Chapter 60 of Yeshayahu is a chapter of radiance. The prophet turns to Jerusalem and heralds the dawning light of redemption: a light that will shine not only upon her, but upon the entire world. Nations and kings will stream to her, her children will return from afar, and all the nations of the earth will bring their wealth and offerings to the House of Hashem. Following the order of the pesukim, we will explore the explanations of Radak and the Malbim, along with the wonderful nuances of language found within them.
ק֥וּמִי א֖וֹרִי כִּ֣י בָ֣א אוֹרֵ֑ךְ וּכְב֥וֹד יְהֹוָ֖ה עָלַ֥יִךְ זָרָֽח׃ - Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of Hashem has dawned upon you.
Radak explains that the prophet is addressing Jerusalem here, saying to her: "Arise, shine" - "shine" (ori) is in the imperative, meaning illuminate with your light, for your light has come and the glory of Hashem has shone upon you. "Your light has come" means that the time of your salvation has arrived; for one who is in distress is likened to someone enveloped in darkness, and when salvation arrives, it is as though light has shone upon him.
However, there is a difficulty here, which Radak raises: "ba orech" (your light has come) seems similar to "ba hashemesh" (the sun set). If so, "ki va orech" would mean that your light has set - which contradicts the entire point! The pasuk should have said: "Arise, shine, for your light has dawned (zarach orech)," not "ki va."
Radak answers: Indeed, "ki va orech" means that your light of this world has set, and in its place you are granted the light of the World to Come, which is vastly greater and more powerful. That is to say: the material light has set, and an immeasurably loftier spiritual light is prepared for you. Proof of this comes from what is written later in the chapter: "The sun shall no longer be your light by day" - meaning that the light of the sun is considered faint and dim in comparison to the light destined to come, the Divine light. So too is the prophecy: "The light of the moon shall become like the light of the sun, and the light of the sun shall become sevenfold, like the light of the seven days" - showing that our present light is faint, and in its stead we will receive an immense, boundless light.
The Malbim explains that distress is characterized by gloom and darkness, and now the prophet tells Jerusalem: shine forth from this darkness, and not just for yourself, but for the entire world. "Arise, shine" - illuminate the whole world, "for your light has come" - for you possess the light of salvation, both physical and spiritual alike.
This is not mere poetic repetition using different words, but two distinct matters: there is our own inherent light - "for your light has come" - and there is the light that the Holy One, blessed be He, radiates upon us - "and the glory of Hashem has dawned upon you." This refers to the supreme light of glory, the revelation of the Divine light upon His prophets and remnants. In other words: there is an intrinsic light, and there is the light of prophecy, which the Holy One, blessed be He, causes to shine upon the survivors whom Hashem summons.
Regarding Radak's question - how "ki va orech" could be said when the intention is dawning or rising - the Malbim asserts that the question does not even begin, and whoever asks it has not examined the matter closely. And indeed, who is as masterful in Lashon HaKodesh as the Malbim!
Indeed, "ba hashemesh" denotes sunset, but that applies specifically when speaking of the body of the sun itself. Why? Because the sun emerges in the morning in the east and arrives in the west. When it "comes" (ba) - meaning it has arrived at its destination, the place it was meant to reach - that is sunset. Here, however, we are not speaking of the sun, but of light. And what is the definition of light? Light "comes" when its rays reach the illuminated object. After all, regarding anything we see, our power of sight functions because rays of light strike that object and are thereby registered by our eyes. Thus, concerning an illuminated object, one says, "the light has come upon it" - the light went out toward its destination and struck the object upon which it was meant to shine.
Thus, regarding the sun, "coming" denotes setting, whereas regarding light, "coming" denotes illumination - the exact opposite. Therefore, the verse "Arise, shine, for your light has come" is entirely fitting, for the light has arrived at the place it is destined to reach.
"Your light" is, as mentioned, the intrinsic light, while "and the glory of Hashem has shone upon you" represents the light of prophecy. And why is it termed this way? Because we are in the position of the moon relative to the sun. The moon has no light of its own whatsoever; all it does is reflect the light of the sun. So too, "and the glory of Hashem has shone upon you" - like the shining of sunlight upon the moon.
