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Hitherto, it should seem, Isaiah had prophesied as a candidate, having only a virtual and tacit commission; but here we have him (if I may so speak) solemnly ordained and set apart to the prophetic office by a more express or explicit commission, as his work grew more upon his hands: or perhaps, having seen little success of his ministry, he began to think of giving it up; and therefore God saw fit to renew his commission here in this chapter, in such a manner as might excite and encourage his zeal and industry in the execution of it, though he seemed to labour in vain. In this chapter we have, I. A very awful vision which Isaiah saw of the glory of God (Isa 6:1-4), the terror it put him into (Isa 6:5), and the relief given him against that terror by an assurance of the pardon of his sins (Isa 6:6, Isa 6:7). II. A very awful commission which Isaiah received to go as a prophet, in God's name (v. 8), by his preaching to harden the impenitent in sin and ripen them for ruin (v. 9-12) yet with a reservation of mercy for a remnant, (v. 13). And it was as to an evangelical prophet that these things were shown him and said to him.

INTRODUCTION TO ISAIAH 6 This chapter contains a vision of the glory and majesty of Christ, the mission and commission of the prophet, and the destruction of the Jews. In the vision may be observed the time of it, and the object seen; who is described by the throne on which he sat, Isa 6:1 and by his ministers about him; and these, by their name, by their situation, by their wings and the use of them, and by their employment, Isa 6:2 and by the effects their crying to one another had upon the place where they were, Isa 6:4 and next follows the effect the whole vision had on the prophet, which threw him into great distress of mind; and the relief he had by one of the seraphim, and the manner of it, Isa 6:6 upon which a question being put, concerning sending some person, the prophet makes answer, expressing his readiness to go, Isa 6:8 when a commission is given him, and the message he is sent with is declared, Isa 6:9 whereupon he asks how long it would be the case of the Jews mentioned in the message he was sent with; and he is told it would continue until the utter destruction of them, Isa 6:11 and yet, for the comfort of him and other saints, it is intimated that there would be a remnant among them, according to the election of grace, Isa 6:13.

Above it stood the seraphims,.... Not above the temple, nor above the throne, much less above him that sat upon it, but either "by him", on the right hand and on the left, as Aben Ezra; or "near him", as Kimchi and Ben Melech; or "before him", as the Targum; or "round about him", as the Septuagint; all which denote the ministering form in which they stood; by whom are meant, not the Son and Spirit, as some of the ancients thought, who imagined the Father to be the Person sitting on the throne; nor the two Testaments, as Jerom; nor angels, which is the common interpretation; but ministers of the Gospel, the same with the four beasts in Rev 4:6 and the four living creatures in Eze 1:5 the Jewish commentators in general agree that these are the same with Ezekiel's living creatures; so Jarchi, Aben Ezra, and Kimchi; and the first of these cites the Midrash Agada, as saying this is the Mercavah, which is the name they give to Ezekiel's vision of the living creatures and wheels; and this appears by their name "seraphim", which signifies "burning", and so Ezekiel's living creatures are said to be "like burning coals of fire", Eze 1:13 and the ministers of the Gospel are so called, because of their ministerial gifts, compared to fire, as the gifts of the spirit of God are, especially those which the apostles had bestowed on them, who were baptized with the Holy Spirit and fire, Mat 3:11 and even the ordinary gifts of the spirit are signified by the same figure, Ti1 1:6 and because of their light, which they have in the truths of the Gospel; and because of their fervent and ardent love to Christ and immortal souls; and because of their flaming zeal for his cause and interest: and this also appears by their situation near the throne, see Eze 1:26 and Christ on it; where they stand as servants waiting upon him, and in order to receive from him, and where they enjoy communion with him; or "above" it may mean the temple, the church, where they stand in the highest place in it, and are over others in the Lord; they stand as servants to Christ, but preside in the church as the rulers and governors of it; to which agrees the Targum, "holy ministers on high before him:'' and this further appears by their wings, each one had six wings; as Ezekiel's living creatures, Eze 1:4 and John's four beasts, Rev 4:8, with twain he covered his face; that it might not be seen, as the Targum adds; expressive of their modesty and humility, looking, upon themselves as less than the least of all the saints, and the chief of sinners, and as ashamed of themselves before the Lord; or that they might not look upon the divine Majesty, as Jarchi; or rather as being unable to look upon the dazzling glory and infinite perfections of his being; so Elijah wrapped his face in a mantle, when he heard the still small voice of the Lord, Kg1 19:12 and as Moses before him did, Exo 3:6 being afraid to look upon God, conscious of creature distance, and of sinfulness and unworthiness; and therefore not so suitable to angels, who always behold the face of God, Mat 18:10, with twain he covered his feet; or body, that it might not be seen, as the Targum; as conscious of the imperfection of their conduct, walk, and conversation, as ministers and Christians, in the sight of God, however beautiful their feet may appear to others, Isa 52:7, and with twain he did fly: or minister, as the Targum; this denotes their readiness and swiftness in preaching the everlasting Gospel, running to and fro with it, having their feet shod with the preparation of the Gospel of peace: see Rev 14:6.

