Isaiah 60:6-10

Context

60:6 Camel caravans will cover your roads,¹

young camels from Midian and Ephah.

All the merchants of Sheba² will come,

bringing gold and incense

and singing praises to the Lord.³

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

the rams of Nebaioth will be available to you as sacrifices.⁴

They will go up on my altar acceptably,⁵

and I will bestow honor on my majestic temple.

60:8 Who are these who float along⁶ like a cloud,

who fly like doves to their shelters?⁷

60:9 Indeed, the coastlands⁸ look eagerly for me,

the large ships⁹ are in the lead,

bringing your sons from far away,

along with their silver and gold,

to honor the Lord your God,¹⁰

the Holy One of Israel,¹¹ for he has bestowed honor on you.

60:10 Foreigners will rebuild your walls;

their kings will serve you.

Even though I struck you down in my anger,

I will restore my favor and have compassion on you.¹²

[60:6] ¹tn Heb “an abundance of camels will cover you.”

[60:6] ²tn Heb “all of them, from Sheba.”

[60:6] ³tn Heb “and they will announce the praises of the Lord.”

[60:7] ⁴tn 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] ⁵tc 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] ⁶tn Heb “fly” (so KJV, NASB, NRSV); NAB, NIV “fly along.”

[60:8] ⁷tn Heb “to their windows,” i.e., to the openings in their coops. See HALOT 83 s.v. אֲרֻבָּה.

[60:9] ⁸tn Or “islands” (NIV); CEV “distant islands”; TEV “distant lands.”

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

[60:9] ¹⁰tn Heb “to the name of the Lord your God.”

[60:9] ¹¹sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4.

[60:10] ¹²tn Heb “in my favor I will have compassion on you.”