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Isaiah 60

God promises to transform forsaken Zion into a radiant city where his presence sustains righteousness, peace, and enduring joy.

Zion, pictured as a forsaken and hated city, hears the promise that YHWH’s glory will rise upon her. Through Isaiah, God announces the return of her children and the arrival of nations bringing wealth and praise. Foreigners will rebuild her walls, and former oppressors will bow before her. Nations that refuse to serve her face judgment. The vision ends with violence gone, mourning ended, and YHWH himself as the city’s everlasting light.

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1“Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the LORD’s glory has risen on you!
2For behold, darkness will cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples; but the LORD will arise on you, and his glory shall be seen on you.
3Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising.
4“Lift up your eyes all around, and see: they all gather themselves together. They come to you. Your sons will come from far away, and your daughters will be carried in arms.
5Then you shall see and be radiant, and your heart will thrill and be enlarged; because the abundance of the sea will be turned to you. The wealth of the nations will come to you.
6A multitude of camels will cover you, the dromedaries of Midian and Ephah. All from Sheba will come. They will bring gold and frankincense, and will proclaim the praises of the LORD.
7All the flocks of Kedar will be gathered together to you. The rams of Nebaioth will serve you. They will be accepted as offerings on my altar; and I will beautify my glorious house.
8“Who are these who fly as a cloud, and as the doves to their windows?
9Surely the islands will wait for me, and the ships of Tarshish first, to bring your sons from far away, their silver and their gold with them, for the name of the LORD your God, and for the Holy One of Israel, because he has glorified you.
10“Foreigners will build up your walls, and their kings will serve you; for in my wrath I struck you, but in my favor I have had mercy on you.
11Your gates also shall be open continually; they shall not be shut day nor night, that men may bring to you the wealth of the nations, and their kings led captive.
12For that nation and kingdom that will not serve you shall perish; yes, those nations shall be utterly wasted.
13“The glory of Lebanon shall come to you, the cypress tree, the pine, and the box tree together, to beautify the place of my sanctuary; and I will make the place of my feet glorious.
14The sons of those who afflicted you will come bowing to you; and all those who despised you will bow themselves down at the soles of your feet. They will call you the LORD’s City, the Zion of the Holy One of Israel.
15“Whereas you have been forsaken and hated, so that no one passed through you, I will make you an eternal excellency, a joy of many generations.
16You will also drink the milk of the nations, and will nurse from royal breasts. Then you will know that I, the LORD, am your Savior, your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.
17For bronze I will bring gold; for iron I will bring silver; for wood, bronze, and for stones, iron. I will also make peace your governor, and righteousness your ruler.
18Violence shall no more be heard in your land, nor desolation or destruction within your borders; but you will call your walls Salvation, and your gates Praise.
19The sun will be no more your light by day, nor will the brightness of the moon give light to you, but the LORD will be your everlasting light, and your God will be your glory.
20Your sun will not go down any more, nor will your moon withdraw itself; for the LORD will be your everlasting light, and the days of your mourning will end.
21Then your people will all be righteous. They will inherit the land forever, the branch of my planting, the work of my hands, that I may be glorified.
22The little one will become a thousand, and the small one a strong nation. I, the LORD, will do this quickly in its time.”
World English BibleRead in NIV in Psalmlog →Highlighted verses are the most connected.
Key verses
Isaiah 60:19The promise reaches its height as YHWH himself becomes Zion’s everlasting light and glory.
Isaiah 60:1The opening command rests on God’s action: Zion can rise and shine because his glory has risen upon her.
Isaiah 60:14The descendants of Zion’s oppressors acknowledge her belonging to YHWH, reversing the contempt that marked her past.
Where this chapter reaches

Revelation shares Isaiah’s vision of a city lit by God’s glory, with open gates and the nations bringing their honor into it. Ephesians shares the language of rising and receiving light, connecting that light with Christ and describing a life shaped by it.

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Notice

After reading the whole chapter

Which part of Zion’s promised restoration stands out to you, and what makes it stand out?

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How does the final promise, “in its time,” shape your reading of everything God promises Zion?

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Questions people ask about Isaiah 60

Who is Isaiah 60 speaking to?

The chapter addresses Zion, named in verse 14 as the city belonging to the Holy One of Israel. The city is pictured as a woman whose children return from far away. God’s promises concern her people, worship, and life together, with nations drawn to the glory he gives her.

What does “Arise, shine” mean in Isaiah 60:1?

The command calls Zion to rise from her forsaken condition because YHWH’s glory has come upon her. The light comes from God, and the nations are drawn to it. The verses that follow describe this change through returning children, restored worship, and the rebuilding of the city.

What does Isaiah 60 mean by everlasting light?

Verses 19–20 describe YHWH as Zion’s enduring source of light and glory, surpassing the sun and moon. This promise stands beside the end of mourning and violence. The passage presents a lasting transformation of the city; it does not explain the physical workings of that future light.

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Isaiah · 66 chapters
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What the Bible says about fear →What the Bible says about patience →What the Bible says about worship →

Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY). Scripture from the World English Bible (public domain). Arc diagram after Chris Harrison and Christoph Römhild (2007).