Albert Barnes Commentary Isaiah 60

Arise - This is evidently addressed to the church, or to Zion regarded as the seat of the church. It is represented as having been in a state of affliction and calamity (compare the notes at Isaiah 3:26; Isaiah 52:1–2). She is now called on to arise from the dust and to impart to others the rich privileges which were conferred on her.

Shine - (אורי 'ôrı̂y). Lowth renders this, ‘Be you enlightened.’ Margin, ‘Be enlightened, for your light comes.’ Noyes, ‘Enjoy light.’ Septuagint Φωτίζου φωτίζου Phōtizou phōtizou - ‘Be enlightened; be enlightened, O Jerusalem.’ Herder renders it, ‘Be light.’ Vitringa regards the expression as equivalent to this: ‘pass into a state of light. That is, enjoy light yourself, and impart it freely to others.’ Gesenius renders it, ‘Shine, be bright; that is, be surrounded and resplendent with light.’

The idea probably is this: ‘Rise now from a state of obscurity and darkness. Enter into light; enter into times of prosperity.’ It is not so much a command to impart light to others as it is to be encompassed with light and glory.

It is the language of prophecy rather than of command; a call rather to participate in the light that was shining than to impart it to others. The Septuagint and the Chaldee here add the name ‘Jerusalem,’ and regard it as addressed directly to her.

Thy light is come - On the word ‘light,’ see the notes at Isaiah 58:8, Isaiah 58:10. The light here referred to is evidently that of the gospel; and when the prophet says that that light ‘is come,’ he throws himself into future times and sees in vision the Messiah as having already come, and as pouring the light of salvation on a darkened church and world (compare the notes at Isaiah 9:2).

And the glory of the Lord - There is reference here, doubtless, to the Shechinah or visible splendor which usually accompanied the manifestations of God to his people (see the notes at Isaiah 4:5). As Yahweh manifested himself in visible glory to the Israelites during their journey to the promised land, so he would manifest himself in the times of the Messiah as the glorious protector and guide of his people. The divine character and perfections would be manifested like the sun rising over a darkened world.

Is risen upon thee - As the sun rises. The word used here (זרח zârach) is commonly applied to the rising of the sun: Genesis 32:31; Exodus 22:2; 2 Samuel 23:4; Psalms 104:22. The comparison of the gospel to the sun rising upon a dark world is exceedingly beautiful and often occurs in the Bible (Luke 1:78, margin).

Upon thee - Upon thee, in contradistinction from other nations and people. The gospel shed its first beams of glory on Jerusalem.

For behold—darkness covers the earth. This is designed to draw attention to the fact that all the rest of the world would be enveloped in deep spiritual night.

Darkness—(See the notes at Isaiah 45:7).

Shall cover the earth—Shall envelop the whole world except where it is illuminated by the gospel. It is needless to say that this was the fact when the Messiah came, and that it is still extensively true also.

And gross darkness—Lowth renders this, ‘A thick vapor.’ Herder, ‘Deep obscurity.’ The Septuagint, Γνόφος Gnophos—Cloud, shade, tempest. The Hebrew word (ערפל ‛ărâpel) usually denotes thick cloud, cloudy darkness, or gloom, and is often applied to the thick clouds of a tempest (Exodus 20:18; Deuteronomy 4:11; Psalms 18:10).

It is a word of more intense meaning than that which is rendered ‘darkness’ (השׁך chôshek), and the idea here is that the nations would be enveloped in a cloud of ignorance and sin so dense and obscure that no light could penetrate it—a description strikingly applicable to the whole pagan world.

But the Lord shall arise upon you—Like the sun. That is, Yahweh would manifest his perfections to you in a glorious manner.

Shall be seen upon you—There is more emphatic meaning in the original here than is conveyed in our translation. The Hebrew word (יראה yērâ’eh) does not merely mean that that glory would be visible, but that it would be conspicuous.

It would be so bright and luminous that it would be seen from afar—like a cloud or column of glory standing over Jerusalem that would be conspicuous to far-distant people.

And the Gentiles shall come - So splendid shall be that glory, that it will attract the distant nations, and they shall come and participate in the blessings of the gospel. This contains the main statement that this chapter is designed to illustrate. The prophet had frequently made this statement before in general terms (Isaiah 11:10; Isaiah 49:22; Isaiah 54:3); but he now goes into a more particular account, and more fully describes the blessings that would result from this accession to the true church.

And kings - (Compare Isaiah 49:7, note; Isaiah 49:23, note; Isaiah 52:15, note).

To the brightness of thy rising - This does not mean that the church was to arise with the splendor of the sun; but thy rising means the rising upon her - called her rising, because it would shed its beams on her. It is correctly rendered by Lowth - ‘The brightness of your sunrising;’ and by Noyes and Herder - ‘The brightness that rises upon you.’

Lift up thine eyes - Jerusalem is here addressed as a female with eyes cast down from grief. She is directed to lift them up, and to see the great multitudes flocking to her. Wherever she could turn her eyes, she would behold them hastening to come to her. In this verse and the following verses, the prophet goes into a particular statement of what he referred to in general terms in (Isaiah 60:3). The first thing which he specifies is, that the dispersed sons and daughters of the Jewish people would be gathered back.

Thy sons shall come from far - Those who have been driven into exile into distant lands shall again return. This is in accordance with the predictions so often made in Isaiah, that the scattered sons of the Jewish people would be again collected (see the notes at Isaiah 49:17-18).

