Isaiah 60:4

60:1-8 As far as we have the knowledge of God in us, and the favour of God towards us, our light is come. And if God's glory is seen upon us to our honour, we ought, not only with our lips, but in our lives, to return its praise. We meet with nothing in the history of the Jews which can be deemed a fulfilment of the prophecy in this chapter; we must conclude it relates principally to future events. It predicts the purity and enlargement of the church. The conversion of souls is here described. They fly to Christ, to the church, to the word and ordinances, as doves to their own home; thither they fly for refuge and shelter, thither they fly for rest. What a pleasant sight to see poor souls hastening to Christ!

Isaiah 60:4-5 . Lift up thine eyes round about — Or, in a circle, into all parts of the earth. He seems to refer to the apostles and disciples, with their successors, carrying the gospel into all quarters of the world. And because it would be, as it were, a thing incredible, he bids them lift up their eyes, as if they were to behold it in some vision, or upon some watch-tower in Jerusalem. See the like expression Isaiah 49:18 . All they gather themselves together — He speaks of the coming in of all nations to embrace the gospel, and unite themselves to the Christian Church. Thy sons shall come from far — From the remotest parts, having heard the report of thee. And thy daughters shall be nursed at thy side — Shall be brought unto thee tenderly, as it were in persons’ arms, ( Isaiah 49:22 ,) and shall have their education with thee from their infancy: there, where alone the sincere milk of the word is to be had, must the church’s newborn babes be nursed, that they may grow thereby, 1 Peter 2:2 . Then thou shalt see — With delight, the multitudes of thy children running to thee; and flow together — As when two rivers meet, and, joining their waters, run sweetly together, as one and the same river. This denotes the abundance of their united joys and delights. Or the words may mean, they shall flock together to behold such an amazing sight. And thy heart shall fear — Or stand amazed, to see such multitudes come to the Lord Christ; and be enlarged — Both with joy and love.

Because the abundance of the sea — The islands of the sea, the nations; shall be converted unto thee — Shall turn to thee in religion and affection; they that formerly so much hated thee shall now love thee. Or the sense is, The wealth and traffic of those who trade by sea, the riches of the merchants, shall be converted to thy use rather than to the use of the owners thereof. The forces of the Gentiles shall come unto thee — Thou shalt not only have the wealth, but the strength of the nations to stand by thee, to protect thee, and aid thy endeavours to evangelize the world.

4. Lift up … eyes—Jerusalem is addressed as a female with eyes cast down from grief. all they … they—The Gentile peoples come together to bring back the dispersed Hebrews, restore their city, and worship Jehovah with offerings. nursed at thy side—rather "carried at thy side." It is the custom in the East to carry the children astride on the hip, with the arms around the body (Isa 66:12).

Lift up thine eyes round abrupt; or in a circle; into all parts of the earth: it seems to relate to the apostles and disciples, with their successors, carrying the gospel into all parts of the world. And in regard it would be as it were a thing incredible, he bids them lift up their eyes , as if they were to behold it in some vision, or upon some watch tower in Jerusalem: there is the like expression Isaiah 49:18 . All they gather themselves together: he speaks more particularly, either of the Jews flocking from all parts to Jerusalem, when they shall hear of their return from Babylon, which may be true in the type; or especially, of the coming in of some of all nations to the gospel.

Thy sons shall come from far, and thy daughters shall be nursed at thy side; the same thing, only for elegancy’ sake expressed in its parts; the sense respects both persons and place; as to persons, Thy sons and thy daughters also shall be brought unto thee tenderly, as it were in arms, Isaiah 49:22 , where by thy side , by equivalent expressions of arms , bosoms , and shoulders , is supplied with reference to them both, and may import they shall be brought unto the church of Christ as unto their mother; and it may be further observed, that where the masculine gender is joined with the feminine of the same species , it notes multitude and variety, as Ecclesiastes 2:8 , men singers and women singers , i.e. all sorts and variety of vocal music: and as to place , Both thy sons and thy daughters that are not only near, but also afar off, shall come to thee, as we say, far and near , Acts 2:39 ; or it is the same with what was said before, round about in all quarters of the world; from far noting the longitude, and ad latus, at or on thy side, the latitude, and even those that perhaps were before at enmity one with another.

4 . shall be nursed at thy side ] Rather, shall be nursed on the side , i.e. carried on the hip, the Eastern mode of carrying young children. Cf. ch. Isaiah 66:12 , Isaiah 49:22 . The idea, therefore, is the same as in ch. Isaiah 49:22 f.; the nurses who bring back the children representing the heathen nations. see Muir, Life of Mahomet , p. 8 (abridged Ed.): ‘Thou gavest me this bite upon my back, when I carried thee on my hip’. 4, 5 . In this and the two following strophes two things are closely associated: the restoration of Zion’s banished children, and the influx of wealth from all parts of the world. The first half of Isaiah 60:4 is repeated literally from ch. Isaiah 49:18 .

Verse 4. - Lift up thine eyes (see Isaiah 49:18 ). Thy sons... thy daughters. Not so much Jews of the dispersion, as Gentiles, who will become thy adopted "sons" and "daughters." Shall be nursed at thy side; rather, shall be carried on thy side. Oriental mothers often carry a small child on their hip, with the arm round it to prevent its falling off. Isaiah 60:4

Lift up thine eyes - Jerusalem is here addressed as a female with eyes cast down from grief. She is directed to lift them up, and to see the great multitudes that were flocking to her. Wherever she could turn her eyes, she would behold them hastening to come to her. In this verse and the following verses, the prophet goes into a particular statement of what he referred to in general terms in Isaiah 60:3 . The first thing which be specifies is, that the dispersed sons and daughters of the Jewish people would be gathered back. Thy sons shall come from far - They who have been driven into exile into distant lands shall again return. This is in accordance with the predictions so often made in Isaiah, that the scattered sons of the Jewish people would be again collected (see the notes at Isaiah 49:17-18.) And thy daughters shall be nursed at thy side - The Septuagint renders this, 'And thy daughters shall be borne upon the shoulders' (ἐπ ̓ ὤμων ἀρθήσονται ep' ōmōn arthēsontai). Lowth also says, that one manuscript reads it 'upon shoulders,' and another has both 'shoulder' and 'side.' The translation of the Septuagint, and these different readings of the manuscripts have probably been caused by the supposed improbability of the fact, that children were nursed or carried on the side (compare Isaiah 49:22). But Sir John Chardin says that it is the general custom in the East to carry the children astride upon the hip, with the arms around the body.

The word, however, which is rendered 'nursed' in our translation (תאמנה tē'âmanâh from אמן 'âman), means, properly, "to stay, to sustain, support; to bear or carry a child" Numbers 11:12; hence, "to be faithful, firm." It is not certain that it is in any instance used in the sense of nursing; but it more probably means here, they shall be borne. It implies that the church would evince deep solicitude for the education and welfare of the young - as a mother does for her children; and that it would be one of the blessings of those times that that solicitude should be felt and manifested.