Isaiah 60:19 - meaning, Hebrew and Greek word study, commentary
Isaiah 60:19
The sun shall be no more thy light by day; neither for brightness shall the moon give light unto thee: but the LORD shall be unto thee an everlasting light, and thy God thy glory.
the sun · definite article + noun, common both genders singular absolute
light
לְא֣וֹרle.'or
H216
illumination or (concrete) luminary (in every sense · preposition + noun, common feminine singular absolute
day
יוֹמָ֔םyo.Mam
H3119
daily · adverb
brightness
וּלְנֹ֕גַהּu.le.No.gah
H5051
brilliancy (literally or figuratively) · conjunction + preposition + noun, common feminine singular absolute
moon
הַיָּרֵ֖חַhai.ya.Re.ach
H3394
the moon · definite article + noun, common masculine singular absolute
light
לְא֣וֹרle.'or
H216
illumination or (concrete) luminary (in every sense · preposition + noun, common feminine singular construct
LORD
יְהוָה֙Yah.weh
H3068
Jehovah · proper noun, a title
everlasting
עוֹלָ֔םo.Lam
H5769
properly · noun, common masculine singular absolute
light
יָאִ֣ירya.'Ir
H215
to be (causative · verb, hiphil imperfect, 3rd person masculine singular
God
וֵאלֹהַ֖יִךְve.lo.Ha.yikh
H430
gods in the ordinary sense · conjunction + noun, common masculine plural construct + pronominal suffix, 2nd person feminine singular
glory
לְתִפְאַרְתֵּֽךְle.tif.'ar.Tekh
H8597
ornament (abstractly or concretely · preposition + noun, common feminine singular construct + pronominal suffix, 2nd person feminine singular
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
Revelation 21:23 And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light the…
Revelation 22:5 And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall rei…
Zechariah 2:5 For I, saith the LORD, will be unto her a wall of fire round about, and will be the glory in the midst of her.
Psalms 36:9 For with thee is the fountain of life: in thy light shall we see light.
Psalms 3:3 But thou, O LORD, art a shield for me; my glory, and the lifter up of mine head.
Psalms 62:7 In God is my salvation and my glory: the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God.
Luke 2:32 A light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel.
Psalms 4:2 O ye sons of men, how long will ye turn my glory into shame? how long will ye love vanity, and seek after leasing? Selah.
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…
The sun and moon, the brightest objects by day and night, shall be eclipsed by the surpassing glory of God manifesting Himself to thee (Isa 30:26; Zac 2:5; Rev 21:23; Rev 22:5).
Adam Clarke on Isaiah 60:19
Neither for brightness shall the moon give light unto thee "Nor by night shall the brightness of the moon enlighten thee" - This line, as it stands in the present text, seems to be defective. The Septuagint and Chaldee both express the night, which is almost necessary to answer to day in the preceding line, as well as to perfect the sense here. I therefore think that we ought, upon the authority of the Septuagint and Chaldee, to read either ולילה velailah, and by night, instead of ולנגה ulenogah, and for brightness; or ולנגה בלילה ulenogah ballailah, adding the word בלילה ballailah, by night. - L.
John Gill on Isaiah 60:19
The sun shall be no more thy light by day,.... Here begins the account of the sinless, pure, and perfect state of the church in the personal reign of Christ, even the New Jerusalem church state, as appears from the use of these very words, in the description of that state, Revelation 21:23 where it is read, "and the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof"; and in like manner the Targum renders these words,
"and ye shall have no need any more of the light of the sun by day, nor even of the light of the moon by night;''
and so both Aben Ezra and Jarchi interpret it,
"ye shall have no need of the…
The Church Fathers
According to the word of blessing to the one receiving illumination, "The Lord will be your everlasting light." … When this economy was reconstituted, God opened his eyes on the house of Judah, that is, the living church of God, with the Savior sent from the house of Judah to rule over it.
We must keep in mind, however, that the Word promises to the righteous through the mouth of Isaiah that days will come when not the sun but the Lord will be to them an everlasting light, and God will be their glory. And it is from misunderstanding, I think, some pestilent heresy that gave an interpretation to the words "let there be light," as if they were the expression of a wish merely on the part of the Creator, that Celsus made the remark, "The Creator did not borrow light from above, like those persons who kindle lamps at those of their neighbors."
This is exactly what the future life possesses. It will need neither moon nor sun, since it has the ineffable light of God. But those who believe can take advantage of it in a provisional form. Nevertheless, in a figurative sense, believers enjoy this light even now. When they are illuminated by this light, they take the road that is free from error.… And this is what is announced about the life to come. It will have immutability of thought. It will be arrayed in righteousness forever. It will have freedom from sin. It will not have an excess of either youth or age. Instead, it will have a life without end. And in that life those who are worthy will inherit the land of the living.
The Church Fathers: public-domain translations (Ante-Nicene and Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers), verse-indexed by SermonIndex (CC BY 4.0).
Dictionary and topics
Eclipse · FIGURATIVE — FIGURATIVE
God · Is declared to be: Light — Is declared to be: Light
Jews, The · Promises respecting: Future glory of — Promises respecting: Future glory of
Light · FIGURATIVE AND SYMBOLI — FIGURATIVE AND SYMBOLI
Moon · .Shining of — .Shining of
Privileges Of Saints · Having God for their: Glory — Having God for their: Glory
Reward Of Saints, The · Described as: Everlasting light — Described as: Everlasting light
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).
and 20. And thou shalt no longer have the sun for the light of days. He teaches that the prosperity of the Church shall not be temporary, but permanent; for he distinguishes it from the ordinary condition of men, among whom there is nothing steadfast or permanent; because there is nothing under the sun, however well regulated, that is not subject to various changes. But we ought not to judge of the Church from the dangers of the present life; for she is preserved in the midst of the billows; as if he had said, "Do not judge of thy safety from the present appearance of things, but know that it is laid up in God. God will be thy sun, so that thou hast no need of borrowing light from the sun or…
The fifth turn celebrates the glorifying of Jerusalem, through the shining of Jehovah as its everlasting light and through the form of its ever-growing membership, which is so well-pleasing to God. The prophecy returns to the thought with which it set out, and by which the whole is regulated, viz., that Jerusalem will be light. This leading thought is now unfolded in the most majestic manner, and opened up in all its eschatological depth. "The sun will be no more thy light by day, neither for brightness will the moon shine upon thee: Jehovah will be to thee an everlasting light, and thy God thy glory. Thy sun will no more go down, and thy moon will not be withdrawn; for Jehovah will be to th…
Natural sources of light such as the sun and the moon will be as nothing in comparison to the brightness of God’s presence (see also 9:2; 30:26; Zech 2:5; Rev 21:23-24).
Rashi on Isaiah 60:19
You shall no longer have You shall not require the light of the sun.
