Isaiah 60:6
in Isaiah 60Caravans of camels will cover your land, young camels of Midian and Ephah, and all from Sheba will come, bearing gold and frankincense and proclaiming the praises of the LORD.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
The multitude of camels shall cover thee, the dromedaries of Midian and Ephah; all they from Sheba shall come; they shall bring gold and frankincense, and shall proclaim the praises of Jehovah.
KJV
The multitude of camels shall cover thee, the dromedaries of Midian and Ephah; all they from Sheba shall come: they shall bring gold and incense; and they shall shew forth the praises of the Lord.
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This verse in Isaiah 60
Commentary
10 notes on this verse(Verse 6, 7) The flood of camels shall cover you, the dromedaries of Midian and Ephah. All those from Sheba shall come, bringing gold and frankincense, and proclaiming the praise of the Lord. All the flocks of Kedar shall be gathered to you, the rams of Nebaioth shall minister to you; they shall be offered on my acceptable altar, and I will glorify the house of my majesty.
This site's exposition
Caravans of camels will cover your land
on Isaiah 60:6-7
“Caravans of camels will cover your land, young camels of Midian and Ephah”, so one verse maps the trade roads of Arabia into Zion. Verse 7 turns to flocks: “All the flocks of Kedar will be gathered to you”. Kedar and Nebaioth are sons of Ishmael at Genesis 25:13.
The record, by era
The Medieval Church1 voice
Third, as to abundance of riches. And first, as to merchandise, he sets out beasts of burden: the flood, that is, an abundance like a flood of water, of camels, on which merchandise was carried; which signifies, mystically, the rich, turned to faith, who carry …
The Puritans and the Awakening4 voices
Ephah - The Midianites, and Ephahites dwelt beyond Arabia. Sheba - A country in Arabia Felix, whose queen it was, that came to visit Solomon, and her bringing gifts might be a type of this, Solomon being a type of Christ. Gold - The principal commodities with which this country abounded, by which we are to understand whatever is precious.
Our greatest services and gifts to the church are not acceptable further than we have an eye to the glory of God in them. And this must be our business in our attendance on public ordinances, to give unto the Lord the glory due to his name; for therefore, as these here, we are called out of darkness into light, that we should show forth the praises of him that called us, 1 Pet. ii.
This was in part fulfilled when the wise men of the east (perhaps some of the countries here mentioned), drawn by the brightness of the star, came to Christ, and presented to him treasures of gold, frankincense, and myrrh, Matt. ii. (4.) Great numbers of sacrifices shall be brought to God's altar, acceptable sacrifices, and, though brought by Gentiles, they shall find acceptance,
The multitudes of camels shall cover thee, the dromedaries of Midian and Ephah,.... That is, multitudes of people riding on these creatures from the parts mentioned, which, abounded with them, should come and cover or fill Jerusalem, and the places about it.
3 more voices on this verse
The Nineteenth Century3 voices
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
camels--laden with merchandise; the camel is "the ship of the desert" (compare Isa 30:6). cover thee--so many of them shall there be. dromedaries--They have one hunch on the back, whereas the camel has two: distinguished for swiftness (Jer 2:23).
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — starts-lowercase
The praises of the Lord “And the praise of Jehovah” - Thirty-three MSS. and three editions have ותהלת uthehillath, in the singular number; and so read the ancient versions, and one of my own MSS.