Some think there are two seraphim, but I, based on the idea expounded by the sacred Scripture, which says, “the seraphim stood round about him,” think there are many, and they are bodyguards, as it were, like a crown from all sides, surrounding his throne with light and enlivened by him.

Let us bring our discourse back to our earlier proposition and let us show that God, even by the accommodation of condescension, cannot be seen by the powers above. Tell me this. Why do the seraphim stretch forth their wings? There is no other reason than the statement made by the apostle: “Who dwells in unapproachable light.” And these heavenly virtues, who are showing this by their very actions, are not the only ones. There are powers higher than the seraphim, namely, the cherubim. The seraphim stood near; the cherubim are the throne of God. They are not called this because God has need of a throne but so that you may learn how great is the dignity of these very powers.

(Ver. 2.) The seraphim stood above him, six wings to one, and six wings to the other: with two they covered his face, and with two they covered his feet, and with two they flew. And they cried to one another, saying: Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory. This that we, following other interpreters and the Hebrew truth, in which it is written Memmallo, that is, ἐπάνω αὑτοῦ, which in Latin is said super illud, translate: the Seventy translated around him, so that the seraphim are not said to stand above the temple, but to be described around the Lord. Again, where we have said that one of the Seraphim covered his face and feet, by which is understood the face and feet of God: in Hebrew it is written Phanau and Reglau, which can be interpreted as both his own and its: so that, according to the ambiguity of the Hebrew language, the face and feet of God and his own face and feet are said to be covered. In the seventy-ninth psalm we read: You who sit enthroned upon the Cherubim, manifest (Psalm 79:3); which in our language is interpreted as a multitude of knowledge. And thus the Lord is openly shown to sit upon the cherubim in the manner of a charioteer. However, I do not know elsewhere in the Canonical Scriptures where the seraphim, who are called to stand above the Temple or in the surrounding of the Lord, are read. Therefore, those who are accustomed to say in prayers 'You who sit upon the cherubim and seraphim' are mistaken, as Scripture has not taught this. The seraphim, however, are interpreted as 'burning ones', which we can say are kindling or setting on fire, according to what we read elsewhere: 'Who makes his angels spirits and his ministers a burning fire' (Psalm 104:4). And so Paul the Apostle in the Epistle to the Hebrews, which the Latin custom does not receive: 'Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?' (Heb. 1:14). Daniel also, when he described the Lord in the guise of a ruler, added: 'Thousands of thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him' (Dan. 7:10). Therefore, the Lord is shown in the Cherubim, in part revealed, and in part concealed in the Seraphim. For they cover their face and feet, because we cannot know what happened before the world and what will happen after the world; but we only contemplate the things that were made in the six days. It is not surprising to believe this about the Seraphim, since the apostles reveal the Savior to those who believe and hide Him from unbelievers; and a veil was also before the Ark of the Covenant (Exod. 40). They are also said to have wings, because of their speed and their ability to travel everywhere: either because they always dwell in higher places. For that which is said about the winds, 'He walks upon the wings of the winds' (Psalm 104:4), does not truly testify that the winds have wings, according to the license of the fables of poets and painters, but rather it signifies their swift movement in all directions. And each has six wings, because we only know about the creation of the world and the present age. And what they cry out, one to another, or according to the Hebrews, this one to that one, that is, one to one, they encourage each other in the praises of the Lord and say: Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God of hosts, in order to demonstrate the mystery of the Trinity in one Divinity; and they testify that the glory of God fills not just the Temple of the Jews, as before, but the entire earth, which He deigned to assume a human body for our salvation and descend to the earth. Finally, when Moses prayed to the Lord on behalf of the people, asking Him to spare the sinful people, the Lord responded: 'I will be merciful to them.' However, as surely as I live and as surely as my name lives, my glory will fill the whole earth (Num. 14: 20, 21). The seventy-first psalm also declares: 'His glory will fill the whole earth' (Psalm 71:19). That is why the angels proclaimed to the shepherds: 'Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to people of good will' (Luke 2:14). Therefore, some impiously understand the two Seraphim to refer to the Son and the Holy Spirit: as we teach according to the evangelist John and the Apostle Paul, that the Son of God was seen in the majesty of his reign, and the Holy Spirit spoke. Some Latin scholars understand the two Seraphim to refer to the Old and New Testaments, which speak only of the present age. Hence, they are said to have six wings and to veil the face and feet of God, and eagerly bear witness to the truth, and show forth all the sacraments of the Trinity that they proclaim. And they marvel at each other because the Lord of hosts, in the form of the Father, took on the form of a servant and humbled Himself even unto death, death on a cross (Philippians II), so that not only heavenly beings, but also earthly beings may know Him.

