Section 157 of 17460:9–14Isaiah

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King James VersionIsaiah 60:9–14

Surely the isles shall wait for me, and the ships of Tarshish first, to bring thy sons from far, their silver and their gold with them, unto the name of the LORD thy God, and to the Holy One of Israel, because he hath glorified thee.

And the sons of strangers shall build up thy walls, and their kings shall minister unto thee: for in my wrath I smote thee, but in my favour have I had mercy on thee.

Therefore thy gates shall be open continually; they shall not be shut day nor night; that men may bring unto thee the forces of the Gentiles, and that their kings may be brought.

For the nation and kingdom that will not serve thee shall perish; yea, those nations shall be utterly wasted.

The glory of Lebanon shall come unto thee, the fir tree, the pine tree, and the box together, to beautify the place of my sanctuary; and I will make the place of my feet glorious.

The sons also of them that afflicted thee shall come bending unto thee; and all they that despised thee shall bow themselves down at the soles of thy feet; and they shall call thee, The city of the LORD, The Zion of the Holy One of Israel.

Italic words were supplied in the English translation for clarity.

Scripture text: King James Version, Standardized 1769 text. Public domain in the United States.About this Bible text

Isaiah 60:9–14

Ships, Foreign Labor, and Former Oppressors Rebuild Zion

Foreigners shall build your walls—hear the hope, refuse the empire

Islands wait; Tarshish ships bring children from afar, their silver and gold with them, for the name of the Lord. Foreigners rebuild walls; their kings serve. Gates stay open day and night to receive the wealth of nations. The nation that will not serve shall perish in the poem's hyperbole. The glory of Lebanon comes to beautify the sanctuary. The children of those who oppressed you bow at the soles of your feet and call you the City of the Lord.

This is the dream of a people who had built for others under duress: now the flow reverses, and former despisers tell the truth about the city. Subordination and labor imagery must not authorize empire, forced labor, ethnic supremacy, humiliation, or treating modern nations as Zion's property. Open gates are hospitality under God, not a tollbooth of supremacy.

Bowing at the soles is the most dangerous line if copied. A warranted life is to hope for rebuilt walls and honored sanctuaries without needing anyone's face in the dust, and to let former oppressors' confession be their repentance, not our theater.

How this should shape us

Hope for rebuilt walls without needing anyone's face in the dust. Open gates as hospitality, not as a tollbooth of supremacy or a claim on modern nations as property.

Teach it back

Explain Isaiah 60:9–14 in your own words. Name its place in Isaiah, one source-controlled observation, one uncertainty, one enduring truth, and one harmful use the passage does not authorize.

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The explanation above is meant to stand on its own. Open these notes only if you want language, history, disagreements, or source locations.

Where careful interpreters disagreeThe strongest options and their difficulties

Where do responsible readings differ?

Best judgment: The subordination and labor imagery does not authorize empire, forced labor, ethnic supremacy, humiliation, or treating modern nations as Zion's property.

How certain? strong

Research trail and exact locationsThe source record behind this section

King James (Authorized) Version — eng-kjv2006

Supports: Exact displayed KJV wording, verse order, paragraph metadata, supplied-word markup, and complete thought-unit coverage.

Isaiah 60:9–14, pinned eng-kjv2006 USFM-derived repository corpus

Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible: Isaiah

Supports: Masoretic Hebrew wording and morphology at the exact unit, without treating morphology as apparatus, lexicon, composition history, or interpretation.

Open Scriptures MorphHB v2.2, commit 6a5db284c715c18b239422e57bb89684e6a19f00, wlc/Isa.xml, OSIS 60:9–14 with Hebrew/KJV versification difference checked

NET Bible Notes: Isaiah

Supports: Verse-level controls for Hebrew, syntax, poetry, older KJV language, chronology, names, textual issues, and material translation alternatives.

Official NET Isaiah PDF, translator, study, and textual notes attached to Isaiah 60:9–14 in the complete 205-page book PDF

Isaiah course: summary, outline, background, introductory issues, themes, and reception

Supports: Whole-book historical, literary, theological, ethical, and reception synthesis across Assyrian, Babylonian, Persian, and postexilic horizons.

Enter the Bible Isaiah course, Outline Book 3B and themes of Zion, nations, liberty, and comfort; applied to Isaiah 60:9–14

Anti-Judaism in Christian Teaching and Preaching

Supports: Controls against caricaturing Judaism, Torah-as-legalism claims, blanket condemnation, Gentile boasting, and supersessionist misuse.

Skinner, 'Anti-Judaism in Christian Teaching and Preaching,' Working Preacher (2008), complete essay categories and guidance; applied to the reception risks in Isaiah 60:9–14

Sources for This Section

These records identify the source, the claim it supports, and the exact location used. A source remains evidence to evaluate; it does not replace the biblical text.

Biblical text

King James (Authorized) Version — eng-kjv2006

eBible.org and CrossWire Bible Society

USFM archive eng-kjv2006_usfm.zip; source files dated 2026-08-19; downloaded 2026-08-24; archive SHA-256 aec1b3b26c622fd3d963d2bbac963016b9513246ffbfa20da00bb100372ea007; normalized corpus SHA-256 09aef51d90488aa7b9722b3fd9a93f4b25f6bf2064c5fd798fb39673c300ddf2.

Supports: Exact displayed KJV wording, verse order, paragraph metadata, supplied-word markup, and complete thought-unit coverage.

Exact location: Isaiah 60:9–14, pinned eng-kjv2006 USFM-derived repository corpus

Open source ↗

hebrew text and morphology

Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible: Isaiah

Open Scriptures

Open Scriptures, release 2.2

Supports: Masoretic Hebrew wording and morphology at the exact unit, without treating morphology as apparatus, lexicon, composition history, or interpretation.

Exact location: Open Scriptures MorphHB v2.2, commit 6a5db284c715c18b239422e57bb89684e6a19f00, wlc/Isa.xml, OSIS 60:9–14 with Hebrew/KJV versification difference checked

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translation and translator notes

NET Bible Notes: Isaiah

Biblical Studies Press

Biblical Studies Press, 2016; current official PDF

Supports: Verse-level controls for Hebrew, syntax, poetry, older KJV language, chronology, names, textual issues, and material translation alternatives.

Exact location: Official NET Isaiah PDF, translator, study, and textual notes attached to Isaiah 60:9–14 in the complete 205-page book PDF

Open the official NET Isaiah PDF ↗

modern scholarly book course

Isaiah course: summary, outline, background, introductory issues, themes, and reception

Fred Gaiser; revised by Michael Chan

Enter the Bible, Luther Seminary, revised August 2024

Supports: Whole-book historical, literary, theological, ethical, and reception synthesis across Assyrian, Babylonian, Persian, and postexilic horizons.

Exact location: Enter the Bible Isaiah course, Outline Book 3B and themes of Zion, nations, liberty, and comfort; applied to Isaiah 60:9–14

Open the Enter the Bible Isaiah course ↗

scholarly ethical reception guidance

Anti-Judaism in Christian Teaching and Preaching

Matt Skinner

Working Preacher, Luther Seminary, 2008

Supports: Controls against caricaturing Judaism, Torah-as-legalism claims, blanket condemnation, Gentile boasting, and supersessionist misuse.

Exact location: Skinner, 'Anti-Judaism in Christian Teaching and Preaching,' Working Preacher (2008), complete essay categories and guidance; applied to the reception risks in Isaiah 60:9–14

Open Skinner's anti-Judaism guidance ↗