Isaiah 60King James Version
Arise, shine, for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee. The nations shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising. 'The 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.'
Arise, shine, for your light has come and the glory of the LORD has risen upon you. Darkness covers the peoples but the LORD's glory is on you. Gentiles will come to your light, kings to your brightness. Your gates will be open always; the wealth of nations will come to you. No more violence in your land; God will be your everlasting light. The smallest will become a nation.
The restoration of Jerusalem is not only a return of exiles but a gathering of nations. The light that rises on the city is not metaphorical; it is the glory of the LORD himself.
verse: "Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee", two imperatives followed by a double reason: the light is already present. The action called for is responding to what is already true.
Jerusalem in ruins or in the dim half-life of post-exilic reconstruction. The imagery demands contrast: the city is in shadow, the nations are in gross darkness, and then light breaks on the one place that was not expecting it. Camel caravans from Midian, ships from Tarshish, cedar from Lebanon all converge on this one lit point.
Zion addressed as a woman rising from the ground. The nations and kings who come to Jerusalem's light. The sons who return from far away, the daughters carried on the hip. God himself described as everlasting light, replacing sun and moon.
This chapter is the Old Testament foundation for the New Testament's depiction of the new Jerusalem in Revelation 21-22, which draws extensively on its imagery. The nations-come-to-Zion vision connects to the Magi narrative in Matthew 2. The God-as-everlasting-light replacing sun and moon is explicitly fulfilled in Revelation 21:23.
For when you feel that you are sitting in darkness and have been for a long time. The opening imperative, arise, is addressed to someone already on the ground. The rising is not achieved by effort but by recognition of what has already come.
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.