This passage was one of those written by one of the prophets for the people of Israel in exile in Babylon or maybe for the group of returned Israelites who were trying to rebuild Jerusalem and the temple, and coping with opposition.  They were dispirited and tempted to abandon their faith.

Isaiah is encouraging them with a vision of  wonderful new Jerusalem that God has planned.
He’s telling them to get up and get going, to be enthusiastic, because God is with them in a special way.  The picture reminds me of a sunny morning when I feel like getting out of bed and outside into the sunlight.  It’s the same kind of feeling as when there’s a new event or activity being planned and everyone’s enthusiastic about getting started.  That’s how God wants us to feel about doing his work.

God is promising the Israelites that there is a very special place for them in
God’s plans.  Here is a vision of the whole earth in darkness (in the dark about knowledge of God?) and the nation of Israel, centred in Jerusalem, shines like a beacon because God is there.

When times are troubled, those who know the Lord should be shining like beacons in a way that will draw people to God: through our attitudes, our actions, the way we live our lives and cope with discouragement.

It was God’s plan that Israel would become a leader of nations. World leaders would go to Jerusalem because here they would gain access to the wisdom of God.

Quest Study Bible note, p 1025.  Isaiah paints a picture of the sun shining brightly on the temple high atop Mount Zion while the surrounding valleys remained in darkness.  This represented the way God would come in glory to his people.  Those in spiritual darkness will look to the light shining through God’s people – light characterised by lives of integrity, compassion and peace.  Jesus said, "You are the light of the world." (Matthew 5:14)

Here is a joyful picture of the exiled children of God returning to Jerusalem from all aver the world.  What an encouraging picture that must have been to the people trying to rebuild their city.

It seems to me that in this picture, the women (the daughters) have a special place - either being carried home carefully, or, as the NEB translates it, walking beside the men, not only as equals, but providing leadership in this return.

Quest Study Bible note, p 1025.  Isaiah was probably thinking of how Jerusalem  would fall to the Babylonians and the people would be taken into exile.  But he was actually looking through that tragic period of  Israel’s history to see what would come later.  Isaiah saw immense joy their sons and daughters would have when they returned to Jerusalem out of exile.

Not only will people come from all over the world looking for direction, but they will bring with them wealth and prosperity, as a sign of God’s favour.

People would come to worship God and praise him and they would bring gifts of thanksgiving.  The gold and frankincense remind me of the Wise Men from the East who came to worship the baby Jesus and brought gold and frankincense as gifts of worship.

New Bible Commentary, p 666. [One view] is that the return of dispersed Israelites to Jerusalem is made the model of a far greater movement, the world-wide inflow of converts into the church, and that the vision repeatedly looks beyond this to the end, the state of ultimate glory.