John Calvin Commentary Isaiah 60:5

"Then thou shalt see and be radiant, and thy heart shall thrill and be enlarged; because the abundance of the sea shall be turned unto thee, the wealth of the nations shall come unto thee." — Isaiah 60:5 (ASV)

Then thou shalt see. At first sight, these things appear somewhat inconsistent with each other: previously he spoke of the fact as present, and now he foretells it as future. But previously he spoke of the eyes of faith, which behold those things that do not fall under human senses; now he speaks of the actual event. Or, at least, he intended by the present tense to point out the certainty. But now, so that believers may continue to exercise patience, he limits the same statement. Besides, although those things which the Lord promises are concealed for a time from human eyes, yet believers perceive them by faith, so that they have a firm belief and expectation of their accomplishment, however incredible they may appear to others.

Thou shalt shine, or, thou shalt overflow. As the verb נהר (nahar) signifies both “to shine” and “to overflow,” it may be rendered either way. We may refer it to that joy with which the Church is filled and overflows when it is enlarged in this way, or to the ornament with which it shines and dazzles.

Thou shalt tremble. He now mentions “trembling” and connects it with splendor or joy; this may appear inconsistent with the meaning assigned to the previous clause. But I have no doubt that he intended by this word to express the astonishment and even amazement with which the Church will be seized when it perceives that this strange and unexpected honor has been obtained by it, and that it has been elevated to so high a rank of honor. As if he had said, “The extent of the work will be so great as to exceed your expectation.” It is not, therefore, the “trembling” which is produced by some danger or melancholy event, but such as commonly arises in matters of great importance which exceed the capacity of our understanding, when we are struck with amazement and almost think that we dream; and this “trembling” agrees very well with joy.