The Meaning of Isaiah 60:1 Explained

Isaiah 60:1

KJV: Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee.

YLT: Arise, be bright, for come hath thy light, And the honour of Jehovah hath risen on thee.

Darby: Arise, shine! for thy light is come, and the glory of Jehovah is risen upon thee.

ASV: Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of Jehovah is risen upon thee.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Arise,  shine;  for thy light  is come,  and the glory  of the LORD  is risen  upon thee. 

What does Isaiah 60:1 Mean?

Verse Meaning

God had called Israel to be a light to the nations ( Isaiah 43:10), but presently she was darkness ( Isaiah 56:9 to Isaiah 57:13; Isaiah 59:1-15 a). The Lord had promised that He would enable His people to fulfill their calling ( Isaiah 57:14-21; Isaiah 59:15-21). Now Isaiah summoned the nation to rise up and shine because her light had arrived (cf. Isaiah 51:17; Isaiah 52:1). God"s glory, rather than His discipline, will rise as the sun upon her. Like a city gleaming in the light of the risen sun, Israel will shine with a glory that is not her own. God will not share His glory with false gods ( Isaiah 42:8; Isaiah 48:11), but He will share it with His people through His Servant ( Isaiah 11:10; Isaiah 35:2; Isaiah 43:7; John 1:14; John 17:4; John 17:22; Romans 8:17; 2 Corinthians 4:6; 1 Peter 4:13-14).
The first coming of Christ anticipated the dawning of a new day for Israel, but His second coming will see the fulfillment of these prophecies of Israel"s glorification (cf. Revelation 2:28; Revelation 22:16).

Context Summary

Isaiah 60:1-14 - The Lord Glorifies His People
From this chapter and onward, the prophet predicts the glories of the restored Hebrew people. In a secondary sense, they are also true of the Church, for we are blessed with faithful Abraham. See Galatians 3:8-9.
The summons to arise is addressed to Jerusalem. The seer beholds the flush of dawn on the eastern sky and bids the Holy City catch the earliest beams, Isaiah 60:1-2. While darkness veils the lowlands, the dweller on the plains looks up to the heights of Zion, Isaiah 60:3-4, and finds them bathed in the splendor of dawn. See 2 Corinthians 3:18.
There is a marvelous attractiveness in real religion. Where that is present, men need no driving. From the Far East come the camels, laden with priceless treasures, and from the distant West the ships laden with costly merchandise. The wastes of many years are rebuilt by the labor of strangers, while kings vie with each other in ministering to the beauty of the chosen city. When you are right with God, He will raise up help from unexpected quarters and even from former foes, Isaiah 60:14. [source]

Chapter Summary: Isaiah 60

1  The glory of the church in the abundant access of the Gentiles
15  And the great blessings after a short affliction

What do the individual words in Isaiah 60:1 mean?

Arise shine for has come your light and the glory of Yahweh upon you is risen
ק֥וּמִי א֖וֹרִי כִּ֣י בָ֣א אוֹרֵ֑ךְ וּכְב֥וֹד יְהוָ֖ה עָלַ֥יִךְ זָרָֽח

ק֥וּמִי  Arise 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperative, feminine singular
Root: קוּם 
Sense: to rise, arise, stand, rise up, stand up.
א֖וֹרִי  shine 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperative, feminine singular
Root: אֹור  
Sense: to be or become light, shine.
בָ֣א  has  come 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: בֹּוא 
Sense: to go in, enter, come, go, come in.
אוֹרֵ֑ךְ  your  light 
Parse: Noun, common singular construct, second person feminine singular
Root: אֹור  
Sense: light.
וּכְב֥וֹד  and  the  glory 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: כָּבֹוד  
Sense: glory, honour, glorious, abundance.
יְהוָ֖ה  of  Yahweh 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: the proper name of the one true God.
עָלַ֥יִךְ  upon  you 
Parse: Preposition, second person feminine singular
Root: עַל 
Sense: upon, on the ground of, according to, on account of, on behalf of, concerning, beside, in addition to, together with, beyond, above, over, by, on to, towards, to, against.
זָרָֽח  is  risen 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: זָרַח  
Sense: to rise, come forth, break out, arise, rise up, shine.