Isaiah 60:6
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.
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. Midian was a son of Abraham by Keturah, and a son of Midian, Genesis 25:4 these and their posterity inhabit Arabia; and so this is a prophecy of the conversion of the Arabians that dwell in Arabia Felix, Petraea, and Deserts; and so the Targum,
"a multitude of Arabians shall cover thee round about.''
A dromedary is a lesser camel, and swifter than the others; and both are very frequent in these countries, and used in travelling. Strabo {y} calls the Arabian Scenites feeders of camels.
all they from Sheba shall come: they shall bring gold and incense; Sheba was another of the posterity of Abraham by Keturah, Genesis 25:3 and lived near the others; the queen of this country came to hear the wisdom of Solomon; but the people of it in the latter, day will come to a greater than he; even to Christ and to his church, and bring their gold and incense, as the wise men did to Christ, and shall honour the Lord with their substance; see Psalms 72:10:
and they shall show forth the praises of the Lord; who has called them by his grace out of Mahometan darkness, into the marvellous light of the Gospel. These were the things the Sabaeans abounded with. Strabo {z} says, that frankincense, myrrh, and cinnamon, grew with them; and that they have such an abundance of spices, that they use the branches of cinnamon, cassia, and other things, for fuel; and that some of them are so rich through merchandise, that they have very sumptuous houses, and much furniture of gold and silver, as vessels, beds, tripods, cups with covers; and even that their gates, and walls, and roofs, are adorned with ivory, gold and silver, and precious stones. And so Pliny {a} observes: that the Sabaeans are very rich in fruitful and odoriferous woods, and in mines of gold, and other things; see
Ezekiel 27:22. Vitringa understands both these clauses of the camels bringing gold and incense, and praising the Lord in their way, or being the occasion of it.
{y} Geograph. l. 16. p. 528. Ed. Casaub.
{z} Geograph. I. 16. p. 535.
{a} Nat. Hist. l. 6. c. 28.