Isaiah 60:6 — meaning, Hebrew and Greek word study, commentary
Isaiah 60:6
The multitude of camels shall cover thee, the dromedaries of Midian and Ephah; all they from Sheba shall come: they shall bring gold and incense; and they shall shew forth the praises of the LORD.
copiousness · noun, common feminine singular construct
camels
גְּמַלִּ֜יםge.ma.Lim
H1581
a camel · noun, common both genders plural absolute
cover
תְּכַסֵּ֗ךְte.kha.Sekh
H3680
properly · verb, piel imperfect, 3rd person feminine singular + pronominal suffix, 2nd person feminine singular
dromedaries
בִּכְרֵ֤יbikh.Rei
H1070
a young camel · noun, common masculine plural construct
Midian
מִדְיָן֙mid.Yan
H4080
Midjan · proper noun, a place name
Ephah
וְעֵיפָ֔הve.'ei.Fah
H5891
Ephah · conjunction + proper noun, a place name
Sheba
מִשְּׁבָ֣אmi.she.Va'
H7614
Sheba · preposition + proper noun, a place name
come
יָבֹ֑אוּya.Vo.'u
H935
to go or come (in a wide variety of applications) · verb, qal imperfect, 3rd person masculine plural
bring
יִשָּׂ֔אוּyi.Sa.'u
H5375
to lift · verb, qal imperfect, 3rd person masculine plural
gold
זָהָ֤בza.Hav
H2091
gold · noun, common masculine singular absolute
incense
וּלְבוֹנָה֙u.le.vo.Nah
H3828
frankincense (from its whiteness or perhaps that of its… · conjunction + noun, common feminine singular absolute
forth
יְבַשֵּֽׂרוּye.va.Se.ru
H1319
properly · verb, piel imperfect, 3rd person masculine plural
praises
וּתְהִלֹּ֥תu.te.hi.Lot
H8416
laudation · conjunction + noun, common feminine plural construct
LORD
יְהוָ֖הYah.weh
H3068
Jehovah · proper noun, a title
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
Matthew 2:11 And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had…
Psalms 72:10 The kings of Tarshish and of the isles shall bring presents: the kings of Sheba and Seba shall offer gifts.
Psalms 72:15 And he shall live, and to him shall be given of the gold of Sheba: prayer also shall be made for him continually; and daily shall he be prai…
Genesis 25:3-4 And Jokshan begat Sheba, and Dedan. And the sons of Dedan were Asshurim, and Letushim, and Leummim.
Judges 6:5 For they came up with their cattle and their tents, and they came as grasshoppers for multitude; for both they and their camels were without…
1 Peter 2:9 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath…
1 Peter 2:5 Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus…
Revelation 5:9-10 And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us…
Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).
Commentary
Matthew Henry on Isaiah 60:1-8
It is here promised that the gospel temple shall be very lightsome and very large.
I. It shall be very lightsome: Thy light has come. When the Jews returned out of captivity they had light and gladness, and joy and honour; they then were made to know the Lord and to rejoice in his great goodness; and upon both accounts their light came. When the Redeemer came to Zion he brought light with him, he himself came to be a light. Now observe, 1. What this light is, and whence it springs: The Lord shall arise upon thee (Isa 60:2), the glory of the Lord (Isa 60:1) shall be seen upon thee. God is the father and fountain of lights, and it is in his light that we shall see light. As far as we have the…
camels--laden with merchandise; the camel is "the ship of the desert" (compare Isa 30:6).
cover thee--so many of them shall there be.
dromedaries--They have one hunch on the back, whereas the camel has two: distinguished for swiftness (Jer 2:23).
Midian--east of the Elanitic branch of the Red Sea, and stretching northward along Mount Seir. Associated with the Ishmaelites in traffic (Gen 37:25, Gen 37:28).
Ephah--part of Midian, east of the Dead Sea. It abounded in camels (Jdg 6:5).
Sheba--in Arabia-Felix, famed for frankincense and gold (Psa 72:15; Jer 6:20), which they traded in (Isa 45:14; Job 6:19; Eze 27:22).
Adam Clarke on Isaiah 60:6
The praises of the Lord "And the praise of Jehovah" - Thirty-three MSS. and three editions have ותהלת uthehillath, in the singular number; and so read the ancient versions, and one of my own MSS.
John Gill on Isaiah 60:6
The multitudes of camels shall cover thee, the dromedaries of Midian and Ephah,.... That is, multitudes of people riding on these creatures from the parts mentioned, which, abounded with them, should come and cover or fill Jerusalem, and the places about it. Midian was a son of Abraham by Keturah, and a son of Midian, Genesis 25:4 these and their posterity inhabit Arabia; and so this is a prophecy of the conversion of the Arabians that dwell in Arabia Felix, Petraea, and Deserts; and so the Targum,
"a multitude of Arabians shall cover thee round about.''
