The Meaning of Isaiah 60:14 Explained

Isaiah 60:14

KJV: 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.

YLT: And come unto thee, bowing down, Have sons of those afflicting thee, And bowed themselves to the soles of thy feet Have all despising thee, And they have cried to thee: 'City of Jehovah, Zion of the Holy One of Israel.'

Darby: And the children 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 Jehovah, the Zion of the Holy One of Israel.

ASV: And the sons 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 Jehovah, The Zion of the Holy One of Israel.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

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. 

What does Isaiah 60:14 Mean?

Verse Meaning

The descendants of Israel"s persecutors (cf. Isaiah 39:7) will end up bowing down to the Israelites, honoring them and submitting to them (cf. Esther 8:2). They will acknowledge the Israelites collectively as Zion, the city of Yahweh, the Holy One of Israel.
Does this mean that "Zion" is a figure for the future redeemed Israelites and not the name of a real city? Certainly Zion does stand for the future Israelites collectively in Isaiah , but it was also a synonym for Jerusalem, a real city, throughout the Old Testament. Here Isaiah employed the collective meaning of the name.
"The earthliness of this setting seems to preclude assigning it to heaven." [1]

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 60:14 mean?

And shall come to you bowing the sons of those who afflicted you and shall fall prostrate at the soles of your feet all those who despised you and they shall call you the City of Yahweh Zion of the Holy one of Israel
וְהָלְכ֨וּ אֵלַ֤יִךְ שְׁח֙וֹחַ֙ בְּנֵ֣י מְעַנַּ֔יִךְ וְהִֽשְׁתַּחֲו֛וּ עַל־ כַּפּ֥וֹת רַגְלַ֖יִךְ כָּל־ מְנַֽאֲצָ֑יִךְ וְקָ֤רְאוּ לָךְ֙ עִ֣יר יְהוָ֔ה צִיּ֖וֹן קְד֥וֹשׁ יִשְׂרָאֵֽל

וְהָלְכ֨וּ  And  shall  come 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, third person common plural
Root: הָלַךְ  
Sense: to go, walk, come.
אֵלַ֤יִךְ  to  you 
Parse: Preposition, second person feminine singular
Root: אֶל  
Sense: to, toward, unto (of motion).
שְׁח֙וֹחַ֙  bowing 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Infinitive construct
Root: שָׁחַח 
Sense: to bow, crouch, bow down, be bowed down.
בְּנֵ֣י  the  sons 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct
Root: בֵּן 
Sense: son, grandson, child, member of a group.
מְעַנַּ֔יִךְ  of  those  who  afflicted  you 
Parse: Verb, Piel, Participle, masculine plural construct, second person feminine singular
Root: עָנָה 
Sense: (Qal) to be occupied, be busied with.
וְהִֽשְׁתַּחֲו֛וּ  and  shall  fall  prostrate 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Hitpael, Conjunctive perfect, third person common plural
Root: שָׁחָה  
Sense: to bow down.
עַל־  at 
Parse: Preposition
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.
כַּפּ֥וֹת  the  soles 
Parse: Noun, feminine plural construct
Root: כַּף  
Sense: palm, hand, sole, palm of the hand, hollow or flat of the hand.
רַגְלַ֖יִךְ  of  your  feet 
Parse: Noun, fdc, second person feminine singular
Root: רֶגֶל  
Sense: foot.
מְנַֽאֲצָ֑יִךְ  those  who  despised  you 
Parse: Verb, Piel, Participle, masculine plural construct, second person feminine singular
Root: נָאַץ  
Sense: to spurn, contemn, despise, abhor.
וְקָ֤רְאוּ  and  they  shall  call 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, third person common plural
Root: קָרָא  
Sense: to call, call out, recite, read, cry out, proclaim.
עִ֣יר  the  City 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct
Root: עִיר 
Sense: excitement, anguish.
יְהוָ֔ה  of  Yahweh 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: Jehovah—used primarily in the combination ‘Lord Jehovah’.
צִיּ֖וֹן  Zion 
Parse: Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: צִיּׄון  
Sense: another name for Jerusalem especially in the prophetic books.
קְד֥וֹשׁ  of  the  Holy  one 
Parse: Adjective, masculine singular construct
Root: קָדֹושׁ  
Sense: sacred, holy, Holy One, saint, set apart.
יִשְׂרָאֵֽל  of  Israel 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יִשְׂרָאֵל  
Sense: the second name for Jacob given to him by God after his wrestling with the angel at Peniel.