214. Stood the seraphim. Here he sets out the office of the ministers. And first, he describes the order of the ministers; second, their praise, and they cried one to another, and said: holy (Isa 6:3). Concerning the first, he sets out three things. First, he sets out the grade of the ministers, saying: upon it, namely the temple, stood the seraphim, because the order of seraphim is supreme among all, as Dionysius says in the Gloss here. Likewise note that "seraphim," written with an "m," is plural in number and masculine in gender and signifies many in that order; written with an "n," however, it is neuter in gender and signifies the whole rank of this order; but "seraph" is singular in number and masculine in gender and signifies only one member of this order. Below: upon your walls, O Jerusalem, I have appointed watchmen all the day, and all the night, they shall never hold their peace (Isa 62:6). And he says they stood, upright in contemplation as if assisting. Second, he sets out the adornment of the ministers, in the number six of their wings: six wings. Third, the use of their wings: with two they covered his face. In Hebrew, this is said ambiguously, and it can be explained that they covered the face of God, and thus Jerome understands it; or that they cover their own face, and thus Dionysius understands it, according to whom the sense is that their head was covered and their feet and the middle of their body, with two they flew, namely, the middle two: every one with two wings covered his body (Ezek 1:23), and below this: and I heard the noise of their wings, like the noise of many waters (Ezek 1:24). 215. The signification of this vision is understood in three ways. The Hebrew says that by the twelve wings are understood the twelve kings who were over the people from Ozias, under whom the vision began, and following; only four of whom were just, namely Ozias, Joatham, Ezechias and Josias: and therefore they flew with four wings. The others, however, were ashamed in the sight of God, and therefore they covered their face; four of these possessed the kingdom freely, namely, Achaz, Manasses, Amon and Joatham, because they were made kings by the people; and these are signified by the wings which were on the head. The other four, in truth, possessed the kingdom under the servitude of others; hence also they were made kings by others and not by the people, as Joachin, made king by Pharaoh, Jechonias and Sedecias and Godolias, about whom Jeremiah 41:2 says: Ismahel and the ten men that were with him slew Godolias whom the king of Babylon had made governor over the land. For these last three were made king by Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon. 216. Jerome says that the seraphim are said to be winged either because they dwell above or because of the swiftness of their ministry; and he understands by the twelve wings the ministry of perfection, which is betokened in the number twelve, as the twelve gems in the crown of the priest, and thus concerning the others. And with two they fly, because they conceal from us those things which were before the world or after the world, and they show the things that happen in the six ages of the world; or because the past and the future are unknown to us, but we know the present: so thus this refers to the act of their ministry, and they stand, in order to assist God. 217. Dionysius explains this otherwise in the Celestial Hierarchy 13 and Ecclesiastical Hierarchy 4, and he says that they are said to be winged because, similar to something that flies, they have deep and free contemplation. Three pairs of wings are described, moreover, because the seraphim see those things which pertain to themselves, who are of the first hierarchy, and those things which pertain to the other two hierarchies more eminently than they who belong to them: so that by one wing is understood their natural capacity, and by the other, the light from God which they participate in, for by these two things they are elevated. Now those things which pertain to the hierarchies come from God as from a beginning and are ordered to God as to an end, and by neither manner can they be perfectly understood by the angels: which the veiling signifies. And they are also in themselves like a medium between the beginning and end, and they have perfect and free knowledge of them in this way, and therefore with the two middle wings they flew.

