Isaiah 6:3

"Above him stood the seraphim. Each one had six wings. With two he covered his face. With two he covered his feet. With two he flew."

Key Reflection

In Isaiah 6:3, the prophet Isaiah is transported to the temple in a divine vision where he witnesses the throne room of God. The seraphim, described as having six wings—two covering their faces, two covering their feet, and two for flying—symbolize both the intense holiness and the purity of God that even these celestial beings must veil themselves from, as well as their readiness to serve and move before him. This vivid imagery underscores the overwhelming presence of God's glory and the reverence due to Him, a concept that would have resonated deeply with Isaiah’s original audience, steeped in the rich tradition of temple worship and divine encounters.

From the Scholars: Barnes' Notes

And one cried to another -Hebrew ‘This cried to this.’ That is, they cried to each other in alternate responses. One cried ‘holy;’ the second repeated it; then the third; and then they probably united in the grand chorus, ‘Full is all the earth of his glory.’ This was an ancient mode of singing or recitative among the Hebrews; seeExodus 15:20-21, where Miriam is represented as going before in the dance with a timbrel, and the other females as following her, and “answering,” or responding to her,Psalms 136:1; compare Lowth, “on the Sacred Poetry of the Hebrews,” Lect. xix. Holy, holy, holy -The “repetition” of a name, or of an expression, three times, was quite common among the Jews.

More from Isaiah 6

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