Isaiah 60:1-9

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• Reading the Text:
  • NRSV (with link to Anglicized NRSV) at Oremus Bible Browser.
  • The Bible Gateway: NIV, NASB, CEV, The Message, KJV, etc.
  • The Blue Letter Bible. KJV, alternate versions, Hebrew text with concordance, commentaries.
  • The World Wide Study Bible includes commentary, exposition and sermons.
• Historical References, Commentary and Comparative Texts:
  • VI.V, Against Celsus, Origen (c. 246)
  • Rashi's Commentary, c. 1075. chabad.org.
  • From the Geneva Notes.
    • "The Gentiles that are now enemies, will become friends and set forth the Church."
  • From Matthew Henry's Commentary.
    • "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."
  • From Wesley's Notes.
    • "Shall be seen - Shall be conspicuous; as the Lord's arising, to the darkness covering the earth, so the glory being seen, answers to that gross darkness."
  • "Marvellous Increase of the Church; Isaiah 60:8," Charles H. Spurgeon, 1856.
    • "The ancient church, in the foresight of her mighty increase in these latter days lifts up her hands in astonishment, and having been so used to see the Lord's grace confined to a small nation, she exclaims in amazement, 'Who are these that fly as a cloud, and as the doves to their windows?'"
  • From the Commentary on the Whole Bible (Jamieson, Fausset and Brown, 1871).
    • "The Gentile peoples come together to bring back the dispersed Hebrews, restore their city, and worship Jehovah with offerings."
• Contemporary Commentary, Studies and Exegesis:

  	Commentary, Isaiah 60:1-6, Christine Roy Yoder, Preaching This Week, WorkingPreacher.org, 2008. "Bleak midwinter seems a fitting stage for this lectionary text that likely dates to the early days of Israel's return from Babylonian captivity. Those days are cast easily in hues of grey..."
  	Comments (commentary) and Clippings (technical notes for in-depth study), Chris Haslam, Anglican Diocese of Montreal.
  	The Old Testament Readings: Weekly Comments on the Revised Common Lectionary, Howard Wallace Audrey Schindler, Morag Logan, Paul Tonson, Lorraine Parkinson, Theological Hall of the Uniting Church, Melbourne, Australia. "To those of us unfamiliar with images of sacrifice, it is easy to miss the radical nature of what is being proposed here. What was formerly declared unclean and hence unacceptable as an offering to the Lord, is now acceptable."
  	Commentary, Background, Insights from Literary Structure, Theological Message, Ways to Present the Text. Anna Grant-Henderson, Uniting Church in Australia. "The Magi are symbolic of the nations/gentiles who come to the Jerusalem/Bethlehem attracted by the light."
  	Preaching Isaiah, Rev. Dr. David N. Mosser, Reflections on the Lectionary for January, 2008, The Living Pulpit. "Preachers have folks who simply go through the motions of life because life has been so dark for them for so long that they no longer believe there is a light. The preacher’s task is to hold up the hope of Jesus and the Gospel and shine the light."
  	Zion Restored, Interpreting the Book of Isaiah: Yahweh's Changeless Purpose in the Changing History of Zion, Lee E. Snook, Texts in Context, Word & World, Luther Northwestern Theological Seminary, 1983. "In summary, one might say that the prophecy of this period was a theology of hope."
  	Isaiah 60:1-6, Studies on Old Testament texts from Series A, B, C, Ralph W. Klein, Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago.
  	Isaiah 60:1-6, in Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary's An Exegetical Study of the Common Lectionary, coordinated by Prof. John E. Alsup, features rough translation, disposition, immediate context, broader context, hermeneutical bridge, and contemporary address. "The arrival of the outsiders, including the return of "dispersed Israelites (see xlix22)," McKenzie (Anchor Bible), and the gifts they bring provoke praise of the Lord."
  	A New Day Dawns: Verse Commentary on Isaiah 60:1-3, 15-22, Dennis Bratcher, Christian Resource Institute. "These are feminine forms in Hebrew, as they are throughout the chapter. We find out later in the chapter that the message is to the city of Jerusalem (v.14). The poetic imagery personifies Jerusalem as a beautiful woman (51:17-52:2). The historical background of this passage concerns the restoration and rebuilding of Jerusalem in the time of Ezra and Nehemiah. Biblical writers often use "Jerusalem" and "Zion" as poetic symbols for the entire people of God (Matthew 23:37)."
  	"Off By Nine Miles," Walter Brueggemann, The Christian Century, 2001. "Matthew is not the first one to imagine three rich wise guys from the East coming to Jerusalem. His story line and plot come from Isaiah 60, a poem recited to Jews in Jerusalem about 580 B.C.E."
  	"Blinded by the ... Darkness," Expository Essay, William R. Long. "Light has dawned for us; people rush to the light, but darkness will come. And so it has. The light has dawned, but darkness is there in its midst."
  	"Glory in the Dark," Eric W. Evers, Sabbatheology, 2008. "With the glory of mercy and forgiveness poured out upon us, we who hear the good news are ourselves empowered to shine forth."
  	"The Rising Light," Larry Broding's Word-Sunday.Com: A Lectionary Resource for Catholics. "This passage challenge us to see what the Lord is doing. To look beyond the tedium and the mundane. To see his glory shine. And to lead us."

• Articles & Background:
  • "'The Coming of the Light': Privileging Indigenous Beliefs," Karen Stevenson, Art Journal, 2001.
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  • Brueggemann, Walter, "Off by Nine Miles," The Christian Century, 2001.
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  • Burghardt, Walter J., S.J., "Expository Article: Isaiah 60:1-7," Interpretation, 1990.
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  • Davies, Andrew, "Oratorio as Exegesis: The Use of the Book of Isaiah in Handel's Messiah," Biblical Interpretation, 2007.
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  • Lynch, Matthew J., "Zion's Warrior and the Nations: Isaiah 59:15b-63:6 in Isaiah's Zion Traditions," The Catholic Biblical Quarterly, 2008.
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  • Oswalt, John N., "Isaiah 60-62: The Glory of the Lord," Calvin Theological Journal, 2005.
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  • Plantinga, Cornelius, Jr., "Arise, Shine: A Sermon on Isaiah 60:1," Calvin Theological Journal, 2005.
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  • Sappenfield, William J., "Known Beyond the Borders: Reflections on the Lectionary Readings for January," The Living Pulpit, 2007.
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  • Snook, Lee E., "Interpreting the Book of Isaiah: Yahweh's Changeless Purpose in the Changing History of Zion," Word & World, 1983.
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• Sermons:
• Reviews:
  • Review: Leszek Ruszkowski, Volk und Gemeinde im Wandel: Eine Untersuchung zu Jesaja 56-66. (Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 2000) Review by Roy D. Wells in SBL's Review of Biblical Literature. (Review is in English.)
• With Children:
• Drama:
• Graphics & Bulletin Materials:
  • Clip Art, Isaiah 60:1, Fr. Richard Lonsdale, Resources for Catholic Educators.
  • Images for this week's readings: Pitts Theology Library Digital Image Archive.
• Hymns and Music:
  • Hymns with Scripture Allusions: Isaiah 60:1, 2, 3, 4. The Cyber Hymnal.
  • Hymn Selections, The Lutheran Hymnal, Lutheran Worship.
  • "Your Light Has Come," a congregational response for Epiphany based on Isaiah 60, Richard Bruxvoort Colligan, UMC GBOD.
• Fine Arts Images Linked at The Text This Week's Art Index:
  • Isaiah
• Study Links and Resources for the Book of Isaiah