Isaiah 60:17 — meaning, Hebrew and Greek word study, commentary
Isaiah 60:17
For brass I will bring gold, and for iron I will bring silver, and for wood brass, and for stones iron: I will also make thy officers peace, and thine exactors righteousness.
copper · definite article + noun, common feminine singular absolute
bring
אָבִ֣יא'a.Vi'
H935
to go or come (in a wide variety of applications) · verb, hiphil imperfect, 1st person common singular
gold
זָהָ֗בza.Hav
H2091
gold · noun, common masculine singular absolute
iron
הַבַּרְזֶל֙ha.bar.Zel
H1270
iron (as cutting) · definite article + noun, common masculine singular absolute
bring
אָ֣בִיא'A.vi'
H935
to go or come (in a wide variety of applications) · verb, hiphil imperfect, 1st person common singular
silver
כֶ֔סֶףKhe.sef
H3701
silver (from its pale color) · noun, common masculine singular absolute
wood
הָֽעֵצִים֙ha.'e.Tzim
H6086
a tree (from its firmness) · definite article + noun, common masculine plural absolute
brass
נְחֹ֔שֶׁתne.Cho.shet
H5178
copper · noun, common feminine singular absolute
stones
הָאֲבָנִ֖יםha.'a.va.Nim
H68
a stone · definite article + noun, common feminine plural absolute
iron
בַּרְזֶ֑לbar.Zel
H1270
iron (as cutting) · noun, common masculine singular absolute
make
וְשַׂמְתִּ֤יve.sam.Ti
H7760
to put (used in a great variety of applications · conjunction + verb, qal sequential perfect, 1st person common singular
officers
פְקֻדָּתֵךְ֙fe.ku.da.teKh
H6486
visitation (in many senses · noun, common feminine singular construct + pronominal suffix, 2nd person feminine singular
peace
שָׁל֔וֹםsha.Lom
H7965
safe · noun, common masculine singular absolute
exactors
וְנֹגְשַׂ֖יִךְve.no.ge.Sa.yikh
H5065
to drive (an animal · conjunction + verb, qal active participle, masculine plural construct + pronominal suffix, 2nd person feminine singular
righteousness
צְדָקָֽהtze.da.Kah
H6666
rightness (abstractly) · noun, common feminine singular absolute
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).
Cross-references
Hebrews 11:40 God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect.
Isaiah 30:26 Moreover the light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun shall be sevenfold, as the light of seven days, in…
Isaiah 1:26 And I will restore thy judges as at the first, and thy counsellors as at the beginning: afterward thou shalt be called, The city of righteou…
Zechariah 12:8 In that day shall the LORD defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and he that is feeble among them at that day shall be as David; and the hous…
1 Kings 10:21-27 And all king Solomon’s drinking vessels were of gold, and all the vessels of the house of the forest of Lebanon were of pure gold; none were…
Isaiah 32:1-2 Behold, a king shall reign in righteousness, and princes shall rule in judgment.
2 Peter 3:13 Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.
Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).
Commentary
Matthew Henry on Isaiah 60:15–end
The happy and glorious state of the church is here further foretold, referring principally and ultimately to the Christian church and the spiritual peace of that, but under the type of that little gleam of outward peace which the Jews sometimes enjoyed after their return out of captivity. This is here spoken of,
I. As compared with what it had been. This made her peace and honour the more pleasant, that her condition had been much otherwise.
1. She had been despised, but now she should be honoured, Isa 60:15, Isa 60:16. Jerusalem had been forsaken and hated, abandoned by her friends, abhorred by her enemies; no man went through that desolate city, but declined it as a rueful spectacle; it wa…
Poetically, with figurative allusion to the furniture of the temple; all things in that happy age to come shall be changed for the better.
exactors--namely, of tribute.
righteousness--All rulers in restored Jerusalem shall not only be peaceable and righteous, but shall be, as it were, "peace" and "righteousness" itself in their administration.
Adam Clarke on Isaiah 60:13
And I will make the place of my feet glorious "And that I may glorify the place whereon I rest my feet" - The temple of Jerusalem was called the house of God, and the place of his rest or residence. The visible symbolical appearance of God, called by the Jews the schechinah, was in the most holy place, between the wings of the cherubim, above the ark. This is considered as the throne of God, presiding as King over the Jewish state; and as a footstool is a necessary appendage to a throne, (see note on Isa 52:2 (note)), the ark is considered as the footstool of God, and is so called, Psa 99:6; Ch1 28:2.
The glory of Lebanon - That is, the cedar.
John Gill on Isaiah 60:17
For brass I will bring gold, and for iron I will bring silver, and for wood brass, and for stones iron,.... By "wood and stones" may be meant the Old Testament dispensation; by the "brass and iron" the present Gospel dispensation; and by "silver and gold" the latter day glory; by "silver" the spiritual reign of Christ in his church; and by "gold" his personal reign in the New Jerusalem; which is said to be all of pure gold, and even the very street of it, Revelation 21:18, now, as far as brass and iron exceed wood and stones, so far the Gospel dispensation exceeds the legal one; the one being the shadow, the other the substance; the one having carnal ordinances, which are done away; the othe…
The Church Fathers
The apostles received the gospel for us from the Lord Jesus Christ; Jesus the Christ was sent forth from God. So then Christ is from God and the apostles are from Christ. Both, therefore, came of the will of God in good order. Having therefore received their orders and being fully assured by the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ and full of faith in the Word of God, they went forth with the firm assurance that the Holy Spirit gives, preaching the good news that the kingdom of God was about to come. So, preaching in the country and in the towns, they appointed their firstfruits, when they had tested them by the Spirit, to be bishops and deacons for the future believers. And this was no new thing they did, for indeed something had been written about bishops and deacons many years ago; for somewhere thus says the Scripture, "I will appoint their bishops in righteousness and their deacons in faith."