From this we can also understand what will be said later, "and kings to the brightness of your shining" (nogah zarchech), for the expression nogah always refers to an illumination where the source of light itself is not seen, but only the glow around it. One would never say "the nogah of the sun," because the sun possesses intrinsic light - it contains light; but regarding the moon, the term nogah is fitting. And so it is with us: we have nothing of our own, rather the glory of Hashem shines upon us. And this is what Chazal meant when they said, "The face of Moshe was like the face of the sun, and the face of Yehoshua was like the face of the moon" - Yehoshua was like the rest of the prophets, in the category of recipients, whereas Moshe Rabbeinu was on a far higher and greater level, like the face of the sun. "And kings to the brightness of your shining" - even the nations will walk toward the light of prophecy.
כִּֽי־הִנֵּ֤ה הַחֹ֙שֶׁךְ֙ יְכַסֶּה־אֶ֔רֶץ וַעֲרָפֶ֖ל לְאֻמִּ֑ים וְעָלַ֙יִךְ֙ יִזְרַ֣ח יְהֹוָ֔ה וּכְבוֹד֖וֹ עָלַ֥יִךְ יֵרָאֶֽה׃ - For behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and a dense mist the peoples; but upon you Hashem will shine, and His glory shall be seen upon you.
Radak explains that darkness and mist are metaphors for troubles, and "upon you Hashem will shine, and His glory shall be seen upon you" - is as if it were written "and in His glory He will be seen upon you," meaning that Hashem will reveal Himself upon you in His glory.
The Malbim notes the precise distinction between the two: darkness is the total absence of light, whereas arafel (mist or fog) consists of vapors and steam filling the air even while the sun is shining. We are familiar with this phenomenon: fog and sun can exist together (usually the sun dissipates the fog so it does not last long, but there is no inherent contradiction here). Fog is essentially a cloud that has descended low, and within fog there can be light, except that the fog prevents it from shining properly. Darkness, by contrast, is the absolute absence of light.
Accordingly, the prophet speaks of two categories of nations. There are nations in the category of "darkness shall cover the earth" - complete darkness, pagan idolaters upon whom the light of Hashem has never shone at all. And there are nations that are not in utter darkness, but rather a mist shrouds their faith and religion, such as the descendants of Yishmael. For them, it is not total darkness, as they do believe in Hashem, and they are even better off than the Christians - as we saw in the Kuzari - since they have no impure trinity, meaning they do not have the issue of idolatry (avodah zarah). Yet have they arrived at the truth? Not yet. Their very belief in that impure man as their prophet, alleging that he received prophecy from Hashem, is already a distortion. Beyond that, they have a major distortion regarding free will: a Muslim says "kullu min Allah" - everything is from God, and man has no agency. This is a complete distortion, for Judaism clearly teaches, "And you shall know this day and lay it to your heart" and "And you shall choose life" - free will is granted to man to choose whether to do good or evil. In any case, they are not like idol worshipers or those who offer incense to a cow; they believe in Hashem, yet they remain enveloped in mist.
And corresponding to both comes the consolation: corresponding to "darkness shall cover the earth," where there is no sun at all - "upon you Hashem will shine," for with us there will be an actual shining of the Holy One, blessed be He. And corresponding to "and a dense mist the peoples," where a sun exists but mist obstructs it - "and His glory shall be seen upon you," the glory of Hashem will reach us and be seen upon us without any fog obstructing its light, but openly, in complete prophecy; eye to eye they will see the glory of Hashem revealed to His prophets, without any dividing screen.
וְהָלְכ֥וּ גוֹיִ֖ם לְאוֹרֵ֑ךְ וּמְלָכִ֖ים לְנֹ֥גַהּ זַרְחֵֽךְ׃ - And nations shall walk by your light, and kings by the brightness of your shining.
