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60. Glory of Zion

¹ “Arise, shine, for your light has come,
   and the glory of the LORD rises upon you.
² See, darkness covers the earth
   and thick darkness is over the peoples,
but the LORD rises upon you
   and his glory appears over you.
³ Nations will come to your light,
   and kings to the brightness of your dawn.

    ⁴ “Lift up your eyes and look about you:
   All assemble and come to you;
your sons come from afar,
   and your daughters are carried on the hip.
⁵ Then you will look and be radiant,
   your heart will throb and swell with joy;
the wealth on the seas will be brought to you,
   to you the riches of the nations will come.
⁶ Herds of camels will cover your land,
   young camels of Midian and Ephah.
And all from Sheba will come,
   bearing gold and incense
   and proclaiming the praise of the LORD.
⁷ All Kedar’s flocks will be gathered to you,
   the rams of Nebaioth will serve you;
they will be accepted as offerings on my altar,
   and I will adorn my glorious temple.

    ⁸ “Who are these that fly along like clouds,
   like doves to their nests?
⁹ Surely the islands look to me;
   in the lead are the ships of Tarshish, Or the trading ships
bringing your children from afar,
   with their silver and gold,
to the honor of the LORD your God,
   the Holy One of Israel,
   for he has endowed you with splendor.

    ¹⁰ “Foreigners will rebuild your walls,
   and their kings will serve you.
Though in anger I struck you,
   in favor I will show you compassion.
¹¹ Your gates will always stand open,
   they will never be shut, day or night,
so that people may bring you the wealth of the nations—
   their kings led in triumphal procession.
¹² For the nation or kingdom that will not serve you will perish;
   it will be utterly ruined.

    ¹³ “The glory of Lebanon will come to you,
   the juniper, the fir and the cypress together,
to adorn my sanctuary;
   and I will glorify the place for my feet.
¹⁴ The children of your oppressors will come bowing before you;
   all who despise you will bow down at your feet
and will call you the City of the LORD,
   Zion of the Holy One of Israel.

    ¹⁵ “Although you have been forsaken and hated,
   with no one traveling through,
I will make you the everlasting pride
   and the joy of all generations.
¹⁶ You will drink the milk of nations
   and be nursed at royal breasts.
Then you will know that I, the LORD, am your Savior,
   your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.
¹⁷ Instead of bronze I will bring you gold,
   and silver in place of iron.
Instead of wood I will bring you bronze,
   and iron in place of stones.
I will make peace your governor
   and well-being your ruler.
¹⁸ No longer will violence be heard in your land,
   nor ruin or destruction within your borders,
but you will call your walls Salvation
   and your gates Praise.
¹⁹ The sun will no more be your light by day,
   nor will the brightness of the moon shine on you,
for the LORD will be your everlasting light,
   and your God will be your glory.
²⁰ Your sun will never set again,
   and your moon will wane no more;
the LORD will be your everlasting light,
   and your days of sorrow will end.
²¹ Then all your people will be righteous
   and they will possess the land forever.
They are the shoot I have planted,
   the work of my hands,
   for the display of my splendor.
²² The least of you will become a thousand,
   the smallest a mighty nation.
I am the LORD;
   in its time I will do this swiftly.”

15. Instead of ¹⁶⁰¹⁶⁰ תחת (tachath) merely expresses ‘in exchange for:’ though, from the circumstances of the case, the idea of compensation is necessarily implied.” Henderson. “The תחת (tachath) may express either simply a change of condition, (whereas,) or the reason of the change, (because,) or the further idea of equitable compensation.” Alexander thy having been forsaken and hated. The Prophet has in his eye that intermediate period which was already at hand; for, soon after his death, the people were deprived of their heritage and led into captivity, so that all thought that there was no remaining hope of their safety. Lest this thought should come into the minds of believers, by which they might be reduced to despair, “We are undone, there can be no remedy for affairs so desperate, and we ought not to hope for a better condition,” he shows that those grievous calamities cannot prevent God from restoring them; for, although for a time, when the Lord chastised them, they appeared to be forsaken, yet it was easy for him to raise them again to prosperity and to a better condition than before.

If any one object that this splendor of the Church was not of long duration, the reply is short. Although the people were afflicted in various ways after their return, and although even the Christian Church did not long retain its glory, yet those things which the Prophet foretold were fulfilled; for under the cross the glory of Christ shines forth, so that the name of God remains, and there is a people that calls upon him by faith. It ought also to be observed, that in consequence of our ingratitude, we do not obtain the fruit of those promises; for we interrupt the course of God’s works, and deprive ourselves of the fruit of them by our malice. Besides, we ought always to keep in remembrance what I have so often said, that the Prophet does not speak of a few years or a short period, but embraces the whole course of redemption, from the end of the captivity to the preaching of the Gospel, and, finally, down to the end of the reign of Christ.