Isaiah in the Temple Vision

The words

1. Here Am I

   After the seraph announces forgiveness, Isaiah hears the LORD ask whom to send and answers, “Here am I.”

   Isaiah 6:7–8 (opens a new tab) · Isaiah 6:8–10 (opens a new tab)

2. Holy

   The seraphims cry “Holy, holy, holy” to one another, calling the whole earth full of the LORD’s glory.

   Isaiah 6:3 (opens a new tab)

3. Isaiah

   Isaiah volunteers to go, then asks “Lord, how long?” The reply describes emptied cities and people removed far away.

   Isaiah 6:8–12 (opens a new tab) · Isaiah 6:11–13 (opens a new tab)

4. Lips

   Isaiah calls his lips unclean; after the coal touches them, the seraph announces that his iniquity is taken away and his sin purged.

   Isaiah 6:5–7 (opens a new tab)

5. Live Coal

   Hot coal, in the NET Bible.

   Within the vision, a seraph brings a coal from the altar to Isaiah’s mouth and declares his sin purged.

   Isaiah 6:6–7 (opens a new tab) · NET Bible: Isaiah 6:6 (opens a new tab)

6. Send Me

   The reply to Isaiah’s offer commands him to tell the people, “Hear ye indeed, but understand not,” and speaks of shutting their eyes.

   Isaiah 6:8–10 (opens a new tab)

7. Seraphims

   Seraphs in the NET; its note gives the singular’s literal meaning as “burning one.”

   The seraphims attend the enthroned Lord and call to one another; one flies to Isaiah with a coal from the altar.

   Isaiah 6:1–3 (opens a new tab) · Isaiah 6:6 (opens a new tab) · NET Bible: Isaiah 6:2 (opens a new tab)

8. Six Wings

   Each seraph has six wings: two cover the face, two cover the feet and two are used for flight in Isaiah’s description.

   Did you know?

   Revelation 4:8 also describes beings with six wings who repeat “Holy, holy, holy” in worship.

   Isaiah 6:2 (opens a new tab) · Revelation 4:8 (opens a new tab)

9. Smoke

   At the voice of the one crying out, the doorposts shake and the house fills with smoke in Isaiah’s vision.

   Did you know?

   At Solomon’s temple dedication, First Kings likewise describes the house filled with a cloud and the glory of the LORD.

   Isaiah 6:4 (opens a new tab) · 1 Kings 8:10–11 (opens a new tab)

10. Teil Tree

    Terebinth in the ESV; the NET note suggests the earlier word may simply mean a large tree.

    The KJV pictures a teil tree and oak retaining their “substance” after shedding leaves; the ESV describes trees felled with stumps remaining.

    Isaiah 6:13 (opens a new tab) · ESV: Isaiah 6:13 (opens a new tab) · NET Bible: Isaiah 6:13 (opens a new tab)

11. Tongs

    The seraph takes the coal from the altar with tongs, then flies to Isaiah and touches his lips in the vision.

    Isaiah 6:6–7 (opens a new tab)

12. Train

    Here, the hem of a robe, in the NET Bible.

    Isaiah sees the Lord seated high on a throne; the robe’s train fills the temple in his account.

    Isaiah 6:1 (opens a new tab) · NET Bible: Isaiah 6:1 (opens a new tab)

13. Undone

    Destroyed, in the NET Bible; its note also considers “I must be silent.”

    Isaiah cries “Woe is me!” after seeing the King, describing himself and his people as having unclean lips.

    Isaiah 6:5 (opens a new tab) · NET Bible: Isaiah 6:5 (opens a new tab)

14. Uzziah

    Isaiah dates the throne vision to the year of King Uzziah’s death; the book’s opening also names Uzziah among Judah’s kings.

    Isaiah 6:1 (opens a new tab) · Isaiah 1:1 (opens a new tab)

15. Vision

    The book introduces Isaiah’s vision concerning Judah and Jerusalem; chapter 6 narrates a throne scene, cleansing and a commission.

    Isaiah 1:1 (opens a new tab) · Isaiah 6:1 (opens a new tab) · Isaiah 6:7–9 (opens a new tab) · Isaiah 6:8–10 (opens a new tab)