Radak explains that this is one of the prophecies describing the End of Days, as it is written: "And many nations shall go and say: 'Come, let us go up to the mountain of Hashem, to the house of the God of Yaakov, that He may teach us of His ways, and we will walk in His paths.'" To this can be added the verse in Zechariah: "And many peoples and strong nations shall come to seek Hashem of Hosts in Jerusalem, and to entreat the favor of Hashem... Thus said Hashem of Hosts: In those days, ten men from all the languages of the nations will take hold, grasping the corner of the garment of a Jewish man, saying: 'Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.'"
The Malbim notes the precise distinction: "Nations shall walk by your light" refers to the masses of the nations, who will be drawn to the light of the Torah. The kings, however, who occupy a higher station, will walk "by the brightness of your rising" - meaning to the light of Hashem and His glory mentioned in the preceding verse. The light of the Torah alone will not suffice for them; rather, they will yearn for the light of prophecy, wanting to perceive the actual brilliance of your rising. They too will then walk forward when they see Am Yisrael in their elevated state of prophecy.
שְׂאִֽי־סָבִ֤יב עֵינַ֙יִךְ֙ וּרְאִ֔י כֻּלָּ֖ם נִקְבְּצ֣וּ בָֽאוּ־לָ֑ךְ בָּנַ֙יִךְ֙ מֵרָח֣וֹק יָבֹ֔אוּ וּבְנוֹתַ֖יִךְ עַל־צַ֥ד תֵּאָמַֽנָה׃ - Lift up your eyes round about and see, they have all gathered, they have come to you; your sons shall come from afar, and your daughters shall be nursed at your side.
According to Radak, "all of them" refers to your sons and your daughters. This appears puzzling at first: if the verse begins with "all of them" in an unspecified, third-person form and only then specifies "your sons," why not state it clearly from the outset? Radak explains that this is a frequent stylistic pattern in Scripture - to refer to a subject in an unspecified manner first and only then identify it, as in: "She opened it and saw him, the child," where the verse similarly says "and saw him" before specifying "the child."
"And your daughters shall be nursed at your side" - just as a caregiver carries a nursing infant. The Targum renders this "on the hips" (al gissin), which are the flanks (as in "the fat that is on the flanks"), for a mother carrying her baby supports it on her side, resting on her hip. All of this will be done by queens and noblewomen, as Scripture states elsewhere: "and their princesses your nursing mothers."
The Malbim explains: "Lift up your eyes round about" - toward the four corners of the earth. "And see, they have all gathered" - while we are accustomed to the nations gathering against us for war, Scripture makes clear that this is not so: "they have gathered, they have come to you" - they have come to study Torah, to learn the word of Hashem. In the Malbim's view, "all of them" does not refer back to the children of Israel, but to all the nations, whereas "your sons shall come from afar" refers specifically to the Ingathering of the Exiles. Thus, two distinct phenomena are described here: the nations will come to learn Hashem's Torah, and Am Yisrael will return from their exile.
אָ֤ז תִּרְאִי֙ וְנָהַ֔רְתְּ וּפָחַ֥ד וְרָחַ֖ב לְבָבֵ֑ךְ כִּֽי־יֵהָפֵ֤ךְ עָלַ֙יִךְ֙ הֲמ֣וֹן יָ֔ם חֵ֥יל גּוֹיִ֖ם יָבֹ֥אוּ לָֽך׃ - Then you shall see and be radiant, and your heart shall throb and expand, for the abundance of the sea shall be turned to you, the wealth of the nations shall come to you.
"And your heart shall throb and expand" presents an apparent contradiction: fear (pachad) denotes dread, while an expanded heart denotes joy. Rashi explains that our hearts will be astonished and expand, like a person standing in awe. "For the abundance of the sea shall be turned to you" - according to Rashi, the multitudes will turn their faces and come to us across the sea, from the west ("yamah"). "The wealth of the nations shall come to you" - here too, the wording (chayil) could suggest an army, but it actually means the wealth and assets of the nations, which will all flow to Am Yisrael.
