedar (verse 7). The number twelve, twelve princes, links Ishmael closely with Israel. When Israel is blessed in the future and receives the promised Land for his glorious possession, the posterity of Ishmael will not be forgotten.
These same tribes once stood under judgment. A reference work identifies them:
Kedar was a son of Ishmael, and the founder of an important tribe living in the north-west of Arabia... The references to lambs, rams, goats, flocks, camels, tents, and tent-curtains show that these were a nomadic people... Judgments were pronounced against them. Isaiah 21:16-17; Isaiah 42:11; Isaiah 60:7; Jeremiah 2:10; Jeremiah 49:28; Ezekiel 27:21.
Today Israel's setting aside has opened the door to the nations. Here the order runs the other way.
Now the fall of the Jews has been the riches of the world, and their decline has been the riches of the Gentiles (Romans 11:12); but here all is in contrast: the Gentiles are blessed after Israel is restored to the Lord's favour. Indeed Romans 11:15 teaches us that their reception shall be to the world life from the dead.
Animals on an altar sounds like a step backwards. Kelly answers that what would be a step back now will be right then.
It is also the day when outward things will be a fitting offering to the Lord. Camels and dromedaries, flocks and herds, land and sea will pour their tribute before His feet. To think now of serving God in this way would be to go back to weak and worthless elements. It would turn away from the revelation of heavenly and eternal things in Christ. But gold and incense will be in season then, and sacrifices will be acceptable for His altar and the house of His glory.
Another writer shows that this worship will not be optional:
The nations of the earth will also pay tribute to the Lord. They will come up to Jerusalem, God's earthly centre of worship and government... Worship at Jerusalem at the feast of tabernacles will be required of the nations that God has spared from His judgments (Zechariah 14:16-19).
If Christ's death finished the matter, these offerings can only face one direction. Kelly names the difference:
I know some have said that offering sacrifices in the thousand-year kingdom would be a going back in the ways of God. But this is not true. Israel's future sacrifices will be completely different from those of the past. Those of old were pictures of the sacrifice Christ was coming to make. In those future days they will be the appointed pictures of what Christ has accomplished by His one sacrificial offering and death.
The last clause names who does the beautifying. God does not just accept the gifts; He glorifies the house Himself. The writer below follows an older translation, "the house of my glory."
Not only will the altar of God be once more established, but the house of the Lord be in their midst. A century or two after Isaiah, the prophet Haggai spoke of this house. He said "the latter glory of this house" (Haggai 2:9) would be greater than the glory of the former house in Solomon's day. And so it will be. It is called here "the house of my glory," and even as such the Lord Himself will glorify it. In the glorified house of His glory His praises will be seen and heard.
- Glory descends. The display is on earth, not in the heart, and it breaks over a world at its darkest.
- Glory reaches Ishmael. Kedar and Nebaioth once stood under Isaiah's judgment. Now they bring their flocks. Ishmael's line is not forgotten.
- Glory follows order. The nations are blessed after Israel is restored, the reverse of the present age.
- Glory receives tribute. Camels, flocks and gold will be fitting gifts then. Such service now would turn from what is heavenly in Christ.
- Glory fills the house. The altar's sacrifices point back to the cross, and the Lord Himself makes His house beautiful.
Who are these that come flying as a cloud, and as doves to their dove-cotes?
In Isaiah 60, God's glory rises on Jerusalem while darkness still covers the earth. Into that scene the prophet sees movement in the sky and asks who these travellers are.
This glory is not something felt inside the heart. The earth itself is the stage. One writer also notes what the world will be like at that moment:
There is no thought here of God's glory revealed in the face of Christ on high and made known by the Spirit to the heart (2 Cor. 4:6); the earth itself is the stage of this divine display. Notice too: just before that time arrives, darkness will cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples. Some say that light will spread everywhere when that day dawns — the day of earthly glory for Israel and heavenly glory for the church. That is plainly a false reading of prophecy.
One commentator reads each part of the picture in turn: the flying, the destination, and the bird itself.
Today the Jews are returning to their ancestral home in their hundreds and thousands without faith in Christ. When God re-gathers His people it will be a quick and effective work. They will "fly" — a speedy work. It will be "to their windows" — like a bird returning to its home. And this they will do as "doves" — a bird known for its meek and quiet spirit… In the coming day the born-again Israelites will fly to their millennial home. They will be a repentant and meek people… Because He has been glorified, He can now glorify Israel.
