About Isaiah

Isaiah proclaims both judgment and salvation, containing the most detailed messianic prophecies in the Old Testament.

Author: IsaiahWritten: c. 740-680 BCReading time: ~3 minVerses: 22
HolinessJudgmentSalvationMessiahServantRestoration

King James Version

Isaiah 60

22 verses with commentary

The Glory of Zion

Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee. shine: or, be enlightened; for thy light cometh

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KJV Study Commentary

This triumphant call to Jerusalem initiates Isaiah's glorious vision of restoration and future glory. 'Arise, shine' (qumi ori, קוּמִי אוֹרִי) uses two imperatives: arise from darkness/depression, and shine with reflected glory. The causative explanation follows: 'for thy light is come' (ki va orech, כִּי בָא אוֹרֵךְ)—light has arrived, enabling the shining. This is God's light, not self-generated...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

LX. (1) **Arise, shine . . .**—The description of the redeemed Zion—*i.e., *the new Jerusalem—seen in the prophet’s vision as under the forms of the old. She has been prostrate, as in the darkness of Sheol (as in Isaiah 51:23; Isaiah 57:9). The word comes that bids her rise to a new life, radiant with the glory of the Lord. In Ephesians 5:14 we have, perhaps, an echo, though not a quotation, of th...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**18. merchandise ... holiness--**Her traffic and gains shall at last (long after the restoration mentioned in Is 23:17) be consecrated to Jehovah. Jesus Christ visited the neighborhood of Tyre (Mt 15:21); Paul found disciples there (Ac 21:3-6); it early became a Christian bishopric, but the full evangelization of that whole race, as of the Ethiopians (Is 18:1-7), of the Egyptians and Assyrians (I...
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For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the LORD shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee.

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KJV Study Commentary

The contrast 'darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people' depicts comprehensive spiritual ignorance, yet 'the LORD shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee' promises concentrated divine revelation to Israel. This establishes that God's light shines brightest against darkest background. The purpose: 'his glory shall be seen' - God's self-revelation attracts na...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(2) **The darkness shall cover the earth . . .**—The darkness which had shrouded Zion still spreads its veil over the heathen nations of the world, but they also are to share in the light which is to stream forth from the new Jerusalem. (Comp. Malachi 4:2; Psalm 84:11.)

And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising.

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KJV Study Commentary

Following the command for Zion to arise and shine (v.1-2), this verse describes the worldwide response: "And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising." The Hebrew <em>goyim</em> (Gentiles/nations) indicates universal scope—not just Israel but all peoples. "Kings" represents the highest earthly authorities bowing to God's glory. This prophesies the ingathering...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

CHAPTER 24 Is 24:1-23. The Last Times of the World in General, and of Judah and the Church in Particular. **The four chapters (the twenty-fourth through the twenty-seventh) form one continuous poetical prophecy: descriptive of the dispersion and successive calamities of the Jews (Is 24:1-12); the preaching of the Gospel by the first Hebrew converts throughout the world (Is 24:13-16); the judgment...
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Lift up thine eyes round about, and see: all they gather themselves together, they come to thee: thy sons shall come from far, and thy daughters shall be nursed at thy side.

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KJV Study Commentary

The prophet commands: "Lift up thine eyes round about, and see: all they gather themselves together, they come to thee." This echoes Genesis 13:14-15 where God commanded Abraham to survey his inheritance. The panoramic vision encompasses gathering multitudes—God's people returning and nations streaming to Zion. "Thy sons shall come from far, and thy daughters shall be nursed at thy side" pictures ...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(4) **Lift up thine eyes . . .**—Repeated from Isaiah 49:18. **Thy daughters shall be nursed at thy side . . .**—Asin Isaiah 66:12, the words point to the Eastern custom of carrying young children on the hip of their mother, with their arms clasped round her waist.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**2. as with the people, so with the priest--**All alike shall share the same calamity: no favored class shall escape (compare Eze 7:12, 13; Ho 4:9; Re 6:15).