Regarding the textual reading: Minchat Shai notes two textual traditions for the word "tir'i." The standard reading is "תִּרְאִי" without a dagesh, from the root for seeing (re'iyah); others vocalize the tav with a dagesh - "תִּירְאִי" - from the root for fear (yir'ah), as found in Ibn Ezra and others. However, Minchat Shai rules that the correct text is the one we possess, meaning sight: then you will merit to see - and be radiant.
"And you shall be radiant" (venahart) is derived, according to Radak, from the word for light: when a person sees something joyous, their face lights up with a smile. At that time, you will see your children returning from afar, and your face will shine. And "your heart shall throb and expand" - like someone who receives overwhelming good tidings all at once, whose heart first constricts and only then opens wide; as common parlance has it, one's heart skips a beat. Indeed, God forbid, there are cases where people receive joyous news and the heart constricts without ever reaching the stage of expanding, where momentary shock and agitation can cause a heart attack. Here, however: first "it shall throb" from sudden emotion, and subsequently "your heart shall expand" with boundless joy over the good that we will merit seeing with our own eyes.
And "For the abundance of the sea shall turn to you" - the Radak explains this metaphorically: until now you were desolate and ruined, but now the opposite will occur; many nations will come to you like the tumult of the sea, like the roaring of the sea. "Hamon" (abundance or multitude) is related to *hemiyah* (tumult or stirring), for where there is a multitude of people, there is noise and commotion. In this manner, those who arrive will gather like the surging waves of the sea.
The Malbim explains differently. "Then you shall see" - the prophet compares them to someone witnessing something completely unimaginable, who cannot believe his own eyes and pinches himself: Is this reality or an illusion? Until he looks closely and contemplates. And according to the Malbim, "and you shall be radiant" (*venahart*) is not an expression of joy, but of clear vision, as in "They looked to Him and became radiant" (*v'naharu*). So too, *minharot* (caves or tunnels) were caves made with an opening at the top to let in the *naharah*, which is light. Thus, the term *naharah* denotes both light and clear vision. First, something utterly unexpected occurs, and then one begins to realize that it is truly happening, looking closely and perceiving it with sharp and clear sight.
And once the matter is seen clearly - "and your heart will throb and be enlarged": at first the heart will fear, and then it will expand. Why? Because we are accustomed to nations gathering against us solely for war. Therefore, when we see "the abundance of the sea shall turn to you," how all seafarers and their hordes have turned their faces toward us, we will feel dread and panic: What do they want? Why have they come? Have they come to destroy us? But afterward, we will see that this is "the wealth of the nations" - the riches of the nations coming to enrich Israel, and then the heart will expand and rejoice with great joy. The Malbim enumerates four things that will initially cause us doubt and fear, and subsequently bring joy, and this is the first of them.
שִֽׁפְעַ֨ת גְּמַלִּ֜ים תְּכַסֵּ֗ךְ בִּכְרֵ֤י מִדְיָן֙ וְעֵיפָ֔ה כֻּלָּ֖ם מִשְּׁבָ֣א יָבֹ֑אוּ זָהָ֤ב וּלְבוֹנָה֙ יִשָּׂ֔אוּ וּתְהִלֹּ֥ת יְהֹוָ֖ה יְבַשֵּֽׂרוּ׃ - A multitude of camels shall cover you, the dromedaries of Midian and Ephah; all those from Sheba shall come; they shall bear gold and frankincense, and proclaim the praises of Hashem.
The Radak explains that *shifat* denotes abundance, from the word *shefa*, as in "the abundance of the seas they shall suckle." In his view, *bikhrei* refers to young camels, as in "a swift young camel (*bikhrah*) traversing her ways." And the camels, the merchants, the gold, and the frankincense - they will bring all of this with them as merchandise, and also as an offering to the King Mashiach, for when King Mashiach arises, all will come to seek his favor.
And why does it say, "and proclaim (*yevaseru*) the praises of Hashem"? For tidings (*besorah*) always denote something novel that did not exist before. The Jewish people already know and recognize the reality of Hashem; but for the nations, recognizing Hashem's reality is entirely new tidings, something they did not know before, and therefore to them it is a novel proclamation.