Commentators differ here. Some read the flying company as Israel's own people coming home. One writer reads it of the nations coming to Jerusalem with their treasures:
Isaiah 60 shows how gladly all the nations will wait on Jerusalem with their treasures in the day of the kingdom. The camels of Midian will make their willing journeys, and the ships of Tarshish their voyages, just like the flight of doves to their windows. They will bring their treasures and their spoils, to feed the joy and glory of Zion. They will delight to do her honour.
One writer sees more than one stage in Israel's return. After the Lord has appeared in glory, some of His people are still scattered abroad:
Several passages seem to foretell a still further stage of restoration. It would seem that messengers will be sent out to bring back any Israelites still found among the nations. They go out from the place where the Lord has appeared in glory and destroyed the enemies of His people… It appears to be to this part of the subject that Isaiah 60:4-9, Isaiah 52:10-12, and Isaiah 49:22-23 refer.
A dove flies to a window because it belongs there. One writer links the returning flight to the year of jubilee, when land sold away comes back to its true owner:
Then we have the land. Israel's land was set apart to the Lord, yet they had sold it to another. So at the jubilee it will be wholly the Lord's and the priest's. In this way divine grace takes the inheritance they have lost out of their keeping. It shall be Immanuel's land; and His arm will keep it from now on. Never again will it know desolation. No one will point the finger of scorn at its ruins, or at those who at last fly there to their rest as doves to their windows.
One writer borrows the picture for gospel work. He contrasts a time when converts came in flocks with his own day:
Those golden days of the gospel are over, when converts came flying as a cloud, as the doves to the window in flocks. Now gospel news grows stale, few are taken with it.
- Light first. The flight comes after God's glory has risen on Zion. Thick darkness still covers the earth. The world has not slowly brightened.
- Flight. "Fly" means the regathering is quick. "Windows" means it is a return home. "Doves" means the people are meek and repentant, unlike today's return without faith.
- Ferried. The nations come gladly with their treasures, and messengers go out to bring home Israelites still scattered abroad.
- Home. They fly to a land secured by grace as Immanuel's own, never to be desolate or despised again.
- Reason. The whole homecoming rests on one thing: He has been glorified, so He can now glorify Israel.
For the isles shall await me, and the ships of Tarshish first, to bring thy sons from afar, their silver and their gold with them, unto the name of Jehovah thy God, and to the Holy One of Israel, for he hath glorified thee.
Ships from far-off coasts sail toward Israel in this verse, carrying exiled Jews home with silver and gold. All of it goes to the name of Israel's God, not to Israel's credit.
Tarshish was a distant port that ships from Palestine sailed to. Where exactly it lay is not settled:
A place ships sailed to from Palestine. Some think it means a Spanish city named Tartessus. That would be a suitable place to get silver, iron, tin and lead. Jonah took a ship at Joppa to sail to Tarshish, which may also point to a place west of Palestine. But other passages say ships of Tarshish brought apes and peacocks too, and link them with Ezion-geber, on the Gulf of Akaba, a branch of the Red Sea.
The fleets belong to the nations, not to Israel, and that is the point:
But there is another picture which sets out the change among men by divine goodness. The ships of the Gentiles play their part now in serving Israel's sons with honour.
The cargo named first is not treasure but people. One writer ties these verses to a last search for Israelites still living among the nations:
It seems that besides all this, messengers will go out to bring back any Israelites still among the nations. They will go from the place where the Lord has appeared in glory and destroyed the enemies of His people. "And they shall bring all your brothers from all the nations as an offering to the LORD, on horses and in chariots and in litters and on mules and on dromedaries, to my holy mountain Jerusalem, says the LORD." (Isaiah 66:20.) Isaiah 60:4-9, Isaiah 52:10-12, and Isaiah 49:22-23 appear to refer to this part of the subject.
The silver and gold travel with the returning sons, and the verse names where they go: to the name of the Lord. There is an earlier scene like it:
When Christ was born into the world, wise men from the east came and laid their costly gifts at His feet. In the same way, the Gentiles will one day come and offer their treasures to the Lord in His temple at Jerusalem. Christ, the desire of all nations, will receive their homage. They will delight to bring their finest things to adorn and serve His house, and to glorify His name. By this they will confess that the silver and the gold are His.