A dromedary is a lesser camel, and swifter than the others; and both are very frequent in these countries, and used in travelling. Strabo…
The Church Fathers
(Verse 6, 7) The flood of camels shall cover you, the dromedaries of Midian and Ephah. All those from Sheba shall come, bringing gold and frankincense, and proclaiming the praise of the Lord. All the flocks of Kedar shall be gathered to you, the rams of Nebaioth shall minister to you; they shall be offered on my acceptable altar, and I will glorify the house of my majesty. LXX: And the herds of camels shall come to you, the camels of Midian and Ephah shall cover you; all those from Sheba shall come, bringing gold and frankincense, and proclaiming the salvation of the Lord. All the flocks of Cedar shall be gathered unto thee, the rams of Nebaioth shall minister unto thee: they shall come up with acceptance on mine altar, and I will glorify the house of my glory. Who are these that fly as a cloud, and as the doves to their windows? 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 regions of Midian and Ephah are across Arabia, fertile for camels, and the whole province is called Sheba, where the Queen of Sheba was, who came to hear the wisdom of Solomon: and she brought gold and frankincense, bringing many things to the peaceful king, and receiving even greater things from him (3 Kings 10). But the region of the Saracens is called Kedar, who are called Ishmaelites in Scripture. And Nebajoth is one of the sons of Ishmael, from whose names the desert is named, which is lacking in crops but full of cattle. Therefore, through the names of the barbarian peoples who are near Israel, the conversion of the whole world is preached. For Midian, indeed, is interpreted as wickedness in this place. Ephah, loosened, or pouring out. Sheba, conversion, or captivity. Kedar, darkness. Nebaioth, prophecies. Therefore, the flocks of camels, being…
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
Beast — This word is used of flocks or herds of grazing animals (Ex. 22:5; Num. 20:4, 8, 11; Ps. 78:48); of beasts of burden (Gen. 45:17); of eatable beasts (Prov. 9:2); and of swift beasts or dromedaries…
Camel — From the Hebrew gamal, “to repay” or “requite,” as the camel does the care of its master. There are two distinct species of camels, having, however, the common characteristics of being “ruminants…
Church — Derived probably from the Greek kuriakon (i.e., “the Lord’s house”), which was used by ancient authors for the place of worship. In the New Testament it is the translation of the Greek word ecclesia,…
Dromedary — (Isa. 60:6), an African or Arabian species of camel having only one hump, while the Bactrian camel has two. It is distinguished from the camel only as a trained saddle-horse is distinguished from a…
Epah — (gloomy), the first, in order, of the sons of Midian, (Genesis 25:4; 1 Chronicles 1:33) afterwards mentioned by (Isaiah 60:6)
Ephah — Gloom. (1.) One of the five sons of Midian, and grandson of Abraham (Gen. 25:4). The city of Ephah, to which he gave his name, is mentioned Isa. 60:6, 7. This city, with its surrounding territory,…
Frankincense — (Heb. lebonah; Gr. libanos, i.e., “white”), an odorous resin imported from Arabia (Isa. 60:6; Jer. 6:20), yet also growing in Palestine (Cant. 4:14). It was one of the ingredients in the perfume of…
Camel · Herds of — Herds of
Camel, The · Abounded in the east — Abounded in the east
Church, The · Shows forth the praises of God — Shows forth the praises of God
Commerce · General references — General references
A multitude of camels shall cover thee. The Prophet describes figuratively the glory of the Church, and accommodates his discourse to the time, and to the persons with whom he had to do. We must keep in remembrance what we have often said, that the prophets took into account the people whom they taught, and therefore mentioned customary transactions and wellknown ceremonies, that, under the figures of them, they might describe the spiritual worship of God. The Jews must be first instructed, and afterwards the Gentiles, to whom the truth of those things has come; as if he had said, that nations far distant shall come, with their wealth, into the power of God; for, when he foretells that the C…
The nations engaged in commerce, and those possessing cattle, vie with one another in enriching the church. "A swarm of camels will cover thee, the foals of Midian and Ephah: they come all together from Saba; they bring gold and incense, and they joyfully make known the praises of Jehovah. All the flocks, of Kedar gather together unto thee, the rams of Nebaioth will serve thee: they will come up with acceptance upon mine altar, and I will adorn the house of my adorning." The trading nations bring their wares to the church. The tribe of Midian, which sprang from Abraham and Keturah (Gen 25:2), and of which Ephah (Targ. Hōlâd, the Hutheilites?) formed one of the several branches (Gen 25:4),…
Midian and Ephah were Midianite tribes located southeast of Israel. • Sheba was a region in southern Arabia (see 1 Kgs 10:1-2) famed for frankincense (Jer 6:20). • These were real nations—the restoration would be a historical reality, not just an idealistic vision. Many nations would submit themselves to and worship the Lord.
Rashi on Isaiah 60:6
A multitude Heb. שִׁפְעַת, A multiplicity.
the young camels of Midian Heb. בִּכְרֵי. [Jonathan renders:] הוֹגְנֵי. They are young camels. Comp. (Jer. 2:23) “a swift young camel (בִּכְרָה).”
and Ephah They, too, are of the sons of Midian. Comp. (Gen. 25:4) “Ephah and Epher.”
Dromedary · R. V., swift steeds) — R. V., swift steeds)
Ephah · 1. A — 1. A
Excellency And Glory Of The Church, The · Augmented by increase of its members — Augmented by increase of its members
Frankincense · Used as an incense — Used as an incense
Gold · Abounded in: Sheba — Abounded in: Sheba
Heathen, The · Salvation of, foretold — Salvation of, foretold
Jews, The · Promises respecting: Future prosperity of — Promises respecting: Future prosperity of
Midianites · of gold — of gold
Sheba · of the Messiah — of the Messiah
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).
