60:1 Zion can now enjoy and share all that the Lord has done for her. The light is not Zion’s own but is visible because God has come to her; the Redeemer has come to Zion (59:20). This echoes 9:2 and points to its first fulfillment, when Jesus begins his public ministry (Matt. 4:12–17). It is further fulfilled on the day of Pentecost, as a multinational crowd hears the wonderful deeds of God (Acts 2:5–11). It continues to be fulfilled as the gospel spreads throughout the world, but the language here goes far beyond all these and looks forward to the new creation. This is the only hope for a troubled world.

“Glory” was the seraphim’s message (Isa. 6:3), a glory belonging to Yahweh alone, but here by grace he shares it with his people. John 1:14 and 17:4 speak of how this glory radiates uniquely from the servant himself. We “have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23), but grace means that “we . . . are being transformed into [his] same image from one degree of glory to another” (2 Cor. 3:18); this idea will be developed in the next verse.

60:2 The language here uses imagery from the plague of darkness (Ex. 10:21–23); as so often, God’s mighty acts in the past, especially the exodus, are seen as grounds of confidence for the future. The light that shines is not simply for Zion but for the whole world. This is a natural consequence of Yahweh’s being creator and sovereign, which Isaiah saw so clearly and which leaves no room for alternative gods. God will not share his glory with idols (Isa. 42:8; 48:11), but he will share it with his people, who will in turn become a light to the world.

60:3 People will be attracted by the light shining from Zion. “Nations” suggest whole societies; “kings” will hail a greater King. This continues the idea of 2:3, in which the nations learn from the Torah the true ways of God, shining in the darkness of the world. The Word of God always points fully and faithfully to the living Word, who is the light of the world.

60:4 As in 49:18, Israel is called to believe and see the evidence of God’s promises. Not only the exiled people of Israel but all God’s people will converge on Zion. “Sons” and “daughters” speak of progeny and a guaranteed future. They will come from the remotest parts of earth and will even carry the weak.

60:5 This will be an overwhelming experience of both awe and rejoicing. The verb “be radiant” can also mean “tremble” and expresses the sense of both fear at the greatness of the Lord and rejoicing in his amazing graciousness. Wealth will come from sea and land; in the context of the time, the “abundance of the sea” probably refers to Phoenicia’s trading ventures.

60:6–7 Now the prophet illustrates this universal pilgrimage to Zion by specifying places from which the travelers come. As well as from the sea (v. 5), he sees camels from the southeast bringing riches. A similar picture of wealth coming to Solomon’s court occurs in 1 Kings 10:14–22. Midian and Ephah in the far south are descendants of Abraham. Sheba is also in the south, while Kedar and Nebaioth are in the north Arabian desert. They come not only to bring wealth but to worship at God’s altar. It is difficult to read of “gold and frankincense” without recalling the magi who come to worship the one who is not only King of the Jews but King of heaven and earth (Matt. 2:11).

60:8–9 The prophet now looks again to the sea, where he sees sails of an approaching fleet that resemble flocks of birds flying home. The “coastlands” (cf. Isa. 40:15) are a vision of the west, the lands of the NT. The fleet is led by the swift “ships of Tarshish.” These bring God’s children home to Zion and, more importantly, to Zion’s God. His name and character are what make Zion the attraction. Redeemed people return to the Holy One of Israel, as the prophet himself has done.

60:10 In 56:3 Isaiah spoke of the incorporation of “foreigners” into the kingdom of God; that thought is developed here as they become fully part of the life of the city. They are first involved in the rebuilding of the walls, a reference initially to the restoring of Jerusalem in the time of Ezra and Nehemiah—but going far beyond that.109 Kings had once destroyed the city (2 Kings 25:1–17), and God had used foreigners to punish his people, but now they will be instruments of his grace. This assistance in rebuilding will be voluntary and a mark of the end of hostility.

60:11 “Gates” are normally a sign of security; open gates demonstrate a lack of fear of enemies. However, the emphasis here is on the ceaseless stream of wealth flowing into the city. All that is good and honorable finds a welcome in Zion. “Kings led in procession” indicates not so much their being dragged in a victory procession but, having come to Zion’s king, their full participation in the blessings of the covenant.

60:12 This verse may seem to strike a jarring note, but it dramatizes the two destinies: we must serve God either willingly or unwillingly. This was set out as long ago as Isaiah 1:19–20, and the warning is sounded again at the very end of the book (66:24). Ultimately, our attitude to Zion and Zion’s God will determine our destiny. This verse goes far beyond any historical period and speaks of the final destiny of all men.

60:13 The imagery now particularly echoes Solomon’s temple and the bringing of wood from Lebanon (1 Kings 5:7–11) to make the building as beautiful as possible. The phrase “glory of Lebanon” also occurs in Isaiah 35:2, where it speaks of the desert’s blossoming. This suggests that Zion is not the only place to which the wealth of the nations will come, though it will display all the glory of the new creation. Different images complement each other and provide a richer picture than any one individual metaphor. In Ezekiel 40–48 the new creation is visualized in a marvelously detailed picture of a temple that answers the abuses of the contemporary Jerusalem temple described in Ezekiel 8–11. Isaiah concentrates more on the city whose corruption he exposed in chapters 1–5. As a result, restored Zion is especially important for him. Both images are about the meeting of heaven and earth and the dwelling of God with redeemed humanity.