The Malbim continues his approach: all the following verses describe additional reasons why our hearts will initially fear and subsequently expand. The second reason: "A multitude of camels shall cover you" - you will see numerous camels coming, and once again you will fear that perhaps they have come for war. "The *bikhrei* of Midian and Ephah" - according to the Malbim, *bikhrei* are not camels but horses, as in "Send the courser (*kar*) to the ruler of the land" and "the captains (*la-kari*) and the runners," where the reference is to swift horses. Midian is a nation, and Ephah is also among the descendants of Midian, as stated explicitly in Bereishit 25: "Ephah and Epher." You will see people arriving with galloping horses, and all of them "shall come from Sheba" - from a distant land. And once again the heart fears and trembles: What is about to happen?
Yet afterward, "and you shall see clearly" (*venahart*), when we observe with careful scrutiny, "and your heart will be enlarged": for it will become clear that the camels are carrying burdens of "they shall bear gold and frankincense," and the charging horses are coming to proclaim good tidings - "and proclaim the praises of Hashem," which for them is a novel revelation, and they are coming to proclaim it to the entire world, and to the Jewish people within it.
כׇּל־צֹ֤אן קֵדָר֙ יִקָּ֣בְצוּ לָ֔ךְ אֵילֵ֥י נְבָי֖וֹת יְשָֽׁרְת֑וּנֶךְ יַעֲל֤וּ עַל־רָצוֹן֙ מִזְבְּחִ֔י וּבֵ֥ית תִּפְאַרְתִּ֖י אֲפָאֵֽר׃ - All the flocks of Kedar shall be gathered to you, the rams of Nebaioth shall minister to you; they shall be brought up with favor upon My altar, and I will glorify My glorious house.
The Radak notes first that "all" here is not literal, but means the majority, as in "and all the earth came to Egypt." Kedar and Nebaioth are two nations whose way of life is raising sheep, tent-dwellers who migrate from place to place seeking pasture, as it says, "Woe is me that I sojourned in Meshech, that I dwelt beside the tents of Kedar" - nomads who dwell in the deserts and move from place to place to graze their flocks. They will gather the sheep to you in Eretz Yisrael; "the rams of Nebaioth shall minister to you" - as though it said "with the rams of Nebaioth they shall minister to you," meaning they will serve you and bring you an offering of the rams of Nebaioth.
The Radak notes a grammatical detail in the reading: "yesharetunech" is read with penultimate stress (mile'el) rather than ultimate stress (milra), as the meteg is under the shin and the cantillation mark is under the tav; therefore, one must slightly emphasize the tav. Had the accent mark been placed under the nun, it would have been read with ultimate stress.
"They shall ascend with favor upon My altar" - as if written "they shall ascend upon My altar for favor", meaning that offerings and sacrifices will be brought from them to Hashem. The Radak cites a dispute regarding this: Rabbi Eliezer says that sacrifices are not offered from the animals of gentiles, neither by us nor by them, due to the concern of bestiality - lest the gentiles engaged in bestiality with their animals, rendering the animal disqualified for sacrifice. Others say that only the gentiles themselves are permitted to sacrifice them, while we are forbidden. A challenge is raised against Rabbi Eliezer from this verse: it explicitly states that the flocks and the rams of Nebaioth will be gathered to us and ascend with favor upon the altar! Rabbi Eliezer resolves this: "They will be prospective converts in the future to come" - all the nations will have the status of converts, as it is written: "For then I will turn to the peoples a pure language, that they may all call upon the name of Hashem, to serve Him with one accord", and they will become part of the Jewish people.
"And I will glorify My glorious house" - ostensibly, it should have said "they will glorify", since they are the ones glorifying it. Therefore, the Radak explains: "I will glorify" means that I will put it into their hearts to glorify it. Thus, the action traces back to the Holy One, Blessed be He: they may be the ones glorifying it, but it is Hashem Who placed that desire in their hearts.