And thy daughters shall be nursed at thy side - The Septuagint renders this, ‘And thy daughters shall be borne upon the shoulders’ (ἐπ ̓ ὤμων ἀρθήσονται ep' ōmōn arthēsontai). Lowth also says, that one manuscript reads it ‘upon shoulders,’ and another has both ‘shoulder’ and ‘side.’ The translation of the Septuagint, and these different readings of the manuscripts have probably been caused by the supposed improbability of the fact that children were nursed or carried on the side . But Sir John Chardin says that it is the general custom in the East to carry the children astride upon the hip, with the arms around the body.

The word, however, which is rendered ‘nursed’ in our translation (תאמנה tē'âmanâh from אמן 'âman), means, properly, “to stay, to sustain, support; to bear or carry a child” (Numbers 11:12); hence, “to be faithful, firm.” It is not certain that it is in any instance used in the sense of nursing; but it more probably means here, they shall be borne. It implies that the church would evince deep solicitude for the education and welfare of the young—as a mother does for her children; and that it would be one of the blessings of those times that that solicitude should be felt and manifested.

Then you shall see - Lowth renders this, ‘Then you shall fear and overflow with joy;’ and supposes that it refers to the agitation and anxiety of mind attending the scene, and to the joy consequent on the numerous conversions. His authority for this change is that forty manuscripts (two of them ancient) have תיראי, ‘you shall fear,’ instead of תראי tı̂r^e'ı̂y — ‘you shall see.’ But though the change is of a single letter, there is not sufficient authority to make it, nor does the sense require it. The Vulgate, Septuagint, Chaldee, Syriac, Arabic, and Castellio all render it in accordance with the present reading of the Hebrew text. The idea is that Jerusalem would look with deep interest on the great multitude that would be converted to her, and that the effect would be to cause the heart to overflow with joy.

And flow together - This translation, it is believed, by no means conveys the true sense of the passage. Indeed, it is difficult to make sense of the translation. It is true that the Hebrew word נהר nâhar — means “to flow, to flow together”; from which comes the word נהר nâhâr — ‘river.’ But it may be used in the sense of flowing, or overflowing with joy; or it may mean to shine, to be bright, the same as נוּר nûr (Gesenius); and therefore to be cheered, to rejoice, as when the countenance is bright and cheerful . Taylor (Hebrew Concordance) renders it, ‘And be enlightened, or have the light flow upon you.’ The true idea is, doubtless, that of rejoicing, denoting the happiness which will always exist in the church when many are seen to come and give themselves to God.

And your heart shall fear - The heart shall be ruffled, agitated, deeply excited by the view of the numbers that are converted, and by the evidence thus furnished of the divine favor and presence. The effect of numerous simultaneous conversions in a revival of religion is always to produce awe and reverence. There is a conviction that God is near, and that this is his work; and a deep veneration produced by the demonstrations of his power which does not exist in other circumstances. This effect is also described by Jeremiah (Jeremiah 33:9): ‘And they shall fear and tremble for all the goodness and for all the prosperity that I shall procure unto her’ (Jerusalem).

And be enlarged - Shall be swelled or filled with joy.

Because the abundance of the sea - Margin, ‘Noise of the sea shall be turned to you.’ Lowth and Noyes render it, ‘The riches of the sea.’ So the Septuagint, Πλοῦτος θαλάσσης Ploutos thalassēs. The Chaldee renders it, ‘There shall be transferred to you the wealth of the west’ (מערבא עיתר ‛ôtar ma‛ar^ebâ'). The Hebrew word המון hămôn properly denotes a noise or sound, as of rain, of the raging of the ocean, or of a multitude of people. Then it denotes a multitude or crowd of people itself (Isaiah 13:4; Isaiah 33:3; Daniel 10:6); a host or army (Judges 4:7; Daniel 11:11–13); a multitude of waters (Jeremiah 10:13; Jeremiah 51:16). It then denotes a multitude of possessions, a vast amount of wealth (Psalms 37:16; Ecclesiastes 5:9). Here it may refer either to the multitude of the people that dwelt on the islands of the sea, or to their wealth that would be brought and devoted to Zion.

As various kinds of property are immediately specified, it seems most natural to refer it to that; and then the idea is that the wealth possessed by lands beyond the sea, or surrounded by the sea, would be devoted to the church of God. It will be remembered that nearly all the wealth that was imported by Solomon and others to Judea came from beyond sea, and that it was natural to speak of such places as abounding in riches. The idea is that the wealth of all those distant lands would be consecrated to the church—an idea denoting its great prosperity and glory when all lands should come under the influence of the truth.

Shall be converted - Hebrew, ‘Shall be turned.’ Instead of being employed in idolatry and sin, in purposes of pleasure and mere magnificence, it shall be turned to a different purpose.

The forces of the Gentiles - Margin, ‘wealth.’ The margin has undoubtedly the correct interpretation. The word used here (חיל chayil — construct חיל chēyil), usually, indeed, denotes strength, might, valor; an army, forces, host; but it also means riches, wealth (Genesis 24:29; Deuteronomy 8:17–18; Ruth 4:11; Job 20:15). The Septuagint renders the passage, ‘The riches of the sea, and of the nations, and of the people will come over to you.’ The sense is that the wealth of the pagan world would be consecrated to the service of the church.

To some extent, this has been the case. No small part of the great wealth of the Roman empire was devoted to the service of the Christian church; and the wealth of what was then Pagan Europe, and of what was then Pagan and unknown America, has been, to a considerable extent, devoted to the Redeemer. The time will come when the wealth of India, of China, of Africa, and of the entire world, shall be devoted to the service of God, in a manner far more decided than has yet occurred in the most favored Christian lands.