Bible Strands
Isaiah 60:1
Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD rises upon you.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Yahweh speaks directly to Zion (feminine "you"), issuing a command within a longer oracle (Isaiah 60:1–22) announcing that nations will stream to her light. The moment is a prophetic declaration of a coming reversal: darkness over the earth, glory over her.
The words — ק֥וּמִי (qûmî) and א֖וֹרִי (ʾôrî) are both feminine imperatives, a double command: "arise, shine." The syntax treats Zion as a person who must act, not a thing that happens to her.
The thread — Ephesians 5:14 echoes the same "arise… shine" formula, applying it to a believer roused from spiritual death. John 8:12 identifies Jesus as the light of the world, the same light Isaiah 60:1 says has come.
Why it lands — The verse is an imperative, not a prediction; it demands a response from the one addressed. The light has already arrived—the only question the text poses is whether the recipient will get up.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee.
Cross-references
- Ephesians 5:14 So it is said: “Wake up, O sleeper, rise up from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.”
- Ephesians 5:8 For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light,
- John 8:12 Once again, Jesus spoke to the people and said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows Me will never walk in the darkness, but will have the light of life.”
- Isaiah 52:1 Awake, awake, clothe yourself with strength, O Zion! Put on your garments of splendor, O Jerusalem, holy city! For the uncircumcised and unclean will no longer enter you.
- Isaiah 60:19 No longer will the sun be your light by day, nor the brightness of the moon shine on your night; for the LORD will be your everlasting light, and your God will be your splendor.
- Isaiah 58:8 Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will come quickly. Your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard.
- John 12:46 I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in Me should remain in darkness.
- Matthew 5:16 In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.
- Malachi 4:2 “But for you who fear My name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings, and you will go out and leap like calves from the stall.
- Luke 1:78 because of the tender mercy of our God, by which the Dawn will visit us from on high,