Then thou shalt see , and flow together, and thine heart shall fear, and be enlarged; because the abundance of the sea shall be converted unto thee, the forces of the Gentiles shall come unto thee. abundance: or, noise of the sea shall be turned toward thee forces: or, wealth

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KJV Study Commentary

The response to this vision is profoundly emotional: "Then thou shalt see, and flow together, and thine heart shall fear, and be enlarged." Four verbs describe Zion's reaction. "Flow together" (<em>nahar</em>) literally means to shine or beam—radiant joy. "Fear" (<em>pachad</em>) indicates reverential awe at God's work. "Be enlarged" (<em>rachab</em>) means expanding to capacity—overwhelming joy. ...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(5) **Then thou shalt see.**—A various reading adopted by many commentators gives *thou shalt Jear.* **Thine heart shall fear . . .**—Literally, *shall throb, *as with an awe-stricken joy at the marvellous prosperity, but that throb of awe is followed by the *expansion *of ecstatic joy. **The abundance of the sea**—i.e., the riches of the Western isles, with which the new Jerusalem was to be fille...
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The multitude of camels shall cover thee, the dromedaries of Midian and Ephah; all they from Sheba shall come: they shall bring gold and incense; and they shall shew forth the praises of the LORD.

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KJV Study Commentary

The prophecy becomes specific: "The multitude of camels shall cover thee, the dromedaries of Midian and Ephah." These Arabian tribes would bring trade goods on camel caravans—a vivid picture of wealth flowing to Zion. "All they from Sheba shall come: they shall bring gold and incense." Sheba (southwestern Arabia, modern Yemen) was famous for wealth and spices. Gold and incense are royal and priest...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(6) **The multitude of camels . . .**—The verse paints the commerce of the East, as Isaiah 60:5 had described that of the West. For the camels and riches of Midian, see Judges 6:5; Judges 8:26. “Ephah” appears in Genesis 25:4 among the sons of Midian. “Sheba” keeps up its traditional fame for gold and incense (Psalm 72:10; Strabo xvi. 4, 19).

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**4. world--**the kingdom of Israel; as in Is 13:11, Babylon. **haughty--**literally, "the height" of the people: abstract for concrete, that is, the high people; even the nobles share the general distress.

All the flocks of Kedar shall be gathered together unto thee, the rams of Nebaioth shall minister unto thee: they shall come up with acceptance on mine altar, and I will glorify the house of my glory.

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KJV Study Commentary

The vision continues: "All the flocks of Kedar shall be gathered together unto thee, the rams of Nebaioth shall minister unto thee." Kedar and Nebaioth were Ishmaelite tribes (Genesis 25:13), traditionally enemies of Israel. "Flocks" and "rams" indicate both wealth (livestock) and sacrifices. "Minister unto thee" means serving Zion's worship. "They shall come up with acceptance on mine altar, and ...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(7) **Kedar.**—The nomad tribes (Isaiah 21:17) come as well as the trading ones. Nebaioth, mentioned with Kedar, in Genesis 25:13, among the descendants of Ishmael, expanded iii the centuries preceding the Christian era, into the kingdom of the Nabathœan Arabs, spreading from the Ælanitic Gulf to the Haurân. The two names together include what were known to the Roman geographers as Arabia Felix an...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**5. earth--**rather, "the land." **defiled under ... inhabitants--**namely, with innocent blood (Ge 4:11; Nu 35:33; Psa 106:38). **laws ... ordinance ... everlasting covenant--**The moral laws, positive statutes, and national covenant designed to be for ever between God and them.

Who are these that fly as a cloud, and as the doves to their windows?