(Vers. 17 seqq.) I will bring gold instead of bronze, and silver instead of iron, and bronze instead of wood, and iron instead of stones; and I will appoint peace as your overseer, and justice as your ruler. No more shall iniquity be heard in your land, devastation and destruction within your borders; but your walls shall be called Salvation, and your gates Praise. LXX: I will bring gold instead of bronze for you, and silver instead of iron, and bronze instead of wood, and iron instead of stones. And I will give your princes peace, and your bishops justice, and in your land no more iniquity will be heard, nor affliction and misery in your borders; but your walls shall be called Salvation, and your gates Praise. The same thing applies to places, some being foreign, others native. And lest I should seem to say anything about the arts of rhetoric and dialectic, I will give common examples that can instruct the average reader. My son, who resembles me and has my nature, has a son of his own. Let me also say something else: one is greater, the other is lesser. The centurion is greater than the common soldier, but lesser than the tribune. There are few compared to ten: more compared to one. Therefore, in the spiritual restoration of Jerusalem, wood will turn into bronze, and stones will be transformed into iron. That is, once brutish and insensitive men will be transformed into those materials that provide some utility to the city. And brass and iron will be changed into gold and silver through the growth of virtues, so that they may not only have the appearance of usefulness, but also value and beauty. We have often spoken about what gold and silver signify in the Holy Scriptures. 'I will set your rulers in peace, and your bishops in justice,' says the Lord. Concerning this, it is written in Hebrew: 'I will appoint your visitation as peace, and your overseers as justice.' In the Holy Scriptures, the marvelous majesty is evident, as it named the future rulers of the Church as bishops, whose entire visitation is in peace, and the title of their dignity is in justice. So that no partiality is shown in judgment, nor anything wicked is heard in the land of the Church, nor affliction and misfortune in its territories. Wherever there is iniquity and justice is not observed, and peace is lost, all these things will follow. But for these reasons, he says, salvation will…
Dictionary and topics
Copper — Derived from the Greek kupros (the island of Cyprus), called “Cyprian brass,” occurs only in the Authorized Version in Ezra 8:27. Elsewhere the Hebrew word (nehosheth) is improperly rendered “brass,”…
Iron — Tubal-Cain is the first-mentioned worker in iron (Gen. 4:22). The Egyptians wrought it at Sinai before the Exodus. David prepared it in great abundance for the temple (1 Chr. 22:3: 29:7). The…
Brass, Or Copper · Inferior in value to gold and silver — Inferior in value to gold and silver
Iron · .Stones of — .Stones of
Jews, The · Promises respecting: Future prosperity of — Promises respecting: Future prosperity of
Liberality · 1:2-4; — 1:2-4;
Metals · Comparative value of — Comparative value of
Nation · Promises of peace to — Promises of peace to
Rulers · CHARACTER AND QUALIFI — CHARACTER AND QUALIFI
Silver · Comparative value of — Comparative value of
Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).
For brass I will bring gold. He alludes to the building of the ancient temple, and compares it with the heavenly and spiritual temple; as if he had said, "When you shall be led into captivity, you will deplore the ruin of the temple, but I will cause you to build one far more excellent." Thus, "for brass I will bring gold, for iron silver, for wood brass, for stones iron;" that is, everything shall be full of magnificence and splendor in that temple which shall come in place of the former.
We know that this prediction was never accomplished ill that external restoration of the people, or during the commencement of it, and even that the temple which was afterwards erected was far inferior to…
The outward and inward beauty of the new Jerusalem is now depicted by the materials of her structure, and the powers which prevail within her. "For copper I bring gold, and for iron I bring silver, and for wood copper, and for stones iron, and make peace thy magistracy, and righteousness thy bailiffs. Injustice is no more seen in thy land, wasting and destruction in thy borders; and thou callest salvation thy walls, and renown thy gates." Wood and stone are not used at all in the building of the new Jerusalem. Just as in the time of Solomon silver was counted as nothing (Kg1 10:21) and had only the value of stones (Kg1 10:27), so here Jehovah gives her gold instead of copper, silver instead…
These verses portray Zion’s future grandeur (cp. Rev 21:10–22:4).
60:17 gold . . . silver . . . bronze . . . iron: These metals are for adornment and strength (cp. 54:11; Rev 21:15-21). • Peace and righteousness will bring harmony and blessing among people and with God.
Rashi on Isaiah 60:17
Instead of the copper that they took from you.
and I will make your officers peace [Jonathan renders:] And I will make your officers peace and your rulers with righteousness.
פְקֻדָּתֵךְ Your appointed officers. Our Rabbis stated: The officers who came upon you in your exile and the rulers who pressed you will be counted for you as peace and charity (Baba Bathra 9a). [That is, the money they have exacted from you will be counted as charity.]
