Isaiah 60:1-9

Zion’s Future Splendor

60:1 “Arise! Shine! For your light arrives!

The splendor ¹  of the Lord shines on you!

60:2 For, look, darkness covers the earth

and deep darkness covers ²  the nations,

but the Lord shines on you;

his splendor ³  appears over you.

60:3 Nations come to your light,

kings to your bright light.

60:4 Look all around you! ⁴ 

They all gather and come to you –

your sons come from far away

and your daughters are escorted by guardians.

60:5 Then you will look and smile, ⁵ 

you will be excited and your heart will swell with pride. ⁶ 

For the riches of distant lands ⁷  will belong to you

and the wealth of nations will come to you.

60:6 Camel caravans will cover your roads, ⁸ 

young camels from Midian and Ephah.

All the merchants of Sheba ⁹  will come,

bringing gold and incense

and singing praises to the Lord. ¹⁰ 

60:7 All the sheep of Kedar will be gathered to you;

the rams of Nebaioth will be available to you as sacrifices. ¹¹ 

They will go up on my altar acceptably, ¹² 

and I will bestow honor on my majestic temple.

60:8 Who are these who float along ¹³  like a cloud,

who fly like doves to their shelters? ¹⁴ 

60:9 Indeed, the coastlands ¹⁵  look eagerly for me,

the large ships ¹⁶  are in the lead,

bringing your sons from far away,

along with their silver and gold,

to honor the Lord your God, ¹⁷ 

the Holy One of Israel, ¹⁸  for he has bestowed honor on you.

[60:1]  ¹ tn Or “glory” (so most English versions).

[60:2]  ² tn The verb “covers” is understood by ellipsis (note the preceding line).

[60:2]  ³ tn Or “glory” (so most English versions); TEV “the brightness of his presence.”

[60:4]  ⁴ tn Heb “Lift up around your eyes and see!”

[60:5]  ⁵ tn Or “shine,” or “be radiant” (NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV).

[60:5]  ⁶ tn Heb “and it will tremble and be wide, your heart.”

[60:5]  ⁷ tn Heb “the wealth of the sea,” i.e., wealth that is transported from distant lands via the sea.

[60:6]  ⁸ tn Heb “an abundance of camels will cover you.”

[60:6]  ⁹ tn Heb “all of them, from Sheba.”

[60:6]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “and they will announce the praises of the Lord.”

[60:7]  ¹¹ tn Heb “will serve you,” i.e., be available as sacrifices (see the next line). Another option is to understood these “rams” as symbolic of leaders who will be subject to the people of Zion. See v. 10.

[60:7]  ¹² tc Heb “they will go up on acceptance [on] my altar.” Some have suggested that the preposition עַל (’al) is dittographic (note the preceding יַעֲלוּ [ya’alu]). Consequently, the form should be emended to לְרָצוֹן (lÿratson, “acceptably”; see BDB 953 s.v. רָצוֹן). However, the Qumran scroll 1QIsa^a has both לרצון followed by the preposition על, which would argue against deleted the preposition. As the above translation seeks to demonstrate, the preposition עַל (’al) indicates a norm (“in accordance with acceptance” or “acceptably”; IBHS 218 §11.2.13e, n. 111) and the “altar” functions as an objective accusative with a verb of motion (cf. Gen 49:4; Lev 2:2; Num 13:17; J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah [NICOT], 2:534, n. 14).

[60:8]  ¹³ tn Heb “fly” (so KJV, NASB, NRSV); NAB, NIV “fly along.”

[60:8]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “to their windows,” i.e., to the openings in their coops. See HALOT 83 s.v. אֲרֻבָּה.

[60:9]  ¹⁵ tn Or “islands” (NIV); CEV “distant islands”; TEV “distant lands.”

[60:9]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “the ships of Tarshish.” See the note at 2:16.

[60:9]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “to the name of the Lord your God.”

[60:9]  ¹⁸ sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4.