Isaiah 60:13

13 The glory of the Lebanon shall come to thee, a fir tree, and box tree, and pine apple tree together, to adorn the place of mine hallowing; and I shall glorify the place of my feet. (The glory of Lebanon shall come to thee, yea, a fir tree, and a box tree, and a pine tree all together, to adorn the place of my sanctuary; and I shall glorify the place of my feet.)

Isaiah 60:13 Meaning and Commentary

Isaiah 60:13

The glory of Lebanon shall come unto thee
Which are the trees that grew upon it, especially the cedars, for which it was famous, as well as the other trees after mentioned. Now, as these were brought into Solomon's temple, and used in the building of that, ( 1 Kings 6:9 1 Kings 6:10 1 Kings 6:15 ) , so such shall come of themselves, willingly and cheerfully, being drawn with the cords of love, into the church of Christ, comparable to the tall and strong cedars of Lebanon, and other trees, being eminent for their gifts and graces, and strong in the exercise of them; the more feeble among them being as the house of David, and that as the Angel of the Lord; and being durable, constant, and immovable in the work of the Lord; pillars in his house that shall never go out; ever green and flourishing; never wither in their profession, and always fruitful in every good word and work; of a good smell in the exercise of grace; of savoury conversations, and of a good report in the world; see ( Psalms 107:12 Psalms 107:13 ) : the fir tree, the pine tree, and the box together;
which may denote persons of different ranks and sizes, both as to worldly and spiritual affairs; and yet will all agree to come together to the church, and will unite in the service and worship of God in it, and be a real glory to it; see ( Isaiah 41:19 ) : to beautify the place of my sanctuary;
the church, so called in allusion to the tabernacle and temple; and thus the Targum here,

``the place of the house of my sanctuary;''
where the holy God dwells; and which is sanctified by him, and where he is sanctified, and worshipped in a holy and spiritual manner; and which will be beautified in the latter day, when the saints that will come into the church will put on by faith more manifestly the beautiful garments of Christ's righteousness; and be more visibly adorned with the graces of his Spirit, which will shine like so many brilliant diamonds and sparkling gems; and will appear in the beauties of a holy conversation; walk in brotherly love with each other, and unite in sentiments of doctrine, and in acts of Gospel worship; and when the Gospel shall be purely and powerfully preached; the ordinances administered as they were in the times of Christ and his apostles; and Gospel discipline in all its branches restored: and I will make the place of my feet glorious;
alluding to the ark under the mercy seat, over which were the cherubim, and between which Jehovah dwelt, hence called his footstool, ( 1 Chronicles 28:2 ) , denoting that the church is the place where the Lord grants his presence through Christ, the antitype of the mercy seat and ark; and which is the seat of his rest and residence; where he takes his walks, and where his footsteps of rich grace are seen; where his lower parts, his feet, his works, and acts of grace, are beheld; where he favours with communion with himself; where his power and glory are observed, and his beauty is upon his people; where they see the King in his beauty, and all which will be more manifestly enjoyed in the latter day, and make his church very glorious indeed.

Isaiah 60:13 In-Context

11 And thy gates shall be opened continually, day and night those shall not be closed; that the strength of heathen men be brought to thee, and the kings of them be brought. (And thy gates shall be open continually, they shall not be closed day or night; so that the wealth of the heathen can be brought in to thee, and so that their kings can also be brought in to thee.)
12 For why the folk and realm that serveth not thee, shall perish, and heathen men shall be destroyed by wilderness. (For the nations, and the kingdoms, that serve thee not, shall perish, yea, those heathen shall be destroyed, and laid waste.)
13 The glory of the Lebanon shall come to thee, a fir tree, and box tree, and pine apple tree together, to adorn the place of mine hallowing; and I shall glorify the place of my feet. (The glory of Lebanon shall come to thee, yea, a fir tree, and a box tree, and a pine tree all together, to adorn the place of my sanctuary; and I shall glorify the place of my feet.)
14 And the sons of them that made thee low, shall come low to thee, and all that backbited thee, shall worship the steps of thy feet; and they shall call thee, A city of the Lord of Zion, of the Holy of Israel (and they shall call thee, The City of the Lord, the Zion of the Holy One of Israel).
15 For that that thou were forsaken, and hated, and none was that passed by thee, (yea, now) I shall set thee into pride, that is, (to the) glory and honour, of worlds, (to be a) joy in generation and into generation.
Copyright © 2001 by Terence P. Noble. For personal use only.