60:14 The descendants of those who had humiliated Zion will bow to Zion’s God. In the power politics of the age of Sennacherib, tiny Judah did not rate more than a contemptuous laugh (cf. the Rabshakeh’s words in Isa. 36:4–10). But for those with eyes to see and hearts willing to obey, Zion is the place of God’s delight, the place where his holiness dwells. History is full of instances of persecutors bowing in repentance, not least Saul of Tarsus. When the Lord reveals himself to such, a radical transformation takes place.

60:15–16 The image of the city merges into that of the bride, once forsaken but now rejoicing. The forsaken woman and the abandoned city are images of loneliness and the disintegration of community. Yet both will be “majestic” (or “exalted”) which comes not from pride in human achievement but in being lifted up by God. The other blessing is perpetual joy, which will never fade throughout the generations.

The relationship between Zion and the nations and kings of the earth will now be one in which fruitful life will flow from Zion. This is the work of her God, the Savior and Redeemer, the one who transformed Jacob into Israel.

60:17 Here again language breaks its bounds as the city is evoked in the most exquisite poetry. Two extremes must be avoided when interpreting passages such as this. The first is a pedantic literalism that sees the sun and moon as no longer needed (v. 19) as a contradiction of the same sun and moon’s never setting (v. 20). The other extreme is to collapse into vague generalizations, saying little more than that the new creation will be better than this present world. Readers must listen to the language and respond to its richness. Poetry is not merely a flowery way of saying something that could be said equally well in prose, but rather it exploits the resources of language to express as fully as possible inward as well as outward reality.

The background here is perhaps initially the splendors of Solomon’s kingdom (1 Kings 9:14–27), but the text far surpasses that early glory and looks to the new Jerusalem (Rev. 21:11–21). Neither there nor here are we to think of a city made of metal or of precious gems. Rather, what is emphasized is strength and stability; a similar idea is found in Zechariah, in which four chariots come between two bronze mountains (Zech. 6:1) that symbolize the heavenly Zion. The new creation will be tangible and real, not a disembodied existence in the shadowlands. The administration of the city will be in keeping with God’s character. Words associated with Egyptian slavery, “overseers” and “taskmasters” (Ex. 3:7), are now transformed to suggest godly, just, and benevolent rule. The greater exodus (Luke 9:31) accomplished by the work of the servant is now complete in a world of peace and love.

60:18 The triumph of peace and righteousness brings about the end of war (Isa. 2:4). This would have a powerful resonance to those who have suffered the devastation of Sennacherib’s invasion, as well as to succeeding generations. The “walls” of salvation represent the destruction of sin and Satan and point to eternal security. As people at the old temple were exhorted to “enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise” (Ps. 100:4), so here all who enter are rejoicing in their salvation (cf. Isa. 26:1–4; 33:20–22).

60:19–20 This chapter began with light; the metaphor continues here. There is only one uncreated light: “God is light, and in him is no darkness at all” (1 John 1:5), and the living Word reveals that light (John 1:5, 9). Light was the first act of creation (Gen. 1:3). It was not until the fourth day that the sun and moon appeared (Gen. 1:16), and they are called simply the “greater” light and the “lesser” light, followed by the wonderful throwaway line “and the stars.” This is clearly a warning against worship of heavenly bodies, so prominent in the ancient world, in which pagan religion worshiped the creation rather than the Creator. Here the point is that in the new creation we will see clearly that God is the sole Creator, who has blessed us with himself, the source of all light and glory. This is not so much a description of the cosmology of the new creation as a God-exalting picture of how we will see clearly and walk perfectly in the light. All that has been good in the present creation will shine with the Lord’s reflected glory. “Days of mourning” will be gone because death itself will be destroyed (Isa. 25:8).

60:21–22 The prophet now turns from the city to the people who will live there. They will be characterized by the righteousness for which the prophet called (1:21, 26), which is the mark of Immanuel’s kingdom (9:7). This righteousness is the nature of God himself, given to his people as a result of the work of the servant. Because the people are righteous, they will inherit the earth, or “land”—the original promise to Abraham (Gen. 12:1). Hebrews tells us that Abraham lived as a pilgrim in the land of promise because he realized that this life was pointing to something greater, “the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God” (Heb. 11:9–10). The vineyard metaphor of Isaiah 5:1–7; 27:2–6 is now fully realized, displaying its Maker’s splendor. The addition of the picture of the vineyard to that of the city shows that, while God’s people are eternally secure, they will continue to grow and develop as his eternal purposes unfold.

The promise to Abraham of descendants (Gen. 15:5) will be abundantly realized as a small remnant grows into a multitude no one can count. In case all of this seems too good to be true, we are reminded that the one who is promising is Yahweh himself, the God of Sinai who brought his people out of Egypt and is committed to them via promises he cannot and will not break. Time is in his hand; just as it seemed the Messiah would never come when the “sunrise . . . from on high” (Luke 1:78) broke into our world, so too the Son of Man will be like lightning that lights up the sky (Luke 17:24) when he returns in glorious majesty.