Discovery BoxIsaiah 60:9-22
Context60:9 Indeed, the coastlands 1 look eagerly for me,
the large ships 2 are in the lead,
bringing your sons from far away,
along with their silver and gold,
to honor the Lord your God, 3
the Holy One of Israel, 4 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. 5
60:11 Your gates will remain open at all times;
they will not be shut during the day or at night,
so that the wealth of nations may be delivered,
with their kings leading the way. 6
60:12 Indeed, 7 nations or kingdoms that do not serve you will perish;
such nations will be totally destroyed. 8
60:13 The splendor of Lebanon will come to you,
its evergreens, firs, and cypresses together,
to beautify my palace; 9
I will bestow honor on my throne room. 10
60:14 The children of your oppressors will come bowing to you;
all who treated you with disrespect will bow down at your feet.
They will call you, ‘The City of the Lord,
Zion of the Holy One of Israel.’ 11
60:15 You were once abandoned
and despised, with no one passing through,
but I will make you 12 a permanent source of pride
and joy to coming generations.
60:16 You will drink the milk of nations;
you will nurse at the breasts of kings. 13
Then you will recognize that I, the Lord, am your deliverer,
your protector, 14 the powerful ruler of Jacob. 15
60:17 Instead of bronze, I will bring you gold,
instead of iron, I will bring you silver,
instead of wood, I will bring you 16 bronze,
instead of stones, I will bring you 17 iron.
I will make prosperity 18 your overseer,
and vindication your sovereign ruler. 19
60:18 Sounds of violence 20 will no longer be heard in your land,
or the sounds of 21 destruction and devastation within your borders.
You will name your walls, ‘Deliverance,’
and your gates, ‘Praise.’
60:19 The sun will no longer supply light for you by day,
nor will the moon’s brightness shine on you;
the Lord will be your permanent source of light –
the splendor of your God will shine upon you. 22
60:20 Your sun will no longer set;
your moon will not disappear; 23
the Lord will be your permanent source of light;
your time 24 of sorrow will be over.
60:21 All of your people will be godly; 25
they will possess the land permanently.
I will plant them like a shoot;
they will be the product of my labor,
through whom I reveal my splendor. 26
60:22 The least of you will multiply into 27 a thousand;
the smallest of you will become a large nation.
When the right time comes, I the Lord will quickly do this!” 28
[60:9] 1 tn Or “islands” (NIV); CEV “distant islands”; TEV “distant lands.”
[60:9] 2 tn Heb “the ships of Tarshish.” See the note at 2:16.
[60:9] 3 tn Heb “to the name of the Lord your God.”
[60:9] 4 sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4.
[60:10] 5 tn Heb “in my favor I will have compassion on you.”
[60:11] 6 tn Or “led in procession.” The participle is passive.
[60:12] 7 tn Or “For” (KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT); TEV “But.”
[60:12] 8 tn The infinitive absolute appears before the finite verb for emphasis.
[60:13] 9 tn Or “holy place, sanctuary.”
[60:13] 10 tn Heb “the place of my feet.” See Ezek 43:7, where the Lord’s throne is called the “place of the soles of my feet.”
[60:14] 11 sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4.
[60:15] 12 tn Heb “Instead of your being abandoned and despised, with no one passing through, I will make you.”
[60:16] 13 sn The nations and kings are depicted as a mother nursing her children. Restored Zion will be nourished by them as she receives their wealth as tribute.
[60:16] 14 tn Or “redeemer.” See the note at 41:14.
[60:16] 15 sn See 1:24 and 49:26.
[60:17] 16 tn The words “I will bring you” are supplied in the translation; they are understood by ellipsis (see the preceding lines).
[60:17] 17 tn The words “I will bring you” are supplied in the translation; they are understood by ellipsis (see the first two lines of the verse).
[60:17] 18 tn Or “peace” (KJV and many other English versions).
[60:17] 19 tn The plural indicates degree. The language is ironic; in the past Zion was ruled by oppressive tyrants, but now personified prosperity and vindication will be the only things that will “dominate” the city.
[60:18] 20 tn The words “sounds of” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[60:18] 21 tn The words “sounds of” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[60:19] 22 tn Heb “and your God for your splendor.”
[60:20] 23 sn In this verse “sun” and “moon” refer to the Lord’s light, which will replace the sun and moon (see v. 19). Light here symbolizes the restoration of divine blessing and prosperity in conjunction with the Lord’s presence. See 30:26.
[60:20] 24 tn Heb “days” (so KJV, NAB, NIV, NRSV, NLT).
[60:21] 25 tn Or “righteous” (NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT); NAB “just.”
[60:21] 26 tn Heb “a shoot of his planting, the work of my hands, to reveal splendor.”
[60:22] 27 tn Heb “will become” (so NASB, NIV).
[60:22] 28 tn Heb “I, the Lord, in its time, I will quickly do it.”