Jeremiah, in the spirit of prophecy, seeing the Chaldeans on their march, bids his people set up the usual signals of distress, and spread the general alarm to betake themselves to flight, Jer 6:1. Then, by a beautiful allusion to the custom of shepherds moving their flocks to the richest pastures, Jerusalem is singled out as a place devoted to be eaten up or trodden down by the armies of the Chaldeans, who are called up against her, and whose ardor and impatience are so great that the soldiers, when they arrive in the evening, regret they have no more day, and desire to begin the attack without waiting for the light of the morning, Jer 6:2-5. God is then represented as animating and directing the besiegers against this guilty city, which sinned as incessantly as a fountain flows, Jer 6:6, Jer 6:7, although warned of the fatal consequence, Jer 6:8. He intimates also, by the gleaning of the grapes, that one invasion should carry away the remains of another, till their disobedience, hypocrisy, and other sins should end in their total overthrow, Jer 6:9-15. And to show that God is clear when he judgeth, he mentions his having in vain admonished and warned them, and calls upon the whole world to witness the equity of his proceedings, Jer 6:16-18, in punishing this perverse and hypocritical people, Jer 6:19, Jer 6:20, by the ministry of the cruel Chaldeans, Jer 6:21-23. Upon this a chorus of Jews is introduced expressing their fears and alarm, Jer 6:24, Jer 6:25; to which the prophet echoes a response full of sympathy and tenderness, Jer 6:26. The concluding verses, by metaphors taken from the process of refining gold and silver, represent all the methods hitherto used to amend them as wholly ineffectual, Jer 6:27-30.

Above it stood the seraphim - שרפים seraphim, from שרף seraph, to burn. He saw says Kimchi, the angels as flames of fire, that the depravity of that generation might be exhibited, which was worthy of being totally burnt up. He covered his feet "He covereth his feet" - By the feet the Hebrews mean all the lower parts of the body. But the people of the East generally wearing long robes, reaching to the ground, and covering the lower parts of the body down to the feet, it may hence have been thought want of respect and decency to appear in public and on solemn occasions with even the feet themselves uncovered. Kempfer, speaking of the king of Persia giving audience, says, Rex in medio supremi atrii cruribus more patrio inflexis sedebat: corpus tunica investiebat flava, ad suras cum staret protensa; discumbentis vero pedes discalceatos pro urbanitate patria operiens. - Amoen. Exot. p. 227. "The king sat on the floor cross-legged, as is the custom of the country. He was covered with a yellow garment, which reached down to the feet when standing, but covered the feet for decency when sitting with his slippers off." Sir John Chardin's MS. note on this place of Isaiah is as follows: Grande marque de respect en orient de se cacher les pieds, quand on est assis, et de baisser le visage. Quand le souvrain se monstre en Chine et a Japon, chacun se jette le visage contre terre, et il n'est pas permis de regarder le roi; "It is a great mark of respect in the East to cover the feet, and to bow down the head in the presence of the king."

VISION OF JEHOVAH IN HIS TEMPLE. (Isa 6:1-13) In . . . year . . . Uzziah died--Either literal death, or civil when he ceased as a leper to exercise his functions as king [Chaldee], (Ch2 26:19-21). 754 B.C. [CALMET] 758 (Common Chronology). This is not the first beginning of Isaiah's prophecies, but his inauguration to a higher degree of the prophetic office: Isa 6:9, &c., implies the tone of one who had already experience of the people's obstinacy. Lord--here Adonai, Jehovah in Isa 6:5; Jesus Christ is meant as speaking in Isa 6:10, according to Joh 12:41. Isaiah could only have "seen" the Son, not the divine essence (Joh 1:18). The words in Isa 6:10 are attributed by Paul (Act 28:25-26) to the Holy Ghost. Thus the Trinity in unity is implied; as also by the thrice "Holy" (Isa 6:3). Isaiah mentions the robes, temple, and seraphim, but not the form of God Himself. Whatever it was, it was different from the usual Shekinah: that was on the mercy seat, this on a throne; that a cloud and fire, of this no form is specified: over that were the cherubim, over this the seraphim; that had no clothing, this had a flowing robe and train.