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KJV Study Commentary

The prophet asks: "Who are these that fly as a cloud, and as the doves to their windows?" The imagery is beautiful—multitudes arriving like clouds or doves returning to dovecotes. Clouds suggest vast numbers moving together; doves suggest homing instinct and peace. This pictures the returning dispersed and the incoming Gentiles—drawn irresistibly to Zion like doves to their roost. The question for...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(8) **Who are these . . .**—The vision of the prophet brings before him the cloud-like sails of the ships that. are bringing back the exiles over the Mediterrauear and the Red Seas, hastening to their home like doves to their dove-cote. (Comp. Hosea 11:11.)

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**6. earth--**the land. **burned--**namely, with the consuming wrath of heaven: either internally, as in Job 30:30 [Rosenmuller]; or externally, the prophet has before his eyes the people being consumed with the withering dryness of their doomed land (so Joe 1:10, 12), [Maurer].

Surely the isles shall wait for me, and the ships of Tarshish first, to bring thy sons from far, their silver and their gold with them, unto the name of the LORD thy God, and to the Holy One of Israel, because he hath glorified thee.

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KJV Study Commentary

God explains: "Surely the isles shall wait for me, and the ships of Tarshish first." The "isles" (<em>iyyim</em>) refers to distant coastlands—the furthest reaches of the known world. "Wait" (<em>qawah</em>) means eager expectation, the same word used for waiting on the Lord in prayer (Psalm 27:14, Isaiah 40:31). Even distant Gentiles will eagerly anticipate God's salvation. "Ships of Tarshish" we...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(9) **The isles . . .**—*i.e., *as in Isaiah 49:1, the far-off maritime regions of the West. **Ships of Tarshish.**—These are, as in Isaiah 2:16, the first-class trading ships, whether trading with that country (Spain) or in the Indian Ocean. (Comp. 1Kings 10:22; 1Kings 22:48.) The mention of silver and gold may, therefore, point to Ophir as well as Spain. **The Holy One of Israel.**—We note once ...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**7. mourneth--**because there are none to drink it [Barnes]. Rather, "is become vapid" [Horsley]. **languisheth--**because there are none to cultivate it now.

And the sons of strangers shall build up thy walls, and their kings shall minister unto thee: for in my wrath I smote thee, but in my favour have I had mercy on thee.

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KJV Study Commentary

The prophecy shifts to Zion's reconstruction: "And the sons of strangers shall build up thy walls, and their kings shall minister unto thee." Former enemies become builders and servants—complete reversal. This was partially fulfilled when Persian kings funded temple rebuilding (Ezra 6:8-12), but ultimate fulfillment is spiritual. Gentiles become living stones building God's spiritual temple (1 Pet...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(10) **The sons of strangers shall build . . .**—Either as willing proselytes or as being brought into subjection. (Comp. Zechariah 6:15.) To build the temples or palaces of conquerors was, as in the case of the Egyptian and Babylonian bondage, the almost inevitable lot of the conquered.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

8. (Re 18:22).

Therefore thy gates shall be open continually; they shall not be shut day nor night; that men may bring unto thee the forces of the Gentiles, and that their kings may be brought. forces: or, wealth

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KJV Study Commentary

The promise continues: "Therefore thy gates shall be open continually; they shall not be shut day nor night." Ancient cities closed gates at night for security, but Zion's gates remain perpetually open, signifying absolute security and continuous access. This pictures both defensive invulnerability (no enemies to fear) and missional openness (constant welcome to incoming worshipers). The purpose: ...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(11) **Thy gates shall be open continually.**—The words imply (1) a state of peace in which there would be no danger of attack; and (2) the constant stream of caravans of pilgrims, With their offerings, entering by night as well as day. It is interesting to note St. John’s transfer of the thought to the heavenly Jerusalem (Revelation 21:25-26). **The forces of the Gentiles.**—Better, *the riches, ...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**9. with a song--**the usual accompaniment of feasts. **strong drink--**(See on Is 5:11). "Date wine" [Horsley]. **bitter--**in consequence of the national calamities.