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
The multitude of camels - Lowth renders this, ‘An inundation of camels.’ The Hebrew word properly denotes an inundation or overflowing of waters, but it is not improperly applied to a numerous caravan or company of animals. The camel is a well-known useful animal that constitutes the principal beast of burden in Arabia, and that may, indeed, be said to constitute its wealth. It is frequently spoken of as ‘the ship of the desert.’ The description here is strictly applicable to Arabia; and, undoubtedly, the prophet meant to say, that that country would be blessed with the true religion, and that her merchandise and wealth would become tributary to the church of God. Shall cover thee - Shall come in such multitudes as to fill thee. and to be spread out all over thee. Thus we speak of a land being covered with flocks and herds. The dromedaries - The dromedary is a species of camel that is found principally in Arabia, with one bunch or protuberance on its back, in distinction from the Bactrian camel, which has two bunches (Webster). ‘It is found,’ says Dr. Shaw, ‘in Barbary, though much more rarely there than in the Levant. It is chiefly remarkable for its prodigious swiftness; the Arabs affirming that it will run over as much ground in one day as one of their best horses will perform in eight or ten. The Shiekh who conducted us to Mount Sinai rode upon a camel of this kind, and would frequently divert us with an instance of its great abilities. For he would depart from our caravan, reconnoitre another just in view, and return to us again in less than a quarter of an hour. It differeth from the common camel in being of a finer and rounder shape, and in having on its back a lesser bunch or protuberance.’ (Shaw’s Travels, p. […]
The words behind it
15 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| שִֽׁפְעַ֨ת | shifat | a multitude of | H8229 → | |
| גְּמַלִּ֜ים | gemalim | camels | H1581 → | 54 times |
| תְּכַסֵּ֗ךְ | tekhasekh | it will cover you | H3680 → | 152 times |
| בִּכְרֵ֤י | bikhrei | [the] young camels of | H1070 → | |
| מִדְיָן֙ | midyan | Midian | H4080 → | 59 times |
| וְעֵיפָ֔ה | veeifah | and Ephah | H5891 → | |
| כֻּלָּ֖ם | kulam | all of them | H3605 → | 5413 times |
| מִשְּׁבָ֣א | misheva' | from Sheba | H7614 → | |
| יָבֹ֑אוּ | yavou | they will come | H935 → | 2568 times |
| זָהָ֤ב | zahav | gold | H2091 → | 389 times |
| וּלְבוֹנָה֙ | ulevonah | and frankincense | H3828 → | 21 times |
| יִשָּׂ֔אוּ | yisau | they will carry | H5375 → | 656 times |
| וּתְהִלֹּ֥ת | utehilot | and [the] praises of | H8416 → | 56 times |
| יְהוָ֖ה | yahweh | Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
| יְבַשֵּֽׂרוּ׃ | yevaseru | they will bear news | H1319 → | 24 times |
שִֽׁפְעַ֨תa multitude of
shifatH8229 →
גְּמַלִּ֜יםcamels
gemalimH1581 →54 times
תְּכַסֵּ֗ךְit will cover you
tekhasekhH3680 →152 times
בִּכְרֵ֤י[the] young camels of
bikhreiH1070 →
מִדְיָן֙Midian
midyanH4080 →59 times
וְעֵיפָ֔הand Ephah
veeifahH5891 →
כֻּלָּ֖םall of them
kulamH3605 →5413 times
מִשְּׁבָ֣אfrom Sheba
misheva'H7614 →
יָבֹ֑אוּthey will come
yavouH935 →2568 times
זָהָ֤בgold
zahavH2091 →389 times
וּלְבוֹנָה֙and frankincense
ulevonahH3828 →21 times
יִשָּׂ֔אוּthey will carry
yisauH5375 →656 times
וּתְהִלֹּ֥תand [the] praises of
utehilotH8416 →56 times
יְהוָ֖הYahweh
yahwehH3068 →6520 times
יְבַשֵּֽׂרוּ׃they will bear news
yevaseruH1319 →24 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Matthew 2:11On coming to the house, they saw the Child with His mother Mary, and they fell down and worshiped Him. Then they opened their treasures and presented Him with gifts of gold and frankincense…
it leads to
- Psalms 72:10
May the kings of Tarshish and distant shores bring tribute; may the kings of Sheba and Seba offer gifts.
- Luke 2:16
So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph and the Baby, who was lying in the manger.
- Matthew 2:2
asking, “Where is the One who has been born King of the Jews? We saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him.”
- Psalms 95:6
O come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the LORD our Maker.
- 1 Kings 10:2
She arrived in Jerusalem with a very large caravan—with camels bearing spices, gold in great abundance, and precious stones. So she came to Solomon and spoke to him all that was on her mind.
- Psalms 72:10
Through
Psalms 72:10May the kings of Tarshish and distant shores bring tribute; may the kings of Sheba and Seba offer gifts.
it leads to
- Psalms 68:29
Because of Your temple at Jerusalem kings will bring You gifts.
- Psalms 68:29
Through
Psalms 72:15Long may he live! May gold from Sheba be given him. May people ever pray for him; may they bless him all day long.
it leads to
- 1 Kings 10:14
The weight of gold that came to Solomon each year was 666 talents,
- 1 Kings 10:14
Through
Judges 6:5For the Midianites came with their livestock and their tents like a great swarm of locusts. They and their camels were innumerable, and they entered the land to ravage it.
it leads to
- Judges 7:12
Now the Midianites, Amalekites, and all the other people of the east had settled in the valley like a swarm of locusts, and their camels were as countless as the sand on the seashore.
- Judges 7:12
Where this verse is studied
About Isaiah
This page draws on 10 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes on the Book of Isaiah; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Franz Delitzsch, Biblical Commentary on the Prophecies of Isaiah; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; Jerome, Commentary on Isaiah; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament; Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible and Thomas Aquinas, Commentary on Isaiah.