These gifts mean more than generosity. A gift from a lesser person to a greater one admits who rules:
Presents from a lesser person to a greater one. These also took the form of tribute, an acknowledgement of submission. When Solomon reigned supreme, "all the earth" came to Solomon to hear his wisdom and brought presents, as did the queen of Sheba. This is a picture of Christ's kingdom as set up on earth, when all nations will send presents to the Lord Jesus as willing tribute. Ps. 45:12; Ps. 72:10, 15; Isa. 60:9.
The verse ends with the reason the nations sail: God Himself has acted on Zion. The ESV says He has made her beautiful; older translations read that He has glorified her — the wording the writers use here:
In the thousand-year reign the difference between Israel and the nations will exist in full force, and the first place on earth will belong to Israel… God will then have glorified Jerusalem, and all will acknowledge its glory… The mere reading of these passages is enough to show that they cannot be about the present age.
Some read chapters like this as a description of the eternal state. One detail rules that out — the sea:
Isaiah does not speak of the eternal state. In Revelation "the sea was no more." In the Old Testament it is the opposite: "the abundance of the sea shall be turned to you… For the coastlands shall hope for me, the ships of Tarshish first." (Isaiah 60.) There can be no real doubt that this chapter speaks of the same time as Isaiah 65. These and other passages prove that there will still be sea at the time Isaiah speaks of. Coastlands and ships assume it.
- Glory first. God glorifies Zion. That act is why the distant nations set sail.
- Sons first. The first cargo is people — Israelites brought home from among the nations.
- Silver after. The wealth follows the returning sons, and its address is the name of the Lord, not Israel's treasury.
- Tribute, not trade. A gift from lesser to greater admits who reigns. The nations bring willing tribute to the Lord Jesus.
- On this earth. Ships and coastlands still exist in this scene. So writers place it in a coming age on earth, not in the eternal state.
And the sons of the alien 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.
Isaiah 60 pictures Jerusalem lit up by God's own glory while the rest of the earth lies in darkness. Verse 10 fills in one detail: foreigners rebuild her walls, and their kings serve her. God then gives His own reason — He struck the city in wrath, and showed it mercy.
Did this happen when the exiles came back under Cyrus and rebuilt the walls? Writers who look at that period find it far too small for the prophecy.
It is true that a small remnant, mainly from the two tribes of Judah and Benjamin, was allowed to return to Jerusalem in the reign of Cyrus. Ezra and Nehemiah give us the account of it. But this was in no way a national restoration, and not the full accomplishment of God's purposes. Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi all prophesied after this period, and they speak of the time of the national blessing as still future. From the time of this return until the birth of our Lord they were never an independent nation. They were always under the rule of the Gentile power. In such a condition there was nothing to answer to the glowing prediction of the prophet.
Is this Jerusalem the heavenly city, or the city on the map? One writer has no doubt.
This is, beyond a doubt, not the holy city which comes down from heaven with healing for the nations. It is the earthly city — holy, but earthly. It is the vessel of mercy, and at the same time the agent of righteous punishment here below in the day of the Lord.
When was the wrath, and when is the favour? One writer dates the wrath from the fall of Jerusalem down to our own day.
You could say that from A.D. 70 to the present day verse 10 has held true: "in My wrath I struck you." But "favour" rests so plainly on Israel restored that these words follow: "the sons of those who afflicted you shall come bending low to you." These nations that caused God's chosen people so much suffering in the past shall then call them blessed.
Today the nations are rich in blessing while Israel is set aside. In that day the order runs the other way.
Again, in verse 3 there is a striking contrast with God's present dealings. For now the fall of the Jews has been the riches of the world, and the loss they suffered the riches of the Gentiles (Romans 11:12). But here everything is the other way round: the Gentiles are blessed after Israel is restored to Jehovah's favour. Romans 11:15 teaches us that their reception shall be to the world life from the dead. So when Jehovah's glory shines out on Zion, the nations shall come to that light and kings to the brightness of its rising.
Does that blessing merge the nations and Israel into one people?
Nor is it only sons and daughters that come to Zion from far, but strangers too. For there is then to be no such state of things on earth as the church of God, one body, Christ's body. On the contrary, Gentiles and Israel will both be blessed by Jehovah, yet they will be distinct and kept so. Their relations will be harmonious all the same.
Which walls does the verse mean — the temple's, or the city's?
Whether Zechariah 6:15 includes Gentiles is a question perhaps not easily settled. But Isaiah 60:10 prophesies that "foreigners shall build up your walls" — the walls of the city, not the temple. It also tells us that Gentiles will work closely with Israel in that coming day of glory.
Kings serving Zion is only half the picture; Israel receives a standing of her own.