For the nation and kingdom that will not serve thee shall perish; yea, those nations shall be utterly wasted.

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KJV Study Commentary

A sobering warning interrupts the glorious promises: "For the nation and kingdom that will not serve thee shall perish; yea, those nations shall be utterly wasted." The Hebrew <em>abad</em> (perish) and <em>charab</em> (wasted/destroyed) emphasize complete destruction. This establishes the exclusivity of salvation—submission to God's kingdom is not optional but mandatory. Those who refuse to serve...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**10. city of confusion--**rather, "desolation." What Jerusalem would be; by anticipation it is called so. Horsley translates, "The city is broken down; it is a ruin." **shut up--**through fear; or rather, "choked up by ruins."

The glory of Lebanon shall come unto thee, the fir tree, the pine tree, and the box together, to beautify the place of my sanctuary; and I will make the place of my feet glorious.

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KJV Study Commentary

The prophecy returns to glory: "The glory of Lebanon shall come unto thee, the fir tree, the pine tree, and the box together, to beautify the place of my sanctuary." Lebanon's glory was its magnificent cedars and timber (1 Kings 5:6-10), used in Solomon's temple. The three trees mentioned—<em>berosh</em> (fir/cypress), <em>tidhar</em> (pine/plane), <em>te'ashur</em> (box)—represent Lebanon's fines...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(13) **The glory of Lebanon . . .**—The prophet sees in the new Jerusalem a revival of the glories of the days of Solomon. The cedars of Lebanon, and other trees of the forest, are to furnish timber for its buildings, or even to be planted in the courts of the Temple, or in its open places and streets (Psalm 52:8; Psalm 92:12-13; Isaiah 35:2). **The box **is probably, as in Isaiah 41:19, a species...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**11. crying for wine--**to drown their sorrows in drink (Is 16:9); Joe 1:5, written about the same time, resembles this.

The sons also of them that afflicted thee shall come bending unto thee; and all they that despised thee shall bow themselves down at the soles of thy feet; and they shall call thee, The city of the LORD, The Zion of the Holy One of Israel.

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KJV Study Commentary

The stunning reversal continues: "The sons also of them that afflicted thee shall come bending unto thee." Former oppressors' descendants will bow in submission. "And all they that despised thee shall bow themselves down at the soles of thy feet." The most humiliating posture—bowing at feet—is adopted by former despisers. This echoes Revelation 3:9 where Christ promises that false worshipers will ...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(14) **The sons also of them that afflicted thee . . .**—The explanation commonly given is that the “sons” are named because the persecutors themselves are thought of as no more. It seems better, however, to see in the words an expression of the law of inherited retribution, which entered so largely into the Hebrew’s thought of the moral government of the world. That law will show itself in the pr...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**12. with destruction--**rather "crash" [Gesenius]. "With a great tumult the gate is battered down" [Horsley].

Whereas thou hast been forsaken and hated, so that no man went through thee, I will make thee an eternal excellency, a joy of many generations.

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KJV Study Commentary

God contrasts past and future: "Whereas thou hast been forsaken and hated, so that no man went through thee." This describes exile's desolation—abandoned, despised, avoided. Jerusalem was a wasteland, bypassed by travelers. The Hebrew <em>azubah</em> (forsaken) and <em>senuah</em> (hated) emphasize complete rejection. Then comes the glorious reversal: "I will make thee an eternal excellency, a joy...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(15) **Whereas thou hast been forsaken . . .**—The figure of the daughter of Zion, who had been as a forsaken and slighted wife (comp. Isaiah 62:4), mingles with the literal picture of a city in ruins, abandoned and unvisited.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**13. the land--**Judea. Put the comma after "land," not after "people." "There shall be among the people (a remnant left), as the shaking (the after-picking) of an olive tree"; as in gathering olives, a few remain on the highest boughs (Is 17:5, 6).

