Isaiah 60

“Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the LORD’s glory has risen on you!

For behold, darkness will cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples; but the LORD will arise on you, and his glory shall be seen on you.

Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising.

“Lift up your eyes all around, and see: they all gather themselves together. They come to you. Your sons will come from far away, and your daughters will be carried in arms.

Then you shall see and be radiant, and your heart will thrill and be enlarged; because the abundance of the sea will be turned to you. The wealth of the nations will come to you.

A multitude of camels will cover you, the dromedaries of Midian and Ephah. All from Sheba will come. They will bring gold and frankincense, and will proclaim the praises of the LORD.

All the flocks of Kedar will be gathered together to you. The rams of Nebaioth will serve you. They will be accepted as offerings on my altar; and I will beautify my glorious house.

“Who are these who fly as a cloud, and as the doves to their windows?

Surely the islands will wait for me, and the ships of Tarshish first, to bring your sons from far away, their silver and their gold with them, for the name of the LORD your God, and for the Holy One of Israel, because he has glorified you.

“Foreigners will build up your walls, and their kings will serve you; for in my wrath I struck you, but in my favor I have had mercy on you.

Your gates also shall be open continually; they shall not be shut day nor night, that men may bring to you the wealth of the nations, and their kings led captive.

For that nation and kingdom that will not serve you shall perish; yes, those nations shall be utterly wasted.

“The glory of Lebanon shall come to you, the cypress tree, the pine, and the box tree together, to beautify the place of my sanctuary; and I will make the place of my feet glorious.

The sons of those who afflicted you will come bowing to you; and all those who despised you will bow themselves down at the soles of your feet. They will call you the LORD’s City, the Zion of the Holy One of Israel.

“Whereas you have been forsaken and hated, so that no one passed through you, I will make you an eternal excellency, a joy of many generations.

You will also drink the milk of the nations, and will nurse from royal breasts. Then you will know that I, the LORD, am your Savior, your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.

For bronze I will bring gold; for iron I will bring silver; for wood, bronze, and for stones, iron. I will also make peace your governor, and righteousness your ruler.

Violence shall no more be heard in your land, nor desolation or destruction within your borders; but you will call your walls Salvation, and your gates Praise.

The sun will be no more your light by day, nor will the brightness of the moon give light to you, but the LORD will be your everlasting light, and your God will be your glory.

Your sun will not go down any more, nor will your moon withdraw itself; for the LORD will be your everlasting light, and the days of your mourning will end.

Then your people will all be righteous. They will inherit the land forever, the branch of my planting, the work of my hands, that I may be glorified.

The little one will become a thousand, and the small one a strong nation. I, the LORD, will do this quickly in its time.”

Chapter overviewAI-generated

Overview. This chapter is a prophetic vision of Zion’s future restoration and exaltation through the manifest presence of God’s glory, as the redeemed people are gathered from afar and the nations bring their wealth in homage. Situated in the latter part of Isaiah’s oracles of comfort (chapters 40–66), it presents a climactic picture of the eschatological city of God, radiant with divine light and populated by a people fully established in righteousness and peace.

Flow.

The summons to "arise and shine" (v. 1) sets the tone: God’s glory now rests on Zion, dispelling global darkness (vv. 1–3).
The outpouring of the nations—kings, children, wealth, and praise—flows toward Zion as a sign of her exalted status (vv. 4–9).
Foreigners now serve and build her walls, not as instruments of wrath but of mercy; her gates stand open to receive the nations (vv. 10–14).
The final transformation: creation’s glory adorns the sanctuary, Zion is honored as God’s city, and her people, made wholly righteous, inherit the land forever under God’s eternal light (vv. 15–22).

Connections. Following chapter 59, which exposed human sin and God’s intervening righteousness, this chapter unveils the result of that divine action—Zion redeemed and radiant. Where chapter 59 ended with the coming of the Redeemer to Zion (59:20), chapter 60 shows what that redemption produces: a city flooded with light, populated by the ransomed, and honored by the nations. Its vision of peace and divine presence prepares for chapter 61, where the Spirit-anointed Servant brings good news and liberty to fulfill this glory in a particular, personal ministry.

What it teaches. This chapter reveals the ultimate restoration of God’s people as an act of sheer grace, grounded in his covenant faithfulness and glory. It portrays the church (the true seed of Abraham) as the beneficiary of God’s eternal promises: gathered from exile, adorned with the wealth of nations, and dwelling in a new creation where God himself is the light (WCF 7.6; HC LD 19). The transformation of Zion—her walls called Salvation, her gates Praise, her people all righteous—points to the eschatological perfection of the elect, who inherit the promised land as the work of God’s hands (; cf. WCF 8.8, Canons of Dort I.12). The nations’ homage and the priests’ acceptance (v. 7) reflect the universal reach of God’s redemptive purpose, where Jew and Gentile alike form one worshipping community before his throne.

Apply. The nations bring their treasures to the light, not to remain their own, but to honor the city where God dwells.

AI-generated. Not a substitute for Scripture, your pastor, or the confessions.