Scripture References:
st. 1 = Isa. 60:2
st. 2 = Isa. 60:3, 14b
st. 3 = Isa. 60:4
st. 4 = Isa. 60:5
st. 5 = Isa. 60: 19-20
ref. = Isa. 60: 1
Isaiah 60, the text for "Arise, Shine," concerns the glory of Zion, that is, Jerusalem and all of Israel. Many interpreters also understand the chapter to be a far-reaching prophecy, similar to passages in Revelation that describe the new Jerusalem. With New Testament eyes we can catch a glimpse of the new city of God and of the glory of a new heaven and a new earth. Parts of this song also have ongoing significance–for example, the ingathering of the church mentioned in stanzas 2 and 3. As is common with prophetic texts, parts are fulfilled already, but other parts (and sometimes even the same parts) will have their final fulfillment sometime in the future. The prophecy mentioned in stanza 1, for example, is fulfilled at the first coming of Christ but waits for its final completion at his second coming.
Composed by Eric Glass (a pseudonym for David Loden) in 1974, this song gained rightful popularity after being published in Cry Hosanna (1980) with instructions for hand gestures. The text, originally based on the King James Version, was revised for the Psalter Hymnal. The text is unrhymed and metrically irregular but not as difficult to sing as it first appears on the printed page. Little is known about the composer, who apparently lives in Israel.
Liturgical Use:
Advent; Epiphany; also for services focusing on missions, the church worldwide, and the new Jerusalem.
--Psalter Hymnal Handbook