Thou shalt also suck the milk of the Gentiles, and shalt suck the breast of kings: and thou shalt know that I the LORD am thy Saviour and thy Redeemer, the mighty One of Jacob.

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KJV Study Commentary

The nursing imagery appears again: "Thou shalt also suck the milk of the Gentiles, and shalt suck the breast of kings." This reverses typical imperial relationships where subjected peoples provide tribute to conquering nations. Now Gentiles and kings provide nourishment and sustenance to Zion. The nursing metaphor suggests intimate care, life-giving support, and tender provision. The purpose claus...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(16) **Thou shalt also suck the milk of the Gentiles . . .**—The metaphor is bold, but the prophet had already presented it in a less startling form in Isaiah 49:23. What is meant in either case is that the new Jerusalem shall be supported by the offerings of the Gentiles.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**14. They--**those who are left: the remnant. **sing for the majesty of the Lord--**sing a thanksgiving for the goodness of the Lord, who has so mercifully preserved them. **from the sea--**from the distant lands beyond the sea, whither they have escaped.

For brass I will bring gold, and for iron I will bring silver, and for wood brass, and for stones iron: I will also make thy officers peace, and thine exactors righteousness.

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KJV Study Commentary

God promises comprehensive upgrade: "For brass I will bring gold, and for iron I will bring silver, and for brass bronze, and for stones iron." Each element is replaced with something superior. This escalation emphasizes dramatic improvement—what was adequate (brass, iron) becomes excellent (gold, silver). The pattern continues: "I will also make thy officers peace, and thine exactors righteousnes...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(17) **For brass I will bring gold . . . **The material wealth of the days of Solomon (1Kings 10:21-27) furnishes another element in the picture of the ideal city, but with this striking difference: that there the “officers” and “exactors” of the king had been instruments of oppression (1Kings 12:4), while now they were to be the very embodiment of righteousness, and, in the widest sense, of “peac...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**15. in the fires--**Vitringa translates, "in the caves." Could it mean the fires of affliction (1Pe 1:7)? They were exiles at the time. The fires only loose the carnal bonds off the soul, without injuring a hair, as in the case of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego. Lowth reads, in the islands (Eze 26:18). Rather translate for "fires," "in the regions of morning light," that is, the east, in antit...
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Violence shall no more be heard in thy land, wasting nor destruction within thy borders; but thou shalt call thy walls Salvation, and thy gates Praise.

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KJV Study Commentary

The climactic promise: "Violence shall no more be heard in thy land, wasting nor destruction within thy borders." The Hebrew <em>chamas</em> (violence), <em>shod</em> (wasting/devastation), and <em>sheber</em> (destruction) emphasize complete security. All forms of harm cease. Instead: "but thou shalt call thy walls Salvation, and thy gates Praise." The walls are named <em>Yeshuah</em> (Salvation)...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(18) **Violence shall no more . . .**—Following the thought of the previous verse, we see in the words a picture of freedom from internal misgovernment rather than from external invasion. **Thou shalt call thy walls Salvation . . . **The idea, almost the very phrase, has met us before in Isaiah 26:1. They probably found a starting-point in the Eastern practice of giving to the walls of a city name...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

16. Songs to God come in together to Palestine from distant lands, as a grand chorus. **glory to the righteous--**the burden of the songs (Is 26:2, 7). Amidst exile, the loss of their temple, and all that is dear to man, their confidence in God is unshaken. These songs recall the joy of other times and draw from Jerusalem in her present calamities, the cry, "My leanness." Horsley translates, "gl...
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The sun shall be no more thy light by day; neither for brightness shall the moon give light unto thee: but the LORD shall be unto thee an everlasting light, and thy God thy glory.