Kings here below shall be nursing fathers of the Jew, never again to be despised or persecuted, and queens their nursing mothers. Foreigners shall be their plowmen and their vine-dressers. The nation and kingdom that will not serve Zion shall perish. "But you shall be called the priests of the LORD; they shall speak of you as the ministers of our God; you shall eat the wealth of the nations."
- Wrath first. God owns the blow He struck; the ruin of Jerusalem was His anger, not an accident of history.
- Favour next. The same voice that owns the blow announces the mercy. Favour, not wrath, has the last word.
- Rebuilt by outsiders. Foreign hands raise the walls and foreign kings serve. The nations that once afflicted her will call her blessed.
- Reach outward. God blesses the nations after He restores Israel, not instead of her. The two peoples stay distinct.
- Result: an earthly city. The city struck in wrath is the earthly Jerusalem, not the heavenly one. Nothing since the exile has matched this promise, so it still waits.
And thy gates shall stand open continually (they shall not be shut day nor night,) that the wealth of the nations may be brought unto thee, and that their kings may be led [to thee].
Isaiah 60 pictures Jerusalem raised out of long shame into glory, and verse 11 fixes on one detail: gates that never close. Cities then stayed safe by barring their gates at night, so the verse raises two questions: what keeps this city safe, and what comes in?
In this chapter light dawns on Jerusalem while the rest of the world lies in darkness. Everything in it flows from God's own decision, not from Israel's recovery.
Notice what happens in Isaiah 60 when the lighting up of Jerusalem has come. The glory of the Lord shines on her, while darkness covers the land and thick darkness the different peoples. Then her light gathers them all to itself. This chapter is the description of the glory. … Chapter 60 brings in the re-establishment of Jerusalem in glory by God's own hand. It is the fruit of His sovereign power and good pleasure.
Unbarred gates would have sounded reckless to the first hearers. One writer traces them back to God's mercy and to the character of the people now living inside.
It could be said that from A.D. 70 to the present time verse 10 has held true: "in my wrath I struck you." But favour rests so clearly on Israel restored that it is added, "the sons of those who afflicted you shall come bending low to you." Readers of Isaiah's day would think it strange to speak of the city's "gates open continually." Safety for them meant shutting the gate at night! The subjects of this kingdom are not only blessed. They have also taken up the principles the King laid down in Matthew 7, so they reflect His character. "Your people shall all be righteous" and "violence shall no more be heard in your land" (vv. 18, 21).
Kelly sets Isaiah's promises to Zion beside the promises given to Christians.
The Christian promises do not lend themselves at all to human feeling or worldly ambition. We can easily understand how a Jewish reader might delight in looking forward to the day Isaiah predicted… Then the sons of the strangers will build up her walls, and their kings will serve Zion. Her gates will remain open continually day and night. Through them will come the wealth of the nations, and their kings in a triumphal procession.
A small group did return to Jerusalem under the Persian king Cyrus, as Ezra and Nehemiah record.
This was in no way a national restoration, and not the full accomplishment of God's purposes. Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi all prophesied after this time, and they speak of the time of national blessing as still future. From this return until the birth of our Lord Israel was never an independent nation. They were always under Gentile power. In such a condition there was nothing to answer to the glowing prediction of the prophet.
Scripture also describes a heavenly city whose gates are never shut. Isaiah's wording keeps the two apart, because he still speaks of night.
Its gates are never shut, for within it there is continuous day. If we compare this with Isaiah 60:11, we find an instructive contrast. In that glad day the gates of the earthly Jerusalem will be open continually. There will be night there, for it says, "day and night they shall not be shut." Into that city the "forces" or "wealth" of the Gentiles, and their kings, will be brought. So on earth things will be on a lower footing, though there is some similarity with the heavenly city.
The similarity is not accidental. One writer ties the two cities closely together without confusing them.
It is striking how closely this language matches what the prophet says to the earthly Jerusalem… There will certainly be a close relation between the two cities, like the relation between the holy place and the holy of holies in the tabernacle. But we must always remember the difference: one city is heavenly and the other earthly in character. The open gates are an emblem of the perfect security which the city enjoys, since there is "neither adversary nor misfortune."
- Mercy opens them. The gates stand open because God's favour follows His wrath. The whole scene is His act, not Israel's achievement.
- Safety opens them. A closed gate meant fear. Open gates day and night mean no adversary is left, and no more violence in the land.
