Isaiah 60:1

Commentary on Isaiah 60:1

The Gentiles Bless Zion

60 Arise, shine;

For your light has come!

And the glory of the Lord is risen upon you.

Introduction

Isaiah 60[i] stands at the heart of the prophet’s vision of Zion’s future glory. After the darkness and despair of chapters 56–59, this chapter unveils a new dawn for God’s people. Verse 1 issues a divine summons for Israel to rise from exile’s shadow, embracing the light of the Lord’s restorative presence. This text speaks powerfully of effectual calling, justification by faith, and the believer’s response in sanctified living.

Exposition of Isaiah 60:1

Arise, shine;
For your light has come!
And the glory of the Lord is risen upon you.

“Arise, shine”

• Imperative call
  God commands His people to “arise,” moving from passivity into active obedience. This reflects the outworking of effectual calling: the Spirit awakens hearts dead in sin (Ephesians 2:1–5[ii]), and the believer responds in newness of life.
• Shining as mission
  To “shine” is not merely passive glow but intentional radiance. Believers become beacons of God’s grace, reflecting Christ’s light amid spiritual darkness (Matthew 5:14–16[iii]).

“For your light has come!”

• Christ as Light
  The promised light is ultimately Christ Himself—“the true Light which gives light to every man” (John 1:9[iv]). In union with Christ we receive His perfect righteousness, illuminating our sin-darkened souls (2 Corinthians 4:6).
• Justification by faith
  That light arrives through the gospel. When God imputes Christ’s righteousness to His people, He ends their spiritual night and brings them into glorious day (Romans 3:22–24).

“And the glory of the Lord is risen upon you”

• Divine presence
  The phrase echoes the Shekinah glory of old, now fully revealed in the person of Jesus and poured out by the Spirit (2 Corinthians 3:18).
• Sanctification’s outworking
  The Lord’s glory does not merely rest on Israel; it transforms them. This signifies progressive sanctification, whereby God’s people are being conformed to the image of His Son (Romans 8:29).

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Theological Teaching of Isaiah 60:1

1. Effectual Calling
   God sovereignly summons His elect from darkness into light, accomplishing in them both desire and action (Philippians 2:13).
2. Union with Christ
   Believers share in Christ’s resurrected life and glory. Our shining is grounded entirely on His person and work (Colossians 1:27).
3. Missional Witness
   The church exists to display God’s glory to the nations. As Israel’s restoration drew Gentile kings and caravans (Isaiah 60:3–6), so the gospel invites all peoples to bow before the King (Revelation 7:9–10).

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Application to Modern Christian Living

• Rise from Spiritual Slumber
  Daily examine your life under Scripture’s light. Put off works of darkness—anger, immorality, selfishness—and put on Christ (Ephesians 5:8–14).
• Let Your Light Shine
  In word and deed, reflect the gospel. Speak truth in love, practice hospitality, pursue justice—demonstrating divine glory in a watching world (Matthew 5:16; Micah 6:8).
• Cultivate Corporate Glory
  Gather regularly with God’s people to worship, hear His Word, and spur one another on. The local church is the visible embassy of heaven on earth (Hebrews 10:24–25).
• Persevere in Hope
  Like exiled Israel, today’s believers may face suffering and opposition. Remember that the Lord’s glory will ultimately dispel all darkness—both personal trials and cosmic rebellion (Revelation 21:23–24).

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Teaching Statement from Isaiah 60:1

God calls His people out of darkness into the radiance of His presence. Having received Christ’s light by faith, believers are commanded to arise in new life and shine as visible reflections of His glory, drawing the nations to worship the one true God.

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[i] 60 Arise, shine;
For your light has come!
And the glory of the Lord is risen upon you.
2 For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth,
And deep darkness the people;
But the Lord will arise over you,
And His glory will be seen upon you.
3 The Gentiles shall come to your light,
And kings to the brightness of your rising.

4 “Lift up your eyes all around, and see:
They all gather together, they come to you;
Your sons shall come from afar,
And your daughters shall be nursed at your side.
5 Then you shall see and become radiant,
And your heart shall swell with joy;
Because the abundance of the sea shall be turned to you,
The wealth of the Gentiles shall come to you.
6 The multitude of camels shall cover your land,
The dromedaries of Midian and Ephah;
All those from Sheba shall come;
They shall bring gold and incense,
And they shall proclaim the praises of the Lord.
7 All the flocks of Kedar shall be gathered together to you,
The rams of Nebaioth shall minister to you;
They shall ascend with acceptance on My altar,
And I will glorify the house of My glory.

8 “Who are these who fly like a cloud,
And like doves to their roosts?
9 Surely the coastlands shall wait for Me;
And the ships of Tarshish will come first,
To bring your sons from afar,
Their silver and their gold with them,
To the name of the Lord your God,
And to the Holy One of Israel,
Because He has glorified you.

10 “The sons of foreigners shall build up your walls,
And their kings shall minister to you;
For in My wrath I struck you,
But in My favor I have had mercy on you.
11 Therefore your gates shall be open continually;
They shall not be shut day or night,
That men may bring to you the wealth of the Gentiles,
And their kings in procession.
12 For the nation and kingdom which will not serve you shall perish,
And those nations shall be utterly ruined.

13 “The glory of Lebanon shall come to you,
The cypress, the pine, and the box tree together,
To beautify the place of My sanctuary;
And I will make the place of My feet glorious.
14 Also the sons of those who afflicted you
Shall come bowing to you,
And all those who despised you shall fall prostrate at the soles of your feet;
And they shall call you The City of the Lord,
Zion of the Holy One of Israel.

15 “Whereas you have been forsaken and hated,
So that no one went through you,
I will make you an eternal excellence,
A joy of many generations.
16 You shall drink the milk of the Gentiles,
And milk the breast of kings;
You shall know that I, the Lord, am your Savior
And your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.

17 “Instead of bronze I will bring gold,
Instead of iron I will bring silver,
Instead of wood, bronze,
And instead of stones, iron.
I will also make your officers peace,
And your magistrates righteousness.
18 Violence shall no longer be heard in your land,
Neither [a]wasting nor destruction within your borders;
But you shall call your walls Salvation,
And your gates Praise.

God the Glory of His People

19 “The sun shall no longer be your light by day,
Nor for brightness shall the moon give light to you;
But the Lord will be to you an everlasting light,
And your God your glory.
20 Your sun shall no longer go down,
Nor shall your moon withdraw itself;
For the Lord will be your everlasting light,
And the days of your mourning shall be ended.
21 Also your people shall all be righteous;
They shall inherit the land forever,
The branch of My planting,
The work of My hands,
That I may be glorified.
22 A little one shall become a thousand,
And a small one a strong nation.
I, the Lord, will hasten it in its time.”

Footnotes

Isaiah 60:18 devastation

[ii] 2 And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, 2 in which you once walked according to the [a]course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, 3 among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.

4 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved),

Footnotes

Ephesians 2:2 Gr. aion, aeon

[iii] 14 “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. 16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.

[iv] 9 That[a] was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world.

Footnotes

John 1:9 Or That was the true Light which, coming into the world, gives light to every man.