The Malbim sees in this verse the third reason for fear followed by joy: "All the flocks of Kedar shall be gathered to you", as well as the "rams of Nebaioth" - who gathered them here? What is the purpose of this? At first, we will look, wonder, and feel afraid. But afterward, "you shall be radiant and your heart will throb and swell", for it will become clear that "they shall ascend with favor upon My altar" - they have all come as offerings to Hashem, ascending favorably before Him so that He may fulfill their requests. The Malbim adds that there may be a personification of the altar here, as if the altar itself has a will, and these sacrifices will be pleasing to its desire, satisfying it. And why did the rams of Nebaioth come? "And I will glorify My glorious house" - through select offerings, as "rams" (eilei) always denotes the elite and choice (like "the mighty [eilei] of the land"), bringing glory to the House of Hashem.
מִי־אֵ֖לֶּה כָּעָ֣ב תְּעוּפֶ֑ינָה וְכַיּוֹנִ֖ים אֶל־אֲרֻבֹּתֵיהֶֽם׃ - "Who are these that fly like a cloud, and like doves to their cotes?"
The Malbim explains that this is the fourth element that will initially cause fear: you will ask, "Who are these that fly like a cloud?". The gentiles who come and bring the Jewish people here are compared to a cloud (av), which brings rains of blessing with it. You will ask who they are, and the answer is: they are like a cloud, clouds that came to bring rains of blessing; so too, they will bring a gift of silver and gold and then return to their homes. The second part, "and like doves to their cotes", refers to Israel, who are likened to doves flying back to their cotes and nests to return and remain there.
The Radak explains that the metaphor of flight denotes swiftness and ease. The swiftest and lightest motion is flying: running is heavy, sailing is heavy, but flight is the lightest of all. Furthermore, doves fly with even greater speed when returning to their nest than when leaving it, because they are returning to the fledglings they left behind and are rushing to feed them. "Their cotes" (aruboteihem) refers to the windows of the dovecote - for an arubah is always a narrow, elongated opening - and that is the opening through which the doves enter the dovecote.
כִּי־לִ֣י ׀ אִיִּ֣ים יְקַוּ֗וּ וׇאֳנִיּ֤וֹת תַּרְשִׁישׁ֙ בָּרִ֣אשֹׁנָ֔ה לְהָבִ֤יא בָנַ֙יִךְ֙ מֵרָח֔וֹק כַּסְפָּ֥ם וּזְהָבָ֖ם אִתָּ֑ם לְשֵׁם֙ יְהֹוָ֣ה אֱלֹהַ֔יִךְ וְלִקְד֥וֹשׁ יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל כִּ֥י פֵאֲרָֽךְ׃ - "For the islands shall hope for Me, and the ships of Tarshish first, to bring your children from afar, their silver and their gold with them, for the name of Hashem your God, and for the Holy One of Israel, for He has glorified you."
Rashi explains "first" (barishonah) as meaning "as in the first time", just as it was in the days of Shlomo: "For the king had ships of Tarshish at sea... once every three years the ships of Tarshish would come", ships coming from the sea of Tarshish. That golden age of the Jewish people will return. And all of these arrive "for the name of Hashem your God" - because they have heard of His Name and His might; "for He has glorified you" - and they will bestow glory upon you in accordance with what they heard.
The Radak explains "For the islands shall hope for Me" - the island dwellers place their hope in Hashem because they will realize that He brings good and He brings adversity, and that all good emanates from Him. Since this is so, they will desire to find favor in His eyes; and how? By returning your children to their land, even from afar.
