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“Arise, shine; for your light has come, And the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.
Isaiah 60:1 · New American Standard Bible
Parallel translations
  • WEB “Arise, shine; for your light has come, and Yahweh’s glory has risen on you.
  • KJV Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee.
  • BSB Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD rises upon you.
  • NKJV Arise, shine; For your light has come! And the glory of the Lord is risen upon you.
  • NLT “Arise, Jerusalem! Let your light shine for all to see. For the glory of the Lord rises to shine on you.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org

Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Quick answer

Zion is called to arise and shine because her light has come and the Lord's glory has risen on her. God's glorious presence is the source of His people's radiance.

Overview

This famous summons commands Zion to rise and shine, for her light has come and the Lord's glory dawns upon her. After the darkness of sin in chapter 59, God Himself becomes the light of His people. The verse anticipates Christ, the true light who has come into the world, and the glory of God shining in the face of Jesus.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 19

  • Eph 5:14Therefore he says, “Awake, you who sleep, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.”
  • Eph 5:8For you were once darkness, but are now light in the Lord. Walk as children of light,
  • John 8:12Again, therefore, Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the light of life.”
  • Isa 52:1–2Awake, awake! Put on your strength, Zion. Put on your beautiful garments, Jerusalem, the holy city: for from now on the uncircumcised and the unclean will no more come into you.
  • Isa 60:19–20The sun will be no more your light by day; nor will the brightness of the moon give light to you, but Yahweh will be your everlasting light, and your God will be your glory.
  • Isa 58:8Then your light will break out as the morning, and your healing will appear quickly; then your righteousness shall go before you; and Yahweh’s glory will be your rear guard.
  • John 12:46I have come as a light into the world, that whoever believes in me may not remain in the darkness.
  • Matt 5:16Even so, let your light shine before men; that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.
  • Mal 4:2But to you who fear my name shall the sun of righteousness arise with healing in its wings. You will go out, and leap like calves of the stall.
  • Luke 1:78–79because of the tender mercy of our God, whereby the dawn from on high will visit us,
  • John 1:9The true light that enlightens everyone was coming into the world.
  • Rev 22:5There will be no night, and they need no lamp light; for the Lord God will illuminate them. They will reign forever and ever.
  • 1 Pet 4:14If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed; because the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. On their part he is blasphemed, but on your part he is glorified.
  • Isa 9:2The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light. Those who lived in the land of the shadow of death, on them the light has shined.
  • Matt 4:16the people who sat in darkness saw a great light, to those who sat in the region and shadow of death, to them light has dawned.”
  • Luke 2:32a light for revelation to the nations, and the glory of your people Israel.”
  • Phil 2:15that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without defect in the middle of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you are seen as lights in the world,
  • Rev 21:23The city has no need for the sun, neither of the moon, to shine, for the very glory of God illuminated it, and its lamp is the Lamb.
  • John 3:19This is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the light; for their works were evil.

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (5)

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — Isaiah videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.

  • VideoWatch teaching on Isaiah 60:1YouTube · Lay · Free

    Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.

  • CommentaryEnduring Word — verse-by-verseDavid Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.

  • CommentaryClassic commentaries for this verseBibleHub (20+ works) · Pastoral · Free

    Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.

  • CommentaryMatthew Henry on IsaiahMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical

    The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).

  • ReferenceInterlinear, lexicon & Strong'sBlue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free

    Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.

Christ at the center

Isaiah sees him most clearly: the virgin's son Immanuel, the child on David's throne, the shoot from Jesse, the light to the nations, and above all the Suffering Servant pierced for our transgressions (ch. 53).

How Isaiah 60:1 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.

Original language

Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.