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KJV Study Commentary

An astonishing promise: "The sun shall be no more thy light by day; neither for brightness shall the moon give light unto thee." Natural luminaries become obsolete. Why? "But the LORD shall be unto thee an everlasting light, and thy God thy glory." God Himself becomes the light source—<em>or olam</em> (everlasting light). This transcends physical illumination to describe God's glorious presence as...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(19) **The sun shall be no more . . .**—The ideal picture becomes bolder and more transcendent. Sun and moon may still shine, but, as in Revelation 21:23 (obviously derived from this), they shall not be needed in the radiance of the greater glory of the presence of Jehovah. Here on earth the sun sets and the moon wanes, but in that Divine glory there is no waning and no setting. “Mourning” will be...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

17. This verse explains the wretchedness spoken of in Is 24:16. Jeremiah (Jr 48:43, 44) uses the same words. They are proverbial; Is 24:18 expressing that the inhabitants were nowhere safe; if they escaped one danger, they fell into another, and worse, on the opposite side (Am 5:19). "Fear" is the term applied to the cords with feathers of all colors which, when fluttered in the air, scare beasts ...
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Thy sun shall no more go down; neither shall thy moon withdraw itself: for the LORD shall be thine everlasting light, and the days of thy mourning shall be ended.

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KJV Study Commentary

The permanence is emphasized: "Thy sun shall no more go down; neither shall thy moon withdraw itself." Natural luminaries set and wane, but God's light is perpetual. "For the LORD shall be thine everlasting light, and the days of thy mourning shall be ended." <em>Or olam</em> (everlasting light) repeats from verse 19, while <em>shalaum yeme eblech</em> (completed the days of your mourning) promise...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**18. noise of ... fear--**the shout designed to rouse the game and drive it into the pitfall. **windows ... open--**taken from the account of the deluge (Ge 7:11); the flood-gates. So the final judgments of fire on the apostate world are compared to the deluge (2Pe 3:5-7).

Thy people also shall be all righteous: they shall inherit the land for ever, the branch of my planting, the work of my hands, that I may be glorified.

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KJV Study Commentary

The chapter's climax describes the citizens: "Thy people also shall be all righteous." The comprehensiveness is striking—<em>kulam</em> (all)—not partially but entirely righteous. "They shall inherit the land for ever." This echoes the Abrahamic covenant (Genesis 13:15, 17:8) but extends to eternal inheritance (Matthew 5:5, Romans 4:13). The means of production follows: "the branch of my planting,...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(21) **Thy people also shall be all righteous . . .**—The city is to realise the as yet unfulfilled ideal of Psalms 15 and Psalm 21:5 Evil will be blotted out, and, therefore, there will be no forfeiture of the inheritance. In the “branch” we have the words which had been prominent in Isaiah 11:1, and which is now extended from the ideal representative of the nation to the whole body of the people...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**19. earth--**the land: image from an earthquake.

A little one shall become a thousand, and a small one a strong nation: I the LORD will hasten it in his time.

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KJV Study Commentary

The chapter concludes with promise of multiplication: "A little one shall become a thousand, and a small one a strong nation." The Hebrew <em>tsair</em> (little one) and <em>qatan</em> (small one) emphasize insignificant beginnings. Their transformation into "a thousand" (<em>eleph</em>) and "a strong nation" (<em>goy atsim</em>) demonstrates exponential growth and strength. Then the timing: "I th...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(22) **A little one shall become a thousand.**—The noun is probably to be taken not in its merely numerical value, but, as in Judges 6:15, 1Samuel 23:23, Micah 5:2, for a clan or sub-division of a tribe. **Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers Text Courtesy of BibleSupport.com. Used by Permission. **Bible Hub

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**20. removed like a cottage--**(See on Is 1:8). Here, a hanging couch, suspended from the trees by cords, such as Niebuhr describes the Arab keepers of lands as having, to enable them to keep watch, and at the same time to be secure from wild beasts. Translate, "Shall wave to and fro like a hammock" swung about by the wind. **heavy upon it--**like an overwhelming burden. **not rise again--**n...
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