stood--not necessarily the posture of standing; rather, were in attendance on Him [MAURER], hovering on expanded wings. the--not in the Hebrew. seraphim--nowhere else applied to God's attendant angels; but to the fiery flying (not winged, but rapidly moving) serpents, which bit the Israelites (Num 21:6), called so from the poisonous inflammation caused by their bites. Seraph is to burn; implying the burning zeal, dazzling brightness (Kg2 2:11; Kg2 6:17; Eze 1:13; Mat 28:3) and serpent-like rapidity of the seraphim in God's service. Perhaps Satan's form as a serpent (nachash) in his appearance to man has some connection with his original form as a seraph of light. The head of the serpent was the symbol of wisdom in Egypt (compare Num 21:8; Kg2 18:4). The seraphim, with six wings and one face, can hardly be identified with the cherubim, which had four wings (in the temple only two) and four faces (Eze 1:5-12). (But compare Rev 4:8). The "face" and "feet" imply a human form; something of a serpentine form (perhaps a basilisk's head, as in the temples of Thebes) may have been mixed with it: so the cherub was compounded of various animal forms. However, seraph may come from a root meaning "princely," applied in Dan 10:13 to Michael [MAURER]; just as cherub comes from a root (changing m into b), meaning "noble." twain--Two wings alone of the six were kept ready for instant flight in God's service; two veiled their faces as unworthy to look on the holy God, or pry into His secret counsels which they fulfilled (Exo 3:6; Job 4:18; Job 15:15); two covered their feet, or rather the whole of the lower parts of their persons--a practice usual in the presence of Eastern monarchs, in token of reverence (compare Eze 1:11, their bodies). Man's service a fortiori consists in reverent waiting on, still more than in active service for, God.

"Above it stood seraphim: each one had six wings; with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he did fly." We must not render לו ממּעל "near him;" for although על or מעל is applied to a person standing near or over against another who is sitting down (Exo 18:13; Jer 36:21; compared Ch2 26:19, where the latter is used to signify "over against" the altar of incense), and is used in this sense to denote the attitude of spirits (Job 1:16; Kg1 22:19; Zac 6:5), and even of men (Zac 4:14), in relation to God when seated on His throne, in which case it cannot possibly be employed in the sense of "towering above;" yet לו ממּעל, the strongest expression for supra, cannot be employed in any other than a literal sense here; for which reason Rashi and the Targums understand it as signifying "above in the attitude of service," and the accentuation apparently, though erroneously, implies this (Luzzatto). What Isaiah meant by this standing above, may be inferred from the use which the seraphim are said to have made of their wings. The imperfects do not describe what they were accustomed to do (Bttcher and others), but what the seer saw them do: with two of their six wings he saw them fly. Thus they stood flying, i.e., they hovered or soared (cf., Num 14:14), as both the earth and stars are said to stand, although suspended in space (Job 26:7). The seraphim would not indeed tower above the head of Him that sat upon the throne, but they hovered above the robe belonging to Him with which the hall was filled, sustained by two extended wings, and covering their faces with two other wings in their awe at the divine glory (Targ. ne videant), and their feet with two others, in their consciousness of the depth at which the creature stands below the Holiest of all (Targ. ne videantur), just as the cherubim are described as veiling their bodies in Eze 1:11. This is the only passage in the Scriptures in which the seraphim are mentioned. According to the orthodox view, which originated with Dionysius the Areopagite, they stand at the head of the nine choirs of angels, the first rank consisting of seraphim, cherubim, and throni. And this is not without support, if we compare the cherubim mentioned in Ezekiel, which carried the chariot of the divine throne; whereas here the seraphim are said to surround the seat on which the Lord was enthroned. In any case, the seraphim and cherubim were heavenly beings of different kinds; and there is no weight in the attempts made by Hendewerk and Stickel to prove that they are one and the same. And certainly the name serpahim does not signify merely spirits as such, but even, if not the highest of all, yet a distinct order from the rest; for the Scriptures really teach that there are gradations in rank in the hierarchy of heaven. Nor were they mere symbols or fanciful images, as Hvernick imagines, but real spiritual beings, who visibly appeared to the prophet, and that in a form corresponding to their own supersensuous being, and to the design of the whole transaction. Whilst these seraphim hovered above on both sides of Him that sat upon the throne, and therefore formed two opposite choirs, each ranged in a semicircle, they presented antiphonal worship to Him that sat upon the throne.