Isaiah 60:9
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.
Study Note
Study Note
The vision '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' employs the ancient trade-route network centered on Tarshish (Tartessus in Spain, or Tarsus) as the vehicle for the eschatological gathering of dispersed Israel. The phrase 'wait for me' (qivvah, hope-expectation) recurs throughout Second Isaiah as Israel's proper posture toward divine action — the distant isles are drawn into this waiting community. The association of maritime trade wealth ('silver and gold') with the glorification of God ('unto the name of the Lord thy God') indicates that the created order's material productivity is ultimately destined for divine glory, not autonomous human use. Revelation 21:24-26 ('the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honour into it') develops this vision of universal tribute to the New Jerusalem.
Other Translations
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, for the name of Jehovah thy God, and for the Holy One of Israel, because he hath glorified thee.
Surely for Me isles do wait, And ships of Tarshish first, To bring thy sons from afar, Their silver and their gold with them, To the name of Jehovah thy God, And to the Holy One of Israel, Because He hath beautified thee.
Vessels of the sea-lands are waiting for me, and the ships of Tarshish first, so that your sons may come from far, and their silver and gold with them, to the place of the name of the Lord your God, and to the Holy One of Israel, because he has made you beautiful.
Cross References
Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting …
And the Lord descended in the cloud, and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the Lord.
And he said, I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of the …
Jehoshaphat made ships of Tharshish to go to Ophir for gold: but they went not; for the ships were broken …
For the king had at sea a navy of Tharshish with the navy of Hiram: once in three years came …
And when the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon concerning the name of the Lord, she came …
Moreover concerning a stranger, that is not of thy people Israel, but cometh out of a far country for thy …
A man’s belly shall be satisfied with the fruit of his mouth; and with the increase of his lips shall …
And they shall bring all your brethren for an offering unto the Lord out of all nations upon horses, and …
And I will set a sign among them, and I will send those that escape of them unto the nations, …