Isaiah 60:4
Lift up your eyes all around, and see; they all gather together, they come to you; your sons shall come from afar, and your daughters shall be carried on the hip.
English Standard Version (ESV)
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The verse highlights an intimate, nurturing image: daughters being "carried on the hip." This isn't just about return, but about tender, personal care, signifying how the nations will be brought into God's family not just as a collective, but individually, embraced and supported like a child by a parent.
Following a period of description of surrounding nations and their wealth coming to Zion, this verse shifts perspective to the perspective of Zion itself. God instructs the city to look outward, and she will see her "sons" and "daughters" returning from distant lands, implying a remarkable ingathering and restoration. This imagery highlights a tender care, depicting children being carried close, symbolizing how the community will embrace and nurture its returning members.
Imagine standing on a hill, feeling the weight of sorrow or hardship. What if God told you to 'lift your eyes'? Isaiah 60:4 calls us to do just that, but to what end?
God's instruction to 'lift up your eyes all around' isn't just about looking; it's about a radical shift in perspective. For Jerusalem, battered and exiled, this meant looking beyond their immediate despair to a future filled with unexpected hope.
Seeing Beyond Suffering
The verse speaks of 'sons' and 'daughters' coming. But who are they, and how are they arriving? This isn't just about homecoming; it's about a massive influx.
Isaiah 60:4 paints a picture of the community expanding dramatically, not just through returnees, but through people from all directions. This points to a future where the 'family' of God grows exponentially.
A Mother's Embrace
Written during or after the Babylonian exile, Isaiah 60:4 paints a picture of future restoration and global inclusion for Zion. It reassures a disheartened people that their 'sons' and 'daughters'—representing the dispersed Jewish people and eventually Gentiles who would join them—would return from afar, and the community would be nurtured and grow, far surpassing the humble and broken state they were in.
c. 740 BC
Assyrian Empire's Peak
Under rulers like Tiglath-Pileser III and Sargon II, the Assyrian Empire reached its zenith, controlling vast territories and deporting populations as a common practice to quell dissent.
722 BC
Fall of Samaria
The northern Kingdom of Israel fell to the Neo-Assyrian Empire, leading to the exile of the ten tribes, often referred to as the 'lost tribes'. This event set a precedent for future exiles.
605 BC
First Babylonian Deportation
Nebuchadnezzar II of Babylon began deporting Judean elites and skilled workers to Babylon. This marked the beginning of the Babylonian exile, profoundly impacting Jewish identity and prophecy.
586 BC
Destruction of Jerusalem and Temple
Nebuchadnezzar's forces destroyed Jerusalem and its sacred Temple, exiling most of the remaining population to Babylon. This was a catastrophic event for the Judean people.
This passage directly echoes Isaiah 60:4, telling Zion to 'Lift up your eyes and look around; all these sons and daughters shall come to you,' reinforcing the theme of gathering and restoration from afar.
Isaiah 49:22This verse speaks of nations being carried and brought to Zion on their shoulders, paralleling the imagery of children being tenderly brought to the mother city in Isaiah 60:4, highlighting a concept of nurturing and care.
Jeremiah 3:17This passage envisions Jerusalem as a 'throne for the nations,' where people will gather to the Lord, aligning with the idea in Isaiah 60:4 of distant peoples and 'sons' and 'daughters' coming to the city.
Luke 2:30-32Simeon's prophecy about Jesus being 'a light for revelation to the Gentiles' and for Israel's glory directly connects to Isaiah 60:1-3, which sets the stage for the gathering described in verse 4, showing the fulfillment of this ingathering of peoples.
Matthew 28:19The Great Commission, commanding disciples to 'go and make disciples of all nations,' is the New Testament outworking of the vision in Isaiah 60:4, where peoples from all directions are drawn to God's people and His light.
pulpitIsaiah 60:4: "Lift up thine eyes round about, and see: all they gather themselves together, they come to thee: thy sons shall come from far, and thy daughters shall be nursed at thy side."
Verse 4. - Lift up thine eyes (see Isaiah 49:18). Thy sons... thy daughters. Not so much Jews of the dispersion, as Gentiles, who will become thy adopted "sons" and "daughters." Shall be nursed at thy side; rather, shall be carried on thy side. Oriental mothers often carry a small child on their hip, with th…
clarkeIsaiah 60:4: "Lift up thine eyes round about, and see: all they gather themselves together, they come to thee: thy sons shall come from far, and thy daughters shall be nursed at thy side."
Shall be nursed at thy side "Shall be carried at the side" - For תאמנה teamanah, shall be nursed, the Septuagint and Chaldee read תנשאנה tinnasenah, shall be carried. A MS. has על כתף תנשאנה al catheph tinnasenah, "shall be carried on the shoulder;" instead of על צד תאמנה al tsad teamanah, "shall be nurse…
The verse highlights an intimate, nurturing image: daughters being "carried on the hip." This isn't just about return, but about tender, personal care, signifying how the nations will be brought into God's family not just as a collective, but individually, embraced and supported like a child by a parent.
Following a period of description of surrounding nations and their wealth coming to Zion, this verse shifts perspective to the perspective of Zion itself. God instructs the city to look outward, and she will see her "sons" and "daughters" returning from distant lands, implying a remarkable ingathering and restoration. This imagery highlights a tender care, depicting children being carried close, symbolizing how the community will embrace and nurture its returning members.
Following a period of description of surrounding nations and their wealth coming to Zion, this verse shifts perspective to the perspective of Zion itself. God instructs the city to look outward, and she will see her "sons" and "daughters" returning from distant lands, implying a remarkable ingathering and restoration. This imagery highlights a tender care, depicting children being carried close, symbolizing how the community will embrace and nurture its returning members.
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c. 539 BC
Persian Conquest of Babylon
Cyrus the Great of Persia conquered Babylon, allowing exiled peoples, including the Judeans, to return to their homelands and rebuild their temples.
c. 520-516 BC
Rebuilding of the Second Temple
Under the decree of Cyrus and the leadership of figures like Zerubbabel and Joshua the high priest, the Second Temple in Jerusalem was rebuilt, though it lacked the splendor of Solomon's original temple.
c. 6th-5th century BC— this verse
Post-Exilic Period
Following the return from exile, the Jewish community in Jerusalem faced challenges in rebuilding their society and maintaining their faith amidst foreign rule and internal divisions. Isaiah's prophecies offered hope for future restoration and glory.
"Lift up your eyes all around, and see; they all gather together, they come to you; your sons shall come from afar, and your daughters shall be carried on the hip." — The verse highlights an intimate, nurturing image: daughters being "carried on the hip." This isn't just about return, but about tender, personal care, signifying how the nations will be brought into…