- Wealth flows through them. Older wording calls it the "forces of the Gentiles." It means the wealth of the nations, carried in with their kings in triumph.
- The future opens them. The return under Cyrus left Israel under Gentile power. Later prophets still spoke of the national blessing as future, so this opening is still ahead.
- Heaven answers them. The heavenly city's gates are never shut either, and there is no night there at all. The two cities are closely related, like the holy place and the holy of holies — but they are never the same.
For the nation and the kingdom that will not serve thee shall perish; and those nations shall be utterly wasted.
Isaiah 60 pictures Jerusalem lit up by the glory of the Lord. The nations and their kings stream toward her with gifts. Verse 12 gives that scene its hard edge: refusing to serve means ruin. So who is the "you" that the nations must serve? And how does such a threat fit the God who now offers mercy to the world?
The chapter keeps speaking to a "you" who receives kings, wealth and rebuilt walls. Many readers assume that "you" is Christ. One writer answers them pronoun by pronoun:
Take Isaiah 60:3 as an example: "Nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising." "Oh, but," says one of my readers, "isn't that Christ's light?" Not at all. Look at the context. It is Israel's light... Foreigners are to build up Zion's walls, not Christ's (v. 10). Zion's gates, not Christ's, are to stay open always, so that the wealth and the kings of the nations may be brought there. It is of Zion, not of Christ, that it is said, "The nation and kingdom that will not serve you shall perish; those nations shall be utterly laid waste" (v. 12)... The Gentile is shown coming to her light to be blessed, and finding his blessing in serving her.
Some treat this chapter as already fulfilled in the return from exile under Cyrus. One writer measures that return against the prophecy:
It is true that a small remnant was allowed to return to Jerusalem in the reign of Cyrus, mostly from the two tribes of Judah and Benjamin (Ezra 10:7-9). But this was in no way a national restoration. Nor was it the full accomplishment of God's purposes. Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi all prophesied after this period, and they speak of the time of national blessing as still future... From that return until the birth of our Lord they were never an independent nation. They were always under Gentile power. Nothing in that condition answered to the glowing prediction of the prophet... The object of this partial return seems to have been that Christ might be born among them and be presented to them as the Messiah. He was utterly rejected.
This threat sounds out of step with how God deals with the world today. One writer ties it to God's plan for the coming age:
We read that "the nation and kingdom that will not serve you shall perish." Why should such severe judgment fall? Because of God's plan for the coming thousand-year age. Israel is to be the central nation, gathered round His glorious temple as a nation of priests. The other nations are to be grouped around Israel, expressing through her their submission and devotion to the King of kings. Should a nation in that day defy the Divine plan, they will perish. It will be the age of Divine government. We live at present in the age of grace.
Another writer names the penalties for staying away from Jerusalem:
As for the Gentiles, all people will see the glory of Jehovah. But the nation and kingdom that will not serve Israel shall perish; those nations shall be utterly laid waste (Isaiah 60:12). "Whoever among the families of the earth will not come up ['from year to year'] to Jerusalem to worship the King, Jehovah of hosts — on them there will be no rain." "Jehovah will strike the nations that do not come up to keep the feast of tabernacles." This will be the "punishment [or sin] of all the nations that do not come up" (Zech. 14:16-19).
Much of Isaiah 60 comes back in the last chapters of Revelation. One writer shows where the two pictures part:
Many images used here for the glory of the earthly Jerusalem come back in a more glorious way for the new Jerusalem of Revelation 21-22. But the careful reader will also mark the essential differences. Take this one. The nation and kingdom that will not serve the restored earthly Jerusalem shall perish; those nations shall be utterly laid waste (v. 12). The glorified church, the heavenly Jerusalem, is the opposite. She stays true to her mission of grace even in the day of glory... The tree of life is there, on either side of the river of life. No other tree stands there to threaten death... its leaves are for the healing of the nations (Rev. 22:2).
- Whom to serve: The "you" of this verse is Jerusalem herself, not Christ and not the church. The nations come to her light and find their blessing in serving her.
- When: Nothing in history has matched this yet. The small return under Cyrus left the nation under Gentile power.
- Why: In the coming age Israel stands at the centre, around God's temple. The nations bring their devotion to the King through her.
- Or perish: The penalties are concrete. No rain falls on those who stay away from Jerusalem, and God strikes the nations that skip the feast of tabernacles.
- Grace instead: The heavenly Jerusalem shares this chapter's imagery but not its threat. There the leaves of the tree of life heal the nations.