"Their silver and their gold with them" - the Radak offers two explanations. The first: this refers to the silver and gold of the Jewish people, meaning that all their wealth will come with them, leaving nothing behind in the lands of exile. This point resonates deeply even today: people constantly speak about the "right of return" and the restitution of property, and countering this is the repeated demand to return the plundered, extorted Jewish property in the lands where they lived. For in Egypt, Iraq, Iran, and everywhere else, the nations agreed to let the Jews go free and return to their Land on condition that they take nothing with them, and the state nationalized all their property. Says the Radak: we have nothing to worry about - "their silver and their gold with them." The second possibility is that this refers to the silver and gold of the nations, just as we have already seen in history: in the days of Ezra and Nechemiah, when permission was granted to rebuild the Beit HaMikdash, the king issued a decree that anyone who could come and help should do so, and many people, even among the nations, donated to the construction of the Temple. And as it is written concerning those who returned from Babylon, "let the people of his place support him with silver, gold, goods, and livestock." At that time they will see how exalted and lofty the Holy One, Blessed be He, is, and will willingly contribute toward the building of the Temple and the restoration of Israel's honor.
The Radak further notes: at the beginning of the verse, the text speaks in the feminine - "your sons [banayich]", "your God [Elohayich]" - yet at the end it says "for He has glorified you [pe'areich]" in the masculine. He explains that one should not wonder at this, for regarding Knesset Yisrael Scripture sometimes employs the masculine and sometimes the feminine: the masculine refers to the people themselves, while the feminine refers to their collective gathering, the congregation of Israel (Knesset Yisrael). "For He has glorified you" - He has bestowed upon you this splendor and honor, that the nations will serve you.
The Malbim frames this verse as an answer to the questions posed in the previous verse. We stand in wonder: "Who are these that fly like a cloud, and like doves to their cotes?" - this corresponds to "and your heart shall tremble," followed by "and you shall be radiant, and your heart shall expand," when the answer becomes clear. Corresponding to "Who are these that fly like a cloud?" is "For the islands will hope for Me" - even the distant islands place their hope in Me and come, and they are the ones flying like a cloud. "And the ships of Tarshish first" - they are the first to place their hope in Me, just as stated earlier, "For the abundance of the sea shall turn to you," that very populace living across the sea and on the islands will turn around and return to us. And corresponding to the question "Who are these... like doves to their cotes?" the answer is "to bring your sons from afar."
And why is it emphasized that "their silver and their gold is with them"? The Malbim explains: this is like a person relocating from a distant land, who does not take along a refrigerator and a wardrobe, but rather sells his possessions and brings the money with him. This is what will happen: all will come with their silver and gold with them, which is a clear sign that they have no intention of ever remaining there. One who merely drops in for a brief home visit does not sell his wardrobe, refrigerator, and car; he leaves everything behind because he plans to return. But someone who has wound up his affairs and moved here sells everything and arrives with cash. In this manner the children of Israel will return to their cotes, completely and permanently.
The Malbim also notes the dual phrasing: "unto the Name of Hashem your God, and to the Holy One of Israel." There is the Name of Hashem, which is a proper noun, and there is "the Holy One of Israel," which is an epithet, an adjective - He is called the Holy One of Israel by virtue of our deeds. And through this power, the people of Israel will be brought from afar, and the nations will even assist in their return, and the children shall return to their borders.
Chapter 60 opens with the call, "Arise, shine" - not only to illuminate ourselves, but to shed light upon the entire world. The Radak explains that the light of this world is setting and the light of the World to Come shines in its place, while the Malbim teaches that there is no contradiction here at all: regarding the sun, "coming" (bi'ah) denotes setting, but regarding light, "coming" denotes illumination - the light has arrived at its intended destination. Two lights are at work here: our own inherent light, and the light of the glory of Hashem shining upon us like the sun upon the moon, which is the light of prophecy. While the nations remain engulfed in total darkness or in the gloom of corrupted faith, upon us Hashem will shine and His glory will be visibly revealed. The nations will walk by the light of the Torah and kings by the brightness of prophecy; all will gather and bring our sons from afar, with gold and frankincense, with the flocks of Kedar and the rams of Nevayot to beautify the House of Hashem. And according to the Malbim, four times the heart will initially clench in fear - from the multitude of the sea, the abundance of camels, the flocks of Kedar, and those flying like a cloud - and each time, after clear and careful inspection, it will become evident that everything is for the good, and the heart will expand with joy. May it be speedily in our days.