The sun shall be no more thy light by day; neither for brightness shall the moon give light unto thee: but the LORD shall be unto thee an everlasting light, and thy God thy glory.

ISAIAH 60:19KJV
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Isaiah 60:19 (KJV)

What does Isaiah 60:19 mean?

Isaiah 60:19 describes a future time when God Himself will be the everlasting source of light and glory for His people, making the sun and moon unnecessary for illumination. The verse promises that the LORD will provide a constant, unfading presence that replaces all other sources of light and honor.

Isaiah is speaking to the people of Jerusalem, looking ahead to a time of restoration and blessing after hardship. The verse uses the imagery of light—something essential for life and safety—to show that God’s presence will be so complete and glorious that natural sources like the sun and moon will no longer be needed. This is part of a larger passage where Isaiah describes a transformed Jerusalem filled with God’s glory.

The Hebrew behind Isaiah 60:19

  • "Light" (אוֹר, 'or, H216) appears twice in this verse and means both physical light and the idea of guidance or blessing. The repetition emphasizes that God’s presence will be the true and lasting source of both.
  • "Everlasting" (עוֹלָם, 'olam, H5769) means something without end. Here, it highlights that God’s light is not temporary like the sun’s daily cycle, but permanent.
  • "Glory" (תִּפְאָרָה, tiferet, H8597) refers to honor, beauty, or splendor. The verse says God will be the source of all that makes the people honored and radiant, not just a physical light.

Why Isaiah 60:19 matters

  • Isaiah 60:19 clarifies that the promise is not just about physical light but about God’s unending presence and blessing, which is deeper and more lasting than anything in nature.
  • The verse helps correct the idea that God’s blessings are only material or temporary; instead, it points to something eternal and spiritual.
  • Isaiah 60:19 connects to the wider chapter, which describes a renewed Jerusalem where God’s glory is fully revealed, showing the ultimate hope for restoration and peace.

Where else these words appear

“brightness” Hebrew H5051 · used in 19 verses

  • 2 Samuel 22:13 Through the brightness before him were coals of fire kindled.
  • Isaiah 60:3 And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising.
  • Ezekiel 10:4 Then the glory of the LORD went up from the cherub, and stood over the threshold of the house; and the house was filled with the cloud, and the court was full of the brightness of the LORD'S glory.

“moon” Hebrew H3394 · used in 26 verses

  • Genesis 37:9 And he dreamed yet another dream, and told it his brethren, and said, Behold, I have dreamed a dream more; and, behold, the sun and the moon and the eleven stars made obeisance to me.
  • Psalms 8:3 When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained;
  • Ecclesiastes 12:2 While the sun, or the light, or the moon, or the stars, be not darkened, nor the clouds return after the rain:

“light” Hebrew H215 · used in 43 verses

  • Genesis 1:15 And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so.
  • Nehemiah 9:19 Yet thou in thy manifold mercies forsookest them not in the wilderness: the pillar of the cloud departed not from them by day, to lead them in the way; neither the pillar of fire by night, to shew them light, and the way wherein they should go.
  • Psalms 105:39 He spread a cloud for a covering; and fire to give light in the night.

“day” Hebrew H3119 · used in 50 verses

  • Exodus 13:21 And the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light; to go by day and night:
  • Nehemiah 1:6 Let thine ear now be attentive, and thine eyes open, that thou mayest hear the prayer of thy servant, which I pray before thee now, day and night, for the children of Israel thy servants, and confess the sins of the children of Israel, which we have sinned against thee: both I and my father's house have sinned.
  • Isaiah 4:5 And the LORD will create upon every dwelling place of mount Zion, and upon her assemblies, a cloud and smoke by day, and the shining of a flaming fire by night: for upon all the glory shall be a defence.