📜 Excerpt from Notes on the Bible by Albert Barnes (1834) on Isaiah 60:7

Albert Barnes (1798–1870) was an American theologian and biblical scholar.

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What is the main clause of the sentence in the image?

The main clause of the sentence is:

“The time will come … when Arabia … shall be converted to God.”

Everything else between “Arabia” and “shall be converted to God” consists of a series of descriptive or modifying phrases introduced by “so interesting as…” — these describe Arabia in various ways, but the grammatical backbone of the sentence is:

Main clause: The time will come …

Embedded clause: when Arabia … shall be converted to God.

So the full main clause is “The time will come when Arabia shall be converted to God.”

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Importance of the Passage and Barnes’s Interpretation of Isaiah 60:7

🔮 1. Prophetic Fulfillment Theme

Isaiah 60 is a prophetic vision describing the future glorification of Zion when nations will turn to the God of Abraham, bringing their wealth, flocks, and service to Him. Verse 7 mentions “the flocks of Kedar” and “the rams of Nebaioth,” tribes associated with Arabia and the descendants of Ishmael.

🕌 2. Arabia’s Conversion and Inclusion

Barnes interprets this as expressing a future time when even the Arab peoples—those descended from Abraham through Ishmael—would be turned to worship the true God. In his view, this demonstrates the universal reach of the gospel, extending beyond Israel to all nations, including those historically distant or opposed to it.

🏜️ 3. Cultural and Linguistic Appreciation

Barnes highlights Arabia’s distinctiveness—its lineage from Abraham, its vigorous people, its poetic language, and its beautiful landscape. He seems to underscore that these nations, with all their admirable traits, are not excluded from divine purpose. Their eventual “conversion to God” will bring these noble qualities into harmony with divine truth.

⏳ 4. Eschatological Overtones

More broadly, this reflects a 19th-century Christian eschatological vision rooted in the gospel message, which saw prophetic Scripture as anticipating the future Kingdom of God—a time when all nations, including the Arab world, would acknowledge the God of Abraham.

🌟 In sum, the significance of this passage in Barnes’s exegesis is that it expresses hope for the spiritual transformation of the Arab world as part of Isaiah’s vision of universal redemption and global faith in God. It emphasizes both the dignity of Arabia’s heritage and its destined participation in the divine plan foretold by the prophet.

— Azahari Hassim

Founder, The World of Abrahamic Theology